Climate Shifts Aren’t Limited to the Weather
We are going from an interconnected world to an interdependent one, and in such a world your friends can hurt you faster than your enemies: Think what happens if Mexico’s economy fails. And your rivals’ falling becomes more dangerous than your rivals’ rising: We will be hurt a lot more by China’s economy tanking than its putting tanks on islands in the South China Sea.
And lastly we’re in the middle of a change in the “climate” of technology. We’re moving into a world where machines and software can
- analyze (see patterns that were always hidden before);
- optimize(tell a plane which altitude to fly each mile to get the best fuel efficiency);
- prophesize (tell you when your elevator will break and fix it before it does);
- customize (tailor any product or service for you alone) and
- digitize and automate just about any job.
This is transforming every industry.
.. In the age of Trump we are treating governing as entertainment.
.. By contrast, Trump hasn’t even named a science adviser.
.. And then you look at all the knife fights between rival Trump aides and you realize that none of these fights were over how to thrive in a world challenged by these three climate changes. They were all about who could get closest to and flatter our Dear Leader most. But our Dear Leader — as we saw in the health care debate — has done no homework on the future, either. He’s been too busy promising to restore the past.