Facebook, Ford and Google deliver Visionary Keynote Addresses at the Mobile World Congress

This past week has been home to GSMA’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, bringing together leaders and developers in the mobile space to connect and share visions for the future. Beginning Monday, the conference has boasted notable keynotes from industry leaders such as Facebook’s CTO Bret Taylor, Ford’s Executive Chairman William Clay Ford Jr., Google’s Executive chairman Eric Schmidt, and more to come. Each presenter has brought visionary insight to the stage in their own way, shedding light on the future of mobile and its impact on the world. The Scandit team has been enjoying the talks so much that we had to share some highlights with you:

Watch Facebook’s CTO Bret Taylor

Facebook CTO Bret Taylor talks about how “Facebook is the best way to discover apps across all mobile platforms,” and backs up his claim with juicy statistics from their OpenGraph platform. From there, Bret expands into a full discussion regarding overcoming the challenges associated with developing the mobile web, such as app discovery, technology fragmentation, and payment—leading him to announce the development of a new WDC community standardization group called Core Mobile Web Platform.  Lastly, Bret announces a partnership between Facebook and major operators such as Verizon and T-Mobile that will allow for payments on the mobile web. A bold and provocative talk, this one is a must watch as it’s sure to stir up debate.

Watch Ford’s Executive Chairman William Clay Ford Jr.

Ford’s Executive Chairman William Clay Ford Jr. talks about his vision for the future of mobility in this insightful talk. He draws a parallel in redefining personal mobility between the introduction of the automobile and the introduction of the portable communication device. He goes on to identify there is a dangerous road ahead if nothing is done about the global vehicle population, which could grow from 1 to 4 billion vehicles by 2050—causing a state of perpetual gridlocked traffic. He argues that global gridlock would become a human rights issue, compromising the flow of commerce, food delivery, and healthcare. William believes that cooperation between the technology and transportation industries is critical in overcoming these challenges, and he calls upon the community to look for new solutions to these challenges.

Watch Google’s Executive chairman Eric Schmidt

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt provides visionary insight into a future where everyone around the globe is truly connected by technology. Eric describes the web as “a network of minds that is evolving into a collective intelligence and a global conscious”—and foresees an idealistic world permeated by augmented reality, robots, and holograms. He goes on to talk about challenges caused by an emerging digital divide between three groups: the privileged founders, developers, and early adopters of technology who are only limited by science and what society deems ethical—the emerging “global middle class”, who are reactive and guided by intuition, buying and using the technology developed by the first group—and lastly the “aspiring majority”, for whom the “digital revolution” has not arrived.  An inspiring and entertaining discussion, this talk paints an incredible image for the future of mobile.