Who’s Winning the Global Tech Race? With Jason Kapadia & Felina Tan - Episode 33
From digital banks to 24 hour grocery delivery, it’s clear that our everyday lives are being increasingly shaped by technology, but not every country is advancing equally…
Having lived in Singapore, Honk Kong and London, Felina Tan is perfectly placed to lead us in a comparison of global tech, whether we’ll see the West adopt a more one-app-fits-all system, the lack of growth in digital banking in the East, and check in on Elon Musk’s controversy-stirring Twitter moves.
This episode of Disconnected covers:
Fallout from Elon Musk’s recent Twitter purchase
Differences in technological advancements around the world
The prevalence of digital banks like Monzo and Starling
Whether the west will ever adopt a one-app-for-everything approach
Episode Highlights:
“There was coverage of two ‘employees’ walking out on the day Elon actually took over. But they were just pranksters. One guy’s name was ‘Rahul Ligma’! The tweets coming out from these journalists were like, ‘They look visibly shaken’ and the actual reality of it was just playing tricks. They weren't even employees.” - 2:50 - Jason Kapadia
“The convenience of digital banks is through the roof compared to if I want to pick up the phone with HSBC. It's gonna take ages and ages for it to get resolved - even to speak to a human can sometimes be just a massive pain point. ” - 6:25 - Felina Tan
“Even though these banks like HSBC are on the high street, I can't remember the last time I walked into a bank, because I don't see the point of it.” - 9:40 - Felina Tan
“In the underground, when you have buskers, they're all now equipped with contactless machines. It's just a sign of the times, because a lot of us here in London don't carry cash anymore.” - 15:50 - Felina Tan
“Beijing is contactless to the nth degree. A high majority of places do not take cash. It's almost like that episode of The Simpsons, buying Krusty Dollars on the way into Krusty World, and they don't take Krusty Dollars anywhere in Krusty World. I had Chinese currency and I couldn't spend it.” - 18:30 - Jag Sharma
“WeChat is an all encompassing app, which does payments, chat, etcetera. In the West, it doesn't seem like there are any of these kinds of super apps. It seems like the West still likes siloed apps to do everything.” - 21:10 - Jason Kapadia
“There's so many good things they’re doing to London for getting around. But is it just too old and too spread out for getting on demand grocery delivery. Is it ever going to be possible until we get drone delivery? ” - 34:25 - Jag Sharma
“I would love to see a pickup of digital banking in Singapore because I know how Singaporeans behave in terms of wanting things quickly and conveniently, so digital banking just makes sense for them.” - 38:55 - Felina Tan
Links & references:
Felina Tan:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/felinagabrielletan/
Jason Kapadia:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonkapadia/
https://www.instagram.com/jasonkapadia/
Jag Sharma:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jagsharma
https://www.instagram.com/jagsharma/