Tech Talk
From the Blackberry to ChatGPT— 25 years of ‘Tech Talk’
By Michael E. Duffy
T his is the first column of my 25th year of writing Tech Talk . I wrote my very first column back in January of 2001 when this magazine was named Sonoma Business, just after it was purchased by Joni and Norm Rosinski, and her brother, John Dennis (if you’re interested, you can read more about the history of NorthBay biz in this summary from 2015: ). Foolishly, I sold them on the idea of having a monthly column about the intersection between technology and business. This was the opening of my first column: “If yours is like most small businesses, you’re already using technology: a phone system, a fax machine, computers, software, maybe even e-mail, a website and DSL. You’ve probably acquired all this swell stuff over time, sometimes with foresight (and room in the
magazine columnists will still exist. But maybe AI will gain personality and a point of view, obviating the need for human columnists altogether. Seems like a sadder world, but capitalism’s drive to cut costs and raise productivity is relentless and eternal. As one can easily see from looking backwards 25 years, it’s nearly impossible to predict anything more than general outlines (assuming, as always, we don’t blow ourselves to bits; the Doomsday Clock remains at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest it’s ever been). I’m afraid that we will continue failing at making meaningful progress against global warming. The recent election points out that most people prioritize their short-term economic well-being over everything else, and that makes voting for climate-friendly policies less likely. The past 25 years shows us that everybody talks a good game at the United Nations climate conference (COP29 just concluded), but little effective change really happens. We can’t expect Elon Musk to solve this problem—he’s headed for Mars. We have the necessary technology to address the
problem. But I doubt that, worldwide, there is the political will to address the issue in a timely fashion. Climate change is coming for us all, like it or not. Another thing you can count on: generative AI will be used to replace humans wherever possible, even when it results in a loss in quality. Just as airlines now charge you if you want to eat on your flight, you will probably pay extra to talk to an actual human. Any job which just involves talking to people is probably at risk, as are repetitive, process-oriented types of knowledge work. At the moment, we train AI on text and images taken from the internet. I can see a future in which AI is trained on the people that they will replace. What I’ve learned in 25 years of writing about technology and business is that technology is a mindless tool. For large, publicly owned businesses, employees and customer service are just costs to be addressed by technology. Small businesses are the last place where people can count more than profits and, even there, it depends on owners and management to make that choice. Tech can reduce your costs and raise your profits, but choose wisely. My goal with Tech Talk has always been to inform and entertain, with the possible side-effect of actually being useful. Thank you for reading for another year. I can always be reached at mike@mikeduffy.com with your comments and questions. g
budget), sometimes in that reactive, fire-fighting, solve-the-problem-now! way that all business owners know too well. In some cases, it’s been a disappointment or a recurring nightmare. So, what’s your technology plan for the coming year?” I proceeded to outline how one might approach making a technology plan for one’s business. Forgive me. I was young(er) and naive, believing that most businesses thought deeply about their tech. Anyway, I’m now officially the magazine’s Oldest Living Columnist.™ Twenty-five years is a very long time in the world of tech. When I started writing this column, the iPhone didn’t exist (it was released in 2007). The Blackberry, which allowed you to receive email on your phone, was the cool thing. The dot-com bubble hadn’t popped yet (that came later, in March of 2001). Google Docs (where I am writing this column) didn’t exist (2006). Google Chrome, today’s dominant web browser, was yet to come (2008). We lived in a world monopolized by Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and Internet Explorer. Today’s hottest technology, generative AI, was the stuff of science fiction. Netflix was disrupting “video stores” like Blockbuster (remember them?) by sending DVDs through the mail (streaming wouldn’t come along until 2007). Bitcoin? Never heard of it. Facebook was still four years in the future. To date, the story of Tech Talk has really been about the rise of the Internet and mobile technology. What do the next 25 years hold in store? To be clear, it’s extremely unlikely I’ll be writing this column 25 years in the future. I’ll be 70 next month, and though I plan to continue writing Tech Talk for as long as they’ll let me, eventually I will lay down my figurative pen. I like to think, though, that
Michael E. Duffy is a software engineer for American video game company head- quartered in Redwood City, Electronic Arts ( ea.com ). Duffy lives in Sonoma County and has been writing about technology and business for NorthBay biz since 2001.
January 2025
NorthBaybiz 37
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