Pump and Dump
Pump and Dump
Good Day! This is my weekly newsletter, with a dose of insights into the future. The topic of this newsletter is the exponential times we live in, hence the title of f(x) = e^x, which is the (natural) exponential function.
Recently, I launched my new concept The Digital Speaker and you can now book me as an avatar or hologram. Also, my tech trend prediction for 2021 is out, read it here!
AI: a Force for Good or Bad?
My latest article:
This week, Elon Musk praised the work of OpenAI after a team of five neural networks had defeated five humans in the popular game Dota 2. Directly after AI’s victory, Musk cautioned for the power of AI by urging OpenAI to focus on AI that works with humans, instead of against humans. Musk has previously warned of the dangers of AI, and with artificial intelligence becoming increasingly sophisticated, the warnings against AI become more pervasive. The question remains then, is AI a force for good or bad?
Three Useful Nuggets of Information
My weekly tips from around the web to get you thinking.
1. A sophisticated botnet operates on Twitter.
Researchers have discovered a botnet that distributes a cryptocurrency scam on Twitter that imitates legitimate Twitter accounts and hijacks verified accounts, with the objective to steal money from Twitter users. (TechCrunch)
2. Pump and Dump schemes cost millions.
For those unaware, there are massive price manipulation schemes going on in the cryptocurrency marketplaces. Traders make a lot of money through these illegal 'pump and dump' schemes, costing millions to others. Similar practices were outlawed in the 1930s. (WSJ)
3. West Virginia moves to the blockchain for voting.
The state of West Virginia is enabling mobile phone voting for the next midterm elections. Those West Virginians serving overseas will be the first to try out mobile phone voting where the votes are recorded on a blockchain. (CNN)
Dr. Mark van Rijmenam
Dr. Mark van Rijmenam is The Digital Speaker, a world-leading futurist and global AI keynote speaker who helps leaders decide what AI, and the technologies that follow it, mean for their business. He speaks to leadership teams at their retreats and to conference audiences worldwide, and his WAVE framework gives them a way of deciding that they keep using long after he has left the room. His Intelligence Age Scorecard measures how ready an organization is across the four WAVE pillars.
He holds a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney, is a Certified Speaking Professional and Global Speaking Fellow, and ranks among the world’s top futurists on the Global Gurus list (#1 in 2025, #3 in 2026). Salesforce named him one of its 16 leading AI voices. He has written six books, most recently Now What? How to Ride the Tsunami of Change, writes the Synthetic Minds newsletter on Substack, and founded Futurwise. Talk to his digital twin on WhatsApp: +1 (830) 463-6967.
