October 2024 – Windows 10 End of Life, The Fight Against Automation, Return to Office Mandates
Happy October, friends!
After some unseasonably warm days, we are settling into cooler fall temps. It’s time to pull out those sweaters and enjoy all things pumpkin! Another season of Winnipeg Jets hockey gets underway tomorrow; Thanksgiving is coming up this weekend; and a U.S. election is less than a month away. We have a LOT to talk about in this month’s edition of ‘Insights’.
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Without further ado, here are the articles and upcoming events that caught my eye this month.
Michael
Cybersecurity / Technology
Windows 10 will go End of Life one year from now, on October 14, 2025. After this date, Microsoft will no longer provide free updates, technical assistance, or security patches for this operating system. What makes this announcement more significant is that Microsoft is placing stringent hardware requirements on Windows 11. If a desktop or laptop doesn’t meet them, it can’t be upgraded from Windows 10.
The estimate is that as many as 40% of computers running Windows 10 globally will not meet these hardware requirements and will need to be replaced. As we get closer to that EOL date, we anticipate pressure on the supply chain, longer lead times for new hardware, and increasing prices. There are also some real concerns around a ‘tidal wave’ of E-waste that could be generated by incompatible Windows 10 devices being discarded. Experts are encouraging good, proactive planning from businesses to avoid an ‘environmental disaster’:
Is the end of Windows 10 set to be an environmental disaster?
As I write this, thousands of dock workers and longshoremen are on strike across 37 ports in the United States (Update: Tentative agreement was reached on Oct 3). The economic impacts of the labour action are staggering, and a prolonged dispute could be disastrous. In addition to salary increase demands, the union is also insisting that there be a complete ban on any automation that replaces traditional union jobs. You’ll recall similar concerns arose in last year’s Writers Guild of America strike in which AI-generated or modified scripts were a major point of contention and rules governing the use of AI were part of the final negotiated contract.
While many are excited by the potential of automation and AI, it also represents a threat to the livelihoods of those whose jobs could be replaced by it. The port strike might be the latest, but it won’t be the last time this issue hits the news:
The Longshoremen Strike is a Battle of Workers vs. Automation
Leadership & Personal Growth
In late September, Amazon joined other large companies by requiring that workers return to the office 5 days per week. Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jassy cited ‘building company culture’ as a primary reason for the decision. Many leaders I’ve spoken to share Jassy’s concern – can company culture be maintained in a hybrid / remote / distributed work environment?
Price Waterhouse Coopers’ annual Work Radar Report says that yes, it can, and that return to office policies may have the opposite effect of what they are intended to accomplish. This is among many insightful findings from over 13 months of research and 20,000 worker interviews. It’s worth the read.
Working in the office 5 days a week to build company culture is a myth, PwC report says
Full 2024 PWC Work Radar report is here
Upcoming Events
Oct 22 – Manitoba Green Economy Forum
Oct 23 –Engaging the Ecosystem for Entrepreneurial Innovation (Wpg Chamber)
Until next month!