At the beginning of 2020, I said this would be the hearing industry’s greatest decade. As we close the book on 2022, I stand behind that statement now more than ever.

Hot Take | Hearing Health

Everyone is talking about hearing aids. In 2022, the President of the United States made hearing health a top topic. President Biden talked and Tweeted about the importance of hearing health and access on more than one occasion. Not since President Ronald Reagan was fit with a Starkey hearing aid has our industry received this kind of attention – attention that ultimately helps the 48 million Americans with hearing loss get the treatment they need.

But it didn’t stop there. This year, Barbie got a hearing aid, and just in time as a new study showed 1 billion young people are at risk of noise-induced hearing loss, and 1 in 5 teens of

the iPod generation has some hearing loss, potentially due to exposure to loud music. As a father, I am concerned about the next generation. As we look to the future, it will be important for Starkey to continue to lead in education around hearing loss prevention. Hearing protection and safe listening levels should be as common as bike helmets and shin guards.

With all this attention on the hearing industry, we have a unique opportunity. Hearing is essential. This attention gives us the opportunity to continue educating the media and the general public about the importance of treating hearing loss and to help the growing demographic of people who need hearing help.

The Future of Hearing Aids

This will be the hearing industry’s greatest decade because of the ground-breaking technological advancements ahead of us. Artificial intelligence is advancing at an incredible pace. What we thought impossible five years ago, is now possible. Starkey was the first hearing aid manufacturer to use AI and integrated sensors in a hearing aid. Harnessing this technology to help those with hearing loss transformed the hearing aid from a single-purpose device into a multi-purpose wellness tool. Because of AI, Starkey is also delivering next-level sound quality unlike anything else on the market. We continue to raise the bar, and in 2023, we will raise it again. At the heart of all of this is the patient; our desire to ensure people hear better and live better.

This will be the hearing industry’s greatest decade but only if we continue to focus on what is best for the patient. History tells us that nothing monumental is accomplished by remaining static. It’s moments like this that test us and push us to be better tomorrow than today; this is when great things are possible.