The Exchange — a brainstorming confab about “innovation to accelerate transformation” with a bunch of large company executives. Instead of corporate transformation within, I focused on the transformation of an entire industry (e.g., automotive and aerospace) and the transformation of the social fabric of humanity and the physical fabric of reality.
I also challenged them with the provocation that they will never perform this kind of transformation… within their core business. Meaningful change is always led by new entrants, with no exceptions in history. I have become fond of saying this and then asking if anyone knows of a counter example. Sure, big companies can lead meaningful change… by becoming a new entrant themselves in some new domain adjacent to their historical core, like the oft-mentioned Apple (music, phones) or HP (printers).
“You are just a bunch of mushrooms!” — an enigmatic exclamation by sci-fi author David Brin just after my talk. I think it was meant as a compliment, or maybe a nod to 9/20 🍄 https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/9-20-psychedelic-mushroom-holiday-psilocybin-1061753/
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