NAVER CEO Choi Soo-yeon Meets Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak
NAVER CEO Choi Soo-yeon Meets Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak
At the 24th World Knowledge Forum, NAVER’s CEO Choi Soo-yeon met Steve Wozniak, the Silicon Valley icon who co-founded Apple Computer and opened the 20th-century PC era.
Choi moderated a dialogue with Wozniak, who has pioneered the computing industry for more than 30 years, sharing insights about the new tech ecosystem and prospects for innovation driven by cutting-edge technologies, as a new paradigm shift is unfolding in the Internet industry alongside the rapid development of AI technology.
“What kind of tech ecosystem must be built by industry-leading companies, including Apple and NAVER?”
Choi began the dialogue by seeking advice on the kind of tech ecosystem that leading companies must build, mentioning that NAVER recognizes the need to develop AI technology specialized in the Korean language and culture in an era where AI has woven itself into our daily lives over the recent years.
Wozniak emphasized those with a strong tech ecosystem, including Apple and NAVER, must adopt appropriate regulations for advanced technologies that could be abused, such as deepfakes used for phishing, and pace themselves to ensure the stable usability of technology. He also stressed the importance of providing user-centered values, which requires corporate responsibility in managing and protecting data, including users’ personal information.
In the following question, Choi asked for his insight on how small-sized companies can survive in an environment where capital is indispensable for supporting vast amounts of data and infrastructure to develop and use generative AI.
Citing the early days of Apple as a key example, Wozniak expressed his confidence in small businesses gaining the upper hand in big markets. He recalled that the company differentiated itself from existing players in its approach to the market and eventually outpaced major titans, including IBM. He further pointed out that nobody had imagined in the first place that a company as small as Apple would grow to revolutionize the entire PC market, highlighting the importance of small firms making inroads into the market ●
