#132—Andrew Hill: Decoding the FT and Schroders Best Business Book of the Year Award

Dec 27, 2024

Andrew Hill, senior business writer at the Financial Times and author of books on Victorian thinkers, dives into the evolving landscape of business literature. He shares insights on this year’s FT and Schroders Business Book of the Year, exploring themes like sustainability and corporate purpose. The conversation brings up John Ruskin's perspective on modern trends, the complexities of integrating ESG principles, and the implications of a multi-stage life on work and education. Hill’s experience adds depth to discussions on profit versus sustainability.

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Intro

00:00 • 4min

Exploring the Legacy of Polymaths in Victorian Thought

03:55 • 2min

Navigating Strategy and Business Literature

05:30 • 12min

Navigating ESG: Profit vs Sustainability

17:57 • 6min

Navigating a Multi-Stage Life

24:18 • 11min

Rise of the Robots

Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future

Martin Ford

In 'Rise of the Robots', Martin Ford argues that advances in robotics and artificial intelligence will lead to widespread job displacement across various sectors, including highly educated professions. The book presents examples of how automation could displace or de-skill many jobs and suggests a guaranteed basic income as a potential solution to mitigate the effects of unemployment. It provides a compelling case for the real and severe impacts of modern industrialization due to technological advancements.

The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century

John Kay

Ruskinland

Andrew Hill

Leadership in the Headlines

Andrew Hill

Unit X

How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War

Christopher Kirchhoff

Raj Shah

This book provides an insider perspective on the transformation of how war is fought through the integration of advanced technologies from Silicon Valley into the US military. The authors, who co-founded Unit X, detail the bureaucratic challenges, cultural clashes, and institutional inertia they faced and overcame to bring innovations such as flying cars, AI-powered drones, and microsatellites into military operations. The book highlights the urgent need for the US to maintain technological parity with its adversaries and deter war through these advancements.

The World is Flat

Thomas Friedman

Tribal

How the Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together

Michael Morris

In 'Tribal,' Michael Morris argues that our psychology is wired by evolution in three distinctive ways: the peer instinct to conform, the hero instinct to give to the group, and the ancestor instinct to follow prior generations. These tribal instincts enable us to share knowledge, work as a team, and transmit cultural knowledge. Morris uses deep research, current and historical events, and stories from business and politics to show how these instincts can elevate performance, heal rifts, and drive cultural change. The book challenges conventional wisdom and offers a hopeful vision for collective change.

Supremacy

AI, ChatGPT, and the Race that Will Change the World

Parmy Olson

Chip War

The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology

Chris Miller

In 'Chip War', Chris Miller details how the semiconductor industry has become essential for modern life, influencing military, economic, and geopolitical power. The book explores the historical development of microchips, from their origins in Silicon Valley to their current role in global politics, particularly in the competition between the United States and China. Miller explains how the U.S. dominance in chip design and manufacturing contributed to its victory in the Cold War and how China's efforts to catch up are shaping the current geopolitical landscape.

Growth

A Reckoning

Daniel Susskind

The Longevity Imperative

How to Build a Healthier and More Productive Society to Support Our Longer Lives

Andrew J Scott

In this book, Andrew J. Scott outlines the innovations needed to make the most of longer lives, including substantial changes to our health system, economy, financial sector, careers, health, finances, and relationships. Scott argues that by viewing longevity as an opportunity, we can live lives that are not just longer but also healthier, happier, and more productive. The book demands a radical rethink of aging and provides a blueprint for living well today, tomorrow, and in the future, addressing the individual, social, political, economic, and cultural changes required for a more optimistic, healthier, and wealthier future[2][4][5].

Andrew Hill, is senior business writer at the Financial Times and consulting editor, Financial Times Live. He is author of Ruskinland (2019), about the enduring influence of Victorian thinker John Ruskin and Leadership in the Headlines, a collection of Andrew’s his columns.

We were quite lucky to be able to corral Andrew to have a conversation with us, and I'd be remiss not to preface this podcast by pointing out that rather than our typical format of diving into one author's ideas, framework and thinking around business trends, in this episode, we get a chance to glean insights multiple books and from his experiencing curating the best business books of the year for the Financial Times.

In this episode, we journey through this year's FT and Schroders Business Book of the Year 2024, getting an "insider look" into the year’s roundup. We also get to explore how the best business book lists has evolved over the years and what this means for the present and future of business.

Andrew’s long tenure made for an interesting conversation into more niche topics, leading even to what John Ruskin—a Victorian Polymath from the 1800s—would have thought of particular trends highlighted in this collection of books in the modern era.

In this podcast, we discuss:

Has the purpose of the coporation changed? Should we move beyond being purely profit-motivated?
Whether the relentless pursuit of economic growth is sustainable or even desirable, given environmental and social constraints
Could tribalism, which is often seen as divisive, be a force for collaboration and innovation and unity?
How the increase in human longevity may require us to rethink life stages and adopt a 'multi-stage life' model, blending careers, education, and leisure throughout a lifetime
Andrew's own journey at the Financial Times, and how the Best Business Books list was established and has evolved over time.

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Episode Timeline:
00:00—Highlight from today's episode
01:26—Introducing Andrew + the topic of today’s episode
03:45—If you really know me, you know that...
05:31—What is your definition of strategy?
06:52—History and purpose of the FT Business Book of the Year Awards
08:16— Criteria and process for selecting the books
11:36— Comparing 2024 submissions with previous years and emerging trends
16:20— Discussion of The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century
17:58— Navigating the ESG debate and long-term thinking
21:41—Discussion of Tribal: How the Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together
24:32— Andrew Hill highlights Andrew Scott's insights into living and thriving in a longer lifespan
27:48— Discussion of Growth: A Reckoning
31:02— Connecting the themes and a reflection on John Ruskin's perspective
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Additional Resources:
Link to book: Ruskinland
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/andrewtghill
X: https://x.com/andrewtghill

Thank you to our guests, thank you to our executive producer, Karina Reyes, our editor, Zach Ness, and the rest of the team. If you like what you heard, please follow, download, and subscribe. I'm your host, Kaihan Krippendorff. Thank you for listening.

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