THE YEAR OF THE
TUNA'S
2
016 has been a year characterised by
the TUNAs: Tesla, Uber, Netflix,
AirBnB. These, along with the
reigning GAFAs (Google, Amazon,
Facebook, Apple), have been referred to as
the ‘disruptors’. This is due to their
disruptive nature to the existing order of the
economy. Such companies are
unprecedented, and during 2016, the
growth of the TUNAs has been exponential,
and can they can be predicted to become
the some of the world’s most powerful
companies?
Mark Zuckerberg announced his ‘smart
home’, an Artificial Intelligence programme
voiced by Morgan Freeman. There is talk of
an acquisition of Spotify by Facebook, which
might be the right move for it as it intends
to monopolise the social media industry.
Alphabet, the new umbrella company of
Google, has become a world-leading
conglomerate, building up a portfolio that
encompasses various industries, including
technology and life sciences. It will
therefore play a significant role in the rise of
autonomous cars (Waymo) and home
automation (Nest Labs). Elon Musk’s Tesla
will completely disrupt and redesign the
automotive industry and pave the way
towards electric and driverless cars. Uber
has made its way into the vocabulary of
most millennials, having revolutionised the
taxi service industry, while also
encountering legal issues, particularly in the
UK, regarding the ‘self-employed’ status of
Uber drivers. This is an example of the legal
obstacles that may continue to hinder the
innovation of the TUNAs, because the legal
system has yet to catch up with technology.
Amazon and Netflix both compete in the
entertainment industry, but it seems likely
that this battle will matter little for Amazon,
which like Google, Facebook, and Apple, is
too becoming a digital conglomerate.
Boasting delivery services, cloud technology,
and its own technology, with the release of
the Amazon Echo in September 2016, it can
only be predicted to further branch out into
numerous industries and diversify any risk.
The years ahead are going to be the years of
the disruptors.
TAMARA JACOBS
07