MOVING FAST ON EMERGING POSSIBILITIES: T OYO TA Can an octogenarian company lead the way in an industry that the biggest tech companies have their eyes on? It helps if you have a record of innovation—and a war chest of cash and short-term investments worth $45 billion. But the critical element of the company’s strategy is strong partnerships. Toyota is partnering with Panasonic to develop electric- vehicle batteries at scale and smarter homes. 15 The two companies will commit 3,500 employees to the joint venture, which will sell batteries to other manufacturers as well as supplying Toyota. The company is also working with Accenture and telecoms firm KDDI, to develop an AI taxi dispatch system that predicts consumer demand to optimize usage and reduce customer waiting time. 16 Its ambition for unlocking more value for consumers doesn’t stop there: in 2019, the company launched a subscription driving service, Kinto. What distinguishes Kinto is the introduction of a “gamified” element to encourage good driving. 17 Through IoT and monitoring technologies, the company plans to award points to drivers for “safe and ecological” driving, which can be redeemed in the form of future payments. BREAKING THROUGH DISRUPTION 26