The Industries of the Future
Ratings9
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings9
Average rating3.7
"Leading innovation expert Alec Ross explains what's next for the world, mapping out the advances and stumbling blocks that will emerge in the next ten years--for businesses, governments, and the global community--and how we can navigate them. While Alec Ross was working as Hillary Clinton's Senior Advisor on Innovation, he traveled to forty-one countries. He visited some of the toughest places in the world--from refugee camps of Congo to Syrian war zones. From phone-charger stands in eastern Congo to R&D labs in South Korea, Ross has seen what the future holds. Over the past two decades, the Internet has radically changed markets and businesses worldwide. In The Industries of the Future, Ross shows us what's next, highlighting the best opportunities for progress and explaining why countries thrive or sputter. He examines the specific fields that will most shape our economic future over the next ten years, including cybercrime and cybersecurity, the commercialization of genomics, the next step for big data, and the coming impact of digital technology on money, payments, and markets. And in each of these realms, Ross addresses the toughest questions: How will we have to adapt to the changing nature of work? Is the prospect of cyberwar sparking the next arms race? How can the world's rising nations hope to match Silicon Valley in creating their own innovation hotspots? Ross blends storytelling and economic analysis to give a vivid and informed perspective on how sweeping global trends are affecting the ways we live, incorporating the insights of leaders ranging from tech moguls to defense experts. The Industries of the Future takes the intimidating, complex topics that many of us know to be important and boils them down into clear, plain-spoken language. This is an essential work for understanding how the world works--now and tomorrow--and a must-read for businesspeople, in every sector, from every country"--
Reviews with the most likes.
While the book was good at covering how technology will make huge changes in certain industries in the near future, it didn't tell me a lot that I didn't already know. This may be due to the book being written a few years ago or that I'm thorough in keeping up to date on technology news.
If you aren't familiar with where major industries will see technological leaps in the coming future, check this book out.
Ross was advisor for Innovation for Clinton while she was Secretary of State. He does a tour through today's hottest topics of innovation (genomics, big data, robotics, cryptocurrencies, etc) and focuses in on their economical and geopolitical impact. He projects a future in which economies are driven based on if the countries adopt an “open” or “closed” strategy to data (in contrast to the capitalism/communism dichotomy from before).
I definitely took advantage of the audiobook-feature of not always having to pay attention too closely, but all in all this was a good listen. I especially enjoyed his first-hand insights on different economies and case studies from across the globe.
3.5
Rating: 4 stars
What I liked about this book: Generally good writing style that allowed it to flow. Interesting take on the concepts of globalization and how it will effect the choices our children will have to make in regards to their education and future jobs. Good examples of the effects of globalization with interesting people, places and situations coming into the new economy.
What was not so great: This book is very much an “overview” and almost seems more targeted towards non-Americans with a very hopeful tone for certain regions and political regimes (which is great, just that I am not that target audience). There was a fair amount of political pushing toward traditional American Democrat agendas. It wasn't so heavy-handed as to be offensive, though.
Discussion:
As a man in my mid-forties now (sigh), there has been profound change in the world over my adulthood in a way that really alters my outlook for the children of Gen-X'ers such as myself. If you watch the news, it's almost always portrayed as a bleak future with little hope for our children. This is a huge change from when I grew up - there seemed no end to the optimism about our future and the never-ending opportunities that were before us. Work hard and the world would be your oyster. Now, it seems kids are wary of the world and the opportunities seem few and far between. Not only that, but you can work harder and somebody in India will still be available to work twice as hard at half the price.
So, going into this book, my thought was there is still opportunity out there. It is likely just harder to find. And best to ignore the media on what your future is likely to be like. But where is that opportunity for America's youth? Where should I be pointing my kids' efforts and how can I help guide and prepare them so they can realize the opportunities that are out there?
In many ways, The Industries of the Future ties in with The World Is Flat (and Hot, Flat and Crowded) by Thomas Friedman. In summary, for those of us here, we are best served by avoiding traditional old-school jobs and careers that put a premium on doing one thing well. Work to be broad in your knowledge and skill set. Learn languages. Look for opportunities to combine your specific knowledge with new technology and possibly even emerging markets. Be quick on your toes and expect change.
Overall, I found this to be a thought-provoking and well-reasoned book. Interesting examples of technologic change and how it has effected certain regions and industries are found throughout the book and are fairly engaging. Definitely worth the read if you are a young person or have young people in your life that you will be influencing.
