By Shahryar Shaghaghi, Professor of Professional Practice and Program Director of Columbia’s M.S. in Technology Management (TMGT) program
This past fall, I attended the 2025 Tech in Asia Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, which provided valuable insights into the region's rapidly evolving technology landscape. The conference spotlighted the pace of technology adoption and innovation happening across Southeast Asia, offering a look into the future of global tech leadership.
Keynotes from public- and private-sector leaders, including Meutya Hafid, Indonesia’s Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs, made one thing clear: Indonesia and the broader Southeast Asia (SEA) region have an extraordinary appetite for digital growth and an optimistic vision for expanding its digital ecosystem.
The M.S. in Technology Management program (TMGT) has welcomed a growing number of students from Indonesia, China, Thailand, the Philippines, and neighboring countries. Understanding the region’s evolving tech strategy and talent needs helps us ensure that our program develops tech leaders who can meet these emerging demands.
Here are key insights from the conference and how the ideas discussed there align with the TMGT program’s core mission.
Five Key Takeaways from Jakarta
- China’s Strategic Expansion: China is positioning itself to become the dominant tech platform across SEA, challenging the influence of U.S. firms in the region and globally.
- Innovation & Sustainability: SEA nations, particularly Indonesia, are poised to build scalable and sustainable ecosystems atop global innovation platforms.
- Rise of the Startup Economy: Indonesia’s startup scene is emerging as a major driver of economic growth, creating demand for talent at all levels, particularly among entrepreneurs. Notably, Jakarta rose to second place in the 2025 Startup Genome Emerging Ecosystems ranking.
- From Imitation to Innovation: China’s shift from manufacturing dominance to innovation leadership is profound. Nearly half of global AI innovations now originate from China, driven by investments in open-source AI models, AI infrastructure (computing, chip industries, and data centers), and long-term scalability.
- Human-Centered AI: Integrating AI into product design must preserve human emotion, joy, and connection. The “human in the loop” remains indispensable. Designers should view AI as alternative intelligence, not merely artificial intelligence (AI), and continuously evolve alongside these tools.
How TMGT Prepares Leaders for the Global Tech Landscape
The themes discussed at the Tech in Asia Conference are strongly aligned with TMGT’s mission and core pillars.
- Artificial intelligence is embedded across courses, supporting an AI and machine learning career pathway and applying AI knowledge across career paths and goals.
- Our focus on strategy and innovation is reflected in core courses such as Digital Transformation and Essentials of Technology Management and Leadership, which teach students to craft technology strategies aligned with organizational goals.
- User-centric design is integral to our curriculum and one of our core courses, teaching students to create impactful technology strategies that keep humans in the loop.
- Our entrepreneurship courses and connected electives, including Entrepreneurship, Global Entrepreneurship Ecosystems, Raising Capital, and Corporate Finance for Tech Leaders, empower students who want to pursue tech startups or corporate innovation pathways.
As Southeast Asia’s tech ecosystem accelerates, we’re proud to prepare leaders who bridge innovation, sustainability, and strategy on a global scale.
About the Program
The Master of Science in Technology Management at Columbia University prepares graduates to lead digital transformation, and align technology and business strategy with an ethical lens. Through experiential learning, industry partnerships, and Columbia-supported research, students gain fluency in digital platforms and emerging technologies, and learn to design human-centered solutions that drive innovation and sustainable impact.
The program is available for part-time or full-time enrollment online or on campus in NYC. Learn more about the program here.
