RIF 2022: Everything Will Be Fine!
In a year of seismic shifts in global business and society, the 26th Russian Internet Forum (RIF) offered both therapy and strategy. Attendees looked back on past crises—1998, 2008, 2014, and the 2020 pandemic—to find perspective and plan for a future where Runet’s resilience could turn turbulence into opportunity.
A Human-Centered Agenda
As departing global players left gaps, new companies, products, and services emerged to fill the space. Supply chains, business rules, and operational norms shifted on the fly. Beyond practical goals, RIF 2022 carried an ideological mission: to show that Runet lives and thrives independently, and to inspire the industry to reach new heights. Themes of balance and resource conservation took center stage. Wellness areas, discussions of work‑life balance, digital detox, and healthy‑lifestyle services addressed the anxiety many market players admitted to feeling.
The forum positioned itself as a grand connector—linking contractors with clients, speakers with fresh audiences, and partners with customers—while discussing online education, crisis management, import substitution, IT branding, AI for business and society, and digital transformation. The key takeaway: long‑delayed plans—new education, product launches, career shifts—should be acted on now.
Looking Ahead
RIF has always been more than talk, but in 2022 it became a true launchpad for strategy. Attendees left with roadmaps for business development and a sense that even unexpected challenges in business, logistics, and social media could transform into opportunities. Sessions tackled the future of media, podcasting, and how brands can keep advertising alive in uncertain times.
More Data, More Energy
Alongside deep analytics and forecasts, the forum pulsed with entertainment. Concerts, lounge zones, DJ sets, sports, and outdoor barbecues created an atmosphere that seemed far from crisis. The traditional IT run and evening parties balanced serious discussions.
This year’s forum hosted 548 speakers across 138 sessions with about 5,000 participants and drew roughly 50 partners. Runet’s contribution to Russia’s GDP grew 42 % in 2021 compared to 2020, prompting jokes that crises act as vaccines for the sector. At the high-profile round table 'Runet Today and Tomorrow,' Minister of Digital Development Maksut Shadaev reported that 80 % of Russians aged 12 and older use the internet, and nearly 80 % of small and medium enterprises rely on e‑commerce platforms and online communication to run or expand their businesses.
Alexander Khinshtein, head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, noted that IT faces unparalleled challenges—from maintaining infrastructure to ensuring information security—but also enjoys unmatched state support.
Pressing Topics
Key themes included IT education, women in tech, smart-home innovations, and artificial intelligence. Despite the education sector’s conservatism, online learning is surging, with demand for both short courses and full program tracks. Experts highlighted the need to reform both higher and secondary education and to involve business leaders more directly. They also urged dismantling stereotypes about gender and age in technology training, making female participation in IT teams commonplace rather than exceptional. By the forum’s close, experts agreed: despite external pressures, Runet’s infrastructure remains fully self-sufficient and ready for the next chapter.
