In this CIO interview, Tony Uphoff speaks with Larry Hack, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of CPAP.com. The two discuss Hack’s role in cpap.com, various and surprising trends of 2022, anticipated priorities for 2023, Hack’s presentation during Acceleration Economy’s CIO Summit, and his love for extreme sports — which are surprisingly similar to business technology.
Highlights
00:14 — What is cpap.com? Hack explains that many people suffer from sleep disorders — one of them being sleep apnea, which prevents people from breathing well during sleep. CPAP.com supplies equipment, machines, and other various sleep disorder supplies. The company manages the fulfillment of these orders for customers around the world — more than any other e-commerce site.
01:34 — Referring to trends in 2022, Hack says he was surprised by how much of a return there was to the office given the successful implementation — and favor — around remote work. In addition, he was pleasantly surprised by the “hype around the metaverse,” specifically around how much companies are looking to involve themselves in the emerging space.
03:25 — Hack describes the core priorities for cpap.com when it comes to technologies in the upcoming year. The team is looking to do more predictive analysis in order to better know customers. CPAP.com has a team member with a master’s degree in artificial intelligence (AI) that is already working on building tools that will aid in predictive analysis. Additionally, the supply chain industry has felt the effects of Covid, which has prevented the company from getting the equipment to the people who need it. The group is dedicated to solving customers’ problems and providing them with solutions. If they cannot deliver a machine to customers, due to shortages in products, the company is working to provide them with alternatives to inform them of their options. Currently, the company has a strong relationship with its vendors and is able to deliver the machines, but it is still a challenge.
05:04 — For the healthcare industry, Hack anticipates the supply chain issues to carry over into 2023. Manufacturing warehouses are concerned that these products may not be available; so, many warehouses are holding onto them. He also anticipates an increasing number of effects from supply chain shortages to carry over into the new year, especially related to jobs.
06:59 — Hack predicts a rise in chatbots in the upcoming year, with a variety of vendors building out chatbots to reflect human-like characters. He shares that this is an expansive technology that he would like to “play with more,” as it has great potential and is taking advantage of AI. Soul Machines is one company doing this.
08:36 — In business technology, there were major trends that were truly transformative. Hack names the internet as an obvious one, along with its impact on how consumers and businesses were able to interact with one another. Online transactions were a big adjustment with the internet, as consumers were hesitant about the security of online spending. Another big transition has been around the plethora of products enabling simple communication between businesses and consumers, straying from mainframes like desktops and shifting to mobile phones and tablets.
11:32 — It’s interesting how this transition occurred so rapidly, Hack notes. The rapid growth of the internet contrasted with how long it took for the radio and television to become normalized and mainstream. He had predicted the elimination of programmers, which didn’t happen, but there are some interesting low-code options. He is surprised that interfaces and browsers are not up to par; he expected them to improve throughout the year, which has taken way longer than he expected.
14:02 — Tony inquires about Hack’s interests, as Hack is the first CTO that Tony has met who is into base jumping and cave diving. Hack began cave diving before venturing into base jumping. After receiving his scuba diving certification when he was 18, he started cave diving underneath the land, where pockets and pools of hydrostatic pressure exist. Since then, he was hooked. When he saw people wingsuit base jumping in Switzerland, he was convinced he had to do that, too. Every summer he spends a month in Europe to base jump various mountains around Italy and Switzerland.
16:32 — Larry Hack is going to be a featured speaker at Acceleration Economy’s CIO Summit, which is being held in Scottsdale, Arizona on April 2-4. For many years, he has considered the similarities between technology and extreme sports — the main similarity between the two is redundancy, which is crucial in both concepts. His presentation aims to demonstrate how technology and extreme sports — both perceived as dangerous and scary — can be done consistently and safely. Taking the right precautions, following proper procedures, and adapting to things that go wrong will enable users to perform safely, whether it be with technology or cave diving.
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