S1E20: What do 112-year old IBM and 25-year-old Equinix have in common?

  • 7 Aug 2023

A 112-year-old tech grand dame and a 25-year-old new tech company: What they have in common. 

Synopsis: Every first Monday of the month, the Work Talk podcast helps you work smarter, think deeper and get ahead in your work life.

If you're one of those curious about some of the world's most famous tech names, this is your chance to get a sneak peek behind the scenes.   

In this series, tech leaders demystify what the companies do, talk about innovations that they have their eyes on, and tell what it feels like to work in their firms. 

In this episode, ST's senior correspondent Krist Boo hosts IBM, a 112-year-old tech company, and Equinix, which turns 25 this year. 

What do the two companies have in common?  

Besides making money, of course, they are doing some of the most important work in solving today’s global problems. 

Our guests are Ms Agnes Heftberger, general manager for IBM in South-east Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Korea, and Ms Leong Yee May, Equinix’s managing director for South Asia.

Our special young guest is Mr Aaron Lim. Aaron is a student studying data science and AI at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore. He is one of the leaders at the International Council of Malaysian Scholars, a student-run group that brings together a global network of professional Malaysians.

Highlights (click/tap above):

0:10 What do they do?

3:25 Generative AI: the dawning importance of trust and ethics

5:06 Sometimes, doing the right thing means forgoing quick wins

6:12 From a Gen Z youth: A job that does not help to solve bigger problems? Underwhelming 

8:44 Punchcard. First computers. Highlights of IBM’s 70 years in Singapore

10:53 Why do data centres matter?

18:10 Three most important things for a Gen Z youth: Girls and riches not included

Listen to

Pt 1: Understanding tech culture at Salesforce and Cisco - https://str.sg/iopR

Pt 2: Is Google still a good place to work? Oracle’s main business now - https://str.sg/iJva

Pt 3: Microsoft’s subsidiary Linkedin reigns in social media work world - https://str.sg/iUeq

Pt 4: What it is like to work for creative tech companies Adobe and GitHub - https://str.sg/iUKW

Produced by: Krist Boo (kristb@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Teo Tong Kai

Edited by: Teo Tong Kai

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Special edition series:

True Crimes Of Asia (new): https://str.sg/i44T

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Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa

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