The challenging, unpredictable, and often cutthroat competition in the world’s emerging markets is literally a world away from the cushy workspaces many companies look to for entrepreneurial thinking, but VimpelCom — one of the world’s top 10 largest mobile network operators — sees its presence in some of the planet’s most dynamic markets as the places to spur innovation.
“If we make something work in an emerging market, it’s going to be a low-cost, low-price, potentially disruptive tool than we would see in a developed one, by definition,” said Yogesh Malik, VimpelCom’s CTO, in reference its activities in places like Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Algeria.
Malik’s corporate team hosts month and quarterly meetings to review business opportunities, at which they put three questions to any innovation idea: Can we scale it bigger in the same market, get used in similar markets, and can it become a global offering?

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They’re being built to do the work of fast-food servers, customer service agents and personal assistants, but even bot creators say there will always be a role for humans.

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Our most powerful telescope gives the deepest views of all, and shows us a Universe we never knew before.

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Many much-hyped threats to big banks in businesses ranging from consumer lending, the servicing of risky mortgages, and even mid-sized leveraged buyout loans are falling far short of promise.

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A Q&A with Scott Brinker, founder of chiefmartec.com and author of Hacking Marketing

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Unless you are living in a mine, the popularity of the game Minecraft is unquestionable in society. Minecraft has grown to the most popular computer game of all time with more than 70 million unit sales. I am welling to guess that if you are reading this you know a child or adult that plays it. Christopher Gant of Polygon describes it as a cultural phenomenon.  In Minecraft players navigate virtual worlds and terrains. They can also design mining plans, modify atmospheric conditions, and even encounter large tornadoes. For example, various Weather “Mods” allow for complex storm systems, including hurricanes, within Minecraft’s virtual worlds. A host of other objectives and rules are present, but the hidden “gem” in the game is that it is inherently rooted in concepts of geosciences such as meteorology, climatology, geomorphology, geography, geology, and urban design. So as I watched my son play, the Professor in me began to wonder, “can we teach about weather, climate, and other geoscience concepts with Minecraft?”

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“Unbelievable” is what FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director James Trainor called last week the increase in the amount and sophistication of ransomware attacks in the first quarter of 2016, according to CIO Journal.

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Bottom line: An upcoming China trip by Apple’s CEO looks hastily arranged and aimed at damage control after several recent setbacks, but won’t stem the company’s recent sales plunge due to intense competition from domestic brands like Huawei.

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Peloton is redefining at-home fitness by streaming spin classes to riders at home, but riders still love to come try out its bikes in person. We spoke with CEO John Foley at Peloton’s first store about his startup’s unusual approach to retail.

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