Kevin Maney

As a senior technology writer and columnist for USA Today, Kevin Maney is one of the only people in the media who cover the technology scene as it happens, every day. For twenty years, he's been visiting tech companies, talking with executives, following trends, and writing award-winning, humor-spiced pieces on the industry. With access to a broader range of leaders and innovators in technology and communications than any other journalist, he's interviewed virtually every important player in technology, often several times. He's able to focus on an audience's specific interests and give his listeners both a historical perspective and a big-picture context for the issues they face. Kevin is a witty presenter with a sharp mind and a full storehouse of knowledge, stories and insights.

Nor is Kevin's expertise limited to the tech sector; he's an extremely effective speaker on management and leadership, on how great companies get built. Here, his well-received book, The Maverick and His Machine: Thomas Watson Sr. and the Creation of IBM, comes into play. This chronicle follows and analyzes how Watson built IBM from its inception in 1914 to 1956. As one of the only companies to grow aggressively during the Great Depression, IBM is the perfect example of how a company can go from good to great in spite of tremendous obstacles and some major mistakes. Because of his expertise, Kevin appeared in the BBC's documentary on Watson called King of Capitalism. The IBM story is rich with lessons for any company struggling to grow in the face of economic downturns, changing technologies, and heavy upstart competition.

Kevin has consistently been one of the first general interest reporters to write about exciting new developments, bringing us the news on quantum computing, RFID, ultra-wideband, 802.11, XML and other advanced technologies. He continues to spend time in the labs and with the startups that will be giving us the next breakthroughs. He is also the author of the bestselling Megamedia Shakehout: The Inside Story of the Leaders and the Losers In the Exploding Communications Industry, which chronicles the revolution in communications and its technologies.