Friday, September 9th, 2016

The World’s 50 Smartest Companies

Jonathan Blum

Currently, the pace of life and of business is so fast that we do not have time to analyze in detail the outlook of different industries that contribute large capitals to the global GDP and social dividends in places whey they operate.

However, there are associations or corporate guilds that take time to highlight the good practices implemented by organizations that add value to its target audiences (employees, corporate clients, consumption clients, suppliers, competition and public administration, among others). A good practice ranking on this topic that caught my eye is: 50 Smartest Companies 2016 by MIT Technology Review, which is printed yearly since 2010.

Reading it, the first question that arises is: what is a smart company? According to MIT, “(…) one who creates opportunities using digital technologies”. Under this criteria, technological innovation is acknowledged as a business-contributing factor that generates high investment return. I share the 10 top positions in the MIT ranking:

1 Amazon: the first place achieved by this company is justified in its capacity to satisfy any its clients’ needs: from ordering pizza to playing a favorite song. The sustained growth of Amazon Web Services as business pillar may be added to the company’s success. 

2 Baidu: this company develops autonomous automobiles, heavily reliant on research and on their team of Silicon Valley experienced engineers. 

3 Illumina: this company developed a blood test capable of detecting cancer before symptoms appear.

4 Tesla Motors: they are taking automated driving technology forward with their S and X models, and they manufacture electric cars. Currently, they have 400,000 pre-ordered units. 

5 Aquion Energy: this startup manufactures useful batteries for electric networks.

6 Mobileye: leader in assisted driving technologies and collision systems.  Tesla, General Motors and Volkswagen are among their high-profile clients.

7 23andMe: after 2 years of financial moratorium, the company offers DNA tests to the public with the objective of assessing the risk of genetic diseases. They have sequenced the DNA of over a million clients.     

8 Alphabet: Google developed the AI program, which surpassed GO, one of the best players in the market.

9 Spark Therapeutics: this company leverages genetic therapy to mitigate and revert the effects of blindness.

10 Huawei: the Chinese telecom giant it the third largest smart phone seller in the premium and low-cost segment. The company has sold 27,5 million smart phones in the 1Q of 2016.

You may find the complete ranking in this link MIT Technology Review.

Unfortunately, analyzing the list in detail I see that no company of Latin American capital or origin is among the “smartest companies”.

This has to be an opportunity and a starting point for leaders and businesspeople that want to position innovation as a strategic pillar.

Are you ready to apply innovative and disruptive practices in your company?