Zeus Kerravala
Principal Analyst
ZK Research
Zeus Kerravala
What was your business/work highlight of 2024?
I Attended Nvidia GTC. It was a who’s who of AI. It was a fantastic event, and there was a lot of vision as to what’s possible with AI. Mobile World Congress was also a highlight, as seeing a resurgence in the telecom ecosystem was good. Enterprise Connect is always a highlight as well.
Who is your business hero and why?
I don’t have a business hero, but there are several historical people I admire for thinking differently than their peers. Johannes Kepler was the watershed that modernised science, and Carl Sagan simplified and made science understandable for the common man. In my career, I’ll credit John Chambers for helping me understand the importance of continually working in markets that are in transition.
What’s the biggest business mistake you’ve made and what did you learn from it?
I can’t think of any mistakes I’ve made in my career per se. My only regret was staying at Yankee Group too long. The ship was clearly sinking, and I had been thinking of splitting out on my own for some time. I could have done that earlier, but things have worked out fine, so perhaps that was meant to be.
What’s the most inspirational book you’ve ever read and why?
The five dysfunctions of a team helped me understand the dynamics of people you will meet while working. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand was inspirational, as Howard Roark never cared what anyone thought of him. He simply did what he thought was right.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role in 2024?
Trying to be in too many places at once. There are far too many events, and I try to hit as many as I can, but keeping up a pace of publishing 3-5 posts a week is hard with the constant travel.
What technology will have the greatest impact on your business this year and why?
I think most people will say generative AI, but I haven’t played with it as much as I should have. For me, anything to do with rapid video editing. I do so many videos, and I have a great video editor, but it would be nice to use AI to take quick iPhone videos and turn them into splashy social media posts would be nice.
