Peter Diamandis: The World is Not Just Changing Fast, It’s Accelerating

Singularity University Co-founder Peter Diamandis says that the power entrepreneurs have to solve problems is greater than ever before. He says that the convergence of technologies is transforming business models and that the world is not just changing faster than ever before, it’s accelerating.

Peter Diamandis, Co-Founder & Chairman, Singularity University in a recent talk:

The World is Not Just Changing Fast, It’s Accelerating

We truly are living during the most extraordinary time ever in human history. Here’s the challenge, I want to give you a sense of how fast the world is changing but have you understand that it’s accelerating. What does that mean? The title of my next book, which I’m writing with Steven Kotler, is The Future is Faster Than You Think. There is an acceleration that’s actually accelerating the acceleration. In physics, that’s called jerk, but that’s not a very good name.

The reality is that people have no idea how fast the world is truly changing. We have ideas from our limited point of view if you’re the 3D printing scientist or an AI scientist or engineer, but what we don’t realize is the convergence of all of these technologies that are transforming business models. Every single company here, every single walk of life, every single way that we earn our living, is going to change not in 30 years or 20 years but this decade.

Acceleration of the Rate of Innovation

I’d like to give you a sense of why that is, both to have the excitement about that, but also the agility you’re going to need to sort of surf on top of the tsunami versus being crushed by it. When I talk about acceleration, it’s acceleration of the rate of innovation. What is innovation?

Innovation isn’t just a better algorithm. Innovation today is the exchange of ideas between individuals. I have an idea and I share with my buddy Naveen, he builds on the idea and shares it back with me. This is conversation that is back and forth and we can actually see this mathematically. As people moved out of the rural areas into the cities, into the coffee shops and the density of their conversations began to increase, so did the innovation occur. LEARN MORE