The Pulse by EllisX: Tech & Business Trends Worth Exploring — Jan 25

Over the last week it seemed like everywhere we turned there was one story and one story only: the Inauguration of the 46th President of the US (and the first female and non-white VP!). While the new Administration will certainly affect the future of tech and business (more on that in a little bit), our goal with The Pulse is to look at marcotrends that go beyond politics. So, every week we ask the question: among all the headlines, what are the developments that will stick around for a while and affect our lives the most? Here’s what our exploration of the past week surfaced:

Public Private Partnerships Are All The Rage This Year

Three words: COVID-19, Amazon and Walmart. The distribution of the coronavirus vaccine has proven to be a huge logistical challenge and the two largest retailers in the US are stepping in to help. Walmart, which is already vaccinating healthcare workers in Arkansas and New Mexico, is expanding its efforts to include Puerto Rico, Chicago and seven additional states. Meanwhile, Amazon has offered to help with vaccine deliveries. Given the challenges in distributing the vaccine, it would not be surprising if the government takes Amazon up on its offer. We expect that these will not be the only two companies volunteering their assistance this year.

Government Wars with Big Tech Go Global

Google is infamously under an anti-trust lawsuit in the State of Texas, and the EU has enacted multiple regulations against Big Tech over the last couple of years. It seems like other countries are following suit. Now, India is asking WhatsApp to roll back its planned privacy changes and Turkey is banning Twitter and Pinterest ads. Tech will likely face more regulation in 2021, and this time, it will not only be in the West.

Is a Crypto Winter Coming?

While investor enthusiasm for cryptocurrencies is surely strong — the price of Bitcoin stands at $33,000 and Ether reached an all-time high of $1,439 on Jan 19 — the world of crypto might have to brace for tougher government regulations over the next 4 years. Both Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and SEC Chairman Gary Gensler are crypto-skeptics, which means that it may not exactly be smooth sailing for cryptocurrencies from here on out.

And as always, if you’re looking for experts that can comment on these trends, you can find them here :)