Technology was supposed to make our lives easier, connect us with one another, and give us incredible new ways to create. And it did! But somewhere along the way, convenience became constant connectivity, connection became algorithms and social feeds, and every new technological breakthrough seems to come with a new set of tradeoffs.
This month, we’re doing something a little different. We’ll kick off our main topic by watching Scott Hanselman’s 2025 TEDxPortland talk, “Tech Promised Everything. Did It Deliver?” Then we’ll turn the rest of the evening over to the room for an OCCA-style discussion about the promises technology has made, what it has actually delivered, and where we go from here.
Has technology really reduced our workload, or have we simply found more work to fill the time it saves? Has being constantly connected brought us closer together? What happens as AI begins doing more of the work we once considered uniquely human? And as consultants and technology professionals, what responsibility do we have to make sure the technology we recommend actually improves our clients’ lives?
There won’t be a presentation to sit through after the video — the discussion is the presentation. Bring your experiences, opinions, predictions, disagreements, and stories from years spent working with technology. We suspect this is one of those topics where everyone in the room will have something to contribute.