CEOs Double Down on AI, Crystal Storage Goes Mainstream, and Coursera Buys Udemy

This week on IT SPARC Cast, John Barger and Lou Schmidt break down three stories shaping the future of enterprise IT—from continued AI spending despite questionable ROI, to radically new approaches to long-term data storage, and a major consolidation in the online learning market.⸻📰 News Bytes00:46 – CEOs Keep Spending on AI Despite Spotty ReturnsDespite mixed financial outcomes, a growing number of CEOs plan to increase AI investment through 2026, viewing AI as strategically unavoidable rather than immediately profitable.Key discussion points:•Fewer than half of current AI projects are delivering clear ROI•Strong gains in sales, marketing, customer service, and developer productivity•Weak performance in regulated, high-risk areas like legal, HR, compliance, and cybersecurity•Layoffs blamed on AI may result in long-term operational backlashThe hosts argue that AI should augment human expertise, not prematurely replace it—and warn against betting the company on incomplete automation strategies.https://www.msn.com/en-us/technology/artificial-intelligence/ceos-to-keep-spending-on-ai-despite-spotty-returns/ar-AA1SkMcE07:34 – 5D Glass Storage: Crystals for the EnterpriseA UK company, SPhotonix, is advancing 5D glass storage, capable of preserving data for billions of years by etching nanoscale structures into glass using femtosecond lasers.Highlights include:•360 TB per 5-inch glass disk•Designed for permanent archival, not hot or warm storage•Potential replacement for long-term tape archives•Early write speeds are slow, but roadmap improvements are promisingThis technology positions itself as a future-proof solution for enterprises, governments, universities, and cultural institutions facing long-term data retention challenges.https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/storage/sphotonix-pushes-5d-glass-storage-toward-data-center-pilots15:00 – Coursera Acquires Udemy for $930 MillionOnline education giant Coursera is acquiring Udemy in a deal valued at approximately $930 million, creating a dominant force in enterprise and consumer e-learning.Discussion points:•Udemy’s strong practitioner-led course model•Coursera’s academic and credentialing reach•Expanded use of AI for assessments, personalization, and skills validation•Potential shift toward a “market-driven university” modelThe hosts see this consolidation as a net positive for enterprise IT teams responsible for compliance training, upskilling, and leadership development.https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/17/coursera-and-udemy-enter-a-merger-agreement-valued-at-around-2-5b/🔁 Wrap Up20:00 – Listener Feedback⭐ Community Call-Out: Abdullah’s React Audit ToolA special shout-out to Abdullah ( https://x.com/ozkayabd ) who responded on X after a previous React CVE episode and shared an open-source tool to help teams audit their environments:👉 React Audit Scannerhttp://rsc-auditor.vercel.appThis tool allows teams to quickly check whether they may be impacted by recent React vulnerabilities. As always, review and validate any third-party tool before using it in production.A special shout-out to Megan, who reached out after the episode with thoughtful feedback—and who’s doing important work to tackle a problem far too many people experience: ghosting of job applicants by recruiters and HR teams.Megan is actively pushing for better communication, transparency, and basic professionalism in the hiring process. It’s a reminder that while we talk a lot about AI, automation, and efficiency, the human side of tech and hiring still matters. Follow her on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-julianoConnect with the hosts and the show:IT SPARC Cast@ITSPARCCast on Xhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/sparc-sales/John Barger@john_Video on Xhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarger/Lou Schmidt@loudoggeek on Xhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-schmidt-b102446/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.