- Pricing Roulette Proves Difficult for Tech Companies
- CES 2026 navigates change and plans a big show
- AI will play a leading role
Pivot or die – that was the message that Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), and the organization he leads and which hosts CES each year, delivered almost a year ago, just days after President Donald Trump was elected to a second term.
It was also the name of Shapiro’s new book at the time, and it was indeed a marching order for the tech industry.
“The president has moved so quickly in so many different areas that the book is really well done because everyone is pivoting,” Shapiro told me this week, at a CES 2026 preview luncheon.
This lunch was something of a repeat of the one we had a year ago, during which Shaprio warned that Trump’s tariff plan, particularly as it relates to China, could be devastating. Nine months into this presidency and with many tariffs in place (and not) in place, the true impact of the U.S. tariff landscape is unclear, in part because it keeps changing.
“It’s been very distracting and very difficult. You see places where the President of the United States has fundamentally changed tariffs or imposed tariffs over a hundred times since he was sworn in in January,” Shapiro told us.
Despite this, CES 2026 seems, in some ways, as robust as any year. We don’t have any forecasts on exhibitors or attendees yet, but Shapiro noted that even the visa issues were resolved well in advance of the Las Vegas tech expo, and he expects attendees from around the world. Sharpiro said they were expecting 160 countries – including, yes, China – at the event.
But Shapiro and his counterpart, CTA President Kinsey Fabrizio, have traveled the world talking with companies trying to adapt to these changes and pivot as necessary.
“It has also significantly affected our partners and supply chains,” he told me. “We’ve spent a lot of time meeting with ambassadors and traveling the world, and taking the pulse of our European and Asian and Canadian friends as well, right? I was there about two weeks ago. The world is wondering what’s going on. It’s taken a while.”
According to Shapiro, the level of confusion has affected businesses.
“It’s been a difficult time. They’re probably spending more time than ever on what I would call legal and regulatory issues, rather than focusing on the next big thing. So, without a doubt, time has been stolen by focusing on innovation.”
Anything that harms companies’ ability to innovate should be a cause for concern for Shapiro, given that innovation is arguably the beating heart of CES, which takes place this year from January 6-9. But he insists there is also a sense of optimism.
“There are a number of possibilities for what can happen with AI. There’s something like, ‘We really need to do things differently,'” he said.
And the series has seen some significant changes in the recent past. The Covid pandemic pushed the CES into virtual territory and then into partial operation for a few years.
“It was a new difficult situation that had never happened before, and companies had to change what they were doing very quickly,” Shapiro recalls, “I think we’re seeing it now: how companies are positioning themselves….”
The economy, tariffs and myriad other global crises, however, will not be the center of attention at this year’s event. Instead, the show adds tracks on longevity, women’s health, electrification and grid modernization, something called CES Foundry that will focus on quantum computing and much more deeply on AI. We should see hundreds of companies offering new AI integrations and innovations, as well as AI training courses for participants. Even the CES app will get an AI upgrade.
Shapiro, who called Trump “a very unique president and praised his recent speech on AI, calling it “the best speech from a country leader I’ve ever heard on technology and innovation,” said that despite the uncertainty and changing pricing landscape, some companies have changed in positive ways. “A lot of them actually did pretty well.” It’s no secret that big tech companies fuel the stock market.
“The good news for us is that, for CES, which is our showcase to the world, innovation is very much alive and companies are extremely interested.”
Whatever happens with tariffs, the current US government shutdown, and the rapid development of AI, TechRadar will be on the ground at CES 2026, bringing you all the latest news in gadgets, gear, and innovations from the show floor.
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