We always need people

And just like that, I wrapped up yet my whirlwind trip to Atlanta, reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones, over countless cups of fabulous double espresso. It's been a while since my last visit. I have no idea that there are so many fabulous independent coffee shops and restaurants in the area! Special shoutout to my friend David Hewitt 's Paper Plane, a chic and cozy community bar and neighborhood Thai restaurant not far from the Atlanta airport.

Pam Kaur asked in one of her posts recently "Why do you attend tech conferences if you're not looking to buy?" With the fall fintech conference season coming up, I thought that was a brilliant question.

Indeed. Why do we do what we do when we could have just met remotely?

Here is the funny thing with conferences. While we may (or may not) go for the content, we always stay for the people. Especially in the past two years when in-person events have gone into overdrive, what's the one thing we keep saying? "It's so good to finally meet you in person!"

Thinking back, I don’t remember the last time I sat through more than 2-3 sessions at a time.?Not because the content is not interesting. Rather, there is always a meeting I need to attend, always one more conversation I need to have, and there is never enough time.

But I always treasured the serendipity moments where I just happen to be somewhere with someone, at the right place and at the right time, as if the universe is trying to orchestrate a conversation that is meant to be. Whether it's with a group of people who bonded over a ride of a lifetime; a thoughtful someone who came backstage just to say hello; or simply an old friend with cherished memories.

As Beverly Anderson put it together so eloquently on stage: "Digital first, human always".

No matter how tech-enabled and optimized every aspect of our daily lives are, there is always room for people and human conversations. You just need to make time for it.

Thank you David Hewitt , Stephanie F. , Amelia Wainscott , Lauren Vasquezi , Jane Barratt , Carol L. Grunberg , Michelle Beyo , Beverly Anderson , Curtis Louie , Sanjib Kalita , Alex Preece . Jonathan Summerton , Sebastian Builes , Sam Maule , Elaine Benfield . Scott Luton , Andrew B. Morris , Lewis Brinson, MBA ... for making new memories.

What I am reading ...

Big numbers?

"Klarna on Tuesday said it has brought in an average of 73% more revenue per employee over the past 12 months, part of a broad push to use new forms of artificial intelligence at the Swedish financial institution."

Speaking of big numbers, here is the AI arms race that keeps on going.

"OpenAI is in talks to raise several billion dollars in a new funding round that would value the startup behind ChatGPT above $100 billion."

And, on the important topic of inequality.

"... even though some of the most notable AI R&D efforts declare that making sure everyone benefits is a key goal or guiding principle, ensuring that AI helps create a more inclusive future remains one of the least invested-in areas of AI governance."

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In this month's FinTech Futures op-ed, I wrote about gender inequity and being talked over. I recalled an unpleasant exchange at a recent event and how I chose to respond. As the saying goes, we cannot control what others say or do, but we can control our own reaction to it.

Each of us have our own superpower. Find it. Embrace it. We don't need validation.

Full article here ?

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In just over a week, I will be heading back to New York City for RiskMinds Americas and Finovate Fall. Here's my lineup at both events ... Come join us!

RiskMinds

? Sept 9: Responsible AI and ethics – the journey so far

? Sept 10: Reputation at risk

Finovate Fall

? Sept 11: Power panel: AI in action

? Sept 11: Accelerator All Stars: Why community is the new commodity

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In the past two weeks of One Vision Podcast , we covered the topics of web3, blockchain, and decentralized finance with Cleve Mesidor and Rita Martins .

Check out their episodes below.

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As always, thank you for reading. If you enjoy my posts ...

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? Drop me a review on Beyond Good and The Metaverse Economy on?Amazon.

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