Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, JP Morgan Get Into Healthcare

While it’s no surprise that Amazon is getting into the healthcare space – they’ve been hiring healthcare talent for months – the announced joint venture between three of the nation’s biggest firms, and most prominent CEOs, rocked the healthcare world this week. Phase one of their plan is to roll out healthcare solutions that challenge existing models to their employees, before possibly expanding in the same manner pioneered by Amazon with AWS. But given the trio of companies employ more than a million Americans (and growing), the news caused major healthcare firms’ stock prices to plummet, losing a combined $30 billion in market capitalization the day of the announcement. Healthcare, meet the Amazon effect (powered by JP Morgan and Warren Buffett).

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Trump Mulls Federal 5G Wireless Infrastructure

While he quickly backtracked, a leaked National Security Council memo recommending a nation-wide 5G wireless network built by the federal government caused quite the stir in Washington and likely the headquarters of AT&T, Verizon and other mobile providers this week. While the administration quickly backed away (especially after their own FCC Chairman slammed the idea), the underlying reason for the recommendation – that China makes the network equipment used by telecoms and is likely to insert surveillance software into them – is valid and a real concern.
While many slammed the idea of a nationalized wireless industry, I’m not so sure there isn’t a version of this idea that works for everyone. After all, the Interstate system continues to be a huge enabler to the nation’s economy. While difficult, the idea of a national digital infrastructure investment with last mile delivery by private enterprises is something we shouldn’t dismiss as a real solution to both the urban-rural tech divide and the digital businesses that will very soon form the backbone of our economy in the U.S.

Read More: Scoop: Trump Team Considers Nationalizing 5G Network
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Strava in the Hot Seat After Published Heat Maps Reveal Soldiers’ Movements Overseas

It turns out, US soldiers like to use Strava as much as the rest of us. Not a problem, per se, unless you use the heat maps Strava published in November to map troop movements and routines in places like Afghanistan. The Washington Post made that revelation this week as it found several heat maps that align with US bases overseas, creating a security risk to troops in combat zones. The maps revealed forward operating bases and even CIA black sites, with the details so specific that base structures could be surmised from the maps, creating huge vulnerabilities to troops. It’s yet another example of the way unintended consequences come from analyzing and sharing data in new ways.

Read More: U.S. soldiers are revealing sensitive and dangerous information by jogging
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CDS Co-Founder, Roger McNamee T’82, Discusses Brain Hacking and Facebook with Bill Maher

If you happened to watch HBO this weekend, perhaps you caught CDS’s co-founder and tech visionary, Roger McNamee T’82, discussing Facebook with Bill Maher on Real Time. Roger raised a number of questions about what is frequently being referred to as the social network’s “surveillance business model.” It’s worth the watch:

McNamee isn’t the only expert pushing the discussion. Former Facebook Privacy Manager, Sandy Parakilas, is also pushing the conversation.

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Featured CXOTalk Video of the Week: Digital Transformation in Energy Distribution

Electricity and gas distribution lie at the heart of the energy industry. CXOTalk host Michael Krigsman talks with an energy industry leader about digital transformation in this important sector of the economy.
Ms. Adriana Karaboutis is Chief Information and Digital Officer of National Grid PLC, a natural-gas and electricity distribution service in the U.K. and the U.S. Northeast. Previously, Andi was Executive Vice President of Technology, Business Solutions and Corporate Affairs at Biogen. Prior to Biogen she served as Global Chief Information Officer for Dell. She has been a guest on CXOTalk several times in the past.

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