Today, our group got the chance to visit Cheetah Mobile and Microsoft.  Cheetah Mobile is a company that primarily produces apps.  Recently, the company has shifted much of their focus on the global market.  For instance, out of their 60 million users worldwide, 80% of them are from countries other than China.  The CTO, or chief technological officer, told us about the huge opportunities for expansion outside of China.  In fact, the US alone accounts for one third of the company’s total revenue.  The company is also trying to advance their technology platform and implement artificial intelligence.  Advancement has created major research and development expenses and some  hefty investments.  However, the company is on the brink of becoming a global powerhouse.  It is evident that employee happiness is important to the company, too.  In fact, the headquarters includes a climbing wall, ping pong tables, and even a slide!

Microsoft has made some major advancements, too.  For example, we demoed a windows 10 translator that allows one to say a phrase out loud and simultaneously be translated in 9 languages.  This makes global business easy and efficient, even if those involved speak completely different languages.  We also tried a halolens, a product that is placed over your eyes to see holograms.  Companies like Volvo are already implementing the use of the halolens to allow customers to see cars in a whole new way.  They can view a car in any color and even see the frame or motor individually.  This new and interactive way of shopping can become a new method used in an array of industries in the future.  However, the halolens is on the market for $3,000 and has poor battery life.  If the product can become cheaper and more efficient, there is limitless opportunity.  Overall, the site visits today showed me how technology is a key ingredient for success in business today.