A fictional story on real technology with real role models.
By Alex Ruby [~ 10-15 min]
Translated by Helen Veitch
Ingrid Foster squirmed and writhed. Someone was tugging on her clothes. She could only see a hazy figure; she couldn’t make out the face. It had to be a man, judging by the strength. She tried desperately to escape the iron grip. Sweat was running down her back. The arm of her sweater was being pulled so tight she feared it would rip. Panic began to set in, like mist in November. Suddenly, she lost her balance.
“Is everything okay?” she heard someone ask. Ingrid shook her head. Her entire body was tense. But the slight jerk was enough to trigger a shift. She opened her eyes and it all came back to her. These bloody body scanners at the airport. They were supposed to give passengers a sense of security. But everyone knew that the devices these days could be outsmarted, and instead you were just left feeling at the mercy of the camera’s penetrating gaze. Ingrid smiled at the person sitting next to her, slightly embarrassed. She was on her way back from Edinburgh, where she had treated herself to a few days off after the trade show. What an effect dismal Scottish weather could have on your mood…
Back at the office, Stefan was already waiting for her. Tanned, with blonde hair brighter than ever. He had probably been indulging in his passions during his vacation, and throwing a few hoops or playing soccer under the Mediterranean sun. He had been with them since the beginning of the year, and was responsible for pampering their partners. It wasn’t his first job and he came with excellent references. All well-deserved, from what she had seen so far. Stefan’s strength lay in his open and honest nature. Which was the most important quality for building strong business relationships.
“What do you make of Atieva?” Ingrid quizzed him.
“Difficult to say,” he replied. “They are still flying under the radar. Which means they probably aren’t short of cash. It wouldn’t surprise me if they were secretly being financed by someone like Apple, without really being aware of it. The coffers of the IT giants are ludicrously loaded. And with a covert middle-man they could scoop up the know-how undetected. After all, a completely new electric-powered autonomous vehicle only makes sense as part of a greenfield development. An OEM might also be in the mix somewhere, even if they already have former Tesla people and a big shot from Volkswagen’s research lab in Silicon Valley on board.“
She nodded. “Possibly. Oracle maybe, because of the red logo? The style of their website doesn’t really say Apple to me. It looks more like something Faraday Future would dream up,” said Ingrid, handing him her tablet.
It would come as no surprise if these companies were just put there to distract from the real, top-secret activities of an IT giant, only to be snapped up a few years later amid a media storm. The future of mobility was exciting. Even Sony and Dyson were thinking about cars, and there were always new companies popping up.
Their glossy websites would be polished and slick, and usually sexed up with designer videos, leaving it to the reader to divine what exactly it was all about. But their own venture, too, was still operating in stealth mode. They wanted to get the key players in position and put the business on a solid footing. They didn’t have an internet presence or a golden doorbell, but they did have their own laboratory and makerspace, which went some way to made up for it. The kind of sustainable innovation that Wolfgang had in mind needed more than just a couple of nerdy upstarts to get it up and running. As well as a network of partners and corporations, an entire eco-system had to be built up. It didn’t help that their investor preferred to operate at a distance and had withdrawn from public life. Stefan studied the screen from different angles.
“Maybe you’re right,” he grinned. He and Ingrid were currently sharing the task of partner acquisitions. In the future, the plan was for him to have his own team and take over this area, leaving Ingrid to concentrate on HR and office management. She no longer felt the need to be in the spotlight and attend every event. Those days were long gone, as great as they had been. Her chat with Julia at the trade show had reminded her how stimulating life used to be. She’d never missed a booth party, even if it meant only getting three hours’ sleep.
Ingrid really hoped that Julia would join them. Her professionalism and empathy would make her a great asset for the team. That was clear from Julia’s reply the day following their meeting, with details of her friend and his exoskeleton.
“Are you up for this three-day startup event in Munich?” Stefan pulled her out of her thoughts.
“The one at the exhibition center and at the Oktoberfest?” Ingrid asked. “I’ll leave that one to you. I’d rather go to that conference in Berlin and busy myself with the Internet of Things. You can dig out your lederhosen and mingle with the Silicon Valley stars.” The enthusiasm of Stefan’s response made her smile. The energy of youth.
Her smartphone vibrated on the table. It was her friend Mo. That would have to wait; Ingrid had to go. In less than an hour she was meeting with a group of experts to judge the ideas for Ioana’s Smart City Solutions project.
She couldn’t wait to see which of the candidates would make the running.
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