The Technology Year in Stories: August 2024

December 30, 2024

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Susan Wojcicki will be remembered as an technology trailblazer (Image: CC BY-NC 2.0 Deed)

We look at the articles that made the news in technology in 2024. Today, it is August’s turn, featuring Ikea’s commitment to digital transformation

How IKEA Has Committed to Global Digital Transformation

IKEA is a company that has always been forward-thinking, so it’s no surprise that the company is harnessing disruptive technology to boost its progress.

First beginning as a small mail-order company in Sweden, IKEA quickly launched into a global powerhouse, known predominantly for its affordable flat-pack furniture. The organisation now attracts roughly 700 million customer visits every year, meaning its wide variety of products are in millions of homes around the world.

In order to keep this large number of customers happy and continually engaged, the company has some exciting strategies that harness modern technology. These systems stand to bolster their internal operations and improve overall customer experience.

AI optimisation: Creating a better everyday

In recent years, IKEA has turned to cutting-edge technologies like AI and drone technology. These stand to reshape IKEA’s logistical processes as the company aims to keep setting new standards across the retail industry.

The company first introduced autonomous drones in 2021 predominantly for inventory management. These drones were developed in collaboration with drone provider Verity and, as of 2023, more than 100 are used by IKEA to count inventory across 16 European locations.

Representing a pioneering effort in retail logistics, the company is eager to continue using drones to monitor warehouse inventory. For instance, across its supply chain operations, the company is optimising the space used in its fleets of delivery and supply vehicles, in addition to using drones to monitor warehouse inventory across some of its European stores.

By leveraging a sophisticated supply chain, IKEA manages a vast array of products, balancing high quality with cost-effectiveness. The global furniture market, projected to be worth approximately US$800bn in 2024, highlights the scale of IKEA’s operations.

Susan Wojcicki: Remembering a YouTube Pioneer

It was announced in August that Susan Wojcicki passed away after a two-year battle with lung cancer.

As the former CEO of YouTube and one of the first employees of the tech giant, Susan Wojcicki was a trailblazer in the modern technology landscape as we recognise it today. Her commitment to developing the latest advances in technology development and accessibility for all led her to shape platforms like YouTube that we recognise today.

In fact, the early stages of Google happened in Susan Wojcicki’s garage, which she rented out to co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

“Her loss is devastating for all of us who know and love her, for the thousands of Googlers she led over the years, and for millions of people all over the world who looked up to her, benefited from her advocacy and leadership, and felt the impact of the incredible things she created at Google, YouTube, and beyond,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote on his Google blog.

Image: CC BY 2.0 Deed

Championing women in technology

Being one of few women to hold a senior position in technology at that time, Susan was empowered to encourage more women and girls to enter the industry. She told the BBC in 2013 that the future was going to be “increasingly digitally influenced” and that more women were needed in the industry.

“Not only do women risk missing out on tomorrow's next great job opportunities, they also risk a more worrying decline in societal influence,” she wrote in 2016. “As tech remakes the world, women will miss the chance to affect the massive economic and social changes this fourth industrial revolution will bring.”