340 2024: DEI, AI, The Cloud & Beyond with Bob Evans & John Siefert of Acceleration Economy

Today on Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different, John Siefert and Bob Evans, the leaders and founders of Acceleration Economy, join in on the dialogue about DEI, AI, and what’s in store for 2024. In addition, Bob Evans is also the host of the podcast called Cloud Wars Live, which Christopher has actually been a guest to a few times. They also have some great guests and amazing discussions over there, so go check them out after this episode. That said, let’s dive in into this dialogue and prepare ourselves for the upcoming year. You’re listening to Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different. We are the real dialogue podcast for people with a different mind. So get your mind in a different place, and hey ho, let’s go. John Siefert on DEI in Tech Industry The discussion opens up on the topic of what they have learned in the past year. One thing they agreed on immediately is that people seem to have gotten a little dumber in 2023. Not like major blunders and the like, but more like small things that might seem inconsequential at first, and came back to bite them before the year’s end. After this brief exchange, the topic shifts to the topic of morals and intellectual decay that they have observed in the tech industry, particularly in the implementation of DEI statutes and the like. John Siefert comments on DEI, more specifically how a well-intentioned thing on paper could become twisted and be exploited when applied in the current social landscape. An example in the discussion is that people are being told to hire a diverse staff not because of being inclusive, but rather to meet certain numbers and get benefits out of it. Given these circumstances seemingly are the norm nowadays, Christopher believes that the floodgates might open once this one particular case sets precedence. Bob Evans on how DEI is distorted in practice Bob adds to the topic of DEI and points out that the distortion often comes on how it was implemented, e.g. if it’s already done in bad faith from people up in management for a few people’s benefit, then the struggle to actually implement a proper setup will be that much harder. It has come to the point that Inclusion is being used to actually exclude people. The example that the group gives is that certain analysts believe that Asians are overrepresented in Tech. So rather than hiring someone that is very capable in the required position, companies end up not opting to hire such talent because the person is Asian, and therefore skew their DEI scores. They would end up hiring for diversity rather than skill, and this dilutes their products and services, causing overall loss in the long run. The point of DEI was to be fair and impartial, and yet in practice it just became a way to fulfill certain requirements for special perks, sometimes to the detriment of the company. To hear more about Bob Evans’ and John Siefert’s thoughts on DEI, AI, and what 2024 has in store for us, download and listen to the episode. Bio  John Siefert Chief Executive Officer, Acceleration Economy Co-founder John is a strategic thinker and business builder who loves to reimagine what is possible with smart people who are not afraid of the future. He has the ability to visualize voids in the market and then define a people, product, process, and position approach to creating a brand where that void once existed. Bob Evans Cloud Wars Founder, Acceleration Economy Co-founder, Analyst Bob analyzes business innovation, cloud technology, leadership, corporate strategy, and the global digital economy. He’s the founder of Cloud Wars, was recruited by and worked for Larry Ellison, and shares his thinking via daily videos, daily articles, newsletters, and podcasts. Links Connect with John Siefert and Bob Evans!