In this Acceleration Economy Growth Swarm, John Siefert, Bob Evans, Tony Uphoff, and Scott Vaughan have a conversation about building and leading companies in times of inflation and recession.
Highlights
03:22 — Some of the biggest companies in the world launched mid-recession, including Hyatt Hotels, Microsoft, Slack, and Airbnb.
04:26 — Business opportunity is ongoing. Good entrepreneurs have a sense of what customers need, even as those needs change. Constraints of a recession often restrict flexibility, but also force more innovative work and what Tony calls “ruthless” prioritization.
06:59 — Scott addresses the natural tendency for companies to look internally to tighten processes. Looking externally and understanding markets is a valuable opportunity to capitalize where competitors might shy away.
08:18 — Companies with staying power and capital can use this time to seek out diamond-in-the-rough ideas (such as Slack, Venmo, Airbnb) that fit within their portfolios, then use their own resources to carry them to growth.
09:21 — John brings Oracle’s acquisition of Cerner into the discussion as a prime example. Bob examines the list of companies launched in recessions and the grit necessary to withstand tumultuous environments. Oracle’s Larry Ellison recently demonstrated the importance of keeping a big picture perspective.
12:16 —Tony predicts an acceleration of mergers and acquisitions. A tremendous amount of money will be put to work in the years ahead. Scott cites this as the time to put all the components of the Acceleration Economy (such as a digital, data, and customer-centric focus) to work.
14:51 — John emphasizes structure built around delivery and making good ideas a reality at a time when ideas and structure are getting expensive.
16:08 — New partnerships and business strategies tend to occur in times of contraction. Tony examines how companies can build through partnerships. John refers to Google Cloud and c3.ai‘s pairing.
18:06 — Navigating recession and changing environments will be one of the key themes of the upcoming Cloud Wars Expo. This in-person event will be held from June 28th to 30th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.
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