Episode 105: Blackstone's Bill Murphy, Part 3

For the third time ever—a record!—private equity giant Blackstone’s chief technology officer Bill Murphy joins the podcast. Anthony and James joined him at Blackstone’s new offices in midtown Manhattan to hear about what went into building the space and the benefits gained. To listen to his two previous appearances on the podcast here: https://www.waterstechnology.com/waters/opinion/2461751/waters-wavelength-podcast-episode-22-blackstone-cto-bill-murphy and here: https://www.waterstechnology.com/exchanges-trading-venues/3056376/waters-wavelength-podcast-episode-60-bill-murphy-blackstone-cto 1:00 In April, Blackstone’s innovations team moved into its new office on the 22nd Floor at 601 Lexington Avenue. Murphy explains the move and how they went about designing the space. 3:00 The key to sound: While the trend is going toward open-floor plans, Murphy explains the need for “quiet,” hence why they build “little neighborhoods,” as he calls them. 8:00 Blackstone is growing in size and complexity, and they will be hiring in 2018. So, Murphy talks about how they built the space with growth in mind. 9:45 Murphy gives his thoughts on why having generalists and people who can move between teams is important. 15:00 Is there a danger of creating an environment for the innovation team that is almost too sequestered away from the business side at Blackstone? 18:00 Looking at trends—in 2018, AI will continue to advance. 25:00 The value of recording conversations with friends and family—which is not as creepy as it sounds.