Data Rules: Communication with Intercom, Education with Paper, Health with Medable; Plus, Adobe and Intel

Karen Peacock of Intercom, Philip Cutler of Paper, Dr. Michelle Longmire of Medable

I probed some of the biggest, and smallest, innovative companies this week. At the beginning of the week I flew out to San Francisco to interview Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger for the kickoff of the Intel Innovation event, and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen at the start of his annual Adobe MAX conference.

Later in the week I got time with leaders who are using data and cloud technology to tackle a broad spectrum of challenges: Intercom is focused on communication, Paper on education, Medable on health. Overall themes: Success isn’t a straight line, resilience is essential, and sometimes you have to shrug off well-meaning naysayers and trust the data.

Let’s go:

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen on Literature and Data: CNBC Working Lunch

In the latest Working Lunch on CNBC's Power Lunch, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen talked about his favorite authors, and empowering customers with 1st-party data:

Communication to Improve Product Experiences: Intercom CEO Karen Peacock

Intercom CEO Karen Peacock has learned that finding the right answers for customers can be about observations rather than questions. She told me that her experiences as a consultant, a product leader and a CEO have shaped her approach:

Tutoring to Close the Gap: Paper CEO Philip Cutler on Using Technology to Boost Student Outcomes

Paper CEO Philip Cutler trained to be a teacher, but his bent toward broad impact and entrepreneurial thinking meant he’d take a different path. Paper is an edtech startup that raised $100 million over the summer to expand access to extra help:

Efficiency and Access in Clinical Trials, Using the Cloud: Dr. Michelle Longmire, Medable CEO

She grew up in a family of scientists, and overcame anxiety to become a doctor. Now Dr. Michelle Longmire is also leading a startup, Medable, that’s solving problems in pharmaceutical development and just raised $304 million at a $2.1 billion valuation:

CEO Pat Gelsinger On His Return and Intel's Ambitious Comeback Strategy

On the eve of Intel's October 2021 Innovation event this week, I spoke with CEO Pat Gelsinger outside Fort Mason in San Francisco. Wall Street doubts Gelsinger's turnaround plan is possible; he told me it was essential to his return to the company:

You can see the full interview here:

Does Apple Have Too Much Power in Digital Ads? On the Other Hand

Apple’s iOS tracking changes are rocking earnings in the digital ad market, showing up in Facebook and Snap results. Does Apple have too much power? I argued both sides in the latest On the Other Hand, on CNBC's Squawk Box:

Check out The Black Experience in America: The Course, an online educational resource I researched, designed and built. A free PDF download is available to bring the material to kids, and the online interactive experience is made for adults.