Many people are doing the #10yearchallenge, and I thought I will do one, not for myself, but for LEAD.

LEAD did not exist 10 years ago.

Back in 2009, I was just beginning my Ph.D. in Machine Learning. That was also the year I stepped into Natural Language Processing, having realized the power of text mining, and sentiment analysis – that can affect major things such as the election results and the development of a country.

Machine learning in texts can help solve problems like human bias and product reviews. We didn’t fight fake news, we simply fought with an army of bots that is able to generate biased content at scale.

Fast forward to 2014, I came back to Malaysia and founded MaGIC Academy (as many of you may remember). During my tenure, we curated and organized soft and hard skill training programs for merging entrepreneurs.

And in 2015, LEAD was founded as a technical training institute – aimed at helping people to turn their ideas into reality.

When we talk about tech, people always see tech as gadgets. What they don’t see is the underlying technologies that constantly spark new ideas and accelerate business models.

Tech and business are the yin and yang that works together. And with tech placed into business, that’s where exciting innovations are being churned.

Ten years ago, we had LCD TVs, expensive boutique hotels and CDs. Today, we have 4K televisions, Airbnb and Spotify. The needs to enjoy better user experiences have never changed. Human nature hasn’t changed in a million years. But with technological advancement – we now enjoy experiences faster, better and cheaper.

Do you still think the tech industry is all about gadgets? I don’t think so.  

Tech is about our lives, and more importantly, how it aids us to make our lives better, simpler and easier – so that we can spend more quality time with the people that we love and care.

So, where do we go from here? The change is going to be faster and faster, and you don’t want to be left out.

I understand how it feels. I remember how hard it was to teach my mother how to use WhatsApp, considering she grew up in the era of telegrams.

I founded LEAD to commit bringing quality education to you. Since our inception, we have been focusing a lot on data science, programming, and development. This year, we are bringing you digital marketing, machine learning, and AI related subjects.

And in the next 10 years to come, our goal is to build an inclusive community of tech and business skilled experts, ready to take on anything the world hurls at them.

See you in 2029.