The Role of Technology Companies in Society Today: An Interview with Brad Smith, President & CLO, Microsoft
Tech companies are shifting to a purpose-led vision—thinking not about shareholders alone but about all the stakeholders they serve.
Innovation isn’t limited to releasing new products. Companies must continuously reinvent how they compete—and embrace their outsize role in society. We guide the way.
No industry creates more value in today’s economy than the technology industry. Its innovations fuel the digital world. But tech is also one of the most volatile industries, experiencing constant disruption that challenges even the strongest organizations. Incumbency is often a liability. And with its outsized impact, the tech industry is subject to increased scrutiny—which means leaders are in a state of always-on transformation, and must constantly examine how they contribute to society.
At BCG, we help tech leaders go further and faster, and we also help companies rediscover and activate their purpose. Companies that link performance and purpose turn vision into value—for the world and themselves.
Our approach to client work recognizes that the technology industry is actually many sectors, with unique challenges and opportunities in each.
Our technology industry consulting experts help companies go further, faster, by transforming operating models, ways of working, and such core functions as pricing, sales, and product innovation and engineering. We draw upon a global network of thought leaders, as well as digital businesses such as BCG GAMMA and BCG Platinion. Here are some examples of our impact:
Pricing. Our client, an SaaS-native company, grew their revenue more than 14% after we created dynamic pricing guidelines that better served their customers while leveraging our Pricing Catalyst software.
Digital Sales. A major North American SaaS business increased digital lead volume by 50%, reduced sales-time-to-action from seven days to less than 15 minutes, and boosted its conversion rate by a factor of ten after our technology industry consultants built a new inside sales organization.
Customer Service and Support Excellence. We applied AI and analytics to help a North American service provider reduce monthly churn by approximately 5%. The project delivered more than $25 million in revenue run-rate impact by the end of the first year.
Product Innovation and Engineering. Our team rebalanced 25% of a technology company’s R&D spending and established a $40 million fund to turbocharge innovation, spark better product-customer fit, and improve return on R&D investments.
Companies that unleash the power of purpose—the “why” driving what they do—can achieve tremendous social impact. They can transform productivity and profitability, too. Our technology experts, along with our global creative consultancy, BrightHouse, help companies activate their purpose and embed it throughout their organizations.
Tech companies are shifting to a purpose-led vision—thinking not about shareholders alone but about all the stakeholders they serve.
Companies facing intense competition for talent can take concrete steps to attract more women to tech and encourage them on their path to leadership.
As the pandemic hammered economies worldwide, these tech-enabled companies outperformed the market handily. What does their success reveal about future sources of growth and innovation?
Demand for semiconductors and software pushed the tech sector’s five-year total shareholder return higher than that of any other industry.
Amid rising discontent, Purpose 2.0 can help tech companies rediscover their footing, regain public confidence, and reinvigorate their performance.