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At the Exceptional Women Alliance (EWA), we enable high level women to mentor each other to enable each leader to achieve personal and professional happiness through sisterhood. As the nonprofit organizations founder, chair, and CEO, I am honored to interview and share insights from some of the thought leaders who are part of our peer-to-peer mentoring. Our insights today come from Susan Holliday, board director and adviser, who speaks about her global career in the insurance industry, spotting new risks and turning them into opportunities. Q: Your career has addressed various issues related to the insurance industry. What are some recent challenges? Susan Holliday: I entered the insurance industry by chance, as so many people do. It is a fascinating sector because you learn about global challenges from climate change to driverless cars, pandemics, geopolitical risks, and new technologies, to name just a few. New risks bring new opportunities in insuring the risks for people, companies, and governments. Q: Can you give me some examples? Holliday: Yes, a new risk that became insurable during my career, specifically after the 9/11 tragedy, was terrorism. More recently, cyberinsurance doubled in premiums between 2017 and 2020 and then again 2020 to 2022. The two new opportunities Im most excited about are AI along with crypto and blockchain. There are many new risks for people and companies around these issues, and at the same time, the insurance sector can make use of these new technologies in different ways to be more efficient and to help their clients manage risk. This is also an opportunity to develop new insurance products to cover the risks. I see the market going the same way as cyber. In order to get insurance, companies will have to show they are meeting certain risk management standards, and the insurance is also going to focus on monitoring and prevention, not just paying claims after there is a problem. Q: You mention crypto and blockchain. Thats not talked about nearly as much as AI. Why now? Holliday: Im doing a lot of work in this space now, because it is becoming more mainstream and soon all sorts of companies will be getting involved with it in some way. This is driven by several factors: real use cases getting implemented, a more friendly stance towards crypto from the current U.S. administration, and some new legislation being proposed or passed in various parts of the world, like Europe, Singapore, and Australia. This means a wider range of companies that have never thought about crypto, and are probably terrified by Bitcoin, are going to want to explore and fully understand the upside and downside risks. There are important opportunities for the insurance sector too. In some cases, using blockchain or crypto can actually reduce risks. There are new risks such as losing the keys to a wallet which means you cant access your cryptocurrency, or someone who has the keys can steal it. New insurance products are going to be created, along with risk management standards to be able to actually buy the insurance, so it will improve security overall. Q: What kind of use cases are you expecting? Holliday: We have seen some companies invest in Bitcoin as part of their treasury management. Individual investors have more opportunities to invest in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies now because there are a number of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) available, which means the investor can get exposure without having to deal with a wallet, keeping control of the keys and custody. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies based on a fiat currency such as the dollar or the euro. Stablecoins are increasingly being used for international payments, and legislation on stablecoins has been passed in the EU, UK, and some Asian countries and there are currently bills in the U.S. House and Senate. This is likely to increase the use of stablecoins. Blockchains are decentralized digital ledgers which use cryptography to process transactions in blocks. Blockchains are the underlying technology that allow crypto currencies to function. An early use case for blockchain was traceability and authentication of high value assets, such as diamonds. It can also be used to ensure data integrity or authenticate transactions such as a land registry and several governments in different parts of the world have launched initiatives in this area. Recent changes in the U.S. administrations approach to the regulation of crypto tokens mean that companies are likely to consider issuing or selling tokens, which is already common in gaming companies. We have seen luxury goods and fashion companies use tokens to drive customer loyalty and engagement, although there is still uncertainty over investor acceptance and future regulatory developments. A relatively early use case for blockchain was for smart, self-executing index-based (parametric) insurance contracts. As GenAI picks up steam and we see the prospect of agentic AI, we are likely to see this technology being deployed more frequently as we see AI agents transacting with each other. Q: That is a lot of change especially for those uneducated in the topic. What is your advice? Holliday: The message is, even if you have no intention of ever investing in Bitcoin, business leaders need to keep an eye on that is going on in the crypto and blockchain space because its going to impact many sectors and industries. Larraine Segil is founder, chair, and CEO of The Exceptional Women Alliance.
Category:
E-Commerce
China produces 75% of the worlds batteries. South Korea and Japan control much of the remaining supply chain. With tariffs looming over the industry, the U.S. is in a unique position, having both urgency and opportunity to strengthen domestic battery production for myriad uses. The reality is that American battery manufacturers lag their Asian counterparts. Companies here are attempting to catch up by rushing to follow Asias manufacturing formula, but that strategy wont hold up in the long term. The only way to surpass these larger Asian competitors is to move on from outdated manufacturing methods and materials and focus on what defines American leadership: innovation. Playing catch-up wont cut it Its clear China and other Asian countries today have the advantage when it comes to battery manufacturing. Their factories are larger, their supply chains are better developed, and their experience and know-how mean batteries can be produced cheaper and quicker. It takes far less time to start up a battery factory there than in the U.S. The U.S. is in the midst of building up factories. Compared to Asia, however, the country still struggles with slower factory construction, longer time to start up, and more expensive batteries with lower yields, often producing lower-performing products. The U.S. wont be able to reach the same production levels and will continue to fall behind if we just keep playing catch-up. The innovation game Sticking to old-school battery manufacturing methods wont win the battery race. Instead, the U.S. can reclaim a leadership position only by playing an entirely different game and proving the solutions of existing product chokepoints: cost, safety, and performance. Battery architectures have remained fundamentally unchanged over the past 30 years. While the industry has made remarkable progress in energy density and cycle life, the same decades-old battery design principles still dictate what a battery is and can do. Process improvements and add-ons alone cant address these design limitationsthink updating an app without ever upgrading the operating system. By redefining how a battery is made from the beginning, the U.S. can leapfrog competition and create a new foundation others can build on. 3 innovation factors Easier said than done, of course. To see real improvements, we must focus on three innovation factors: cost, performance, and safety. Todays solutions often compromise one to improve another, but we cant afford to make that sacrifice. If we can advance all three in parallel, theres no question we can pull ahead in the battery race. Closing this gap isnt just critical for U.S. competitiveness. By leading in battery innovation, the U.S. can set the pace for the global industry, creating technologies and frameworks that will drive progress for partners around the world. 1. Reduce costs While battery costs have dropped dramatically over the past few years, the price of productionand adoptionstill holds back widespread electrification. But swapping in cheaper materials or production shortcuts can impact safety and performance. Instead, innovation must be the driver of cost reduction through simplifications. For U.S. battery makers, this could look like novel manufacturing methods, better material utilization in cell design, or waste reduction through improved closed-loop recycling processes. 2. Boost performance Todays consumers and commercial workloads demand more energy and power than ever. Drivers want longer EV range and faster charging, without the drop in performance during cold weather. Meanwhile, manufacturers face mounting pressure to find sustainable solutions that reduce dependency on certain materials and improve recyclability to combat volatile supply chains. Tech innovation can meet these demands. For example, emerging electrolyte chemistries can enable faster charge cycles and lower temperature operations (up to -30° Celsius) without degrading battery life, and next-gen cell designs can pack more energy into smaller, lighter formats. 3. Prioritize safety Today, the battery industry is treating safety as a top priorityand for good reason. As EV adoption grows, so does the risk of battery fires and thermal runaway. Recalls are costly, and public trust is fragile. In energy storage systems, fire concerns from local residents are delaying siting and deployment. Battery fire incidents onboard airplanes and fatal e-bike fires are yet more headaches for an already beleaguered industry. We need battery innovations that dont just contain fires but prevent them from happening in the first place. Current solutions, like cell-to-cell thermal barriers or battery management systems that monitor a batterys health, often fail to address the root cause. Instead, our innovation focus should be on smarter battery technologies at the electrode level that block dangerous dendrite growth, prevent short circuits, and enable safe shutdowns of individual cells. Stop imitating, start disrupting The future of batteries wont be built in yesterdays factories. If the U.S. wants to pioneer a reimagined industry, we cant settle for chasing Asias playbook. We need to simplify where possible, innovate where it counts, and rethink the battery from the ground up. Thats how we turn a game of catch-up into a strategy of disruption. While this challenge might feel steep, the good news is were not starting from zero. Tech leaders across the U.S. are already developing breakthroughs in chemistry, materials, and manufacturing that are redefining batteries. Indeed, we have worked on providing solutions for the last 14 years, and we are ready. With the right support and speed, these advancements can shift the industry and propel the global energy future forward. The race for battery dominance isnt over, its just changing shape. Naoki Ota is president and CEO of 24M.
Category:
E-Commerce
Adobe will be giving its priciest subscription tier an AI-first rebrandand adding an even higher price tag. Adobes Creative Cloud All Apps subscription, which includes access to more than 20 Adobe apps, will soon be known as Creative Cloud Pro, the company announced last week. The renamed subscription plan will give users expanded access to Adobes AI-powered tools and apps, but for a price: For subscribers on an annual plan, the cost will increase from $59.99 to $69.99 monthly, or from $659.88 to $779.99 annually. Beginning on June 17, any members of Creative Cloud All Apps will be automatically opted into Creative Cloud Pro. According to Adobes announcement of the plan, Creative Cloud Pro pricing will be effective at your next renewal on or after June 17. Currently, these changes are only rolling out in North America. This follows better-than-expected first quarter 2025 financial results for the software company, which reported a record revenue of $5.71 billion, equal to 10% year-over-year growth. Still, Adobe’s shares dropped after the report, as several experts and investors noted concerns that the company might be falling behind competitors with its AI efforts. Creative Cloud Pro appears to be the next step for Adobe to monetize its newly robust suite of AI tools by making them a mandatory investment for the companys most dedicated users, even as it rolls out made without generative AI image labels. Heres what to know about the new plan. Whats new on Creative Cloud Pro? To start, Creative Cloud Pro comes with all of the features that were included under the Creative Cloud All Apps umbrella. The plan includes a portfolio of more than 30,000 fonts, unlimited Creative Cloud libraries, millions of stock photos and videos, and 100 gigabytes of cloud storage. In addition to these perks, the upgraded plan will include several new AI features. First, users will gain unlimited access to standard generative tools like Photoshops Generative Fill, which can essentially deepfake anything within a composition, and Lightrooms Generative Remove, which eliminates unwanted details in a photo. Creative Cloud Pro users will also have 4,000 monthly credits to use for Adobes class of premium generative features, like Premiere Pros Generative Extend, which uses AI to add frames to the beginning or end of any video. The rebranded subscription also includes the most recent Firefly app, which Adobe bills as its one-stop shop for exploration and ideation with creative AI. The app comes with Adobes new text-to-image generator Image Model 4, as well as its Firefly Video Model, which first entered public beta testing last month. Another feature called Firefly Boards allows teams to do some Pinterest-style mood board brainstorming. For any Creative Cloud Pro users who have a different AI model of choice, they can also choose to import Google Imagen 3 and Veo 2, OpenAI image generation, or Flux 1.1 Pro into Firefly. More details on Creative Cloud Pro features are available here. How much will it cost for different kinds of users? Prices are set to rise across the board for all kinds of Creative Cloud All Apps users. For rolling subscribers (those not on an annual plan), prices will rise from $89.99 to $104.99. For teams, prices will jump from $89.99 to $99.99 per month. And for student and teacher plans, renewal prices are set to increase from $34.99 to $39.99 monthly. What if I dont want to join this new plan? If youre a current Creative Cloud All Apps user but dont want to be automatically shuffled into Creative Cloud Pro, Adobe has created another subscription tier called Creative Cloud Standard. This tier is the same price as the former Creative Cloud All Apps ($54.99 per month for annual users), but it comes with a bit less value. Whereas All Apps included 1,000 monthly credits for the aforementioned standard generative features, Creative Cloud Standard only includes 25 credits. It also limits access to premium features on mobile and web apps, and, of course, does not include premium generative features or Firefly. While Adobes web page states that Creative Cloud Standard is only available to existing customers, an Adobe spokesperson clarified that new users can actually join this tier by contacting customer support. Its a trade-off that essentially means youll be paying the same amount for a subscription with fewer bonuses, but it might be the option that makes the most sense for users who have no interest in Adobes AI features. On Reddit, plenty of users have already expressed displeasure with the new plan. It’s easy to see why. Adobe is automatically upgrading subscriptions to the more expensive Creative Cloud Pro tier, a UX pattern that makes it less likely for users to opt out than if they had to make an active choice and tick a subscribe box, for instance. Both this and the Creative Cloud Standard journey for new users could be seen as dark patterns, which are UX pathways that manipulate users into taking actions that they may not have intended but are in the business interests of the company. The U.S. sued Adobe over its hard-to-cancel subscriptions last year. The goal of the automatic upgrade, in combination with the decreased appeal of the Creative Cloud Standard tier due to its reduced features, seems to be to draw more daily active users into the company’s existing AI products. That would be in close keeping with its recent focus on monetizing generative AI tools following its last earnings report, which was plagued with fears that Adobe isn’t staying ahead in the AI race. An Adobe spokesperson declined to comment on the reasoning behind the subscription tier rebrand and whether users will be personally notified before the change takes place.
Category:
E-Commerce
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