Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations by Tom Friedman. This is just one of his many books that I have read. And from time to time he reflects upon his best sellers: Lexus and the Olive Tree, The World is Flat and Hot, Flat and Crowded. All focus on the impact of globalization.
Looking back it can be confusing to see why Tom stopped writing books at exactly the precise moment the world changed. The year was 2007 and some very significant events developed. Call it The World is Flat v4.0, when behavior capitalism began.
Consider the introductions of the iPhone, Hadoop and GitHub. Add the launch of Twitter and Facebook. Then Google’s purchase of YouTube should provide the clearest indication of how rapidly technology changed the internet.
Don’t forget Amazon released the Kindle while Airbnb was launched. IBM also launched Watson and Intel launched new non-silicon microchips.
As Tom suggests in his last example, DNA sequencing may have been the most overlooked. The price dropped from $100 million in 2001 to only $1,000 in that magic year of 2007.
So how is anyone supposed to know what all that meant to them 13 years ago? I think many family and friends would say Hadoop and GitHub are names of their pets.
This book is perfect for many, including my family and friends who do not see technology changes coming so quickly. Nor are they used to the fast pace of change. This is where Tom explains very well, for a wide audience where the world is at today. He gives you in this book the permission to slow down and reflect…
