Hearing From Those Who Lead

Businesses — and the way we conduct business — may have changed drastically over the course of history, but there's something to be said for the belief that history often repeats itself. Just take the 2019 Business Leaders Outlook. This report, released in early January, was designed by JPMorgan Chase to better understand the perspectives and challenges faced by today's business leaders. Results show that many executives are predominantly focused on three objectives: managing emerging technologies, finding and hiring talent and investing for growth.

Interestingly enough, these three business priorities are not that different than those of years past. Looking back in time, we highlight three influential leaders who had quite similar objectives and tackled them with an innovative mindset.

The tech industry may be known for rapid innovation, but it continues to fall behind when it comes to racial and ethnic diversity. According to a recent study by Fortune, less than 1 percent of employees at major tech companies are Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander or Native American, only 5 percent are Black and only 7 percent are Hispanic.

So what’s behind the dearth of diversity in tech? We spoke with both individuals and companies that are actively working to address this divide and ultimately make tech a more inclusive industry.