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The Industries of the Future

Alec J. Ross

4.03 · Rating details · 7,068 ratings · 638 reviews

This book answers the question: 'What's next?' The Internet had a world-changing impact on businesses and the global community over the twenty years from 1994 to 2014. In the next ten years, change will happen even faster.

As Hillary Clinton's Senior Advisor for Innovation, Alec Ross travelled nearly a million miles to forty-one countries, the equivalent of two round-trips ...more

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Hardcover, 320 pages

Published February 2nd 2016 by Simon Schuster

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Feb 03, 2016 Rachel Bayles rated it liked it

Shelves: professional

First, the good. These are interesting topics. It's good to be reminded of how much has changed in the last couple of decades. This is a fun read with some interesting stories. If you read the newspaper, you will find nothing new here. But getting a 10,000 foot view of the world can be a useful way to orient yourself.

He also points out the troubling aspects of what he's highlighting, and at no point in the book does he come across as being way off base. His ideas about the future are probably as ...more

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Nov 24, 2015 Chad rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed, business, science, technology

If someone can invent a trustworthy robot that will stop cybercrime while taking care of grandma, they'll have the future made. ...more

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May 07, 2018 Trevor rated it it was ok

Shelves: work, economics

This is an odd book – and although I think I learned many things from it, I’m not sure I could say I enjoyed it or that I would necessarily recommend it. This guy worked for Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State, and it reads a bit like something someone who worked for the US government and was keen to promote the benefits of US foreign policy might write if they were to write a book about modern technology and how it is about to impact the world.

A lot of this is much more positive th This is an odd book – and although I think I learned many things from it, I’m not sure I could say I enjoyed it or that I would necessarily recommend it. This guy worked for Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State, and it reads a bit like something someone who worked for the US government and was keen to promote the benefits of US foreign policy might write if they were to write a book about modern technology and how it is about to impact the world.

A lot of this is much more positive than it really needed to be. Again, I put this down to his previous occupation. The industries of the future are grouped mostly into automation (mostly robots), health care (mostly genetics), coding (mostly cyber security), big data and then how different geographical regions might be impacted by future technologies. This was perhaps the most interesting part of the book, although, again, I felt perhaps ‘friends’ of America might have been treated better in this part than others – for instance, Russia is presented as a basket-case (possibly even true), but unlike Klein’s book The Shock Doctrine, where she presents the source of many of the problems Russia faces today to how capitalism was introduced, he is much more likely to look back passed this to Stalin as the cause of all of Russia’s current problems. That is, again, something decidedly influenced by his previous occupation. I’m not saying Russia isn’t a basket case, but to ignore the gross excesses imposed on the country of neoliberal economic policy encouraged wholeheartedly by the US, and to ignore the terrible impacts this had on Russia seems disingenuous at best.

The thing I will mostly remember from this book is the problem of robots. For most of the history of life on earth creatures met the changes in their local environment by the remarkably inefficient means of natural selection. I say ‘inefficient’ because virtually all species that ever existed are now extinct. Adjusting to a changing environment is costly – and the cost is often the end of one species that is then replace by another. Humans have introduced a new element to this in some ways with cultural evolution. This has meant we don’t have to wait for (or if) our genes change to meet the demands of a changing or different environment, but rather we learn from each other how to live in a changing world. With the invention of writing a new level of potential knowledge opened up to us. Today there is perhaps too much information available to us for even the advice of sages like Carl Sagan and his ‘be selective’ in what we read, all of which still leaves us completely ignorant of the vast majority of what is out there that we could potentially know.

But this is where it might become interesting to see where robots go to next. One of the chapters here mentions that robots will be connected to the cloud and that means that anything one robot learns about a particular situation will become instantly available to all other robots – basically, this is cultural evolution on steroids. The more I think about this, the more interesting it becomes. If artificial intelligence becomes a thing – then I guess the singularity (the notion that we are heading toward human/machine post-humans, I guess is the easiest way to describe it) would necessarily become our next step. I suspect that the benefits from this type of technological step would be impossible for us to not take. But, like Socrates worrying about the dangers of books (that they destroy memory and don’t allow for the question and answer technique he was rather proud of himself) ought to be considered before we jump into that future with our eyes more or less closed.

As I said, I’m not sure if I would recommend this book – but then, robots, genes, data, ICT, and coding probably are going to be among the industries of the future. Whether or not getting a degree in any of these will save you from the great job crash that is coming isn’t a channel my own crystal ball can currently tune into.
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Mar 05, 2016 Ryan Mcconville rated it really liked it

Fast, informative read from former Innovations advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Alec Ross, who discusses five emerging industries that he predicts will dominate the next twenty years.

1. Robotics - "47% of [current] American jobs are at high risk for robot takeover, and another 19% are at medium risk," in the next twenty years. Best anecdote: China's Foxconn has made some of the most aggressive investments in robotics because, according to founder, Terry Gou: "Human beings are also Fast, informative read from former Innovations advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Alec Ross, who discusses five emerging industries that he predicts will dominate the next twenty years.

1. Robotics - "47% of [current] American jobs are at high risk for robot takeover, and another 19% are at medium risk," in the next twenty years. Best anecdote: China's Foxconn has made some of the most aggressive investments in robotics because, according to founder, Terry Gou: "Human beings are also animals, and to manage a million animals gives me a headache." (uh... wow!).

2. Genetics - Genetic medicine is about to become massively commercialized. "The state of genomics today can be likened to that of e-commerce in 1994, the year Amazon was founded."Cancer will be caught much earlier and treated with precision proteins (no more chemo). In next 100 years we will live 50% longer, ~115 years. Also, we can use pigs to grow human organs (no more waiting on line for kidneys), and we can bring back wooly mammoths from the dead.

3. Codified Money - Bitcoin and blockchain. Just give it time. "Blockchain will be to banking what the Internet was to media." It will dis-intermediate gratuitous layers of business and reduce friction. The "layers of business" here are bankers and lawyers who have until now acted as expensive middle men. With Blockchain, those evil 1%-ers can now be replaced by robots as well.

4. Weaponized Code - The wars of the 21st century will be fought with code, using "virtual arms." China is joyfully taking the lead here. They stole about $300 billion worth of IP from the US in 2013 via hacking - the equivalent of all the goods we export to the rest of Asia. "PLA Unit 61398" is considered to be "most advanced and best funded of the 20 cyber-military units in China." Scarier than the cold war because barriers to entry are super low.

5. Big Data - This one sort of underpins all the others and is the most obvious. Who ever owns the data, wins. Big data will give us great things like instant, universal translation (within 10 years so we can all stop making our kids learn Mandarin) but it will also enslave us, yada. ...more

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Sep 16, 2016 Petras rated it it was ok

I was disappointed by the depth of this book. It is full of name-dropping and happy rose-tinted sci-fi view of the future without the in-depth grasp of the problems that the new technologies solve and their limitations.

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Oct 15, 2017 Undrakh rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, business

This is by far the most useful, eye-opening, mind-blowing, and mildly-distressing book I’ve read this year amid the indulgence in fiction. Robots taking care of us, discoveries in genomic technology saving lives, farmers optimizing pastureland through a mobile app, and the countries entering a code war. Suddenly the seemingly far-fetched ideas are not crazy at all, in fact, technological breakthroughs are changing the way the we live while I’m sitting here and being left far behind with little i ...more

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Jan 26, 2017 Graeme Roberts rated it it was amazing

I recommend this book. Alec Ross worked on technology for Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, and as Senior Advisor for Innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton he traveled to 41 countries and met many of the world's most accomplished and influential people. The early part of the book, talking about robotics and AI, genomics, and the coming disruption of financial markets by blockchain and computer science covered familiar ground (a little of which is already out of date). He seemed to hit his ...more

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Jun 28, 2016 Melinda Flaugher rated it really liked it

I enjoyed this uplifting book about future opportunities. The author recommends looking into countries such as Africa, India, and China. Children need to learn two languages coding and a foreign language. The future will be more about adapility. The world is already breaking apart in two divisions the old world and new world full of technology and unlimited opportunities to develop ideas to help humanity.

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Mar 31, 2016 Jean rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio-book, business, non-fiction

This was an interesting book that looks at what fields are heading for a breakthrough and which ones are on the way out or will require less people in the future. Ross was an advisor to the State Department under Secretary Clinton. Ross traveled too many countries to learn about industrial development. Ross describes how Indonesia, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Mexico are positioning themselves in the global economy. He also describes how Africa is starting to emerge as governments become more stable ...more

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Mar 05, 2017 Diego rated it it was amazing

Shelves: economics-capitalism, favorites, science-tech

This is easily one of my favorite books. Such a compelling read. Bought this at the airport; couldn't put it down. Author is right on target about the future of technology, even dips into parenting and what education will be optimal for children to get a leg up on these future industries. Travel, learn a second language, and code. Inspiring topics. ...more

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Jun 14, 2017 Radiantflux rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook, technology

35th book for 2017.

Having travelled to over a hundred countries as Hillary Clinton's Senior Advisor on Innovation at the State Department, Ross has a overview and access to what's happening the world of technology that is some ways unique. His book offers an accessible account of future technological trends (robotics, AI, cyberwarfare, crypocurrencies, genomics etc) from a global perspective.

Read this book for the broad perspectives (both thematic and geographic) it offers, then find other book ...more

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Mar 11, 2016 Andrew rated it really liked it

Shelves: economics-business-finance, urban-and-industrial-design, technology-and-toys, politics-and-political-theory

The Industries of the Future, by Alec Ross, was an interesting book looking at upcoming industries from a fairly global perspective. Ross was a US State Department employee for many years, and as such has had much experience and connection with both US and global development programs. He talks about Robotics, Medicine, Big Data, Computer Programming and so on, all industries loudly being trumpeted in many spheres. His book is refreshing, however, because he looks at the nuances of these industri The Industries of the Future, by Alec Ross, was an interesting book looking at upcoming industries from a fairly global perspective. Ross was a US State Department employee for many years, and as such has had much experience and connection with both US and global development programs. He talks about Robotics, Medicine, Big Data, Computer Programming and so on, all industries loudly being trumpeted in many spheres. His book is refreshing, however, because he looks at the nuances of these industries, mixing figures with anecdotal experiences and entrepreneurial personalities to give a big picture look at the industries of the future, both their positives and negatives.

Ross gives excellent detail on each of the industries mentioned, from Big Data's usefulness to the banking systems of most countries, to chip-based cryptocurrencies, to give an example. He talks about the industrial systems surrounding these ideas in certain detail, going over Silicon Valley's contribution to Big Data, for example. He also touches on the dangers of these industries, from joblessness due to labour displacement by machinery, to poverty based on project to project style living. Ross' analysis of each industry is nuanced, and fairly unbiased, which was surprising due to his political background.

Even so, the book had some flaws. Ross is clearly geared toward a certain political frame of mind. In the final chapter, on the Geography of Future Industries, he compares Estonia, Belarus and Ukraine. The clear implication of his argument is that Estonia, as a democratic nation, has achieved levels of growth and innovation that Belarus has not as an authoritarian regime, or Ukraine is just starting to in its movement away from Russia's sphere of influence. This is a very politically biased argument, as Ukraine is nowhere near a level of change that can be analyzed with such zealous conviction. The revolution in 2014 is still extremely fresh, and corruption rife in pro-EU Kiev. Rebels still control a large swathe of territory, and clashes are breaking out as this review is written. Furthermore, his analysis of democracy as the ultimate motivator of innovation is naïve at best, and flat out wrong at worst. Although democracy is my own favoured style of government as a Canadian, it is clearly wrong that countries cannot innovate under authoritarian regimes, or that democracies are the ultimate incubators of innovation and economic growth. Plenty of nations, such as Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, China, Malaysia and the Gulf Arab states have all achieved massive economic growth under repressive regimes. Countries like the Philippines, South Africa, parts of Central and South America etc. have experienced massive economic contractions under democratic regimes. The reverse is also true in both cases, with countries experiencing crippling economic stagnation (think North Korea) under centralized regimes and massive growth (USA, Canada etc.) in democratic regimes. Point being, no one system will work perfectly everywhere. Ross' analysis in this respect is heavily flawed. Another Park Chung-hee or Deng Xiaoping in Africa or Asia could do wonders for an impoverished country, and indeed this seems to be happening in Rwanda currently under Paul Kagame. Similarly, democracies in some countries are clearly experiencing massive stagnation of their standards of living and income (South Africa and Japan come to mind).

That aside, Ross' book is an nuanced and interesting analysis of the future of the global job market from the perspective of a few fascinating upcoming industries. Ross offers an excellent perspective on many industries that are beginning to have a huge impact on the world economy and the political situations of many nations. He offers both positive and negative viewpoints to each of the industries, and allows the reader to make many of their own reflections, something that is deeply refreshing in a book of this type. All in all, a very good read if one is interested in the direction the world seems to be moving. ...more

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Dec 07, 2016 Herve rated it it was ok

The Industries of the Future is not a very good book. Probably because it tries to talk about the future and nobody knows about it. But it has some merits that I will describe in the end… Even worse, I think it is not as precise an analysis as is The Innovation Illusion by Fredrik Erixon and Bjorn Weigel. Why do I claim such a thing? Let me just mention one example. To show the potential of robots in the future, Ross reminds us Foxconn claim in 2011 that it would have installed one million robot ...more

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Aug 18, 2018 Kathleen Souder rated it it was ok

Interesting and thought provoking but you could get 80% of the value by reading 20% of the book. Entire star deducted for the author’s (over)use of the term “cyber” to cover anything related to internet or communications technology.

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Sep 21, 2016 Alfonso rated it did not like it

I found it quite superficial. A lot of anecdotes and very simplistic conclusions.

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Jan 04, 2021 Momina Kamran rated it liked it

3 1/2 stars.

I found the book made a few good points but far too simplistic in generalising entire societies and economies - especially Africa and the “global frontiers”. The supposed potential of integrating these frontiers in the global marketplace fails to acknowledge the disadvantages of globalisation on indigenous knowledge systems already in practice. While the author does refer to “domain expertise” there isn’t enough emphasis on how the negative impacts seen in history will be mitigated ...more

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Dec 23, 2015 Katie rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: parents, employees, employers, government policy makers

I don't want to give this book five stars but I think that might just be because I don't really like the future? SO UNFAIR. I guess this is the first time I've really wanted half stars on Goodreads.

ANYWAY.

This book was fascinating. None of the industries surprised me, nor did Alec Ross' picture of the future. I've been in the tech industry long enough to know crazy crap is gonna happen. If you need a primer, CCP Grey did a great (and a bit depressing) video on it called "Humans Need Not Apply."

I I don't want to give this book five stars but I think that might just be because I don't really like the future? SO UNFAIR. I guess this is the first time I've really wanted half stars on Goodreads.

ANYWAY.

This book was fascinating. None of the industries surprised me, nor did Alec Ross' picture of the future. I've been in the tech industry long enough to know crazy crap is gonna happen. If you need a primer, CCP Grey did a great (and a bit depressing) video on it called "Humans Need Not Apply."

In brief, the chapters cover robots, genomics, cryptocurrency, cyberwarfare, big data/IoT, and governmental policies that help/hinder innovation. I appreciated the examples and stories told by the author. I've seen a few reviews that said he just name dropped and the whole book was about stroking his ego (I mean, isn't that why most people write nonfiction jk but srsly), but most of the time I thought it was interesting and lent credibility to his theories about the future.

As I said, the "predictions" themselves weren't new or surprising. The stories, details, and insights Alec shares WERE. I learned so much, particularly about different countries. A bit odd, I know, but I think Americans often have a silo mentality and have no idea what's going on in innovation and the governmental role in it when it comes to China, Russia, India, Singapore, Indonesia, Rwanda, Estonia...and SO MANY MORE. I came out of this book feeling like I learned more about government and geography than all of high school. Which probably says more about how much I disliked geography than the emphasis of this book.

I was genuinely surprised by the emphasis on getting women in the workforce. This guy flat out says (in slightly less harsh words) that your country is a dummy if it's not empowering women in the workforce because they will raise your GDP. "Women are half of every nation's workforce- or potential workforce. To be a prosperous and competitive country requires access to the best-educated pool of workers. If a country is cutting off half of its potential workforce, it is taking itself out of the game."

I also loved the political insight. It's fascinating to get an inside view into what our (USA) government is doing around the world as well as what other governments are thinking and doing. The story about Estonia made me hopeful that a country can turn itself around, and the kind of effort it takes to do so. I feel like reading this book made me a lot more knowledgeable and able to vote aptly in our next election.

This book definitely put me through the wringer. At times it made me depressed (as I am wont to do), made me hopeful, and made me think...hard. It is absolutely worth the read if you plan on being in the workforce for the next 5-25 years, or know people who are, or are raising kids who will be. Just generally a good read imo. ...more

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Feb 02, 2016 Alex rated it really liked it

Taking readers from the future of robotics in Japan to genomic sequencing in China, Ross leaves readers pondering such seemingly farfetched questions as whether hackers halfway across the globe will someday use the computing power of our kitchen toasters to mine the borderless crypto-currencies of tomorrow. Drawing on a vast array of personal experiences, Ross provides a glimpse of the future built on empowering the people of today.

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Dec 25, 2017 Oleksandr Golovatyi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Amazing book that I read with pleasure in two last evenings. The book covers a scenic story about the most interesting and most popular technologies of the present and their impact on the future of mankind. Key theses: work and their future in industry and human life, programming of money (cryptocurrency and blockchain), cyber security and wars with software code, as well as large amounts of data as raw materials of the information age. If you are curious what awaits humanity in the near future, ...more

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Jul 12, 2019 A Man Called Ove rated it it was amazing

Shelves: economics-and-business

4.5/5 The author was a part of the U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s office and drafted in to bring innovation. His travels and interactions gave him a great opportunity to make sense of where the world is heading and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands !
The industries of the future - sharing apps, A.I., robotics, genetics, medicine, big data/analytics, cybersecurity have all been discussed in some detail in a chapter each. The prevalent practices, their problems, their impact on i ...more

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Sep 05, 2018 Florin Pitea rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Well documented, well organised, clear, intelligible and, above all, very relevant. Highly recommended.

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Sep 24, 2018 g.lkoa added it

Mhh… mixed bag; poorly-inspired and often general to the extent of being plainly journalistic (in the pedestrian sense). I might have - can’t remember - started this hoping it’d be more in the tunes of, idk, The Second Machine Age.

Instead. Sort-of a companion to the this, the lesson here is that given the fact of a US-centric biiig revolution now already reached, a combined effort to fully exploit the new technology is needed while simultaneously facing the broad missions to meet alongside (conf ...more

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Jan 31, 2018 Tulga G rated it really liked it · review of another edition

After reading this great book, you realize that we are living as whole new generation because of the potentials the technologies and computers provide us for better future in our daily life. We are just entering to the digital age which give us much more connectivity without any border and beyond than any historical times. Also, this book underlined the hot topics today as Uber, Airbnb and even Bitcoin which are the businesses with new model, so it is quite interesting and readable.
The crucial p ...more

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Mar 02, 2018 Chad Warner rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: entrepreneurs, parents

Shelves: non-fiction, science

An interesting overview of several industries that will drive the next 20 years of change to economies and societies: robotics, advanced life sciences, digital money, cybersecurity, and big data. It raises (but doesn't devote much space to) philosophical and ethical questions about how changing technology will affect our lives. The book doesn't dive as deep as I would've liked.

The author was senior advisor for innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during Obama administration.

I've alwa ...more

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Feb 18, 2019 Neha rated it it was amazing

This was definitely a book well written and kept interesting throughout. His research for the book is more personal (descriptions of meetings with people) and it doesn't scare you away with just data. I listened to the audio version of this book inspite of having a paperback. The narration was also done very well by the author. Definitely a must read book.
This book was published in 2016, and it needs a sequel very soon. The pace at which our world is changing, the book needs regular updating. A ...more

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Aug 12, 2018 Graeme Newell rated it it was amazing

Shelves: overdrive

So many books about the future are written by theoretical professorial types who rarely have experience on the frontlines of innovation. That's not the case with Alec Ross. The man has an impressive real-world resume. Ross was Hillary Clinton’s innovation advisor and travelled nearly a million miles to forty-one countries.

I found this book fascinating. Ross has spent much of his career seeking out innovators who are daily changing lives. He weaves captivating stories about delightfully ingeniou ...more

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Feb 03, 2016 Jose Papo rated it really liked it

A great read about top trends for the future. I also liked the end of the book, where the author gives tips and ideas on how to educate and teach our kids for this new future. And the conclusion is interesting: learn about new cultures, expand the view of the children about the World, learn languages, learn at least one programming language.

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Oct 22, 2018 MD rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction

Alec Ross was Senior Advisor for Innovation at the State Department for 4 years during the Obama administration which gave him the opportunity to see and learn about technology and politics throughout the world. In this book he attempts to meld this information about emerging technology and emerging markets with geopolitical information and to make some predictions in areas such as jobs that will disappear, improvements & changes in medicine, privacy and cyberwar, and other areas. He also discus Alec Ross was Senior Advisor for Innovation at the State Department for 4 years during the Obama administration which gave him the opportunity to see and learn about technology and politics throughout the world. In this book he attempts to meld this information about emerging technology and emerging markets with geopolitical information and to make some predictions in areas such as jobs that will disappear, improvements & changes in medicine, privacy and cyberwar, and other areas. He also discusses emerging markets and how, combined with geopolitical circumstances, they may lead to new [domains-other-than-silicon] valleys. The book was published in 2016. Much of it will necessarily grow out-of-date pretty quickly, especially as administrations change. I noticed a few things already, but I'd say it is not yet past its use-by date.

Ross begins with a discussion of robotics, AI, and jobs that are likely to be automated in the near future. I'd seen a story here and there, but wasn't aware just how advanced the robotics field has become outside the US where there tends to be a different focus due to differing local needs. Friendship and eldercare in Japan. Driverless cars, retail automation, robotic surgery, etc. in the US.

Next he discusses genomics and the medical advances it's likely to open up, though I think there may be much more to be said about risks.

Money. Yes, technology has led to bitcoin and blockchain, but M-Pesa (Kenya-developed remittance system) and other systems serving domain-specific circumstances too. He also discusses the recommendation/sharing economy and its current tendency to centralize wealth globally from local entrepreneurs (such as owners of newspapers, taxi companies or motels) to a small number of US companies.

Cyberattacks. I was surprised he didn't use better examples - like the US/Israeli sabotage of Iran's nuclear program using a series of viruses. Cybersecurity gets his top recommendation as the field most likely to assure a college student 50 years of steady well-paying employment.

Big Data. "Privacy is dead, get over it." Ok, that's not a quote from this book, but it's a quote from longer ago than you might think. Ross notes that the difference big data has made isn't just the amount of data, but especially its availability for real-time use. But it isn't just about privacy. Google famously wants to own all the world's data. In this section he talks about some unexpected types and sources of data collection and use - and notes that analyses can build in biases and give erroneous correlations. He also discusses ties big data has to cybersecurity and financial systems.

Future Markets. So, there's been First World and Third World since - WWII? And it is rapidly changing. This is probably my favorite part of this book. In part, it's because I've actually been to Estonia, and knew it was the birthplace of Skype, so found it fascinating to learn more about Estonia's amazing technology journey and accomplishments. Another reason is iCow, a mobile app used by small-scale (average: 3 cows) Kenyan dairy farmers that has helped them achieve a tremendous increase in productivity, equal to adding a fourth cow. I'm really glad to hear big data in agriculture doesn't just benefit Monsanto.

Through all of this, Ross's predictions and advice primarily benefit the people who have access to capital, and the extraordinary few who have the drive to transcend their backgrounds. He seems to recognize that, but not really have an answer for it. ...more

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Feb 25, 2018 Thijmen Smith rated it really liked it

A very inspiring book to stimulate yourself in which skills and/or areas you should focus yourself on. It centers around 6 different themes/industries: robotics, genes, block chain, cyber security, big data and the geography disperity of the industries of the future (book is written in 2014). The book gives a goos overview with insightful examples of those topics, but it does not go very much into depth of those topics. I, however, got inspired very much to read this overview. For example, I lea ...more

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Feb 20, 2019 Boni Aditya rated it really liked it

Shelves: history-future

This book does not really talk about Industries of the future. I expected this book to be a predictor of the future, but it merely indicates the direction in which current industry is gravitating towards. It does not talk about what new things or unexpected things that the future can give us. Instead it only talks about the forefront of research and technologies that the current world is working on! The first chapter of the book i.e. about robotics and half way into genomics, followed by the las ...more

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About Alec J. Ross

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Alec Ross is one of America's leading experts on innovation. He is currently a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Johns Hopkins University and the author of The Industries of the Future, being published by Simon & Schuster in February of 2016. The Industries of the Future explores the technological and economic trends and developments that will shape the next ten years, from cybersecurity and big da ...more

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“there is no greater indicator of an innovative culture than the empowerment of women.” — 9 likes

“the next wave will challenge middle classes across the globe, threatening to return many to poverty. The previous wave saw entire countries and societies lifted up economically. The next wave will take frontier economies and bring them into the economic mainstream while challenging the middle classes in the most developed economies.” — 4 likes

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The Industries of the Future

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