Rate Adjustments and Innovation: Leaders of Cadre, ServiceNow, Verra Mobility +More

Ryan Williams of Cadre, Bill McDermott of ServiceNow, David Roberts of Verra Mobility

Let me start with some news I haven’t yet mentioned in this newsletter: I’m going to be anchoring the 4 p.m. ET hour at CNBC in March, after nine years at 11 a.m.

What does this mean?

First, nothing is changing about my focus on tech and my interviews with innovators. I’m keeping my weekly On the Other Hand segment on Squawk Box and my Working Lunch segment. As I write this, I’m sitting in a hotel in Seattle; later today I’ll be on Microsoft’s campus for a presentation on artificial intelligence, and a special interview with a well-known CEO.

Second, CNBC’s TechCheck broadcast show is going away. That’s bittersweet. On the one hand, I loved that we had a broadcast home for tech. On the other hand (ha), tech can’t be contained. Through Fortt Knox and other outlets, I’ve continued to explore the ways innovators are pushing industries forward in this uncertain economic climate.

Also important to mention: It’s February. Black History Month.

I make a point of keeping in touch with a diverse assortment of founders and CEOs all year long, but I try to highlight some of those conversations at times. You’ll see that reflected in this newsletter, and in my Working Lunch segments.

Also, I’ll remind you to check out The Black Experience in America: The Course, a curriculum I designed in 2020. I’ve presented on it at DePauw University, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Missouri’s Teaching Black History Conference, among other places. Sign up and download free resources at https://www.forttmedia.com/.

This week check out the latest from Cadre Founder Ryan Williams, who is working to make commercial real estate investment more accessible even as interest rates rise. In recent days I’ve also spoken with ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott about earnings results, and highlighted the business model of Verra Mobility, where CEO David Roberts is using Internet of things and artificial intelligence technologies to drive recurring revenue in areas like speed and parking enforcement.

I’m going to have a lot more on artificial intelligence in the coming days — a lot — but for now, it’s worth keeping in mind that these pieces all fit together. Rising interest rates push individuals and companies to be choosier about where they invest resources, and one of the more promising areas to deliver better productivity and counterbalance inflation? A.I. software.

Cadre Founder Ryan Williams on Protecting Cash Flow Despite Rising Rates: CNBC Working Lunch

ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott on Why He’s Bucking the Layoff Trend and Still Growing

Verra Mobility CEO David Roberts on Transportation in the Era of IoT

Bowery Farming CEO Irving Fain on Careful Growth and the Continued Expansion of Indoor Farms

Brex Co-CEO Henrique Dubugras on How Startups Are Adjusting to the Rocky Economy