Today, on an exciting edition of Up To Speed, your host Raquel Wilson has some BIG announcements to share!

 

Futbol fans, a partnership announcement just for you! [00:15]

In an announcement that has UTS co-host Jen Marin over la luna, she shared that Verizon was named Telecommunication Services Sponsor for FIFA World Cup 26 and Tournament Supporter for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027! This is our first-ever agreement with FIFA and it will power experiences for fans and customers leading up to, during, and after FIFA World Cup 26, while also ensuring our state-of-the-art connectivity across stadiums.

For all the details, check out the press release, and for more FIFA fun, be sure to press play [00:15]!

 

News that would leave our original founders stunned … and proud. [02:22]

Batting a billion: If you haven’t yet seen this morning’s email from Hans, it marked some amazing news. More than a year ahead of schedule, the EDISON Alliance achieved the goal of their 1 Billion Lives Challenge – a commitment to deliver digital services in education, healthcare and finance to help improve a billion lives.

About the EDISON Alliance: The Alliance was co-founded by Verizon and the World Economic Forum in 2021 to unite the public and private sectors in tackling the worldwide challenge of digital inclusion.

An Innovative contributor: Our own Verizon Innovative Learning has helped nearly 8 million students around the U.S. since 2012, and was a major contributor to the 1 Billion Lives Challenge.

Watch the replay: Hans and other EDISON Alliance members announced the news externally via a live webcast this morning. View the replay here

A note to history buffs: Yes, Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell were well-known rivals of their time; however, it was actually technology that Edison invented that helped enhance and improve the telephone. So we can’t help but think Mr. Edison would be proud to lend his name to such an important endeavor.

 

Our product gave this mom a sigh of relief and should have parents everywhere checking their kids’ wrists. [03:12]

There was a time, very recently, when a kindergartner falling asleep on the school bus would have resulted in panic, confusion, resources dispatched and a city-wide search. But when this recently happened to five-year-old Tiffany and her mom Tia Ellis, it was a very different outcome thanks to the Gizmo Watch!

Get more details on the Gizmo Watch.

Be sure to watch Tia tell the story in her own words by pressing play [03:40].

 

Shouting out to folks across Verizon — you rock! [04:08]

Raquel is shouting out to folks who done some great things, be sure to watch the replay and see the details, especially if you are:

These kudos are all for you!

 

Reminder: vote for your favorite by TOMORROW, Wednesday, September 25 at 5 PM ET. [05:09]

There’s only one day left to vote for a new name for our company-wide award. If you didn’t get a chance to vote yet, head over and choose from one of the following options:

• The Power of V Award
• The Verizon Impact Award
• The Verizon Visionary Award

Click here to cast your vote.

 

Click here for a transcript of the webcast.

Tell us what you think of Up To Speed.

V Team, go to Inside Verizon Intranet to join the conversation

Apple hosted its iPhone 16 launch event on September 9. The company released its iPhone 16 series along with other key products. During the presentation, Apple Apple’s Product Manager Piyush Pratik who talked about the much-anticipated Camera Control feature on iPhone 16 series soon gained eyeballs, making people curious about his Indian-origins.
People to social media site X to celebrate his achievements.One user wrote “Just got to know about an Indian at iPhone 16 Launch. Piyush Pratik, Product Manager at Apple – IIT Delhi Gold Medalist – Stanford – Worked at Bain & Co., InMobi. Damn, what a profile.”

Here’s what we know about Piyush Pratik

According to his LinkedIn profile, Piyush Pratik is an IIT alumni. He is a dual degree holder from the Indian Institute of Technology- Delhi. He studied Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) and Master of Technology (M. Tech.), Biochemical Engineering & Biotechnology from IIT, DELHI.
Pratik then went on to do his MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He passed out in 2019.
In between his higher studies, he worked at companies like Biocon, Bain & Company and InMobi. Before joining Apple in July 2019, he worked as Product Growth with InstaFit in the Mexico City area. He has been with Apple for more than 5 years.

Here’s his LinkedIn profile description

Piyush studied at an IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) to freeride on the laurels of alumni such as Sundar Pichai and Vinod Khosla. He took advantage of one of the best engineering colleges globally by excelling at theatre. His acting skills were recognized by Bain and soon he was playing the role of an expert and telling companies what to do. Piyush’s successful acts range from selling a $500M housing project to the Ghanaian government, to being a Product Manager of iPhone, to watching Avengers Endgame 10+ times. Piyush loves free food, which motivated him to continue working in technology after Stanford. He invests a significant part of his earnings on Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, Apple TV+, HBO Max, and Disney+ subscriptions to name a few, so he can get material for small talk.