Can Amazon Save The Amazon And More On CHOM 97.7 FM

Every Monday morning at 7:10 am, I am on air at CHOM 97.7 FM radio out of Montreal (home base). It’s not a long segment – about 10 minutes every week – about everything that is happening in the world of technology, digital media and culture. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly on i Heart Radio, if you’re interested in hearing more of me blathering on about what’s happening in the digital world. I’m really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry DiMonte morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week we discussed:

• Did you get the chance to watch the PBS Frontline documentary last week called, Amazon Empire – The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos. The day before it hit the air, Bezos donated $10 billion to fight climate change. The richest man in the world has an estimated net worth of about $130 billion, so his $10 billion pledge is about 7.7% of that. People are complaining. It reminds me of the Democratic Party presidential debates in the United States last week, when the politicians were taking swipes at Michael Bloomberg‘s wealth and he kept saying, “I am giving it all away!”.
• HQ Trivia was a massive hit. It was a live video gameshow that everyone could take part in, with a fun host (Scott Rogowsky) and great energy. Many saw it as the next generation of live streaming and gaming. First, HQ Trivia announced that they were shutting down. Now, maybe not… but it’s still (kinda) dead, which speaks to how many tech platforms get hyped into multi-million/billion dollar valuations and then disappear just as quickly.
• Google Maps changed everything. Waze (now owned by Google) improved our driving experience at scale. What’s next? Facebook just bought an augmented reality company that’s building a 3D map of the entire world. This could be what’s next.
• App of the Week: Discord.

You can also listen in via I Heart Radio.