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• Transcript

  James Kotecki (00:00): 

  The boundary pushers, the futurists, the dreamers, the doers. What do they all have in common besides over-caffeination? They seek new possibilities, new innovations that can enhance the human experience. And you'll find them all at CES. So dive into the most powerful tech event in the world, CES 2025. It's January 7th through 10th. It is in Las Vegas and you should be there. So join us, register today at ces.tech. 

  (00:41): 

  This is CES Tech Talk. I'm James Kotecki, exploring the trends shaping the world's most powerful tech event, CES 2025 in Las Vegas, January 7th through 10th. We are right on the cusp of seeing the future in Las Vegas. And before we do, it's time for our annual insider preview with the team making it happen. 

  (01:03): 

  So joining us now are three leaders from the Consumer Technology Association, the group that owns and produces CES. We've got John T. Kelley, vice president and CES show director, Kinsey Fabrizio, the president of CTA, and of course, Gary Shapiro, the CTA CEO and author of the new book, Pivot or Die: How Leaders Thrive When Everything Changes. 

  (01:25): 

  And since this is the third time that we have convened the three of you together for our CES preview, I am bestowing upon this group a new nickname. You'll henceforth be known as the Tech Triumvirates. So welcome back- 

  Kinsey Fabrizio (01:38): 

  Cool. 

  James Kotecki (01:39): 

  ... everyone to CES Tech Talk. 

  Kinsey Fabrizio (01:42): 

  I like it. 

  James Kotecki (01:44): 

  I'm glad you all approve. And Kinsey, we want to start with you because this year you were promoted to president of the Consumer Technology Association, so congratulations to you. And from your new lofty perch, what can you tell us about CES 2025? What are you excited about? What's new? 

  Kinsey Fabrizio (02:00): 

  Well, thank you, James. CES 2025 is going to be awesome. Around the world, we are seeing technology, innovation that's redefining industries and helping people solve big global challenges and that will be on full display at CES. 

  (02:18): 

  We know right now leaders in government and industry are debating and rolling out new rules and laws and those policies are going to shape the way that we use technology now and what's possible in the future. And all of that comes together at CES, that's why it is such an amazing event. There is nowhere else that brings together the entire tech ecosystem in one place. 

  (02:42): 

  And so what can you expect at CES? You can expect to see thousands of exhibitors across major tech categories like AI and digital health and energy and mobility and smart cities. And, of course, you'll see startups from around the globe in Eureka Park, which is one of our most exciting parts of the show. 

  (03:03): 

  And, of course, we know CES isn't just about the products on the show floor. It's also an amazing platform for conversations between leaders and business and government talking about trends that are shaping our world and moving the tech industry forward. 

  (03:20): 

  I went on, that was a long answer, so I'm going to pass it over to Gary, who I'm wondering if he'll share more about our speaker lineup. 

  Gary Shapiro (03:29): 

  Well, thank you, Kinsey, and thank you, James. I am so honored to be part of the Tech Triumvirate and not only us, frankly, there's literally scores of people that work on CES. We have the best people in the country because they're attracted to CES and I think it's a pretty fun, great industry and the best, coolest, most exciting event in the world is CES. 

  (03:48): 

  In fact, willing to have keynotes from an amazing group of CEOs from Accenture, Delta, NVIDIA, Panasonic Holdings, SiriusXM and Volvo Group. And we'll go into the first time a trade show is using Sphere for a keynote address, that will be Delta, and also we'll be using Mandalay Bay. 

  (04:08): 

  We have something called The Great Mind Series where we have leaders from Meta, Vogue Business, Netflix, MasterCard, and two senior leaders from NASA. Very exciting set of group of speakers and we'll have over 1,000 in total. 

  (04:25): 

  Of course, one of the things about CES is that every year we try to do a few things differently and introduce new things because events like CES are about the new. That's what people come and that's what they want to know about. 

  (04:36): 

  We have literally hundreds of new exhibitors, but we also have the CES Innovations Awards 2025 with new categories, personal care, fashion tech and pet tech and animal welfare. We saw a huge surge in applications and innovations in the AI category. We also have two very important conference tracks focusing on future issues that we want to make sure our audience knows about. 

  (05:05): 

  One is quantum, which is the future of technology. I mean, if you think AI is fast wait till you see quantum. AI certainly can focus on, for example, finding various types of ways of potential cures. Quantum will test it. Another emerging area is energy creation and production and conservation. 

  (05:25): 

  We've never done that before, but with quantum, with electric cars, with generative AI, a lot of electricity is used and frankly, we need more electricity. Also, we have the launch of the first ever CES Creator Space, which offers resources for media and content creators of the show and helps them connect to audiences beyond Las Vegas. 

  James Kotecki (05:46): 

  Gary and Kinsey, thank you for that. So many topics that you touched on, even rather fleetingly that I think we could just dive into entire podcast episodes about because CES is so massive. 

  (05:56): 

  John, I would love you just to give us a audio virtual tour walkthrough of the actual geography, the physical spaces that CES is going to embody in Las Vegas to help orient us to what's going on. So can you walk us through what we can expect to see the layout of CES 2025? 

  John T. Kelley (06:16): 

  Yes, of course. And we'll start with a audio fly-through at the Las Vegas Convention Center. We'll start over in the West Hall where you'll see the future of mobility from EVs to air travel with leaders like Waymo and Honda, construction tech companies like Oshkosh and AgTech like John Deere and Caterpillar. 

  (06:33): 

  Then we move over to the north hall of the convention center, which is really more enterprise focused, B2B focused. You'll see advancements in AI, smart cities and sustainability solutions from companies like NASA and Siemens. 

  (06:47): 

  Moving over to the Central Hall, you'll see some big brands like LG, Panasonic, Sony and Samsung showcasing immersive entertainment, gaming and smart home innovations. 

  (06:57): 

  And for the first time since 2020, we'll be back in the South Hall at the convention center where you'll see accessories and some more legacy consumer electronics products. At the convention center, we also have outdoor exhibits located in the Central Plaza. We'll see exhibitors like NXP, Continental BMW, and first time exhibitor, Scout Motors. 

  (07:16): 

  Moving over to the Venetian, you'll see smarter living innovations including digital health and lifestyle tech from Wolf and Moderna. And our innovations display, which features hundreds of award-winning products from our Innovations Awards Program that Gary just mentioned. 

  (07:31): 

  Downstairs at the Venetian will feature Eureka Park with over 1,200 startups showcasing groundbreaking tech and connecting disruptors with investors. Now, many countries have country pavilions in this space. Countries such as France, the Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Korea. We even have a pavilion from Ukraine, and we're welcoming first time pavilion from Morocco. 

  (07:53): 

  Moving over to Aria, Cosmopolitan and Vdara, we have our C Space area, and this is where content and culture converge and features brands like Disney and Roku. Now, one thing I do want to note is that at the convention center this year, there will be some construction. The convention center is the middle of a massive construction project. 

  (08:11): 

  The good news is there will not be any active construction during CES, but certain areas like entrances to the show and some of the transportation will look a little different this year for some of the CES veterans that have been before. 

  James Kotecki (08:24): 

  And John, just speaking of transportation, I want to get you on the record. When are we going to have these flying mobility machines actually taking people around CES? I mean, I feel like every time I go to CES I'm like, I want to get into one of these things and fly around Vegas. 

  Kinsey Fabrizio (08:37): 

  So do we. 

  John T. Kelley (08:37): 

  That would be awesome. Yeah, so do we, and that might be the future, but at CES we do have, there are many ways to get around the CES campuses. So, we actually, the loop at CES connects people around the convention center campus. So while you cannot fly in the air, you can fly under the ground in Tesla vehicles connecting people to the various CES venues at the convention center. 

  James Kotecki (08:58): 

  Our fly-throughs will be audio only for now. Thanks so much for that, John. Again, this episode is really laying the groundwork for so many different things that we could go much deeper on and we will try to touch on as many of them as we can, but hopefully this is really laying out a buffet for folks to understand what's available and what's possible at CES. 

  (09:17): 

  Gary, I want to ask you a question regarding your new book, Pivot or Die. Because you mentioned CES in the book numerous times. You're talking about a lot of different company pivots, a lot of different technology pivots throughout history, throughout recent history from your experience, but then you also grounded in your personal experiences that you've had with CES. 

  (09:35): 

  You talk about some pandemic era pivots that you did with CES in 2021 and 2022. And as we approach CES 2025, obviously the show is alive and thriving. I'm just curious from your perspective, do you see CES as a show, as the product of Pivots, as a show of pivots? And how does it evolve from here? 

  Gary Shapiro (09:55): 

  Yes, to every one of your questions, I do, because CES is where companies show their pivots. Think about it. We'll have several thousand exhibitors. Every one of those exhibitors is showing something unique or new to the world that they want the world to see. 

  (10:11): 

  At the same time, in those four days, they're getting an intense amount of feedback, especially so in Eureka Parker, with their startups that are doing it. And they almost always leave with a different concept of what their business or product or service is than when they came in. 

  (10:26): 

  The thing about pivoting, and a lot of it is focused because of Covid, but the reality in the tech world is that pivots occur all the time. They have to. They have to to compete and to survive. And those pivots are so important. The smallest companies have the biggest advantage because they could pivot the quickest. It's very challenging for large companies to pivot. 

  (10:44): 

  I talked about literally scores of pivots that have occurred. Some do involve CES. Certainly, when Covid came, we went to an all-digital event in a few months. We did it very early before any of our colleagues were, in fact, we announced it would not be a physical event seven months before the 2021 CES was scheduled, and then we went to a hybrid event. 

  (11:05): 

  And along the way, we also had to pivot because of Omicron, which was literally between Thanksgiving and New Year's. All of a sudden we had a million cases a day in the US and major companies were leaving us. But we decided to embrace what we were, and it was the right decision because we had pivoted to a three-day show, but also a show aimed at smaller companies who needed us to survive. 

  (11:28): 

  The attitude at that event was so full of gratitude by the companies around the world who relied upon this show for their business each year, and they were just appreciative. But the point about pivoting is the pivots we make are the big decisions we make in our businesses, in our lives, and they define the arc of our lives and whether or not we're successful. 

  (11:46): 

  In doing that, obviously we're always looking at data, but we never have complete data and we're trying to make the best decisions we can with what we have. And that's the role of executives. It's where the book is aimed at people who make decisions, but it's also very personal, even personal decisions in life. 

  (12:01): 

  So, having said that, CES is all about pivots just not only our own, but our customers pivots. They come to see what's new, they come to make the relationships and they come to be inspired, and that's what CES delivers. 

  James Kotecki (12:13): 

  Speaking of pivots, perhaps you can define this as a pivot or certainly an evolution of the show. The Digital Health Pavilion at CES is moving to a new venue for 2025. So, Kinsey, what's happening there? What's the physical shift and what does that say about the current state of digital health generally and what it means at CES? 

  Kinsey Fabrizio (12:31): 

  Well, it's a great thing because we're moving digital health to the Venetian and other categories that are in the Venetian are very closely related to digital health, like smart home technologies and lifestyle technologies and age tech and sports tech and wellness and fitness tech. Food tech is over there too, so it really makes sense to have an alignment of all these categories in the Venetian. 

  (12:57): 

  We have some really great things planned over there. You're going to see some super exciting exhibitors like EssilorLuxottica, OnMed, Nuvilab, Vivo, Withings, WHOOP, iBot, ResMed, Eli Lilly, so many phenomenal exhibitors will be there in the digital health area of the show floor. 

  (13:19): 

  We will have all of our health content and conference programming in the Venetian, so you'll have the two-day digital health Summit. And then AARP, who is a wonderful partner of CES, will also be there and they have their age tech collaborative going on and they have a stage with content. 

  (13:39): 

  So it's really going to be a phenomenal opportunity to see some exciting, groundbreaking, innovative health technologies that are truly changing the way people live and take care of their health. And also get some great content and education. 

  James Kotecki (13:56): 

  OnMed, which you mentioned in that list, a previous guest on CES Tech Talk. So I know just from that one conversation, there's a whole world of exciting conversations to be had, just about that virtual hybrid healthcare that they're offering. Then if we expand that out to the hundreds of other exhibitors that are going to be in there, the future is really exciting for health and super excited to see that take place at the Venetian. 

  (14:17): 

  And speaking of exciting futures, John, Mobility also huge at CES. We were joking earlier about wanting to fly around Vegas, and maybe we're not too far off from that. So tell us what is actually happening with mobility this year at CES 2025? 

  John T. Kelley (14:32): 

  Yeah, the mobility story is another industry that's undergoing transformative change, and you see that really play out at CES in the West Hall at the convention center. So here you'll see innovations in land and sea and air. You expect to see products that reflect the shift towards a smarter, more sustainable transportation future. 

  (14:49): 

  So this means you'll see electric vehicles, connected vehicles and autonomous vehicles all under one roof, plus smart agriculture and marine tech. Some of the top exhibitors include Toyota, Honda, John Deere, and Brunswick, but you'll also see companies that are powering the transportation of the future. So for instance, Mobileye, Waymo, Qualcomm and Amazon AWS. 

  (15:11): 

  This year we are also building a mobility stage on the show floor. So you can hear from thought leaders within this industry really showcase their innovations and what their companies are doing to push this industry forward. 

  (15:23): 

  And it's not just the exhibits on the show floor with respect to this category, because this is such a popular category at CES, we have several conference sessions built around the mobility theme. So you'll see conference sessions on the connected vehicle, cybersecurity, which is a big important area for this industry as well. 

  (15:42): 

  So there'll be sessions on automotive cybersecurity and also sessions on transforming the future of commercial mobility. 

  James Kotecki (15:51): 

  One thing that is emerging from the conversation with the three of you, which I think we really need to touch on for the audience, is that all of these different areas of CES are important in and of themselves, but none of them are silos. 

  (16:03): 

  So when you're talking about moving in digital health to the Venetian, because it's also close to the smart home technology. John, when you're talking about mobility, that reflects some of the conversations that I have in the C Space Studio about the entertainment and the computing systems that are going to go into those vehicles and all of these different trends and ideas converge at CES. 

  (16:21): 

  Gary, as you think about how you create the environment that you want at this show to get people to come together and have this convergence of different conversations, what's your philosophy in terms of setting up the environment for all these different quote unquote "silos" and groups to actually come together and cross-pollinate? 

  Gary Shapiro (16:40): 

  James, I think you've described very well the magic of CES is that we get all the people focused on innovation with technology and content creation and services in one location in the world for four days, and all of a sudden sparks fly. 

  (16:55): 

  We feel we're a platform provider and therefore we have a obligation to provide all sides of an issue. For example, in public policy, which is a big part of the CES, but also to fight all sides of the ecosystem in so many different categories because we know that will inspire and get people together. 

  (17:13): 

  So we do try to do categories of location, for example, we do it by where you are in the life cycle. For example, the Eureka Park startup area, which is very inspiring. That's one area that people really go to. It's a hot area. But then there's mobility obviously in one area. 

  (17:28): 

  And we have the content creators in a bunch of hotels in another meeting with the tech and the chief marketing officers. So they have their geographic areas to gather. They have the conference sessions they can gather in as well, the tracks of the show, you can see them on our website. 

  (17:44): 

  And then there's all sorts of events that we host, that our partners host, others host that get people together. And the idea is to, you can't be shy at CES. You have to interact, whether it's on a line to get on a bus or sharing a taxi with someone or just walking down the hall or walking up to an exhibitor and asking questions about their exhibit. 

  (18:03): 

  So some of it is natural. We also have a increasingly a matchmaking service that is helping get people together, especially those seeking funding and investors. And we have other things that we will continue to do in the future to get people together physically or even electronically so they could benefit from the magic of CES. 

  James Kotecki (18:24): 

  Gary, we're going to make posters of your face, and it's going to say, you can't be shy at CES. We're going to plaster them all over the convention center. Kinsey, I want to ask about the Innovation Awards, which we touched on earlier in this conversation. And we'll start with you Kinsey, but anybody can jump in here. 

  (18:37): 

  I know there's new categories this year. There's beauty and personal care, there's fashion tech, there's pet tech. So what are these expansion areas within the Innovation Awards? Just tell us about the state of consumer tech as a whole. 

  Kinsey Fabrizio (18:49): 

  Well, I think it tells us that every company is a tech company in some way, and companies across so many different categories are embracing technology to transform their businesses and their products and their solutions. We see it in beauty and personal care. At CES '24, L'Oreal keynoted, they've been at CES for over a decade. This is a great category and tech is truly transforming it. 

  (19:15): 

  Fashion tech, this is a new one. We're really excited about this and to see how the fashion community is utilizing technology into how they make their products and even to how consumers search and buy their products. And then, I mean, pet tech, who doesn't love their pet? Who doesn't want tech for their pet? I love this category. 

  (19:37): 

  We've had pet tech at CES for a few years and having it a part of the innovation program really gives these companies the opportunity to highlight what they're doing and apply for an innovation award. And so I'm just so happy that we've included it and it's a really fun part of the show floor. 

  James Kotecki (19:55): 

  Absolutely. The notion that you said every company is a tech company leads me to another question on these kind of industrial and agricultural companies, companies that people might not have traditionally thought of as tech that are increasingly a part of CES. 

  (20:08): 

  So, John, we see companies like John Deere, like Caterpillar, like Kubota, these are companies that bring sometimes giant industrial farm and mining vehicles and equipment to CES. It's a really neat thing to see on the show floor. Why is CES such a draw for these kind of companies now? 

  John T. Kelley (20:24): 

  Well, I think it goes back to what Gary mentioned earlier about this convergence of industries. And you see this with these companies that manufacture, in this case, large construction equipment and how they're utilizing technology such as automation and artificial intelligence and sustainability solutions to provide better solutions for their customers. 

  (20:42): 

  I mean, two years ago at CES, John Deere keynoted, and as part of their keynote, they really showcased how they're using AI so farmers can better farm their fields and solve some of the world's biggest problems in this case being food insecurity. 

  (20:56): 

  These companies show up at CES because they are tech companies. As Kinsey mentioned, they might be viewed as a company that makes agricultural products, for instance, but at its core, they're also a tech company because they're utilizing many of the technologies that we see in other products at CES. 

  James Kotecki (21:10): 

  Well, I'm glad you brought up AI. Gary, you said earlier that we need a lot of electricity and AI is certainly one of the reasons that we do need that. But as far as how AI is emerging as a conversation at CES, I'm curious what your thought is on the state of play here, Gary. 

  (21:27): 

  I mean, just from where I sit in the C Space studio, for example, having done interviews there for six or seven years, you see these trends and these words bubble up some years. Some years it's things like the Metaverse and the blockchain. Some years they're hot, some years they're not. 

  (21:39): 

  AI has started at maybe a lower hum when I started out, and every year it's gotten more and more intense. Where do you see AI right now in the actual conversation and how is it evolving at CES 2025? 

  Gary Shapiro (21:52): 

  Well, to me, AI is transformational as much as the internet itself was because it really will use, in a sense, knowledge to solve problems in a sense with brains that are smarter in some ways than the US and storage and memory. 

  (22:06): 

  So we're just beginning with, we say AI, obviously AI has been around for years, flying airplanes and doing factory automation or other things. But generative AI, actually machine learning and having capabilities to create this is a major gap in human evolution, if you will. 

  (22:23): 

  To in a sense benefit from machines in a way that will solve the biggest problems we face on earth in healthcare and transportation, self-driving, for example, uses generative AI and other areas of human endeavor where we're struggling. 

  (22:38): 

  And so we're just taking baby steps now and it's going to continue to grow. It's part of the discussion, it's part of the interactions which occur, and it's just not a trend is what I'm trying to say. 

  (22:49): 

  There are flash in the pan trends that are out there, 3D TV, eight track tape, the Metaverse, others that have just captured the imagination for some reason of the public. But they're just not really long-term life-changing type of things the way the internet was, the way I would say HDTV was real. 

  (23:09): 

  You have to separate the real from the noise and the signal, if you will. On this one, I am totally sold on generative AI as fundamentally changing the world, and I look forward to learning more and more about how we're going to get better as humanity. 

  James Kotecki (23:24): 

  Yeah, and, of course, what's cool at CES is you get to see these AI applications actually manifest in real-world physical products. And you also get to see really lofty and exciting keynote presentations. We've got Delta, NVIDIA, Accenture, Panasonic. 

  (23:40): 

  There's a C Space keynote from the CEO of SiriusXM, Volvo, Waymo. All these groups are going to be keynoting at CES, so we're going to talk about all of them right now, starting with you, Kinsey and Delta. 

  Kinsey Fabrizio (23:51): 

  What's not exciting about the Delta keynote? The Delta keynote is going to be in Sphere on Tuesday, January 7th at 5:00 PM. It's going to be a phenomenal presentation. I know that they will be talking about mobility, sustainability, the future of travel. 

  (24:08): 

  I can't share anything until you get there to see it, but they've got some exciting speakers and the presentation that they have developed, it's just going to blow everyone's mind. And Ed Bastian, he's an amazing CEO, what's not to love. So, Delta, all the way, you got to be there. 

  James Kotecki (24:24): 

  Yeah. NVIDIA, John, you want to take that one? 

  John T. Kelley (24:27): 

  Sure. The NVIDIA keynote will happen on Monday, January 6th over at Mandalay Bay at 6:30 PM. We are so excited to have NVIDIA back at the show and keynoting this year. There's probably not a company in the world that gets more news attention at the moment than NVIDIA. 

  (24:44): 

  Gary mentioned the importance of artificial intelligence, and NVIDIA is powering that. NVIDIA is at the center of most of the artificial intelligence conversations that are happening globally right now. So we're excited to welcome Jensen Huang back to the CES keynote stage on Monday, January 6th over at Mandalay Bay. 

  James Kotecki (24:59): 

  Bouncing back to you Kinsey with Accenture. Tell us about the Accenture. I imagine Accenture is a company that really touches a lot of the subjects that are present at CES, and it's not even necessarily just one thing. 

  Kinsey Fabrizio (25:10): 

  Oh, you're absolutely right. And Accenture's been a phenomenal CES partner. They've been there for years. They are really innovative. They're talking about transformation and how they help their customers really dive into technology transformation utilizing AI and so many other solutions. 

  (25:29): 

  Julie Sweet is an excellent CEO. I'm personally excited to hear from her, and I think our CES attendees are in for a real treat. That keynote's going to be on Wednesday, January 8th at 2:00 PM in the Venetian. 

  James Kotecki (25:41): 

  Panasonic is another keynoting company, John, that's a company that obviously is going to have a big presence physically at CES with products, I'm sure. But what do you think the keynote's going to be about? 

  John T. Kelley (25:52): 

  Panasonic is actually one of our oldest longest time exhibitors at CES, and Kinsey and I were in Japan when we made the announcement that CEO Yuki Kusumi will be keynoting at CES this year. The company's been around for over a hundred years so it's really exciting to see the evolution of that company and this will be featured as a essential theme to their keynote this year. 

  (26:12): 

  They'll be talking about how they've transformed as a company. They started as a bicycle company, which is pretty amazing. And then they evolved into a home entertainment company, and now they're creating sustainable solutions to power some of the vehicles, for instance. 

  (26:26): 

  So, it's an exciting story that they're going to tell on the keynote stage, and we're really excited about that keynote, which will be opening morning to the show Tuesday, January 7th at 8:30 AM at the Venetian. 

  James Kotecki (26:36): 

  All right. Bright and early, but it's going to be a lot of fun. And over at C Space, we're going to be seeing a keynote from the CEO of SiriusXM. Kinsey, what can you tell us about that? 

  Kinsey Fabrizio (26:46): 

  Well, I love SiriusXM. I'm a subscriber. I think Jennifer Witz is amazing. I'm so happy that she's going to be keynoting. They're going to talk about media, innovation and technology, streaming audio, the future of how people get their information and listen. 

  (27:02): 

  She's going to be interviewed by Ashley Flowers, who a lot of people know from her very popular podcast. So this is going to be a can't miss keynote. It's going to be over at the ARIA, which is our C Space Campus on Tuesday, January 7th at 11:00 AM. 

  James Kotecki (27:20): 

  John, back to you on the mobility space. Volvo Group is giving a keynote that is going to be on Wednesday. Tell us about that one. 

  John T. Kelley (27:28): 

  Yeah, so the Volvo Group actually is the group that manufactures machinery, they manufacture engines that powers many of the cars that you see on the road today. And so they'll be talking about some of their electrification systems that are powering these vehicles that will create a more sustainable future. 

  (27:44): 

  So that goes aligned with the mobility theme that I mentioned earlier in the podcast. We're really excited to welcome them to the CES keynote stage. That keynote will take place Wednesday, January 8th at 9:00 AM at the Venetian 

  James Kotecki (27:57): 

  And, Kinsey, there's a Waymo keynote on my list here. It does say invitation only, so it's a little bit of exclusivity there, but that makes me all the more excited to find out about it. 

  Kinsey Fabrizio (28:06): 

  Well, this keynote will take place at our Leaders in Technology Dinner. It's part of a phenomenal program run by our government affairs team here. It's our Leaders in Technology Program where we invite and bring together leaders in government, policy makers, regulators, their staff, their teams. 

  (28:24): 

  We bring them to CES so they can see firsthand what tech companies are up to and they can live demo the amazing innovations and products and solutions that our tech companies are rolling out every year. Because we think it's very helpful for government to get a hands-on opportunity and to hear from companies themselves so that they in turn can enact good policy and good legislation, good regulations. 

  (28:51): 

  So, we do a dinner. It's an invite only dinner. Co-CEO of Waymo, Tekedra Mawakana is going to keynote that dinner. We are really looking forward to hearing from her. Waymo is a leader in autonomous driving. They're going to have a phenomenal exhibit on the show floor in West Hall. I really hope everyone checks it out. They're just going to be a real exciting part of CES 2025. 

  James Kotecki (29:16): 

  Thank you both so much for the keynote rundown. And speaking of government leaders and policy, Gary, I'd love to zoom out with you a little bit because I know you think about these issues very deeply as far as the national and the international policy framework within which all this technology is advancing and developing. 

  (29:35): 

  It's no secret that we're in a time of massive political change. CES will take place just before a new presidential administration enters office here in the United States, but around the world, many policy changes are going on, and many policy leaders, as Kinsey mentioned at the beginning of the show, are thinking about how tech fits into the future. 

  (29:52): 

  So, Gary, I guess I just want to ask, what's your mood? What's your sense of the world from your perspective as the leader of this tech organization? 

  Gary Shapiro (30:02): 

  I would say it's nervous optimism. Obviously in the United States, there's fundamental change. Everybody's pivoting at this point, no one expected the election results we had, which was a clean sweep by the Republicans. 

  (30:13): 

  President-elect Trump is certainly, he has a lot more experience than he did eight years ago when he started. He's hitting the ground running. He's focused on immigration and tariffs and trade and a whole bunch of things. 

  (30:25): 

  On the positive side, I think he's going to eliminate a lot of the very restrictive challenges that business have faced in a regime the last four years that was not exactly pro-business, to put it mildly. 

  (30:36): 

  An FTC chairman that didn't think big companies should be allowed to buy small companies, a new definition of the antitrust laws protecting existing competitors rather than protecting the consumer. So we're looking for changes there. 

  (30:48): 

  On the other hand, we're obviously concerned about some of the changes in immigration law. We want the best and the brightest in the United States, and we also recognize that the tariffs are taxes on consumers. 

  (31:02): 

  On a global stage, Kinsey and I will be standing up at the opening session and we'll be revealing our biannual award winners countrywide, which will be accepted by ambassadors and ministers as to who are the most innovative countries in the world of pro-innovation policies because we want to reward good behavior. 

  (31:23): 

  It's really interesting how countries themselves all want to be like the United States, but some of them are reluctant to adopt some of the policies, for example, on diversity, clean air, clean water, broadband, things like that, which are important in our view to this. 

  (31:39): 

  So, we try to recognize that this is a global event. It's just not US centric. We do have US positions. We'll get a lot of major policy people from around the world and government, and otherwise. It's an interesting, every four or eight years because we get some of the people that are leaving the administration and some of the new people coming in. 

  (31:59): 

  Certainly judging by just being in Washington this week, we're talking to a lot of people. There's going to be a lot of activity in the next couple of weeks, but the Congress is going to hit the ground running. 

  (32:07): 

  So there's a lot to talk about because the policies on artificial intelligence, on self-driving cars, which will have a resurgence frankly with Trump, because Trump and Obama were very excited about them. Biden, they were taken off the map in favor of electric cars and so we're looking forward to that. 

  (32:26): 

  So there's going to be a lot of different discussions over occurring, whether it's our cybersecurity mark or digital policies or intellectual property or trades and tariffs and immigration. 

  James Kotecki (32:38): 

  Okay, so, we have touched on a lot of topics in a short amount of time. There are so many different reasons for so many different kinds of people to want to come to CES. I think we've touched on many of them, but I want to ask you all personally, any final thoughts on things that you're just personally excited about? 

  (32:58): 

  Maybe they don't even fit into the macro themes. Maybe they're just some particular exhibit that you just feel is cool or that we haven't talked about yet on the show. So, John, starting with you, any final thoughts, final trends, final ideas that you just want to share an exciting moment with us about for CES 2025? 

  John T. Kelley (33:15): 

  Yeah, one of the core themes of CES, particularly the past couple of years, has been about technology that is solving global challenges and that's really important to me. 

  (33:23): 

  I'm a father of a young child. I have a two-year-old son. My wife is expecting a baby any day now and so for me, I'm really excited to see this technology that will create a more connected, sustainable, and healthier future, so the world that my children will grow up in will be a better world. 

  (33:40): 

  And so, for me, that's what's most exciting to see at CES. Every year I'm blown away because I see something that I think is just going to change the world and make the world a better place. 

  James Kotecki (33:49): 

  I love that. And congratulations on the new baby child. 

  John T. Kelley (33:51): 

  Thank you. 

  James Kotecki (33:52): 

  Pre-congratulations. By the time this podcast comes out, the new baby may also- 

  John T. Kelley (33:55): 

  The baby will be born, yeah. 

  James Kotecki (33:56): 

  ... be with us and so, congratulations to you. Kinsey, let's go to you. Any final thoughts on just personally, what's resonating for you as we come up to CES 2025? 

  Kinsey Fabrizio (34:08): 

  Well, I always love digital health, so I always say that, so I'm not going to harp on it again, but I think access to healthcare is a fundamental right, and there are tech solutions for that at CES. 

  (34:17): 

  But for me personally, I'm a working mom. My kids are eight and 12. I love AI and efficiency tools. I couldn't live without them. Whether it's for grocery shopping, apps that help you do that, or projects for school supplies, making dinners more efficiently, companies like Suvie that cook while you're not there. 

  (34:41): 

  Anything that can help me be an efficient working mom and AI tools that help do that, I'm so excited about that personally. And there are so many cool companies featuring these types of solutions at CES. 

  James Kotecki (34:56): 

  Gary, you'll get the last word on this, and I mean, I'm sure that you're actually asked a question like this many times because you do many interviews about this kind of thing. 

  (35:04): 

  So, especially if there's something that's been on your heart or on your mind that you never get to share in any of those other interviews, but this is your own CES Tech Talk podcast. Now's the time to tell us what you're excited about CES 2025. 

  Gary Shapiro (35:16): 

  James, I'll give you the exclusive but you have to promise not- 

  James Kotecki (35:19): 

  I love it. 

  Gary Shapiro (35:19): 

  ... to tell anybody else. 

  James Kotecki (35:20): 

  Okay. 

  Gary Shapiro (35:22): 

  No, actually, there's two things. One I mentioned before. I think Eureka Park is what we're about as humanity is you get people starting up a company with ideas and enthusiasm and they get feedback, and sometimes they become big companies. 

  (35:37): 

  We've seen that lots of times, for example, with Ring and with others. Even Bill Gates and Microsoft told me that he loved CES and at the time Comdex, because he started as a tiny company and allowed him to grow very quickly into a big one. 

  (35:49): 

  The other one that's personally inspiring to me continued to attract an increasing amount of leaders from the disability community and the interactions they have with the exhibitors about what they can do with the technology are inspirational for both of them. 

  (36:03): 

  It's just so rewarding to see how we could use technology to bring people up who really they're just trying to live lives like everyone else, and technology can make the difference for them, and CES is increasingly the place where it's shown. 

  James Kotecki (36:19): 

  Okay, John, I think we have successfully built the hype for CES 2025. I'm excited to go. We do have to say though, maybe not quite everyone who's listening to this show is technically qualified to go, so can you just give us the rundown of who's actually able to attend CES? 

  John T. Kelley (36:34): 

  Yeah, so, thanks, James. CES is a B2B event, so to qualify to attend CES, you must be part of the technology industry in some way. We do have a credentialing process that is part of our registration process where we do review people's credentials as they apply to register for CES. 

  (36:51): 

  But that doesn't mean that you can't still follow along from home. And you can still follow this podcast if you want to learn more about CES and many of the exciting innovations that will be on display in Las Vegas in January. 

  James Kotecki (37:01): 

  All right, once again, we have done it with the Tech Triumvirate. It has been such a pleasure to hang out with the three of you and get a preview of the next CES. Gary, Kinsey, John, it is always great to speak with you, all three of you fantastic leaders at the Consumer Technology Association. Thank you for joining us. 

  Kinsey Fabrizio (37:16): 

  Thank you, James. 

  Gary Shapiro (37:16): 

  Thank you. 

  John T. Kelley (37:17): 

  Thank you, James. 

  Kinsey Fabrizio (37:18): 

  So good to talk to you. 

  James Kotecki (37:21): 

  And that's our show for now but make sure you stay tuned for more insights, conversations, and content during CES and beyond. There's always more tech to talk about. 

  (37:30): 

  If you're on YouTube, please subscribe and leave a comment. If you're listening on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartMedia, or wherever you get your podcasts, hit that follow button and let's give those algorithms what they want. You can get even more CES and prepare for Vegas at ces.tech. That's C-E-S.T-E-C-H. 

  (37:48): 

  Our show is produced by Nicole Vidovich and Paige Morris, recorded by Andrew Linn and edited by Third Spoon. I'm James Kotecki, talking tech on CES Tech Talk.