Welcome to 2021, Dear Reader.  We have some leftover acquisitions in the bin but they seem a pretty lame start for a new year.  So let’s instead look at some big picture surveys, starting with Deloitte’s annual Tech Trends report.   At 166 pages, you won’t digest in one sitting.  If time is tight, jump to page 141 to list the key tech for personalized experiences.

Finally, the news you really wanted to hear: events are back.  Or they will be at some point this year.  Event tech vendor Splash found that 21% of companies expect to do purely in-person events in 2021 and the rest plan to mix online and in-person activities at the same event.

In the latest round of AI vs. copyright holders, Character.AI has removed Disney characters from its platform in response to a cease-and-desist letter from the company. It’s unknown if this will prove to be a precedent. OpenAI’s Sora is taking a different approach by requiring copyright holders to opt out of being used.