- Tariff roulette is proving to be a challenge for tech companies
- CES 2026 is navigating the change and planning a big show
- AI will play a major role
Pivot or die — that was the message Consumer Technology Association (CTA) CEO Gary Shapiro and the organization he runs, which hosts CES every year, delivered nearly 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 was effectively marching orders to the tech industry.
“The president took action so quickly in so many different areas that the book has done really well because everyone is spinning,” Shapiro told me this week during a CES 2026 preview luncheon.
The lunch was in some ways a repeat of the one we had a year ago, where Shaprio warned that Trump’s tariff plan, especially as it related to China, could be devastating. Nine months into that presidency, and with many tariffs in (and out of) place, the true impact of the U.S. tariff landscape is unclear, in part because it continues to change so much.
“It’s been very distracting and very difficult. You can see the places where the president of the United States has basically changed tariffs or imposed tariffs over a hundred times since he was sworn in in January,” Shapiro told us.
Still, in some ways, CES 2026 sounds as robust as any year. We don’t have exhibitor or attendee projections yet, but Shapiro noted how even visa issues were resolved well in advance of the Las Vegas tech expo, and he expects attendees from around the world. Sharpiro said they expect 160 countries — including, yes, China — at the event.
But Shapiro and his counterpart, CTA President Kinsey Fabrizio, have traveled the world talking to companies trying to navigate those changes and pivot where necessary.
“It has also dramatically affected our partners and our supply chains,” he told me. “We spent a lot of time meeting with ambassadors and traveling around the world, and on the pulse of our European, Asian friends and in Canada too, right? I was just there two weeks ago. The world is wondering what’s going on. It’s taken time.”
The level of confusion, as Shapiro sees it, has affected businesses.
“It’s been a challenging time. They’re probably spending more time than they ever have on what I would call legal and regulatory issues rather than focusing on the next big thing. So clearly time has been stolen from focusing on innovation.”
Anything that impairs the ability of companies to innovate should be a cause for concern for Shapiro, as innovation is arguably the beating heart of CES, which this year runs from 6-9. January. But he insists there is also a sense of optimism.
“There’s a spirit of possibility about what can happen with AI. There’s something like, ‘We really need to do things differently,'” he said.
And the show has navigated significant changes in recent times. The Covid pandemic pushed CES into virtual territory and then partial operation for a few years.
“It was a challenging new situation that had never happened before, and companies had to change what they were doing very quickly,” Shapiro recalled, “I think we’re seeing it now; how companies are positioning themselves…”
However, the economy, tariffs and countless other global crises will not be the center of attention at this year’s event. Instead, the show is adding tracks for longevity, women’s health, electrification and grid modernization, something called the CES Foundry, which 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 participants. Even CES’s app will get an AI upgrade.
Shapiro, who called Trump “a very unique president and praised his recent speech on artificial intelligence, calling it “the best speech by the leader 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 a positive way. “A lot of them have actually done quite well. I mean, it’s no secret that major 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.”
Regardless of what’s happening with tariffs, the ongoing US government shutdown, and the rapid development of artificial intelligence, TechRadar will be on the ground at CES 2026, bringing you all the latest gadgets, gear, and innovation news from the show floor.
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