John Snyder, CEO and co-founder of Grapeshot, which help brands better target advertising campaigns through advanced probability algorithms that understand context on real-time basis, says the company he keeps a close eye on teaches him through its mistakes. “I’m strangely interested in Uber, but it’s somewhat of a fear factor – how do you navigate leadership when growth is out of control?”

Snyder admires the way Uber has given passengers a seamless experience and how the company’s use of data has changed the way things are done in the transportation industry. But he is mindful of Uber’s many publicly documented missteps, from creating hostility with local taxi drivers to poor treatment of its drivers and female employees. “It reminds me that when you’re changing the world, technology isn’t the most important thing,” says Snyder. “It’s people – your employees and your customers.”