Product Evangelism and Canva with Guy Kawasaki

09/05/23 • 43 min

"Evangelism comes from a Greek term, meaning bringing the good news. So fundamentally, what an evangelist does is bring the good news. And so with Macintosh, the good news was that this personal computer can increase your creativity and productivity. The good news with Canva was that this product, it can increase your ability to communicate by a democratizing design. That's the good news. My podcast can help you become a remarkable person because you listen to what other remarkable people have done and how they did it. That's the good news of my podcast. So what an evangelist does is bring the good news of his or her product. Now, this assumes that your product is good news. So if you don't have a product that is good news, it's very hard to use evangelism to make it successful." - Guy Kawasaki

Fresh from the studio, we had an enlightening conversation with Guy Kawasaki, Chief Evangelist at Canva, who delved into the essence of product evangelism and revealed how the power of positive messaging propels Canva forward. Guy also dissected the transformative role of generative AI in democratizing design, explaining how it amplifies productivity and sparks greater creativity among users. To cap it off, he offered a glimpse into what great would look like for Canva's future trajectory.

Podcast Information: The show is hosted and produced by Bernard Leong (@bernardleong, Linkedin) and Carol Yin (@CarolYujiaYin, LinkedIn). Proper credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited in both video and audio format by G.Thomas Craig (@gthomascraig, LinkedIn).

Previous Episode

The Future of Generative AI in Southeast Asia with Ong Peng Tsin

"It is not just cheaper, faster, better. I'm not gonna deny that. If we go forward a number of years, it's gonna cause what we've been calling economic singularity. The value of labor drops to zero and you got all kinds of problems from that. But in the immediate future, what's gonna be interesting is this is the first technology that enables us to automate relationships. Basically, the AI can interact with us the way we interact with us. This sounds very trivial, but if you look at tech and you look at what has enabled tech to scale up to an incredible size around the world is our ability to automate the transaction. It's just that thing, and the problem with that is you end up with conversations of six months, LTV - Lifetime Value. What sense is in that? You are talking about a human being and your lifetime values over six months. And it's for a simple reason. When you automate transactions, all you control is a transaction. So you take a human being and you transact, and you drain the relationship out of that relationship and you throw it away, and then get another one and keep going." - Ong Peng Tsin

Fresh out of the studio, Ong Peng Tsin, co-founder and general partner of Monk's Hill Ventures, delved deep into the realm of Generative AI in Southeast Asia. Reflecting on his journey as a venture capitalist, Peng Tsin shared insights into the evolution of his daily role after eight years of team building at Monk's Hill Ventures. He emphasized the unparalleled potential of generative AI, likening its transformative impact to the iPhone revolution, and addressing the booming generative AI market in Southeast Asia, catalyzed by technologies like Chat-GPT and how it presents significant opportunities in the region. Last but not least, he shared what a great AI startup would look like in the region.

Next Episode

Lenovo Solutions and Services Group & the Future of IT Services & AI with Arthur Hu

"Now the fundamental motivation is customers don't just want to buy a server, right? They want to buy an outcome. They want something to happen. They want to get business value. So, the SSG [Services & Solutions Group] is Lenovo's pivot to meet our customers where they are, and also to lead our company into the future because as they have more sophisticated requirements, they need a simple way to manage and deploy all that I T across their organizations. When they want that holistic view, providing the services via something which is now SSG gives them that integrated offering. In a single contract, they can focus on using their technology in a smarter way. So that's where the SSG is within the context of Lenovo, and as the technology and delivery officer, I'm responsible for helping think about how new technology can make the experience better. It can make the outcomes better for our customers, as well as running the teams that are often because we have managed services that are delivering for customers 24 by 7. All year round. And so the global team of delivery network and experts is also what I run to help bring those outcomes to the customers today." - Arthur Hu

Fresh from the studio, Arthur Hu, SVP & Chief Information Officer at Lenovo, discussed the transformative role of the Solutions and Services Group (SSG) in the era of Generative AI. He shared his career journey and Lenovo's mission to assist customers end-to-end in their journey with the Lenovo Solutions & Services Group (SSG). Hu explored SSG's impact and Lenovo's sustainability initiatives in the Asia Pacific. He emphasized the promise of AI for businesses, including Lenovo's approach and shared a glimpse into the future of SSG's contributions to the tech landscape in the Asia Pacific and beyond.

Episode Highlights: [0:00] Sponsor Announcement: Esevel [0:50] Quote of the Day from Arthur Hu [2:00] Introduction to Arthur Hu, CIO, Lenovo. [4:46] Arthur Hu shares his lessons on his career journey [7:04] Arthur's thoughts on remote working and how Lenovo is re-imaging the workplace by designing thought interactions between employees [10:02] Introduction of Lenovo and its global vision and mission [12:07] Lenovo Solutions and Services Group (SSG) and its role in Lenovo's enterprise business [14:54] Arthur balancing between two roles in Lenovo: Global CIO and CDTO in SSG [18:10] How does Lenovo SSG approach problem-solving for customers? [22:49] Success customer stories of Lenovo SSG in Asia Pacific [25:19] What is the one thing Arthur knows about Lenovo SSG that very few do? [26:17] Lenovo's focus on ESG [33:37] Challenges & Prospects for Lenovo SSG in the Asia Pacific [37:31] The myth of the talent gap in the Asia Pacific [39:91] Advice for CIOs on digital transformation [43:00] Opportunities for AI in the Enterprise [47:56] Lenovo's Role on AI in the Enterprise [50:03] What does great look like for Lenovo SSG in the next decade? [51:13] Closing