Today marks the end of something that once defined the very essence of being “online” for millions of Americans. AOL dial-up is officially pulling the plug, and with it goes that unmistakable symphony of screeches, static, and digital handshakes that served as the gateway to cyberspace for an entire generation. For those of us who … Read more
In the old days, we used to say getting “out of the office” to work somewhere else was taking a break. Now, for me, it’s getting out of the house. You have to realize that I’ve been working from home since the dawn of time. Back in the ’70s, it was calling in scores late … Read more
WhatsApp: The Silent Front Door to AI Over the last two decades, we’ve watched communications shift, from desktop dialers and browser-based apps to mobile-first, message-driven interactions. We’ve seen the rise (and often the fall) of platform plays. But now, as AI becomes the next wave, the real story isn’t in new apps. It’s in existing … Read more
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with my inbox. It’s simultaneously the central nervous system of my work life and the biggest time vampire in my digital existence. So when I heard about Perplexity’s new Email Assistant, I couldn’t help but feel that familiar mix of tech optimism and “but will it actually work?” skepticism … Read more
The AI sector right now mirrors the late 1990s internet boom almost to the letter. Back then, startups raised absurd amounts of capital on little more than a domain name and a pitch deck. Companies with no revenue—and in some cases no real product—were suddenly valued in the billions. The bubble burst hard in 2000–2001, … Read more
Since the early days of VoIP, we’ve been talking about the demise of legacy telephony structures. “Press 1 for sales” was always a symptom of old-school thinking. Now, with OpenAI’s real-time SIP integration, that era is finally over. For years, I’ve advocated for smarter systems. In 2018, when Dialpad acquired TalkIQ, I wrote how AI … Read more
After diving into the merged findings from Bessemer’s “State of AI 2025” and Janelle Tang’s Next Big Teng’s analysis, I’m struck by how the AI startup landscape is crystallizing into a fascinating dichotomy. Three years post-ChatGPT, we’re seeing the market mature in ways that tell us a lot about where things are headed. What’s immediately … Read more
There was a time when “gigabit” sounded like science fiction. The idea that you could move a billion bits per second to your home or office was the stuff of press releases and futurist conference keynotes. Fast-forward to today, and “gigabit” is like a high-performance sports car you only drive in school zones—more capacity than … Read more
The iconic screech of AOL’s dial-up modem—that distinctive digital handshake that welcomed millions to the internet—will finally fall silent on September 30, 2025. I find this moment oddly poignant, not for nostalgic reasons, but because it perfectly illustrates how dramatically our connectivity landscape has evolved. Taking a step back, I think there are a few … Read more
There’s a new kind of meeting attendee showing up on Zoom, Teams and Google Meet, the silent, invisible kind that never turns on their camera, never unmutes, and never speaks. No, it’s not your disinterested coworker. It’s their AI note taker. And you know what? That’s a good thing. The Washington Post recently spotlighted how … Read more
