The Industries of the Future

Ok review of what is now. Not much future.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend a friend to read this book if they were not following current trends and events as a concise way to catch up to what is going on presently.

Have you listened to any of Alec Ross’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No.

Any additional comments?

This book is not so much a look over the horizon for what the industries will be but more a drive around the existing landscape stopping in to see what the demographics are, what people are working on, and why they think it might be important. People that follow technology, business, economics and global trends will not find much of the future in this book. For others, it can serve as a pretty good overview, but not much of predictor of what to expect for the future.

85 of 88 people found this review helpful

Disappointing

The book is a lot of things but surely not "the industries of the future". Alec Ross talks a lot about current technology trends and very little about the future of these technologies (with the exception maybe of Robotics), and definitely nothing about future technologies that may not be now known to the common public. He talks in details about Silicon Valley, and other attempts to establish similar technology concentration zones in the world (and why they fail). He talks a lot about the politics of Russia, China, India, and many other countries, as if the book was a Geo-political and technological analysis of the world.
The narration is the worst part of the book (even after all above negative feedback). Alec Ross should have given this to a professional narrator. This audio book should not be listen to while driving under any circumstance because you will fall asleep very quickly. Absolutely terrible. I would have given the book a zero star for this if possible.
You still get some benefit from the book but not for whatever the title hinted at.

106 of 112 people found this review helpful

Some good points, boring mostly

Insights are pretty common sense if you are up-to-date on trends. Really needs a better voice-over than the monotoned authors voice.

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

be prepared ready or not it's going to happen ok

I'm 75 years old, and I thought it was breathtaking in terms of the world my grandchildren will live in. I think at least portions of it should be read by everyone interested in the future

17 of 21 people found this review helpful

excellent book

eye opening . enjoyed every bit if the book. I particularly loved the factual aspect of the book where there was a clear distinction between the facts and the sole interpretations of the writer. highly recommended

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Adapt or perish

I think Alex is right about a lot of the book, but the idea that little Silicon Valleys are going to spring up where there is domain expertise seems unlikely. The knowledge to build those big data systems is moving too fast to distribute, there are dozens of Apache projects that need to play well together for this to happen. For those with domain expertise to build on it the rate of technology change would have to slow down...otherwise you need a critical mass of big data experts. That seems to be the domain of Silicon Valley and the author doesn't propose a way for it to change, or a hypothesis for big data technology to plateau for some time.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Thought Provoking

I like books that challenge my thinking and this book did that. I think it contains good content and was enjoyable to listen to.

It doesn't really matter to me if Alec is correct in his prognostication. He provides enough information to support his predictions so that the reader can synthesize that information and extend it to other domains. The "why" behind his selection of industries is the most important aspect to apply to changing markets in support of The Innovator's Dilemma.

Read this if you want a glimpse into the future or read it if you want a thought catalyst in support of current markets.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Enlightening

This was an interesting book that looks at what fields are heading for a breakthrough and which ones are on the way out or will require less people in the future. Ross was an advisor to the State Department under Secretary Clinton. Ross traveled too many countries to learn about industrial development. Ross describes how Indonesia, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Mexico are positioning themselves in the global economy. He also describes how Africa is starting to emerge as governments become more stable and civil wars are ending. I was surprised to learn about the mobile telecom companies in Africa and how that is changing people’s lives. I found the information about Estonia fascinating; children learning to code starting in grade one.

Ross identifies certain industries that are key drivers of change. The author devotes chapters to robotics, cyber warfare and advanced life sciences such as genetics. Ross states that any country that does not empower women will fall behind.
At the end of the book Ross discusses how to prepare children to enter the vastly changing workplace coming up. For the science aware person most of this in not new information but for those who are not science aware this might be new and helpful information. Alex Ross did a good job narrating the book.

14 of 18 people found this review helpful

More than a glimpse - a look into the future

This book comes from a man with firsthand knowledge. I use the terms "he smells like the sheep while also flying at 35,000 feet." Being so up close allows him to speak of what is yet he has drawn from what he has seen to see what might be! On one hand the reading leaves one excited about the future. On the other hand one is challenged to prepare oneself for involvement in this new world. Incredibly insightful and useful for anyone involved in creating the future!

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Accessible and interesting

4.5 stars.

A very instructive look at the areas of innovation that are likely to become the pivotal industries in coming decades. Ross introduces the reader to robotics, cyber, genomics, AI, big data, and digitization/democratization of money/markets in crisp prose and language clear enough for the layperson but with enough complexity to keep more knowledgeable readers engaged. Ross is particularly interesting as an author extolling the industries on the horizon--he grew up in West Virginia and saw first hand what happens when localities fail to look to the future and invest in and promote education, and when individuals fail to adapt to the changing technological and economic environments. Ross's journey wound from Appalachia to the Obama administration, acting as a technology czar for Hillary Clinton in the State Department. This offered him a vantage point of the world stage, and in his discussion of these industries of the future he also highlights countries that have ably positioned themselves to be major players and other countries whose policies have led to stagnation. It is a fascinating and educational book, and Ross has a great deal of optimism that manages to keep things interesting but not drift in Pollyannaism. Well worth the time of any reader.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful