Marc Saltzman
Most leadership teams know they are behind on consumer technology, but cannot tell which trends will reshape their category and which will fade in eighteen months. The cost of guessing wrong is real: misjudged AI rollouts, security gaps, retail experiences that miss the customer, product roadmaps built on yesterday’s behaviour. Senior teams need a working filter, not another vendor pitch.
Marc Saltzman is a technology journalist, author and broadcaster who helps organisations decode the consumer and business technology shifts that actually matter to their customers, employees and operations.
Full Profile
Why organisations work with Marc Saltzman
- Three decades of daily working-journalist output across USA Today, AARP, Forbes Vetted, Reader’s Digest, Costco Connection and Yahoo, which means his read on what is real versus hype is grounded in actual product testing, not slide-deck futurism.
- Author of 17 books, including Wiley’s Siri, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro For Dummies titles, giving him a track record of translating frontier consumer tech into language a general audience can act on.
- Host of Tech It Out on 100+ U.S. radio stations via Radio America, plus Canada’s longest-running technology radio show, Tech Talk; broadcast craft that translates directly into keynote pacing for mixed audiences.
- Covers a working business stack in plain English: generative AI, cybersecurity, smart home and aging-in-place tech, retail and commerce, social media, automotive innovation, so a single booking can address multiple functions in the room.
- Regular on-camera commentator for CNN, NBC, CBS, FOX, CTV and Global, which means he is comfortable in front of a sceptical room and on stage with executives and media partners.
Biography highlights
- Reporting on the technology sector since 1994 as journalist, author and broadcaster.
- Contributor to USA Today/Gannett (109 publications), AARP, Forbes Vetted, Reader’s Digest, Costco Connection, Yahoo, Toronto Star, Zoomer and Postmedia.
- Author of 17 books, including Siri For Dummies (Wiley, 2012), Apple Watch For Dummies (Wiley, 2015) and Apple Vision Pro For Dummies (Wiley, 2024).
- Host and producer of Tech It Out on 100+ U.S. stations via Radio America.
- Creator and host of Tech Talk, Canada’s longest-running technology radio show.
- On-air technology commentator for CNN, NBC, CBS, FOX, CTV, Global and CP24, with prior hosting credits on FOX Business and Bloomberg Television.
Biography
Most consumer technology coverage is written by people who do not actually use the products. Saltzman’s career is built on the opposite habit. Since 1994 he has reported on the technology sector as a working journalist, columnist and broadcaster, with a syndicated USA Today/Gannett column reaching 109 publications and regular bylines in AARP, Forbes Vetted, Reader’s Digest, Costco Connection, Yahoo and Postmedia titles.
The output across formats is what makes the perspective useful to senior teams. He has written 17 books for general audiences, including Siri For Dummies, Apple Watch For Dummies and Apple Vision Pro For Dummies for Wiley, where the editorial constraint is to make a frontier consumer product usable by a non-technical reader on day one. That same constraint shapes his radio work: Tech It Out airs on 100+ U.S. stations through Radio America, and Tech Talk is Canada’s longest-running technology radio show.
Television sharpens the discipline further. As a regular commentator on CNN, NBC, CBS, FOX, CTV, Global and CP24, with prior hosting credits on FOX Business and Bloomberg Television, he has spent years translating new categories, AI assistants, wearables, smart home, mixed reality, connected vehicles, into language a general audience can use within a four-minute segment.
For organisations, the practical value is a single voice that can speak across consumer technology, generative AI, cybersecurity, retail and commerce, and the future of work, grounded in what products actually do today rather than what vendor decks claim they will do tomorrow.
Key speaking topics
- Generative AI in everyday business and consumer life
- Cybersecurity and digital safety for organisations and customers
- The future of retail and commerce
- Smart home, wearables and connected devices
- Social media strategy for business
- Aging-in-place and consumer health technology
- Automotive and mobility innovation
- Emerging consumer technology trends
Ideal for
- CMOs and customer experience leaders responding to AI, social and commerce shifts
- IT, security and risk leaders briefing non-technical executives and boards
- Retail, consumer goods and franchise leadership teams
- Conference programmers seeking a credible technology emcee, panel host or keynote across mixed audiences
Audience outcomes
- A working filter for separating durable consumer technology shifts from short-lived hype
- A clearer view of how generative AI, cybersecurity threats and connected devices show up in customer behaviour
- Concrete examples of how retail, commerce and workplace tools are changing, drawn from current product testing
- Plain-English language that executives can repeat to staff, customers and boards without distortion
- Sharper questions to take back to vendors, agencies and internal technology teams
Talks
A practical tour of how generative AI tools are entering work, retail and home life, and what leaders should do about it.
Key takeaways:
- Where generative AI is already producing measurable value versus where the use case is still theoretical
- How AI is reshaping customer-facing channels, from search to service to commerce
- Questions leaders should put to vendors and internal teams before signing the next AI contract
A working briefing on the cybersecurity threats most likely to hit organisations and consumers, and the defences that actually reduce risk.
Key takeaways:
- The current threat picture across ransomware, phishing, social engineering and AI-enabled attacks
- Practical habits and policies that meaningfully cut breach and fraud exposure
- How to communicate cyber risk to non-technical staff and customers without causing panic
An examination of how technology is rewriting the North American retail experience across channels, AI and mixed reality.
Key takeaways:
- How omnichannel, AI-driven journeys and social commerce are changing customer expectations
- Where mixed reality and in-store technology are starting to influence conversion
- What retail and consumer goods leaders should prioritise in the next two budget cycles
A fast-paced read on the consumer and business technology trends most likely to shape the next twelve to twenty-four months.
Key takeaways:
- The handful of trends with real momentum across AI, devices, mobility and connectivity
- How to spot which categories will affect customers and employees first
- A vocabulary leaders can use to brief their teams without leaning on vendor language
A look at consumer decision paralysis and the technology-enabled responses that lift conversion.
Key takeaways:
- How AI, curation and minimalist presentation reduce friction at the point of decision
- Where influencer and social signals fit in the modern path to purchase
- Inventory and merchandising tactics that respect attention as a scarce resource