Everyone Goes to CES for Tech. I Watched the People.

Good morning folks, happy Friday Jr.!

Earlier this week, I flew to Las Vegas to attend my first CES.

It was great.

What surprised me most wasn’t a product, it was the people. English felt like the second language. Heavy representation from Asia, strong turnout from Europe. CES has cemented itself as the global rendezvous retreat where innovation speaks.

Robots and autonomy dominated the conversation, but not in a ready-for-prime-time way. The technology feels close, but it’s not quite there yet. General-purpose robots are still a few years out. Where momentum feels inevitable is industrial applications: narrow, one-dimensional machines built to do a single task exceptionally well. Warehouses. Factories. Logistics. Controlled environments. That’s where robotics will take its first real foothold.

Battery technology, micromobility, and infrastructure filled in the margins - less flashy, but foundational. The kind of progress that doesn’t grab headlines, yet makes everything else possible.

Most people attend events like CES to see the booths. I prefer watching the crowd. Where people slow down. What pulls them off their path. What earns attention without demanding it.

That’s what made my time with Leo Flight stand out.

I was thrilled to finally meet Carlos Salaff and Pete Bitar, the co-founders, in person. I first connected with the team online around this time last year - one of those full-circle moments that reminds you how small this world really is.

Leo Flight felt like the quiet kid tucked in the corner. No theatrics. No spectacle. Just serious engineering. And yet people kept drifting over. Pausing. Asking better questions. You could feel the gravity. That’s usually where the real signal lives. Read more about Leo’s JetBike, set to launch later this year.

And while Tesla wasn’t officially on the CES floor, its presence was unmistakable. The crowd flocked toward the Loop like moths to a light. No marketing. No stage. Just a system that worked, moving people efficiently beneath Las Vegas. A reminder that the most persuasive technology doesn’t announce itself. It simply functions.

ICYMI - I went LIVE yesterday after the close to share my thoughts on CES, and how I’m seeing markets take shape. Tune in here.

And click here to swipe through my full CES photo album. 

DISCLOSURE: THIS IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE.