IT predictions: 5 things that won’t change in 2025

This matters to CIOs because Musk will never be far from the bully pulpit and thus be erroneously perceived by many as the de facto spokesperson for all things technology. Being front and center in the daily news cycle does not equate to being in any way cognizant of the realities of the daily lived experience of IT providers or IT users.

In Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine,David H. Petraeus correctly observes that “commanding general[s] need to be in the same country as the theatre of operations.” Elon Musk does not “live in” the same IT reality as the rest of us. I am hopeful that post-sale of Truth Social to X, a knowledgeable in-the-know spokesperson for IT-for-the-rest-of-us will emerge. I nominate Dr. Vincent Kellen, CIO at UCSD; Mike Coleman, CIO at Phantom Fireworks; and Will Baumann, co-founder and CEO at Fourthwall.

Talent will remain the key driver of CIO success

IT leaders need to become even more obsessed with finding talent. Having the right talent may be even more important that having the right technology. Ridley Scott, whose 2000 film Gladiator won a Best Picture Oscar explains, “To me, casting director is as important as a good camera.”