For over a year now, I’ve discussed the amazing times we are living in as the digital age transforms so much of our daily lives. Peter Diamandis, author of the best-selling book, Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think, is the expert who monitors and participates in this digital transformation. Periodically, Peter sends me emails detailing his views about the changes we are experiencing and will be experiencing.
A recent email provided a comparison between 2005, just ten years ago, and today in 2015. In case you were not convinced that daily life has changed much in the last 10 years, consider:
- Ten years ago YouTube received its first video upload.
- Today You Tube has more than 1 billion users with around 300 hours of video upload every minute.
- Today Facebook has 1.4 billion users worldwide
- Ten years ago Facebook paid $200,000 to acquire the URL “facebook.com” to replace its old URL “thefacebook.com.
- Ten years ago a prototype of a crazy idea, a self-driving car, competed and completed , the DARPA Grand Challenge.
- Today Google’s autonomous cars have logged over 1 million miles on our roads, and every major auto manufacturer is developing a self-driving car.
- Ten years ago a drone was a military weapon system.
- Today drones are a low-priced consumer item that can be used by children.
- Ten years ago Bitcoin and blockchain were still three years from being created.
- Today Bitcoin is an accepted form of payment by merchants and blockchain is poised to disrupt our currency and transaction systems.
- Today Android has over 1 billion active users.
- Ten years ago Android was a small startup company that Google acquired.
- Ten years ago earth had 6.4 billion human beings with 1 billion online.
- Today earth has 7.4 billion human begins with 3 billion online.
- Ten years ago no one had heard of Uber.
- Today Uber is disrupting the taxi business model and is valued at over $40 billion after starting in just 2009.
- Ten years ago no one had heard of AirBnb.
- Today AirBnb is disrupting the travel accommodation business model and is valued at over $20 billion after starting in just 2007.
There is no reason to think the next ten years will be any different in terms of massive changes to our daily lives. In fact, with the expected doubling in power and capacity of the microchip every couple of years, the changes are likely to be even more extensive, disrupting many long-standing business models, than we’ve just experienced.
Until next month,
Jeff
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