🛫 Thank God for Windows 3.1... phew! 😮‍💨

Hey there, Explorers!

While most companies freaked out during the Crowdstrike outage last week, Southwest and friends cruised on Windows 3.1 (yes, really!).

Meanwhile, AI is taking over everything from game design to air taxis. Alexa's burning cash, and robots are still waiting for their ChatGPT moment.

Oh yeah, and we’re on the hunt for the biggest game-changers!

Here’s what’s going on…

🗞️ TECH & TRENDS | News & More

🛫 Thank God for Windows 3.1… Phew! | While most of the world was freaking out, locked out, or grounded because of the Crowdstrike outage last week, Southwest, UPS, and FedEx were humming along thanks to their IT departments not updating their operating systems since 1992 — Yes, they’re still running on Windows 3.1 after 32 years! Wonder if they’re using floppy disks too?

🤖 Robotics’ ChatGPT moment | Many VCs, journalists, and others proclaim that "the ChatGPT moment for robotics is coming". According to Vibhor Khanna, partner at investment firm Coatue, they're wrong. Here’s why… And while you’re checking out their perspective, you may also want to check out Coatue’s presentation on The Path to General-Purpose Robots. It’s pretty fascinating.

🚁 Future Uber: “Your drone is 5 minutes away!” | If Boeing gets its way, you’ll never have to deal with rush hour traffic ever again. They expect their Wisk Aero, its pilotless air taxi—which looks like a giant DJI drone, to begin carrying passengers in major cities around the world in a few years. It’s like Waymo for the sky!

🗣️ Alexa costs how much??? 👀 | Amazon thought Alexa would significantly bolster their shopping revenue. But according to a Wall Street Journal report, most consumers only use the devices to check the time or set timers and alarms—not for shopping. Over five years alone, Amazon lost $25 billion on these devices. Can new AI functionality help turn that around? We’ll see soon enough.

🎮 Game Over for video game designers? | Last year, 10,500 game industry folks got the boot. This year so far? Another 11,000 and counting. Generative AI, like those from OpenAI, is creeping into every corner, doing the creative work and wiping out careers. This WIRED investigation dives deep into how the $200 billion industry is getting hit hard as AI takes over roles that once belonged to humans. 🌪️👾

💡🤖 Overwhelmed with AI tools? | Not sure which tools your team should be using and for what? We’re your guys. Need to come up with innovative ideas for your business that leverage the latest tech? We’re also your guys! Set up a free discovery call and we’ll come up with at least three ideas you can put to use right away!

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We're on the hunt for the game-changers shaping South Florida’s future. From standout companies to visionary founders and funders, it's time to shine a spotlight on the best of the best.

Nominations are now open for the Miami Moonshot Awards 2024.

This event recognizes the amazing companies, funders, founders, and institutions making a big impact in our region. Know someone who fits the bill? Nominate them today and celebrate the trailblazers making waves in our community!

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