The Future of Almost Everything: The global changes that will affect every business and all of our lives

by Patrick Dixon

From the man the Wall Street Journal describes as a 'global change guru', more than one hundred of the trends that touch every aspect of our lives. This new and updated edition looks even farther into the future, predicting trends past the first decades of the 22nd century. Patrick Dixon looks at how the future will be Fast, Urban, Tribal, Universal, Radical and Ethical - a future of boom and bust and great economic change as the emerging markets grow up; a future of great advances in medicine and also greater threats from viral epidemics; a future of political shocks and greater conflicts; a future in which people will strive for more privacy and businesses will change the way they relate to their staff and their customers; a future in which there will be driverless cars and solar power generated in the desert will power cities thousands of miles away. In this updated edition, Dixon shows how recent developments confirm his predictive intelligence and robotics - profound power and influence over our future world Beyond Brexit - the longer term future of the EU and UKThe long-term impact of the MeToo movementThe future of Truth - Fake News, propaganda and impact on democracyPresidential leadership - rise of powerful figureheads across the world, and potential future conflictsAnd in an entirely new chapter, Dixon extends his predictive horizon to see how the future will look one hundred years from now.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Science, Social Science, Technology

437 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 27, 2015

Reviews

[Nomad one · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has a few interesting ideas, but reading the whole thing is quite pointless and here's why.

The ideas are quite well described in the intro chapter. The majority of the book goes about exploring the ideas and making predictions. The further away a country/people are from USA - the more predictions and the more precision. However when it comes to USA - very few things are said and even those are quite vague. Maybe that is an artifact of the author's time spent - idk, but keeping this book as a reference for Americas is... less interesting.

Imho The Next 100 years has much better reasoning. The finishing chapter is inspirational at best.

Do yourself a solid: meditate about your surroundings a few moments each day. Travel modestly around the globe and you'd be able to write this book. Maybe even much better.

[Mark Thorley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful thought provoking stuff. Only time will tell its accuracy but the reasoning and obvious apparent research appears sound. I just loved this book

[Zümrüt Kostak Aydın · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the sections are starting with “As I predicted” which is quite annoying. The insights were mainly predictable..

[Gökhan Can · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yaşadığımız dünyanın dinamiklerin nedenlerine farklı bir bakışla bakmak ve geleceğe yönelik değişimleri anlayabilmek adına değişim tahminleri getiren bir kitap. Covid pandemisi öncesi yayınlandığından -2015- bu olasi etkilere yönelik tahminlerin doğru çıktığı görülüyor. Okuması keyifli. Tarz olarak arka arkaya farklı konulara geçilerek gelecek tahminlerine odaklanmak biraz monotonluk yaratmış. Olayların geçmişten gelişlerine yönelik başlangıçlar olsaydı biraz daha keyifli olabilirdi.

[Anish Kaushal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this book as a recommendation from my dad when he met the author at some conference in passing. Didn't know how impactful and how right Patrick would've been. This book was written back in 2015 and yet predicted so many of the current trends that already exist today (Amazon, the growth of cloud computing, etc.). Wish I read this earlier because gives you so many ideas on where the world is going but also investment ideas.

Some notes I took:

Each of us reads the world through our own set of glasses, which distorts our perception and reactions, shaped by our culture, birthplace, history and experiences

The single word that will drive the future is emotion

Daily life in 2030 will be pretty similar to what it is today

Forces of the FUTURE:
Fast: speed of change, wild cards, digital technology
Urban: future of urbanization, demographics, health, fashion
Tribal: future nations, cultures, social networks, brands, teams
Universal: globalization, retail, trade, manufacturing
Radical: death of politics, rise of activism, sustainability
Ethical: values., motivation, leadership, aspiration, spirituality

Risk managers have to be independently minded informed by the trends outside their industry

Problem of short termism

By 2030, Asia’s economic output will be bigger than the US and EU combined

Simplicity will be a survival issue

Quantum computing means a million times faster

The internet of things, big data and cloud computing will win out (IT HAS)

Cybercrime will be the greatest threat to the world in the next 50 years and for centuries

For more notes and quotes, see here - https://www.anichexperience.com/book-...

[Harkeran Jandu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful, but most predictions were foreseeable. At times, reading certain predictions, felt like it was happening now and therefore lacked the real innovative and futuristic ideas I was expecting. Also, the bit about religion was extremely biased masked with racism.

[Laila · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cube idea remind me of a pair of dice (usually the fluffy-type) hanging on the rear-view mirror of some peoples' cars, as though they're the kind of tribe who prescribed to the philosophy that life is about a game of chance: one just got to rolls the dice and see what happens. I decorated mine with a cross that I bought in St. Paul Cathedral, London while I visited the place last year. Funny, how a little thing like that reveals one's personal statement of belief.
I never heard of Patrick Dixon and what he does until recently when my husband came home one day with two of his books and said I should read them while praising this unknown individual!
This book has no particular appeal to me even though it has been sitting and staring at me at eye-level for months while I'm reading other books, but curiosity in me won the day as it always does.
Oh wow, Dixon indeed epitomized the futurist among us and I wonder how he could sleep peacefully at night, knowing what he knew about the world's past, present and future! Would "ignorance is a bliss" be a better prescription for the faint-hearted? I'm between amused and terrified about the future particularly close to home of the possibility of me living close to 100 or perhaps well beyond 100. Goodness me! I'm not scared of dying but I'm not looking forward to live that long either; an ethical dilemma right there, folks!
BTW, it's Hindi not Urdu that is spoken widely alongside English in India, it being India's national language (pg. 173)
I'm surprised that Dixon didn't make any mention of the the rise of apostasy among Muslims either those living in developed and emerging nations and how this tribe movement impact the world: culturally, socially, spiritually and economically? Is it because it's so hard to quantify them? I'm curious what he got to say regarding this curious subject.
Overall, it's a curious read and if I got it right "mood" is the mechanism that makes the world go around and around. The idea of how eight cubes affected each other does make sense but I won't go as far as bought one just to remind me the idea behind it.
I'm tempted to list how to be "futurewise" but decided against it (pg. 316-317)
Parting words from Dixon's as food for thought: You have choices every day. Do what you believe in and feel most passionate about. (pg. 317)

[Jenny Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Six whirlwind chapters to make your hair stand on end. Published in 2020, this book is full of facts, facts and more facts extrapolated to predict what the world may look like in years to come. Six meaty chapters follow the acronym FUTURE: Fast, Urban, Tribal, Universal, Radical, Ethical. They are six faces of the same 'die'.

This is not an almanac but a studied and considered set of scenarios based on trends and actualities of the past and present. Some of the things predicted, such as the Russia/Ukraine conflict, have already happened.

Dixon warns us that CEOs tend to look at only three of the dice faces: Fast, Urban and Universal. These cover 'the speed of change, urbanisation, demographics, health care, fashions, and fads, technology and globalisation'. The other three faces need consideration for those planning for the future. Tribal, Radical and Ethical cover 'the forces of nationalism, sectarianism, social media, activism, personal motivation, aspiration, ambition, sustainability, politics, religion and terrorist movements.'

Chapter 7 explores the possible scenarios of the year 2120 including the formation of the Global Democratic Forum (GDF) to take over from the redundant UN to influence and promote 'Global Peace, Harmony and Prosperity' and likely to agree on Non-Binding Declarations (NBDs) with no legal power but enough pressure to influence world governments as power shifts from the west to the east. Dixon also predicts the likelihood of wars, natural disasters and more pandemics which motivate populations to work together, particularly on health and on food security and production.

An engrossing read but with so many facts my head was left buzzing even though I paced myself for one main chapter a day. Since Mr Dixon is engaged for public speaking at some of the biggest companies in the world and has been listened to by politicians around the globe, it's worth taking note of his futurist ideas, particularly if you run a business. I doubt I'll be around to see much of what these pages hold but amidst the disasters and crises, there is hope as well.

[Özgür Takmaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emerson is the force that makes the cube spin. The faces spell the word 'FUTURE'
Fast, urban, tribal, universal, radical, ethical.

All leaders must be futurist.

News is what someone else does not want to to print. All the rest is advertising.

Industrialized techno-gypsies consider themselves global citizens.

Great wealth is toxic to well being off family

Shadow banking

The skills really matter are: rapid search, collate, interpret, analyze, summarize, conclude, decide.

Videos are great for information but useless at transformation.

Benign dictatorships can serve many emerging nations well.

Parkinson's law: work always expands to fill the time available.

A nation has no large corporations, its economy will be dominated by foreign players.

Take hold of your future, or the future will take hold of you.

[Amira Izhar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Future of (Almost) Everything’ by Patrick Dixon Notes

- Comprehensive view of trends
- Significance of emotions and events > trends
- How businesses are institutionally blind, short term thinking

- Gave me a lot of comfort in amongst chaos
- Dixon argues that the world and people recover from things very quickly

‘Take hold of the future or the future will take hold of you’
- Take issue with this
- Isn’t the point that you can’t control things, you just have to mitigate the impact of what happens when the future inevitably takes hold of you

wild card events…
- Elon Musk buying Twitter - tanked value of Eli Lilly Insulin Company overnight, 17mil
- Matt Hancock on I’m a Celeb
- Ye being Antisemitic, losing big deals

[Nayden Kostov · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title says it all: indeed it’s packed with heaps of predictions on any possible topic - some are unexpected and twisted, others are rather trivial.
What’s really valuable is the way these are grouped and the directions you are lead to think and imagine.

[Lina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author doesn't offer any ground breaking insights into the future. However, his writing style is pleasant and fast to read. I applaud him for stating some unpopular opinions. The ending is quite clichéd.

[George Lai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought-provoking

[นรินทร์ โอฬารกิจอนันต์ · Rating 4 out of 5]

ผมทำรีวิวเล่มนี้ไว้ในยูทูบครับ ไปชมกันได้

https://youtu.be/0_wzp5QiNho

[Mark Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure lots of guesses that anyone could have made really...

[Ryan Young · Rating 1 out of 5]

obvious generalities and some barely concealed racism.

really excited to read another line that begins, “as i predicted 20 years ago...”

also his phone number is printed in the back. come on.

[Sr. Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now happening ...

[Ozkan Aksit · Rating 5 out of 5]

FUTURE
Fast
Urban
Tribal
Universal
Radical
Ethical
Fast-Universal-Urban vs Tribal-Radical-Ethical

[Димитър Р. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Взех книгата преоценена за 5 лева в бързината, докато взимах други книги от книжарницата. Не се замислих, не видях кога е писана, просто ми хареса колко изтъркано звучи "Бъдещето...". Колко хора могат да предвидят бъдещето? Отговорът е никой. Но кой може да го налучка - най-вече учени, физици, сеизмолози, синоптици и т.н... Шегата настрана, никой не е спрян и всеки може да напише собствена такава книга. На кого да вярваме обаче? Това е и причината да дам четири зведи, тъй като е невъзможно на такъв тип книга човек да даде повече. Несериозно е. Патрик Диксън е финансов анализатор, бизнес консултат, футурист и с лекарско образование. Цялата му книга е базирана на тенденции и прогнозиране на база статистики, което е логичен подход и в случая доста точен. Как определих дали е точен? Това че книгата е писана през 2015 година и масово повечето неща се случват през 2025 година. Това ми беше и интересното, да проверя фактите, които са били прогнозирани. Не съм си правил точна статистика колко от тях бяха верни, но според мен повече от 50% със сигурност, които е доста добро постижение. Книгата се чете лесно, има една идея повече теми, свързани с медицината и бизнеса (обяснимо), но останах доволен, защото ме накара да се замисля над много теми от ежедневния живот и накъде отиваме като човечество.

[Josh Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Future of Almost Everything is an inspiring and challenging book in equal measure. A highly recomended read for both business and community leaders alike. Patrick's 'six faces of the future' model is both enlightening and startling.
Patrick's ability throughout the book to bring home to a personal level the global situations he explores reminds the reader that we are all responsible for how the future will pan out and that we must not simply adopt an ostrich approach and except that global forces of change are beyond our control.
The book promotes a truly aspirational world view that each of us has the power to create a future that we believe in and that can create a better world.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very scary, not in my opinion the things he says about the future, but what he tells us is happening now, and most of us only suspected it. Patrick really does make you think and I think he has some great answers. A book I think should be required reading.

[عمر · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book provided very rich aspects of what our future will look like up to 2050, the key idea is to look at future from 6 different outlook (the cube) which we have to keep in mind whenever we think on an event.

[Tati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boring

[Jose Machicao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not just containing information but new ways to understand the structure of the future.

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, a must read for everyone, really makes you think

[Vikas Datta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful...

[Wynand · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best futurists in my opinion. Five years old but still a phenomenal read.