We're halfway through the fall event season, and it's time for Brian Sommer and Jon Reed to reveal the overrated, underrated, and most overhyped topics of the season to date. As always, bring your savviest/snarkiest commentary and we'll work that right into the live mix. We'll also share our most important article reads of the month.... Note: if you want to catch the slides, you can see the full video replay on YouTube at https://youtube.com/live/XQg2YcSDwB8.

In the final hours of Workday Rising 2024, Jon sat down with analyst Pete Tiliakos for an unscripted show review. Tiliakos has a focus on HCM, payroll and the future of work, so the podcast leaned towards those themes - and, of course, the unavoidable reckoning with AI-related news as well. Topics include: why payroll modernization matters, Workday's Extend strategy and whether that pattern will repeat with AI, why AI in HR is a potent issue, and what we learned on the show floor - and in conversation with Workday execs. Jon also discusses his Rising post on "should you rip out your ERP/HCM for AI."

After Jon Reed and Brian Sommer taped their Oracle CloudWorld and SuiteWorld review, they stuck around for a ten minute podcast on the dark side of HR tech, a preview of Brian Sommer's upcoming HR tech presentations.

Is it possible to manage two combined show reviews for Oracle CloudWorld and NetSuite SuiteWorld - without any help from AI agents or digital avatars. On the final evening of the final day, Jon Reed and podcast partner in tarmac crime Brian Sommer give it their best. With a tasty dinner awaiting them, Jon and Brian consulted their notes - and very different conference schedules - to give you a combined view of the hot issues and themes. There was a lot more show than we could handle in 30 minutes, but this should get you started. Note: after this we taped a short ten minute companion podcast on the dark side of HR tech.

AI is purported to have an outsized impact on application areas like ERP - but is that true in practice? And what about the overall view of digital transformation? Bring your best and/or snarkiest questions for Eric Kimberling of Third Stage Consulting. Eric is fielding these topics firsthand from customers; let's find out what he's learned so far, and see if we can de-hype the tech a bit - and find the viable use cases. Note: if you like uncensored, unscripted enterprise content without ads or sponsors, consider giving me a strong rating on your favorite podcast service, thanks!

Yep, it's time! Bring your top picks and savviest/snarkest commentary to our Enterprise Month in Review show on Friday. I'll be joined as always by co-host Brian "Brain" Sommer - special guest Bonnie Duncan Tinder will join us also, where we will discuss upcoming presentations and data on "The dark side of HR" and "The dark side of HR services." Brian and I will also share our picks and underrated stories of the month, as well as a fail or two. Should be a good one, with major cloud HR events right around the corner. Update: Meg Bear also crashed the show at the 45:00 mark to give her take on the state of enterprise HR, as Brian regaled us with his ill-fated attempt to re-apply for a job at a company where he once held a major role. Note: to see the slides, check the video replay on my YouTube channel at youtube.com/jonathanwreed.

Before everyone gets into trouble at fall events, it's time to bear down on enterprise video and media, and look at where brands are getting it wrong - and right. Paul Greenberg and Brent Leary of PPN/CRM Playaz, the recipients of my informal enterprise video award, have lived the highs and lows of audience engagement with video - time to put them in the chair with your questions. This blowout edition will also include surprise mystery guests! (Thomas Wieberneit of CRMKonvos, another enterprise video finalist, will join for the post-game analysis and podcast wrap at the 30:00 mark). Note: by the time we finished this video, I think we had boiled down a bunch of key takeaways for getting enterprise media right.

This one started as a soloflight, but the timing was good for Constellation's Liz Miller to crash the show as only she can do, and take a Google-cookie-backtrack victory lap, and make sense of the gen AI creativity debate from a CMO/marketing angle. There is a bit of a without-a-net vibe here until Liz shows up at the 11:00, but I recommend tracking this from the beginning to hear the context of the article on AI, creativity and job impact we will discuss. The podcast starts with the introduction of an important piece on gen AI and impact on creative jobs by journalism Brian Merchant. As I originally pitched the show: "One more notable article on gen AI creativity came out that we need to break down. I may get a couple guests to crash this session. Feel free to join and have your cam ready, maybe you'll be one of them." Stay to the end and get a cameo from Brent Leary as well, he goes off on Google's moves before heading into his own broadcast...

Yep, it's time. Join me and Brian Sommer for this month's highs and lows of the enterprise. Our special guest will be Lawson Abinanti, who has some tough love for BI vendors on how their messaging falls short. We'll probably push into some FP&A and AI talk as well. What do customers really need from their BI and data vendors? As always bring your savviest comments and sharp wit. Note: you can see the slide deck on the YouTube replay at: https://www.youtube.com/live/AEvI7vnsCTk.

SAP's "clean core" mantra raises enough questions to earn its own podcast. So, in the aftermath of SAP Sapphire and ASUG's Annual Conference, Josh Greenbaum and ASUG CEO Geoff Scott join Jon Reed again. We start with the open questions each of us are pursuing after the show. Then we shift into the SAP clean core discussion: is clean core marketing/sales hype, or a way of achieving deeper customer value from SAP? Scott reveals fresh data from ASUG on customer views, and Reed asks the guys to react to recent blog posts from SAP, as well as the clean core partner certification. We wrap with the question: where should SAP customers take this from here?

In the final segment (for now) of our Workshopping Generative AI creativity series, Barb Mosher Zinck joins the show to reveal what she sees as a practioner - and as diginomica's lead digital marketing writer. This is Zinck's first time appearing on Jon's show, but the two have debated content strategy for years, resulting in Jon's longer dbook on informed B2B buyers (which Zinck edited). Today, Zinck joins the live show to elaborate on her notable blog post, "Is content creation the best use for generative AI in marketing?" After discovering that Twitter/X borked the live stream, Jon breaks down what he's learned on gen AI and creativity to date, and a discussion of the lessons behind Barb's blog post ensues. You can see the post at: https://diginomica.com/content-creation-best-use-generative-ai-marketing.

After taping a Sage analyst event podcast review in Atlanta, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer jumped right into a shorter companion podcast on a hot event topic: CFO dilemmas. Are CFOs able to own business growth? Are they truly moving past admin, or is this is the same admin versus strategy dilemma that has plagued finance leaders for decades? Can AI make a dent here? Are there any relevant AI for finance use cases?

Jon Reed and Brian Sommer crashed an empty conference room to hash out what they learned at a whirlwind Sage analyst day event. Sage has ambitious plans for AI and automation in finance and beyond. "Eliminating the close" is one way of framing these goals - but is it realistic? Jon gets into Brian's pesky questions from the show, and what he learned. The two also hash out some of Sage's AI pursuits such at the digital fingerprint. It's been years since Sage acquired cloud finance vendor Intacct - now the entire product line is changing, but what does this mean for customers? Note: check out the second shorter companion podcast on the dilemmas facing CFOs and finance leaders.

Note: Barb wasn't able to make this session due to tech issues, but Brent Leary of Playaz Production Network hopped on, and he had some terrific content on what he has seen on gen AI and creativity this event season... On the heels of part one, Barb Mosher Zinck published a notable blog post on this topic, so our work isn't finished here. Let's see what Barb has to say, and I have a couple more debunkings to share. Bring your smartest/snarkiest stuff as usual and let's try to advance this convo. (We did discuss Barb's post a bit on this show; I'll have her back on in July to delve further).

I've had my fill of gen AI "creativity" BS for the enterprise. And yet, there are some pros and cons to discuss - and use cases to consider. What does Thomas Wieberneit think? I know he will come with strong views and we'll hash this one out - want to join us and provide your views as well? I will also outline some of my theories of attention and B2B buyer engagement, and how I see AI helping - and not. Note: this video also contains a vigorous debate on the impact of gen AI on enterprise job loss, thanks to some savvy commenters. Note: if you enjoy these ad-free, unscripted, uncensored enterprise convos, do consider leaving a strong rating on your fave podcast channel. This podcast will always be free and unsponsored. If you want to follow along with the slides, check the replay at https://www.youtube.com/@jonreedofdiginomica.

On the final afternoon of SAP Sapphire, Jon sat down with Brian Dennett for a sleep deprivation show review. Brian's SAP adventures have landed him with a partner that is expert on RISE and BTP, so it was the perfect time to dig into the pros and cons of RISE, where the value lies, and whether "clean core" is a crucial concept for SAP customers - or a marketing/commercial catch phrase. Also: what is the "BTP economy," and why should customers cast a wide net when it comes to their implementation partner moving forward? Jon also shares some of his customer feedback and surprises: including customer advocacy of the S/4HANA public cloud edition. We wrap with a brief chat about cynicism versus open-minded curiosity in the role of market analysis.

In this special edition of the Enterprise month in review, Brian Sommer and Jon Reed will also be joined by special guest Thomas Otter of Acadian Ventures... Otter will answer: where are the big ideas in HR? Will AI count? Join us and give us your snarky wisdom and input. Brian and Jon will also do our picks of the month. Editor's note: this audio edition restores the first 7:30 minutes of the broadcast that did not go out to the live stream and the video version. You may hear the splice and a shift in audio sound after the splice - but it was worth it for the extra material!

In this ten minute update, Jon Reed asks Brian Sommer for the latest on why ESG is disrupting finance - and touching just about every corporate cost center. This podcast took place in advance of Brian's session at Planful Perform 2024 on ESG for finance professionals. Jon also asks Brian to weigh in on why ESG is perceived as too political, and what the stakes are to sidelining this conversation for that reason. Note: this is the final section of a longer Planful Perform review that's also been released, so check the feed for that one.

In this on-site podcast taping in San Diego, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer review the hot topics at Planful Perform 2024. Obviously the potential and perils of AI for finance gets attention, but there is more - including the financial planning market, and what finance customers need to achieve better project results. Note: the final section of this podcast, on the impact of ESG for finance, is being released separately, so check the feed for that.

In our prior podcasts on SAP's innovation direction, we debated everything from AI to RISE - with the goal of providing actions and context for customers. This time, we wade into deeper waters by looking at the role of SAP partners. Join us as Josh Greenbaum, ASUG CEO Geoff Scott and Jon Reed look at how SAP services partners are responding to disruptions inside and outside the SAP "ecosystem." How should partners address clean core/BTP versus customizations? How should customers evaluate partners? Are customers missing out on partners that are not on their radar screen? And what is the role of ASUG (and other SAP user groups) in helping customers engage and assess partners? What has ASUG learned from recent surveys on this topic? We cover all that and more in this lead up to SAP Sapphire and the ASUG Annual Conference.

Join Brian Sommer and Jon Reed for another spicy, fun-filled edition of the Enterprise Month in Review. Our special guest feature is Maureen Blandford of Serendipitus, who will reveal her field lessons on the data pitfalls enterprises are falling into, and why slathering AI on questionable data is a fail. And: Blandford will tell us what the heck to do about it! Note: you can follow along with the slides via the video replay at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTlDLOdTRcM.

Hyperpersonalization has been recognized as one of the seven defining patterns of AI. Why? Is it deserving? Useful? Buzzword mischief? Time for an enterprise BS detector dissection... Join me and CRM analyst and buzzword detoxifier Thomas Wieberneit as we pick apart hyperpsersonalization in this informal discussion. Where does hyperpersonalization work? Where does it fall short? Is the collateral damage of bad personalization worth the risk? As usual bring your sharpest insights and a bit of snark as well, we're going to need it. By the end, we even get around to the problem of music personalization - and Pink Floyd.

For this month's Enterprise Month in Review, Jon and Brian will be joined by a surprise special guest. We'll pick our top stories of the month, and then dig with our guest on the ups and downs of AI as a consideration in software selection, how to avoid the gotchas of software evaluation, how HR vendors are approaching AI, and more. As always, bring your smartest (and snarkiest) questions/comments. Note: if you enjoy these audio productions with unfiltered enterprise content, and no sponsors or commercials, consider leaving a good review so I can beat the algorithm...

On the final day of Sage Transform 2024, Jon Reed caught up with old school, returning podcast guest Joni Girardi of DataSelf. Girardi explained why self-service BI has fallen short for business and finance users in the midmarket. Jon gets Joni's take on what Sage Transform's AI announcements mean for customers when it comes to analytics, and the guys take on the impact of AI on analytics from a number of angles, until their room time expires and the podcast wraps.

Join Jon Reed, Brian Sommer and special guest Molly Sands, who heads up Atlassian's Team Anywhere, to hit the highs and lows of the enterprise year so far - with special attention to the impact of Return to Office mandates, and what companies should do differently. As always, bring your smartest and snarkiest commentary to share. Note: the link to Atlassian's Lessons Learned: 1,000 days of distributed at Atlassian can be found at: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/distributed-work/distributed-work-report

Join Josh Greenbaum, ASUG CEO Geoff Scott and Jon Reed for their latest attempt to get to the bottom of SAP's innovation and AI strategy. But unlike their last contentious debate, this one is more of a back-and-forth on the impact of enterprise AI, what SAP's AI strategy means for customers - and how customers should respond. The main SAP news stories since the last podcast are also touched on, as well as another potent question: is RISE with SAP evolving into the transformation as a service tagline it has always been billed as? Is "cALM" (cloud ALM) an SAP buzzword to take seriously - especially when paired with Signavio and Lean IX? If so, why? Let's hash it out - and discuss how customers should respond.

After a hectic week in Vegas, Jon asked returning champ Josh Greenbaum back onto the show to review impressions and takeaways from their time digging into Acumatica with customers, partners, and execs. Josh hadn't been to this show in a few years, so it was a good time to chart Acumatica's progress - and the work still ahead. Acumatica is one of the most differentiated cloud ERP vendors, and most interesting enterprise vendors period. But in the AI/data platform era, all vendors face new challenges. Where does Acumatica land? We discuss.

Time for another "blogs that matter" special edition. Bring your smartest/snarkiest questions as we dig into Josh's recent post, the five horsemen of the business apocalypse. Those of you with AI fatigue will especially enjoy this one, as it turns out there are other pressing business problems to talk about in 2024. Note: if you enjoy unfiltered podcasts without sponsors or a business model, consider giving a lovely review and help me beat the algo. Josh's post: to reference his post, see: https://eaconsult.com/the-five-horsemen-of-the-business-apocalypse-a-quick-guide-to-the-real-issues-that-should-be-keeping-every-ceo-awake-at-night/

Bring your snarkiest snark, enterprise wit, and burning questions for one more enterprise month in review for 2023. Join Jon Reed, Brian "Brain" Sommer and special guest Meg Bear for our picks of enterprise highs and lows. Note: if you believe in the mission of this show: free/uncensored independent enterprise content with no commercial model, then consider giving me a good rating and review. It's the best way to keep the show momentum going. I know it's tedious but help us beat the algorithm... Also, you can see the slides we refer to via the video show replay at youtube.com/jonathanwreed.

Sometimes, discussions go off the rails - in the best way possible. Earlier this fall, independent analyst Josh Greenbaum and ASUG CEO Geoff Scott joined Jon Reed to try to make sense of shift's in SAP's innovation/AI strategy - and the messaging around it. In this in-depth return, things get a bit heated. 

We start off with a catch up from the last talk - and what we learned from events such as ASUG Tech Connect about SAP customer priorities - as SAP tech leaders contend with S/4HANA deadlines, AI confusion/opportunities, economic headwinds and more. 

The conversation shifts to a discussion of the future of SAP tech events, particularly in North America. Should/will SAP TechEd return to Vegas? Where does ASUG Tech Connect fit in? How will SAP tech pros upskill for AI, BTP etc? 

The final phase of the conversation, on SAP's innovation strategy, goes off the rails as Jon and Geoff take very different positions, and Josh finds himself in an unexpected role as mediator of sorts, and calmest voice in the room. Final note: the goal here was to surface a conversation that matters to SAP and its customers. All three of us agree that customers should own/claim their own innovation agenda - the questions center around how SAP should fit into that. No, we didn't resolve anything here, but did we find some common ground? We hope this debate gives customers motivation to press forward on their innovation strategy - and to engage in dialogue with SAP and user groups, be it ASUG or in other regions.

Podcast timeline summary: 
2:00 - ASUG Tech Connect and customer priorities, including AI and clean core
30:00 - The future of SAP tech events
45:00 - The SAP innovation debate II

Prior September podcast discussion: https://jonerp.podbean.com/e/the-sap-innovation-debate-hashing-out-sap-s-rise-and-ai-plans-with-greenbaum-and-scott/

On the last day of the first ASUG Tech Connect in New Orleans, Jon sat down with Josh Greenbaum to make sense of what just happened. What was on the agenda of the SAP tech leaders present? Was the show a success? If so - why? How did the interest in AI compare to the interest in S/4HANA? We discuss our own session with customers, what we learned in our pursuits - including Greenbaum's six week SAP show tour. Jon brings up the issue of the clean core, and Greenbaum shares why our talk with Juergen Mueller wound up in discussing new possibilities for RISE - as a process evaluation and landscape management solution. Would that fly? Greenbaum connects the Signavio and Cloud ALM dots, and we head out.

Join Jon Reed and Brian "Brain" Sommer for this special fall event review, featuring guest star Laurie McCabe from the SMB Group. As usual, your snarky comments and smart ideas are expected. We'll pick the most notable content of the month, and try to make sense of a hype-laden AI event season. Note: if you like uncensored, unsponsored enterprise content like this, help me surface it with a good rating, it's one of the only ways free content like this can beat today's algorithms. Thanks.

"We need a language on what's going wrong with work" - fantastic lead quote from my guest on Friday the 18, Melissa Swift. Bring your sharpest commentary on the problems of work, and what better work futures look like, with and without AI. Swift, the author of "Work Here Now: Think Like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace," will count down the top reasons why work is broken, and skewer a few of her most disliked HCM catch phrases. Then we'll take stock: where do we go from here? What would a smart/savvy/inclusive workplace look like, and what are the building blocks of that? Bring your questions and let's see where this goes.

On the final day of SuccessConnect 2023, Jon sat down with Luke Marson for a wide ranging discussion on what he learned from his customer discussions at SuccessConnect, and how that matches up with what he heard from the keynote stage. Luke shares the questions about onboarding that were one big theme in his customer talks. He also details what the most successful SuccessFactors projects looks like. We compare notes on what constitutes customer success, the value of AI, and why skills is a core opportunity for SuccessFactors going forward.

Jon reignites his old school SuccessConnect podcast troublemaker series with SuccessFactors community leader and partner Chris Paine. Chris wrote a post prior to SuccessConnect about his predictions and expectations - did the show deliver? What did he learn as of the end of day one? The guys also get into the AI topic, reviewing how SAP can succeed in AI, what customers think, and how AI might impact implementation services in good and bad ways. *** Audio note: the main recording ran into an issue, so this final is a splice between two recordings. I've leveled over the volume but you may notice the splice - the result isn't perfect but I hope it's pretty listenable.*** Chris' pre-event blog post: https://www.wombling.com/hr/successconnect-2023-expectations/ Chris' post-event blog post: https://www.wombling.com/hr/successconnect-2023-expectations-met-and-exceeded/ Jon's 1st show post on gen AI and more: https://diginomica.com/successconnect-23-under-hood-saps-generative-ai-news-and-beyond

On diginomica, I've been pushing back on the generative AI hype machine with vigor, but also digging into its enterprise possibilities. Who better for an enterprise AI gut check than Vijay Vijayasankar? Vijayasankar has a deep interest/passion for AI but also has an reputation for debunking its misconceptions. In his role at IBM managing financial services clients, he can also speak to project realities - and how customers weigh GenAI risks and opportunities. I lay out my generative AI views/research for a gut check from Vijayasankar. We also discuss why he wrote his post on GenAI in the enterprise, and what he thinks customers should prioritize, as they move into GenAI projects. Vijayasankar also shares his own project learnings, and promising use cases. We hit on many issues in this podcast, such as whether bias and hallucations can ever be eliminated from LLM, and whether domain experts, customer data and reinforcement learning can improve the accuracy/effectiveness of GenAI for the enterprise. As Vijayasankar notes in the podcast, the views he expresses here, and in his post, are his views alone, not his employer. Vijay's AI post: https://andvijaysays.com/2023/08/05/genai-in-the-enterprise-nine-themes-that-i-have-seen-so-far/ My AI post: https://diginomica.com/enterprises-will-test-limits-llms-and-chatgpt-just-beginning

In this spontaneous podcast review on the final afternoon of Oracle CloudWorld 2023, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer compare what they learned, culminating in Sommer's quip, "You may have to partner with your enemy, because that's what your customer wants." Customers definitely want more vendor options in their strategic mix - did CloudWorld support that premise? Is Oracle's generative AI messaging differentiated? Does Oracle have an industry applications advantage from their acquisitions, which go well beyond Cerner? And: did Larry Ellison's strong keynote push on healthcare resonate? These are some of the topics we hash out during this 25 minute recap. Production note: Jon's audio was a bit quiet due to a tech glitch, worked on tweaking that as best possible in post production, hopefully it will be solid enough for this time around.

On July 20, 2023, during SAP's Q2 earnings call, SAP CEO Christian Klein made bold statements regarding the future of SAP innovation - in particular RISE, AI, and why SAP's close relationship with customers, including opt-in customer data, give SAP an AI advantage (and premium AI pricing). It is our view that these statements constitute a notable change/evolution in innovation strategy that warrant debate, user group dialogue - and discussion on how customers should track these issues.

Since Klein's earnings call statements, other executives inside of SAP have re-iterated and provided more context to these statements. These points are not necessarily firm policy yet, but are definitely messaging to look hard at. Since that time, along with my podcast guests Geoff Scott, CEO ASUG, and analyst Josh Greenbaum, we've had a chance to clarify these points and press questions. We don't have all the answers, and this is still unfolding, but we now have enough information to have an informed debate with our own views.

Some of the hottest issues, such as AI pricing, reflect a surging market that has not yet gelled around the value of AI and what that will look like for customers. These AI pricing/value issues are not unique to SAP, but warrant scrutiny nonetheless. We taped this podcast as a way of letting listeners know what we've learned so far, and to lay out the questions we can pursue across SAP events this fall, culminating in SAP TechEd India, virtual SAP TechEd, and ASUG TechConnect New Orleans, which occur across the same times in November.

Strong opinions are declared in this podcast but we do want to point out that SAP may yet shift and further clarify the policies we are debating. Those customers with specific questions should not treat this podcast as definitive, but contact SAP with open questions. We would also like to thank DSAG for providing their views, some of which are incorporated here. Also a thank you to our various contacts at SAP, who worked hard to get us the most current information that is publicly available.

They may not agree with our opinions, in fact we are pretty certain they will not, but we are much better informed due to SAP's efforts, and SAP's willingness to engage in an important community dialogue. Any inaccuracies will be corrected in the podcast description, but these topics are too important to wait for perfect information, some of which is likely to be tied to event announcements this fall, yet to be made public.

We expect to regroup with a shorter podcast later this fall to discuss what we learned at those events. Finally, we did cover, in brief, our initial takes on SAP's LeanIX acquisition, though we are out of time for a thorough review. This discussion relies almost entirely on published information in our prior blog posts, and in other news stories and transcripts:

Geoff: https://www.asug.com/insights/asug-ceo-we-will-clarify-and-communicate-saps-cloud-strategy-for-our-community

Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joshuagreenbaum_read-the-full-story-now-activity-7092925003704266754-eN4b/

Jon: https://diginomica.com/generative-ai-disruptions-rise-and-grow-thomas-saueressig-reveals-next-steps-saps-ai-strategy

DSAG: https://dsag.de/presse/on-premise-customers-cut-off-from-innovations/

Okay, bring your popcorn and saltiest commentary - it's the debut of the enterprise month in review with Brian Sommer and yours truly. In this edition, we are joined by Hyoun Park of Amalgam Research to discuss his important post on Zoom's terms of service issues, and the implications for customers considering AI moves in the enterprise. In each edition of this show, we'll each pick our top stories of the month (and why), and the underrated story that got lost in the hype. We'll pick our most loathed tech buzzword of the month - so will you - and our worst PR pitch. A surprise guest may crash the party - perhaps it will be you. We'll send you on your way with a project tip or two. If you like uncensored, unsponsored podcasts like this one, leaving me a strong review on a popular podcast platform makes a world of difference; thanks for listening.

Companies are whiffing on ESG - but why? Regulatory requirements bring added pressure, but the incentive to change goes well beyond that - as a new wave of ESG vendors demonstrate. This is now well beyond reporting. It's tracking/managing ESG in real-time across supply chains. Join Brian Sommer for his ESG research preview/reveal session - and bring your best/toughest questions. Bonus: for the final third of the show, sustainability expert Tom Raftery joins the show to weigh on in how the ESG market is changing - and why. Note: if you like this type of unscripted, uncensored enterprise podcast, reviews on the popular podcast platforms are the best way you can help me.

Returning champ Maureen Blandford is back, but much has changed. Now she's a founder of Serendipitus - and she's got some tough love talk (and data insights) into why digital transformations fail. Join our interactive, no filter discussion as Maureen takes us through the top digital transformation botches, and what we're gonna do about it. No buzzword (or tech event) is safe, as life as a female founder tends to surface a lot of industry BS - and we're gonna call it out on Friday. Let's do this...

Enterprise video can be effective - or a true yawner. Join special guest Brent Leary as we discuss the highs and lows of enterprise video, and the secrets of his portable video gear and Playaz Production Network adventures with Paul Greenberg. We're also going to hash out the AI for video editing use case, share recent experiments - and the best options out there. As always bring your questions and Friday attitude... Note: the video version, if you want to see the pics of Brent's setup, can be found on youtube.com/jonathanwreed. If you want more unfiltered/unsponsored enterprise content like this, consider giving me a rating on your fave podcast site. thx.

Enterprise spring events were a generative AI carnival - but did we learn anything customers can use now? Forget keynote reviews - what did customers learn that can actually help them compete in a spank tunnel economy? Let's have an informal rehash shall we? There was enough generative AI hype to create a circus, but did we actually learn anything customers can use? Let's hash this out. Jon also hands out letter grades for event achievements, and lack thereof. Also check the itunes channel for the full podcast archives.

We're back, and about to go live - What is MACH-washing? Why is it worse than cloud-washing? No one better than Phil Wainwright to discuss, fresh off a deep dive into headless architectures and the MACH Alliance show. We discuss the hype around the micrservices enterprises, including Amazon's recent decision to retreat from microservices for a Prime Video use case. As part one ends, Brian Sommer challenges Jon and Phil to a wardrobe duel, and we begin our generative AI discussion.

Brian Sommer crashes the show to exhibit his wardrobe versatility and a fresh tie. We dive back into microsservices, this time from an ESG data perspective. Then the audience moves us into a debate/discussion on generative AI for the enterprise. We discuss viable use cases, as well as the limits and shortfalls. Jon shares what he learned when pressing vendors on issues like 1:1 personalization with generative AI. (Note: to see the ties you'll want to check the youtube video replay at youtube.com/jonathanwreed).

To make sense of the barrage of news stories, keynotes and meetings, Jon gets Josh Greenbaum in the podcast chair. Josh hit on a few key storylines he was pursuing at the show: the state of SAP Business Networks, partner ecosystem issues, and whether SAP's sustainability push has progressed. The guys also talk about their discussion with ASUG members at the ASUG Executive Exchange program on the Monday prior to Sapphire's kick off. The discussion closes with Josh and Jon's personal reflections on a memorable Sapphire LGBTQ+ Pride panel, moderated by Julia White.

I haven't caught up with Brian Dennett in a few years. After honing his tech chops in AI startups, Dennett is back in SAP land as an SAP Mentor. I was pleased to learn, during our conversation, he is keeping the tradition of the outspoken/critical/a little grouchy SAP Mentor alive. Dennett has strong views on the SAP Datasphere news, SAP's cloud business model transition challenges, and the future of SAP TechEd. This on-site podcast discussion also weaves in a few of my recent interviews and digging on SAP's hot Sapphire topics.

In this online podcast taping, Jon talks with Tim Rodman, creator of the first independent Acumatica cloud ERP user group, AUGforums.com. We talk about the importance of community and user group voices in the enterprise, and Tim shares what he's learned over the years by starting his own independent user group. He also shares how he has produced so much Acumatica-related content, and how he sustains these efforts.

Time to hash out what HR tech is getting right - and where it's falling short. Join us for an interactive discussion and research reveal. Bonnie Duncan Tinder, Stacey Harris and Brian Sommer will surely bring their A game, so bring your smartest questions. We'll also blow off steam via the most hated buzzwords in HR tech. You can bet ChatGPT is going to come up. Before we wrap, we'll have advice for HR leaders on making their talent goals stick, despite the economic "headwinds" and KPI overdose. If you like no-BS podcasts, consider leaving me a review on your favorite platform - I take no sponsors ever.

In this on-site podcast from Acumatica Summit 2023, Jon Reed talks with Joni Girardi of DataSelf. ERP as a data platform? Extracting more value out of ERP was a big topic at the show. Acumatica customers - like all ERP customers - are looking to get more out of their ERP investment with analytics, planning, and improved reporting. Girardi has spent 20 years on this topic - he shares the pitfalls and potentials of BI projects, as the two hit on topics ranging from the impact of AI to the great dashboard debate - do dashboards lead to better decisions? Some of this discussion is Acumatica-specific, but most is relevant to any enterprise software listener concerned about deriving more customer value from data. Note: if you like unsponsored, ad-free, no BS enterprise podcasts please consider giving me a good rating to help me beat the algorithm. I fund these myself for discerning listeners.

Jon didn't think SAP TechEd put enough emphasis on DevOps and AIOps, so he set about to correct that, via a roundtable with John Appleby and Brenton O'Callahan of Avantra, and Martin Fischer of Neptune Software (Fischer is also the lead for DSAG's DevOps interest group). But is DevOps even relevant in an ERP context? And what about AIOps? How do we move beyond dashboards and observability? What do SAP customers need to move forward with effective automation? Has this issue been overlooked by SAP, and what kind of educational/project content is needed? What is the future of SAP Basis engineers in this context? Do they have one? Is DevSecOps even worth a mention? These are just some of the issues the guys get into during this "alternative SAP TechEd" session.

Show notes: the company mentioned by Martin for the DevOps session at SAP TechEd is Nuve.

Jon is back on the CRMKonvos show to make his case for why hybrid events matter - and to issue a scorching grade to vendors (and yet, the grade is an improvement over the spring). The CRMKonvos gang, Thomas Wieberneit, Ralf Korb and Marshall Lager once again keep the hot seat hot, but making sure that Jon is forced to comment on how the metaverse might play a role in hybrid events (the metaverse is Jon's favorite tech concept - err, not). But it does make for a convo with some surprises. Thanks to the CRMKonvos team for permission to issue this audio version - catch all their video replays on their YouTube channel.

In this special appearance, Jon joins the CRMKonvos gang in the hot seat, to help sort industry cloud BS from reality. Industry clouds matter - but customers should evaluate carefully. What are the true criteria? Jon shares his views, while the smart CRMKonvos gang of Thomas Wieberneit, Ralf Korb and Marshall Lager keep the hot seat hot. This replay is issued with the express permission of the CRMKonvos team - thanks to them. Catch all their replays on the CRMKonvos YouTube channel.

Yep - we're back. Phil Wainewright and Josh Greenbaum both wrote landmark posts on customer success - but do they agree? And what should customers take from all the "customer success" brouhaha? To help me weigh the arguments, Bonnie Tinder of Raven Intel was on hand to share data and find a way forward. As usual, the audience brought their sharpest and smartest questions. Trivia note: this is my diginomica colleague Phil Wainewright's debut on my hits/misses video show, not to be missed.Also check the itunes channel for the full podcast archives.

John Appleby, CEO Avantra, managed to duck a podcast taping with me at SAP Sapphire. But after Appleby told me that this year's SAP Insider marked a change in SAP events, I put him in the podcast hot seat: what matters most to SAP customers? After our review of RISE with SAP, Appleby gives his answer: SAP automation. But hold up - automating SAP landscapes is different than classic DevOps. Can SAP Basis engineers make this transition, and have impact on their company's automation strategy? What are the pitfalls? I had some tough surprise questions ready for Appleby. I hope this practical look at why SAP automation is coming to a head will be useful to project teams. Disclosure: Avantra is a diginomica partner, but this podcast is not part our contract, nor is this a diginomica podcast. We did this one for fun, with only a bare bones list of topics, no script.

Yep, we're back! Time for a jugular, interactive session on hyperpersonalization. Join CX smarties Marshall Lager and Thomas Wieberneit as we define this term, probe into why it's needed (or not), and, most important, what practical do's and don'ts apply to enterprises? Bring your sharpest questions as always, and let's do this. Also check the itunes channel for the full podcast archives. If you care about unfiltered, unsponsored enterprise content, a great review will help others find this show amidst the marketing flotsam.

Yup - we're back. Join us for a vigorous discussion of the overlooked role of services partners in transformation efforts. Bonnie Tinder of Raven Intel and Brian Sommer will count down the top things to look for in services firm selection - and the worst services firm characteristics and warning signs. Bring your sharp commentary and smart questions and let's see if we can advance this conversation and put more emphasis on what is often, in my view, the weak link in an enterprise project/transformation effort. Note: if you believe in unsponsored, unfiltered enterprise content and like this series, please give this self-funded series a quick review on the platform of your choice. Thanks.

Let's see how hits and misses "live" does on the road talking analytics in the real world and more with Hyoun Park of Amalgam Insights, one of the smartest/most interesting enterprise thinkers I know... Final note: this 30 minute show was live from Planful Perform, Las Vegas. I didn't get the sound completely right, this was my first live stream on site in more than a decade - I'll get better. But meantime, I thought Park's sharp insights on the economy, AI, and analytics were worth sharing regardless.

Jon revives a pre-pandemic tradition by locating an abandoned conference room and taping an underground podcast review - this time with special guest Josh Greenbaum. This works as a companion to Jon's diginomica opinionated SAP Sapphire news review, so we hit on different topics, especially the issues Josh was chasing down such as business networks. He explains why SAP has finally turned a corner on business networks, and why, in his usual outspoken style, (literally) called "BS" during an SAP CX meeting. After the Josh convo, I've added a quick convo I had with ASUG CEO Geoff Scott on the show floor. Due to a few tech difficulties the sound wasn't perfect, but I fixed most in post-production. The diginomica post direct link I referred to is: https://diginomica.com/sap-sapphire-2022-opinionated-news-review-orlando

Buckle up... First time hits/misses video guest Stacey Harris, Chief Research Officer at Sapient Insights Group, is going to unfurl fresh HR data and debunk HR tech myths. We'll also get into the underrated keys to HR project success. The audience brought their sharpest questions and comments, and Stacey was ready to roll! Also check the itunes channel for the full podcast archives.

Now rescheduled for this Friday! The problems retailers face amidst supply volatility and Amazon/Walmart dominance are immense. The retail year kicks off at the NRF big show - and our hot seat guest, Guy Courtin, was actually on the ground (I was not). We'll get Courtin's view of the highs and lows of the show (and most interesting tech). Bring your sharpest retail questions - Courtin will also count down some of the underrated (and overhyped) aspects of retail tech.

On this edition of the enterprise hits and misses show, join me and first-time guest Eric Kimberling of Third Stage Consulting as we hash out the fundamental problem: if transformation is essential, than why are we as an industry continually falling short? Kimberling will be unveiling, and counting down his digital transformation do's and don'ts. Note: this is a resolutely sponsor-free, unfiltered podcast/video show. If you believe in this, please rate and review it.

Aka "revenge of Nicole and Liz", or the "Liz and Nicole show," join me as we wrap the hits/misses show year with unfiltered tour through the year in CX, CRM, and marketing run amok. The audience brought their usual sharp commentary as Nicole and Liz counted down their highs and lows of the CX year. Yeah, this should be fun.... Also check the itunes channel for the full podcast archives.

Ever wondered how diginomica's annual un-predictions get made? Want a first hand look at a hyper-agile waterfall best practice methodology like no other? Oh yeah - we've got slides baby! Want to take a crack at building your own crystal ball? Paging all tech ninjas and prognosticators - join us for the un-predictions launch release - replay.

At past SAP TechEds, Matthias Steiner and I would typically have spirited bar conversations, or yell at each other on the patio about the keynotes. For SAP TechEd 2021, thanks to Neptune Software's podcast series, we have an informal online version of the same. These are our initial reactions only, taped right after the day two developer keynote. Amongst the topics covered: SAP cloud adoption and RISE, low-code and no-code, role of smaller SAP partners, and of course the free tier developer announcement for SAP BTP. We also talk about whether sustainability resonates, and the future of SAP TechEd. Podcast provided to our channel with kind permission of Neptune Software.

Here we go - continuing with my "blogs that matter" editions of the hits/misses interactive video show, I'll be diving into the recent milestone blogs Gartner's Hank Barnes has published on enterprise buyers, via his own dialogue with Geoffrey Moore ("Crossing the Chasm"). Barnes and I will also revisit our debate on how informed today's enterprise buyer actually is, and how customers can make better buying decisions (or not). Bring your sharpest questions for the free for all chat, this will be a good 'un.

Yep, on this edition of Enterprise hits/misses radio, Josh Greenbaum and I will settle our differences on customer success. Bonnie Duncan Tinder of Raven Intel will join us to reveal her latest research on the problematic role of professional services partners in customer success initiatives. Join us for this live discussion and yes, your comments will be a big part of this. We'll hash out the problems and shine the light on those getting it done the right way. Reference post: Attention vendors - please stop the customer success hype train, unless you have these six proof points (You can get Josh's post here too). 

Josh Greenbaum issued a scorching blog post, "Death to all silos!" It's a tour de force of enterprise possibilities - and shortcomings. In our usual no-holds-barred interactive manner, we're going to get to the bottom of this post - including practical actions for customers, vendors, and SIs. BONUS: At the 40:00 mark, Hyoun Park makes his hits/misses video show debut with a terrific guest appearance that helps us assess remote work silos, and get to the core of how companies can act on Josh's post. See Josh's blog post at: https://eaconsult.com/2021/09/30/death-to-all-silos-with-aphorisms/.

Hybrid events aren't nearly what they could be - and here's someone who can help us change that. Yes! Enterprise hits and misses video show is back, and with a doozey. Paul Richards, huge influence on my thinking on hybrid events, will join us for an interactive session. Richards is the Director of Marketing for HuddleCamHD, https://huddlecamhd.com/pro/. He'll share how he pioneered hybrid events, talk about how to put on a good one, and we'll even get into production values as he has one of the best setups you'll see. Note: to see Paul's tour of his studio, you'll want to check out the video version of our talk at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Viz-CWZ9j5c

The Enterprise hits and misses video show returns with a much-anticipated guest, John Belden of Upper Edge. Belden has outspoken field views on transformation - what works and where companies go wrong. We'll count them down and, as usual, field plenty of audience questions along the way. In a hits/misses exclusive, Belden also reveals new research on what leads to SI value erosion - a key obstacle to successful projects.  If you believe in unfiltered/unsponsored enterprise content, consider giving this show a lovely review, thanks. 

Yep, this is part two of the crossover show between my guest Brent Leary's show and my hits/mises video blowout. Brent will take data privacy, and what the data is showing re: enterprise data privacy. Since it's crossover time we'll also pick up on our hybrid events and video discussion, since Brent is the enterprise video master over on his "A few good minutes" show and more.

"The dangers of legacy SaaS" is a concept I have under development. Here's where Brian and I may differ - and why I brought up the problem of "legacy SaaS" in the first place. Yep, this is a solo flight from me, presenting my Legacy SaaS methodology - but there are some vocal audience members for back and forth. Come join the chat and say your piece.

Yep, Bonnie Tinder of Raven Intel makes her triumphant return - and she brings fresh data on project success (or not), via her HCM cloud project research. Let's hash this out - as usual, bring your best questions and astute observations :) This series is brought to you commercial-free by Jon Reed of http://www.diginomica.com. If you like the idea of unfiltered, non-commercial enterprise content, consider giving this a nice rating so Jon can beat the commercialized crud in the search algorithms.

In this "blogs that matter" edition of hits/misses video, we'll dig into several of CX gadfly Thomas Wieberneit's notable blog posts. Join this free-for-all as we talk about how NOT to manage your customer journeys, why we DON'T want a 360 degree view of the customer, and why "ecosystems" are not what they appear. Sound like fun? This series is brought to you commercial-free by Jon Reed of http://www.diginomica.com.

Is legacy SaaS a real thing? Join the debate as returning champ Brian Sommer riffs on Jon's argument with a SaaS 1.0 to SaaS 2.0 slide deck banter. Where are vendors getting stuck? And why does this matter to customers? Bring your sharp questions and BS filters as usual - this is the usual jugular participation Friday show. Note: to see the slides, check the video replay at youtube.com/jonathanwreed.

This Friday, Constellation's Nicole France and Liz Miller will crash my Enterprise hits/misses video show together. Join this audience participation free-for-all, which will kick off with discussion of Nicole's lightning rod blog post, It’s Time to Set the Record Straight on Customer Data Terminology. Can we get customer data right? Will cookieless life confound marketing teams, or compel organizations to (finally) adopt white hat tactcis to earn trust? Will this dynamic duo take over the show? Will I get a word in? We're about to find out...

This series is brought to you commercial-free by Jon Reed of http://www.diginomica.com. If you like the idea of unfiltered, non-commercial enterprise content, consider giving this a nice rating so Jon can beat the commercialized crud in the search algorithms. Thanks.

Join us for this action-packed free-for-all with the always-frank, buzzword-allergic Maureen Blandford. She'll be counting down her top reasons you will (or won't) transform - and how to bridge that gap. We'll talk about the deep need for change in sales/marketing, and, she may even share a special announcement or two.

Join for an all-in chat with Josh Greenbaum on his longstanding case for "extreme heterogeneity." And that gap between what vendors dream about (account control) versus what customers really need. And how so-called "customer success" initiatives trip on this, or not. Josh also kicks off the "blogs that matter" theme debut for the show...

In this April Fools edition - Brian Sommer and I used to criticize vendor ranking and evaluation firms. No longer - there's gold in them thar hills, and we're getting our piece. There's a role for you here too. Join us as we unveil a unique proprietary system to unlock the keys to successful enterprise software projects, powered by an algorithm that has intimidated even  the most experienced data scientists we've shown it to. Note: you can check the slides from this one, including the trapezoid pic, on the youtube.com/jonathanwreed video replay. 

This should be a good one, as Adam Mansfield counts down his top tips for cloud vendor negotiation, as we peel back the hype on SaaS software. Time to dig into how to achieve project success with cloud vendors - and the obstacles in the way. Mansfield will field your questions- we'll also poke deserved fun at what drives cloud buyers crazy.

Jon Reed of http://www.diginomica.com hashes out what he overlooked in the last episode with Brian Sommer deconstructing cloud ERP benefits. Time to hash out what we missed last week. Jon also shares how this stacks up with different models of enterprise transformation. SAP/HR expert Greg Robinette joins Jon later in the program to reflect on lessons from a major aerospace and defense ERP project. 

Returning champ Brian Sommer rejoins the Enterprise hits and misses video show to talk cloud ERP project issues, benefits, and share project horror stories. Bring your questions and snarkitude. Note: if you want to see the slides as we talk through them, check the video replay at http://www.youtube.com/jonathanwreed.

Mathew Sweezey has some of the most provocative and well-researched views on topics I riff on and critique frequently. What is his message on how marketing needs to change - and how we should be serving customers via outcomes, not (necessarily) "experiences"? Special thanks to Sweezey for stepping up and allowing me to press him into some challenging topics around the myths of AI, flaws in employee experience rhetoric, and B2B versus B2C. It was an intense and revealing convo, one where I had no idea how much we would agree or disagree.

Retail analyst and consultant Jake Knowles of BJSS drops in for an interactive, audience-driven Q/A chat on the retail outlook for 2021. We'll take on retail debates like AI in retail, facial recognition and "employee experience" versus the Amazon approach to retail workers. Jake will share what he's learning from BJSS customers, what we've taken from the virtual NRF Big Show, and the challenges for retail transformation projects in 2021. Note - this podcast series is a labor of love, to do something different with in-depth, honest/interactive enterprise convos. If you like what I'm doing here, providing a rating and comment on a major podcast channel is a huge help to keep my momentum.

Supply chains have been severely tested - but what have we learned? What does a modern supply chain look like? Is a predictive supply chain viable? No one has pushed into these issues more than SCM expert and outstanding enterprise blogger Lora Cecere. This open discussion promises to be a classic.

In this audio-only edition of Jon's Enterprise hits and misses video show, Jon Reed of http://www.diginomica.com starts out on a solo flight rant/overview of his methods on B2B content strategy and critique of hyper-personalization. He hits on why this matters for individuals and enterprises. A key issue: marketing and sales need to change, and it's a culture problem more than a tech problem. 30 minutes in, returning champ Brian Sommer crashes the show to dig into the hilarious low points of B2B selling. The guys even run through Brian's worst-of-B2B-sales slide deck (note: you can enjoy this as audio only as Jon reads the slides, but if you want to see them, you can check the video replay at youtube.com/jonathanwreed).

In this audio-only version of Jon's Enterprise hits and misses radio show, Jon Reed is joined by champ Brian Sommer and unbridled audience chat  - featuring diginomica colleague Den Howlett in dinner prep mode - as we try to get to the bottom of the factory of the future use case. We countdown the factory buzzword hype, talk supply chain disruptions, and discuss next steps manufacturers should be taking

In this audio-only version of Jon's Enterprise hits and misses video show, Jon puts Raven Intel's Bonnie Tinder on the hot seat to reveal her data on HR transformations in 2020 - what worked and what didn't. We'll countdown the top HCM project mistakes - and the characteristics of a successful HCM project. As usual, audience questions will carry the day. 

The audience peppered Jon with questions on this edition of Enterprise hits and misses radio, his last show of the year - as he count down the worst project mistakes and shares the use case methodology he uses on diginomica. SHOW DISRUPTION: about 30 minutes in, Jon is joined by Brian Sommer and then Thomas Wieberneit. These practitioners also share their top enterprise software project lessons and mistakes, while fielding questions and acerbic commentary from the likes of Den Howlett, Mark Finnern, and more.  (This is the audio replay of the show, you can see the video replay at youtube.com/jonathanwreed)

Next up on the Enterprise hits and misses video show, we'll countdown top IoT project misconceptions and project lessons with Mrinal Wadhwa, CTO and Head of Product, Ockam.io. You'll be able to pepper Mrinal with questions as we go, as many of you know he is always bringing new ideas and important takes. (This is the audio replay of the show, you can see the video replay at youtube.com/jonathanwreed). 

Join our Enterprise hits and misses video show - a free-for-all, participatory chat and countdown with Vijay Vijayasankar. We'll countdown his favorite all time blog posts and we'll mock the worst predictions for 2021. (This is the audio replay of the show, you can see the video replay at youtube.com/jonathanwreed).

Brian Sommer makes his triumphant return to Enterprise hits and misses radio, as we count down overhyped HR tech buzzwords and field audience questions on HR projects and the future of work. Note: you can see the video version of this at youtube.com/jonathanwreed.

Let's hear Nicole's take on successful CX projects - and the buzzwords she hates. In this edition of Enterprise Hits and Misses radio, Jon also unveils a new format he'll use frequently - the whiffs and picks countdown. Plenty of audience questions factor into this one. Note: you can see the video version of this at youtube.com/jonathanwreed

Let's do a Friday free-for-all on skills development, especially the impact of AI and automation. Jon fields all your questions in the hot seat and share highlights of his prior thinking and research.

In Jon's video and podcast reboot, he talks to the man partially responsible. Brent Leary is a trailblazer in enterprise video and a driving force behind CRM Playaz. How does he pull off large scale events? Interactive chats? Let's chat him up..

In this thirty-minute podcast, Jon and Brian triumph over their last podcast's sound quality and compare notes on the new rules of enterprise software. Brian warns ERP vendors of the pitfalls of squeezing revenue with hardball tactics. Jon shares enterprise weaknesses on integration that could come back to haunt cloud-happy vendors. The guys grill vendors on their subpar virtual events, but also share success stories from vendors that are delivering for customers. 

During this 15 minute podcast, Jon Reed is rejoined by podcast compadre Brian Sommer to hash out early IT spending data and first reactions to the economic impact of COVID-19. The guys talk about comparisons with past recessions, and how CFOS and CIOs are likely to respond. Fresh IT spending data from TrustRadius is considered, along with industry impacts. Note - given that the recording quality of this Zoom session was not ideal, we've cut kept this podcast to 15 minutes, but may release another installment in the talk later. 

The vexing problem of IoT security is slowing IoT adoption and creating waves of sensational headlines, from insecure smart homes to industrial IoT concerns. Mrinal Wadhwa and his team at Ockam has an ambitious plan to address this, but how? Via open source for one. As a follow up to last year's dignomica podcast with Ockam and Den Howlett, this new podcast shares how Wadhwa's thinking has evolved. In a nutshell: "Decoupling the secure channel protocol from the transport layer protocols removes complexity, minimizes the attack surface and can enable us to build end-to-end secure and private systems." This in-depth talk breaks that concept down in real-world terms. Wadhwa explains why this is a potential IoT security breakthrough. The guys also revisit their blockchain debates, and how Wadhwa sees blockchain fitting into IoT security going forward. An invitation for others to get involved with Ockam's open source pursuits at https://github.com/ockam-network is also included. 

Continuing with their NRF 2020 on-site retail review, Jake Knowles of BJSS and Jon Reed of diginomica.com share their show highs and lows. They also talk about some retail upstarts to watch - and how some of the less glamorous innovations in logistical areas like last-mile delivery could prove crucial as retailers try to differentiate against Amazon. Jon talks about his debate with the CEO of Happy or Not, and Knowles weighs in on the missing link in Retail CX - the happy and empowered store employee. Knowles also brings up the impact of sustainability and diversity - another standout from this year's show.