- Tariff roulette is proving a challenge for technology companies
- CES 2026 is navigating change and planning a big show
- AI will play a leading role
Spin or die: that was the message that Consumer Technology Association (CTA) CEO Gary Shapiro and the organization he runs, 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 then-new book, and he was effectively following orders for the tech industry.
“The president took action so quickly in so many different areas, the book did very well because everyone is changing,” Shapiro told me this week, during a pre-CES 2026 lunch.
The lunch was somewhat of a repeat of the one we had a year ago, where Shaprio warned that Trump’s tariff plan, particularly as it relates to China, could be devastating. Nine months into that presidency and with many tariffs in place (and off), the true impact of the US tariff landscape is unclear, in part because it continues to change so much.
“It’s been very distracting and very difficult. You see places where the president of the United States has basically changed or imposed tariffs over a hundred times since he took office in January,” Shapiro told us.
Still, CES 2026 sounds, in some ways, as strong as any year. We don’t have exhibitors or attendee screenings yet, but Shapiro noted that even visa issues were resolved well before the Las Vegas tech expo, and he expects attendees from around the world. Sharppiro said they expect 160 countries (including, yes, China) to attend the event.
But Shapiro and his counterpart, CTA President Kinsey Fabrizio, have traveled around the world talking to companies that are trying to navigate these changes and pivot when necessary.
“It has also dramatically affected our partners and our supply chains,” he told me. “We spent a lot of time meeting ambassadors and traveling the world, and taking the pulse of our European and Asian friends, and also in Canada, right? I was there like two weeks ago. The world is wondering what’s going on. That’s taken time.”
The level of confusion, as Shapiro sees it, has taken its toll on businesses.
“It’s been a challenging time. They’re probably spending more time than ever on what I’ll call legal and regulatory issues, rather than focusing on the next big thing. So time has definitely been wasted focusing on innovation.”
Anything that detracts from companies’ ability to innovate should be a concern for Shapiro, given that innovation is arguably the heart of CES, which this year runs from January 6-9. But he insists there is also a sense of optimism.
“There’s a spirit of possibility about what can happen with AI. There’s a sense of, ‘We really have to do things differently,'” he said.
And the program has gone through significant changes in the recent past. The Covid pandemic pushed CES into virtual territory and then into partial operation for a couple of years.
“It was a new and challenging situation that had never happened before, and companies had to change what they were doing very quickly,” Shapiro recalled, “I think we’re seeing that now; how companies are positioning themselves…”
However, the economy, tariffs and many other global crises will not be the focus at this year’s event. Instead, the show is adding clues about longevity, women’s health, electrification and grid modernization, something called CES Foundry that will focus on quantum computing and a much deeper focus on AI. We should see hundreds of companies with new AI integrations and innovations, along with AI training courses for attendees. Even the CES app will receive an AI update.
Shapiro, who called Trump “a very unique president, and praised his recent speech on AI, calling it “the best speech by the head of a country I’ve ever heard on technology and innovation,” said that despite the uncertainty and the changing tariff landscape, some companies have changed in positive ways. “A lot of them have done quite well. I mean, it’s no secret that the biggest tech companies are driving the stock market.
“The good news for us is that, for CES, which is our showcase to the world, innovation is very alive and companies are very interested.”
Whatever happens with tariffs, the current US government shutdown, and the rapid development of artificial intelligence, TechRadar will be present at CES 2026, bringing you the latest news on gadgets, gear, and innovation on the show floor.
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