The Power to Predict (1st Edition): How Real Time Businesses Anticipate Customer Needs, Create Opportunities, and Beat the Competition

by Vivek Ranadivé

Real-time business gives companies the ability to monitor and react to changes and address problems as they occur. But no matter how sophisticated their information-gathering and data mining systems are, they're still playing catch-up. In The Power to Predict, Ranadive forecasts the next step in achieving breakthrough business performance, a new approach he calls Predictive the ability to anticipate business problems and opportunities and to act preemptively. Predictive Business allows companies to take real-time information, correlate it with historical patterns, and recognize events that hold tremendous profit potential.

In an effort to stay ahead of the curve, a handful of companies have been quietly making the transition from reactive organizations to proactive, and are well-suited for a customer-centric business paradigm. Ranadive takes us inside a number of these companies—including Amazon, Pirelli, Harrah's, E. & J. Gallo, Wal-Mart, and 7-Eleven—to show how they are making that transition, and are able to anticipate customer needs and be ready satisfy them the minute they emerge; and be prepared for sudden events such as a power outage, spikes in demand for a product or service, logistic issues due to changing weather patterns, or evolving customer requirements.

Genres: Business

Audible Audio

First published February 1, 2005

About the author

Vivek Yeshwant Ranadivé is an Indian-American business executive, engineer, author, and philanthropist known for his pioneering role in real-time data processing and his ventures in professional sports. Born in Mumbai in 1957, he moved to the United States to attend MIT, where he earned degrees in electrical engineering, followed by an MBA from Harvard Business School. He began his career in tech by founding a UNIX consulting company and later held leadership roles at Ford Motor Company and other tech firms.
In 1985, with seed funding from Teknekron Corp., Ranadivé founded Teknekron Software Systems, a company focused on real-time computing. He went on to establish TIBCO Software in 1997, revolutionizing the way businesses process information in real time. His work has made a lasting impact on enterprise software, and he has shared his insights through bestselling books such as The Power of Now and The Two-Second Advantage.
In 2010, Ranadivé became the first person of Indian descent to co-own an NBA team as vice chairman of the Golden State Warriors. He later led a group to acquire the Sacramento Kings in 2013, becoming their principal owner and chairman. In 2022, he expanded into Minor League Baseball by purchasing the Sacramento River Cats. He also founded Bow Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm.
Outside of business, Ranadivé coached his daughter’s youth basketball team, a story that gained national attention through Malcolm Gladwell’s writing. His daughter Anjali, also known as Nani, is a singer and marine conservationist. Ranadivé continues to champion innovation, sports leadership, and philanthropy while maintaining a strong presence in both Silicon Valley and professional sports.

Reviews

[Sopan Shewale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read - but serious book. If you are planning to have your own business - you must read this book