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The Exponential Era: Strategies to Stay Ahead of the Curve in an Era of Chaotic Changes and Disruptive Forces
This book introduces the Exponential Era, the extraordinary times we are living where the convergence of technology platforms that grow at exponential rates is creating unprecedented opportunities for companies that know how to benefit from it, and disastrous results for those that don't.
In the book you will learn
- The megatrends shaping the future of business and society
- The exponential platforms that are creating astonishing opportunities and risks
- The types of companies that thrive in this environment and those that are being destroyed
You will also learn about a robust methodology called SPX that challenges the current thinking in strategic planning and provides an effective playbook for companies to stay ahead of the exponential curve.
Finally, the authors provide a thoughtful discussion about the impact of the Exponential Era on humanity, and how the rapid changes we are experiencing challenge our current societal structures, economics, and ethics.
In the book you will learn
- The megatrends shaping the future of business and society
- The exponential platforms that are creating astonishing opportunities and risks
- The types of companies that thrive in this environment and those that are being destroyed
You will also learn about a robust methodology called SPX that challenges the current thinking in strategic planning and provides an effective playbook for companies to stay ahead of the exponential curve.
Finally, the authors provide a thoughtful discussion about the impact of the Exponential Era on humanity, and how the rapid changes we are experiencing challenge our current societal structures, economics, and ethics.
208 pages, Hardcover
Published March 3, 2021
About the author
David Espindola
3 books43 followersDavid Espindola is a technologist, strategist, futurist, and advisor to business, nonprofits, and academia. As a former Chief Information Officer and consultant to world-renowned organizations, he has developed a keen understanding of technology trends and their impact on business and society.
David is the Founder of Brainyus, a company that applies the principles of Transformative Purpose, Lifelong Learning, and Servant Leadership to transform organizations and individuals. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Advisory Board at the University of Minnesota's Technological Leadership Institute (TLI).
David has developed and implemented global technology strategies to drive business growth and has been part of the leadership team that delivered a business transformation program resulting in 6X revenue growth to more than $5 Billion. Previously, as an Oracle consulting executive, he managed large and complex engagements at strategic accounts and sold several million dollars in software and services. He has held leadership roles at two fast growing tech startups in Silicon Valley, one of which grew 5X during his tenure, reaching over $400M in revenues, resulting in a successful IPO.
David is the Founder of Brainyus, a company that applies the principles of Transformative Purpose, Lifelong Learning, and Servant Leadership to transform organizations and individuals. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Advisory Board at the University of Minnesota's Technological Leadership Institute (TLI).
David has developed and implemented global technology strategies to drive business growth and has been part of the leadership team that delivered a business transformation program resulting in 6X revenue growth to more than $5 Billion. Previously, as an Oracle consulting executive, he managed large and complex engagements at strategic accounts and sold several million dollars in software and services. He has held leadership roles at two fast growing tech startups in Silicon Valley, one of which grew 5X during his tenure, reaching over $400M in revenues, resulting in a successful IPO.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 22, 2021
Michael Wright and David Espindola do an exceptional job framing the opportunities and challenges posed by, ‘The Exponential Era,’ for citizens, businesses, and societies. The intention is to provide businesses the ultimate method (SPX strategic planning) to turn exponential change as defined by mega trends driving markets and behaviors into opportunity versus catastrophe. Those trends are defined early in the book as AI, Networks/blockchain, biotech, quantum computing, IoT, 3D printing, robotics, and material science.
There is an intended audience in the corporate and entrepreneurial space who can benefit immensely while the generalist seeker of knowledge can enjoy the compelling contemporary detail on the tsunami of technology. The book serves as aforementioned to provide practical solutions in the form of SPX strategic planning that is extraordinarily compelling for the business reader which I mark myself. This tutorial regarding application of strategy and methods is balanced by 70 percent of the book that delves into wonderful explanation, history, and predictions regarding leading edge technologies that are impacting us everyday.
Not only does the reader find great attribution of leading tech books for more study, but also the profound knowledge of the authors brought to bear on the impact that AI through material science advances will have on all of us. The semiconductor industry’s giant Andy Grove is reverently cited throughout the book as are contemporary thought leaders from Clayton Christensen and beyond.
Leaders of industry to start ups will hopefully discover this book en masse while the broader citizenry may find it as word of mouth and platforms like Goodreads enable it’s discovery.
There is an intended audience in the corporate and entrepreneurial space who can benefit immensely while the generalist seeker of knowledge can enjoy the compelling contemporary detail on the tsunami of technology. The book serves as aforementioned to provide practical solutions in the form of SPX strategic planning that is extraordinarily compelling for the business reader which I mark myself. This tutorial regarding application of strategy and methods is balanced by 70 percent of the book that delves into wonderful explanation, history, and predictions regarding leading edge technologies that are impacting us everyday.
Not only does the reader find great attribution of leading tech books for more study, but also the profound knowledge of the authors brought to bear on the impact that AI through material science advances will have on all of us. The semiconductor industry’s giant Andy Grove is reverently cited throughout the book as are contemporary thought leaders from Clayton Christensen and beyond.
Leaders of industry to start ups will hopefully discover this book en masse while the broader citizenry may find it as word of mouth and platforms like Goodreads enable it’s discovery.
May 21, 2021
The Exponential Era is a business strategy book published by the IEEE Press as part of its series on technology, innovation and leadership. David Espindola and Michael Wright work at Intercepting Horizons and advise at the University of Minnesota.
The book is a concise 182 pages including its index. It has a satisfying hard cover about the height and width of a paperback book. The book proportions reminded of many of the books that we used to have my secondary school’s library. It felt right in my hand. Its a small thing, but it matters.
The secondary school analogy goes further; the book summarises knowledge and makes it relatively easily digestible.
The Exponential Era includes:
The threat of platforms and their ability to disrupt market sectors
Why people find it hard to grasp the change brought about by the future
Megatrends with the kind of utopian tone that reminded me of Alvin Toffler, George Gilder and John Naisbitt
Horizon monitoring
Agile approach to development
Test and learn
Feedback based strategic decisions which relies extensively on the technology sector’s fetishisation of John Boyd’s OODA model
The Innovator’s Dilemma
Future business ethics
The book consolidates the kind of reading that people in technology and marketing would likely have read anyway. Chances are if you’ve already read books like Saving Big Blue, Measure What Matters, The Lean Startup and Zero to One, then The Exponential Era isn’t written for you.
Who should read this book?
Instead this book seems to be an increasingly diminished audience. A company too small for it’s management to have been lectured on disruption by McKinsey, Bain, BCG or Accenture. But still large enough to be concerned. Like McKinsey et al Espindola and Wright are looking to create disruption fear and sell their SPX methodology to re-engineer their business. I would have thought the c suite in most businesses would have at least done enough reading to have a high level understanding of the content in the book.
The book’s relentless utopian optimism reminded me a lot of business works from the 1970s to the dot com era. I think that The Exponential Era will be of most use to junior people at the start of their career looking for a primer rather than its intended audience.
The book is a concise 182 pages including its index. It has a satisfying hard cover about the height and width of a paperback book. The book proportions reminded of many of the books that we used to have my secondary school’s library. It felt right in my hand. Its a small thing, but it matters.
The secondary school analogy goes further; the book summarises knowledge and makes it relatively easily digestible.
The Exponential Era includes:
The threat of platforms and their ability to disrupt market sectors
Why people find it hard to grasp the change brought about by the future
Megatrends with the kind of utopian tone that reminded me of Alvin Toffler, George Gilder and John Naisbitt
Horizon monitoring
Agile approach to development
Test and learn
Feedback based strategic decisions which relies extensively on the technology sector’s fetishisation of John Boyd’s OODA model
The Innovator’s Dilemma
Future business ethics
The book consolidates the kind of reading that people in technology and marketing would likely have read anyway. Chances are if you’ve already read books like Saving Big Blue, Measure What Matters, The Lean Startup and Zero to One, then The Exponential Era isn’t written for you.
Who should read this book?
Instead this book seems to be an increasingly diminished audience. A company too small for it’s management to have been lectured on disruption by McKinsey, Bain, BCG or Accenture. But still large enough to be concerned. Like McKinsey et al Espindola and Wright are looking to create disruption fear and sell their SPX methodology to re-engineer their business. I would have thought the c suite in most businesses would have at least done enough reading to have a high level understanding of the content in the book.
The book’s relentless utopian optimism reminded me a lot of business works from the 1970s to the dot com era. I think that The Exponential Era will be of most use to junior people at the start of their career looking for a primer rather than its intended audience.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews