Where to next: Our top ten stories of transformation in 2022

What a year for transformation — and not just because of the launch of this site.

It was a year in which many areas of the economy, and life, achieved some real sense of post-pandemic normalcy… and then slammed into the reality of an economic slowdown and possible recession. It was a year when AI went mainstream with historic developments in natural language processing, leading to the popular generative tools that turn simple written prompts into unexpected artworks or the answers to increasingly complex questions. It was a year when crypto peaked, social media went sideways, and the metaverse was met with return-to-office. It was a year when Messi finally won the World Cup (some of those goals were, if not transformational, then at least transcendent).

And it was obviously an exciting year for the team here at Transform with Google Cloud. 

Since our launch in May, we’ve published dozens of articles, podcasts, and videos highlighting AI, data analytics, business intelligence, high-performance computing, and a constellation of other cloud technologies that are helping to drive innovation, execution, and efficiency across enterprises of all sizes. 

Some of Google Cloud’s biggest and most influential partners have joined us to tell their stories of digital renaissance, including Major League Baseball and the Golden State Warriors, Etsy and Einride, Royal Caribbean and Mahindra Motors. And we’ve gone small, too, exploring the tiniest particles in the universe, the lifesaving potential of nematodes, and the little things making a difference to sustainability.

If you’re looking for inspiration for your own transformation, or just some enjoyable reading over the holidays, we’ve gathered our most popular stories of the year here. And if there’s any stories you’d like to share in the new year, please don’t hesitate to reach out: twgc-submissions@google.com

1. AI 2030: What to expect, and five areas for investment, from our head of AI – Whether we’re looking for harmony in our data or explainable AI that’s no longer a black box, Andrew Moore, Google Cloud’s head of AI, shares some predictions for the next decade of AI.
2. Data Champions: How the Golden State Warriors became more than just a basketball team – Join us courtside as we learn how one of the winningest basketball teams in recent years used data to build one of the greatest fan experiences — and business franchises — in all of modern sports.
3. Multicloud's moment: Everybody's doing it, but are you doing it right? Here's eight dos and don'ts – Now that most organizations are no longer wrestling with the question of if they should go multicloud, but how, we share tips from Google Cloud’s considerable experience in the space.
4. Lipstick, mascara, APIs: What’s the secret to L’Oréal’s beauty-tech transformation? – APIs can be confusing, but L’Oréal makes it look easy. Learn from the world’s largest cosmetics company how they’re using the power of APIs and Apigee to also build the world’s largest beautytech empire.
5. You can teach a buzzword new tricks: Why the meaning of “digital transformation” is evolving – In a bimonthly survey of thousands of business and tech leaders, we discover how digital transformation has shifted from a matter of reengineering your IT to become more about reinventing your entire business. 
6. A handheld lab: How Cue Health is revolutionizing healthcare diagnostics for COVID and beyond – The Cue health reader was built on Google Cloud, making the portable lab-quality tests not only accurate and reliable but also a source for public health data pretty much anywhere.
7. 5 lessons from Google’s Area 120 incubator on sustaining innovation at scale – Leaders from Google’s in-house start-up arm offer advice on how to remain entrepreneurial even within a large, mature company.
8. Changing its stripes: How Zebra Technologies is helping transform the supply chain – Zebra is one of those companies you may not know but probably encounter almost daily — their barcode and scanning devices run many retail checkout counters, as well as shipping supply chains, medical facilities, and thousands of other businesses.
9. A banking concierge in your pocket: Inside Wells Fargo’s digital-first reinvention – When Wells Fargo set out to relaunch its mobile app, it wanted to create a tool as friendly and intelligent as any of its bankers. Enter the power of AI.
10. "Act like a real digital company..." Why Vodafone is all-in on the data cloud – In a wide-ranging interview with two of Vodafone’s innovation leaders, we learn how they’re using data to reinvent the company’s globe-spanning network.