Case study: Zebra Technologies' engineering-led growth

Zebra's current CEO, Bill Burns, took the helm in March 2023, succeeding Anders Gustafsson who transitioned to Executive Chair after 15 years as CEO. Burns, a 30-year technology veteran who joined Zebra in 2015, previously served as Chief Product & Solutions Officer, where he was instrumental in expanding the company's market share and advancing its "Enterprise Asset Intelligence" vision. The company's strategy continues to lean heavily on acquisitions to enter adjacent markets, such as the planned purchase of 3D machine vision firm Photoneo and the $1.3 billion deal for Elo Touch Solutions, a move expected to add $8 billion to its addressable market in self-service and consumer-facing workflows. After a challenging 2023 with a 32.9% drop in Q4 net sales year-over-year, Zebra has shown signs of recovery in 2024 with an increased outlook, projecting 1% to 5% net sales growth for the full year. Zebra is embedding AI across its portfolio, from on-device models in its new TC501 and TC701 handheld computers to a suite of "Frontline AI Enablers" for developers. Their CTO Tom Bianculli highlighted a retail collaboration where a combination of traditional and generative AI for shelf analysis reduced staffing requirements by 25%. This push into intelligent automation is a core part of their strategy for the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. The programmatic advertising landscape, a key area for the target reader, is navigating the end of third-party cookies, with programmatic display ad spending still forecast to grow by 15.9% in 2024. The industry is shifting focus to first-party data, contextual targeting, and navigating Google's Privacy Sandbox, which has shown a 33% decline in CPMs in early testing compared to cookie-enabled impressions. For CTOs, the rise of AI agents in B2B SaaS is a critical trend. These autonomous systems go beyond chatbots, using contextual data from CRM and product analytics to execute complex, multi-step workflows for tasks like inbound lead qualification. Companies are leveraging these agents to provide 24/7 personalized customer support, with some reporting an 82% conversion rate from chat to booked meetings, a significant jump from the 15-25% seen with traditional chatbots. In the UK tech scene, London continues to be a major hub for funding and growth. Recent notable hires include new CTOs at scaling companies as the ecosystem adapts to new economic pressures and opportunities. The 2026 Formula 1 season is set for its first race in Melbourne, with major regulation overhauls putting a spotlight on engine performance from Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull. McLaren has just added 26-year-old Swiss driver Gregoire Saucy to its driver development program. In London local news, police recently dismantled a phone snatching gang responsible for an estimated £300,000 in thefts. Meanwhile, passengers on the Piccadilly line face another year of delays for new trains.