Decoding the DNA of tech influencers: What sets them apart?

“Gen Z wants to ditch the corporate job to become an influencer,” said a range of news outlets last year in response to research done on the career aspirations of young people. Well, if our inbox is anything to go by, there are a surprising number of corporate execs who feel the same.

Here at Tyto, we’ve already started compiling the Tyto Tech 500 – our annual list of the top technology influencers in the UK, France and Germany. This year it is an extremely competitive list to break into, as technology topics increasingly dominate the media agenda.

Technology influence in 2023 means leading some of the most important debates defining our times – from the impact of AI to social media, climate change and health innovation – there are few major global themes that aren’t now touched in some way by technology. To be a technology influencer means trying to solve some of the thorniest problems facing the world. 

So how do aspiring technology influencers make our annual list? Sadly, the answer isn’t as easy as a few LinkedIn posts. Influence is a deeply complex and evolving concept that is not determined by a single aspect. Our methodology has been honed over the past six years to employ numerous factors with different weights to come up with a number that accurately reflects a level of influence. 

To make the list, an individual must have influence across a range of platforms – social media, online and media. The baseline is having a solid and repeatable presence in the press – this generally results from being a leader of a business, initiative or group, or it comes from providing analysis and commentary on a highly relevant topic within the technology sector.

We also take into account the prospective influencer’s record of publishing or disseminating work that leads or changes conversations – that could be a particularly well-respected blog or podcast, or by publishing books/papers on technology.

Ultimately it comes down to relevance. Those leading the conversation on the most relevant and important current topics will find themselves high on our rankings. Unsurprisingly, in our 2021 ranking, a year dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic, the volume of BioTech influencers increased by 69% and the number of HealthTech influencers grew by 35%. More recently, we highlighted how invention and innovation drive economies and can help us out of a downturn, as our analysis clearly showed Entrepreneurs and Venture Capitalists gaining influence in our 2022 report.

Last year, against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty, an energy crisis, geopolitical tensions and conflict in Ukraine and ongoing disruptions to the supply chain, we also saw Academic and Government influencers continue to grow in our rankings, as people sought objective information, support, and reassurance on the impact of these events.

We also saw a significant rise in cybersecurity influencers as infosec became a growing concern, especially for businesses and governments.  

Unveiling the key tech topics of 2023

For insight into what issues will likely dominate our 2023 report, look no further than the Tyto Relevance Index™ – our data-powered insights service that enables us to understand the most hotly debated global themes and trends impacting the European tech influencer community. 

With new data released monthly, the Tyto Relevance Index™ gives aspiring influencers hugely valuable early insight into the trends and themes that will dominate our 2023 rankings.

And as for what’s been dominating so far this year, no prizes for guessing that AI and machine learning will likely take top spot. AI & ML’s dominance of the online conversation is so great that it has a higher share of conversation than the next three topics in the tech ranking combined: Data economy, Cybersecurity and Virtualisation.

But it’s not just AI leading conversations. In the UK, GreenTech has seen significant growth in social posts. In Germany, DLT & Blockchain has perhaps surprisingly gained prominence over the quarter. And in France, topics around Data economy gained relevance this year. There’s a wealth of data and insight in the monthly reports and quarterly insights  – sign up here to receive them in your inbox.  

 

2023 Tyto Tech 500 opens for submissions 

As ever, we want to hear from the technology community as we continue compiling our long list of technology influencers.

Who should be in the Tyto Tech 500 in 2023? Who has set the agenda in the technology sector in the UK, Germany and France? Who is leading technological breakthroughs or being a source of inspiration on social media? 

To nominate a person, simply fill out this online form before June 15. We will then evaluate their influence using our proprietary methodology to determine whether they are worthy of being part of the top 500 most influential people in the technology sector in the UK, Germany, and France.  

Stay tuned as we will publish the 2023 Tyto Tech 500 in November.

For now, you can view the 2022 Tyto Tech 500 for the UK, France, and Germany and download the full report to gain a better understanding of the technology influencer landscape in Europe and the key trends that dominated last year.