2084

100 years from Orwell’s 1984. The world will have solved the dilemmas that are killing us. How do we get there? The century of new tech Step-change technology (AI, Blockchain, IOT, bio-tech) is not just an engine of growth. It is the only bridge to get to the future. Dilemma. 1. Those who ignore New Tech will disappear. 2. While technology is the solution for people’s real problems, and while it unlocks tremendous productivity gains and new needs, it always has to be fire-proofed against public interest, ethics and assessment of externalities. Those who embrace New Tech, without understanding its consequences in full, will disappear. The century of sustainability The linear model of production – consumption – waste is over. Dilemma. 1. This linear model will make most companies collapse within a short ten years’ interval (together with society at large). 2. A new circular model, which takes after-life into account from the very design phase of any business proposition, is desperately needed. Companies who move into a circular scheme will need to reinvent their supply chain and marketing, thus shaking up the foundations of their current revenues’ stream. Unfortunately, most of them will fail during the transition. The century of open sourcing Brands democratized quality, thanks to standardization and mass media. The reliance on a linear model made their products affordable, accessible and profitable. Dilemma. 1. Future forces Brands to pass ownership to fans & rethink supply chain. Most Brands will fail, both if they change and if they don’t. 2. Surviving Brands will have to be open sourced and sustainable, without becoming available to the well-off only. Sustainability cannot be our new luxury. Those Brands who embrace the new challenges, while losing their touch with fans, identity and pricing, will fail. 2084’s intelligent, sustainable, open sourced future starts today.