Exponential Wisdom

Peter and Dan discuss a number of longevity and pharmaceutical companies that are working to crack the vitality code of life. Exponential technologies, from machine learning to CRISPR, are enabling scientists to probe medical data, understand aging, and reverse its processes like never before. In this episode: Peter discusses a startup he’s tracking that uses gene therapy to treat age and age-related diseases afflicting animals, extending pets’ healthy lifespans by nearly a decade, with no side effects. Dan discusses a major paradigm shift in financial planning, whereby financial advisors that embrace technology are beginning to use forecasts of 120 years instead of conventional actuary tables that take by default a life expectancy of 90 years. Peter and Dan emphasize the importance of a resilient mindset, purpose and long-term inspiration for individuals striving to maximize their longevity journeys.

Peter and Dan discuss the ways in which today’s pandemic will fundamentally reshape a handful of industries, from commercial aviation to education. For most of us, we will not be returning to business as usual. Rather, we will see the emergence of redefined and reorganized companies, made resilient by their need to adapt to new market conditions. In this episode: Peter and Dan evaluate a number of possible outcomes for the airplane and travel industries, as countless businesses adapt to the new paradigm of working-from-home. Dan makes the case for his prediction that while technology will continue to globalize, almost every other aspect of everyday life will localize. Peter and Dan delve into the future of education. As schools determine whether to pursue an additional semester of online learning, and parents play an increasingly pedagogical role, how will tomorrow’s classrooms adapt, and what impacts will we see on learning?

Peter and Dan discuss how evolutionary pressures speed up innovation, agreeing that the pandemic will accelerate technological progress and change our lives forever. In the arc of contemporary history, we will remember a clear distinction between life “Pre-COVID-19” and “Post-COVID-19.” To this effect, Peter and Dan demonstrate how business model innovation is at an all-time high, fueling historic levels of productivity and creativity for entrepreneurs in our new “work-from-home” economy. In this episode: Peter talks about the search for grand challenges — problems that make you angry, or new phenomena you can’t live without — and the process by which you can turn these into solutions or new business models. Dan argues that “scary times” should not be so scary for tenacious entrepreneurs. As the most successful CEOs constantly face risks and unknowns, COVID-19’s uncertainties provide the perfect conditions for entrepreneurs to fail, learn, and thrive… Because building a successful business requires grit, perseverance, and trial by fire. Peter illustrates how intense pressure speeds up the inevitable. In a pre-COVID marketplace, when business owners knew they needed to downsize a department or kill a venture, most put it off “until tomorrow.” Yet as COVID-19 drives businesses to the edge, there is no debating, and one must take action.

Peter and Dan discuss Software as a Service (SaaS) and AIaaS, both vital tools for businesses seeking to scale with a leaner organization. Particularly as workforces become distributed and companies race to digitize, cloud computing is now more important than ever before. In this episode: Dan talks about the historic opportunity to use our current global pause and newfound free time to brainstorm with customers and collaborate on new capabilities. Peter examines the potential of exponential technologies to help track viruses in the future. Offering a number of possible scenarios, he considers the example of genome sequencing tools built into air ports, as well as other mechanisms for the detection and tracking of novel viruses.  Dan and Peter discuss how COVID-19 will transform life as we know it, and why humanity is yet to face other existential threats.

Peter and Dan discuss working-from-home (WFH) dynamics and how they’ve simplified their daily routines as the COVID-19 pandemic upends business-as-usual and forces us to adapt. Making longer-term projections, they illustrate how industries will transform during this global pause, and what implications we’ll see in our everyday lives. In this episode: Peter emphasizes the importance of treating every problem like an opportunity. By adapting to new (and projected) “normals,” Peter discusses his process for writing down all the problems he faces working from home, and then turning these into opportunities ripe for business. Dan talks about leveraging Zoom across his meetings and workshops, expressing why he is more excited than ever to reinvent business models and common company practices.  Peter features the newly launched FutureLoop “Pandemic Edition,” a daily update on how exponential technologies are impacting the detection, prevention and cure of COVID-19. (Check out the link here!)

Peter and Dan discuss the power of Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AIaaS) and its utility to thousands of companies in both traditional and non-traditional sectors. By adding an AI layer to your organization, AIaaS tools can help any company achieve scale with minimal increases in headcount, fueling data-driven business decisions, personalized marketing efforts, team efficiency, and countless other benefits. In this episode: Dan elaborates on a quote by Gino Wickman — “Systemize the predictable so you can humanize the exceptional” — and uses it as a framework for understanding AI-human collaboration.  Illustrating several examples (e.g. AIs that help doctors diagnose patients in real time), Peter discusses how he is using “AI as his ‘WHO’” to run experiments across his organizations.  Dan delves into the importance of teamwork between humans and technology, a partnership he claims will be key for competitive businesses in decades to come.

Peter and Dan showcase a number of entrepreneurs working on wireless power, virtual workplaces, and educational platforms with built-in facial recognition.  In this episode: Peter discusses Guru, a company that has built a wireless charging system that transmits electricity using high-frequency radio waves. By combining this technology with 5G, businesses like Guru might soon usher in a wireless world.  Peter gives an update on eXp Realty, which has zero physical offices yet thousands of real estate agents, all of whom engage in virtual workplaces for meetings, training sessions, and the like.  Dan and Peter discuss David Sinclair’s “information theory of aging,” a compelling theory regarding why we age.

Peter and Dan discuss the state of quantum computing and Google’s announcement that they achieved ‘quantum supremacy’ in October 2019.  In this episode: Peter gives a general overview of what quantum computing is and why this matters to entrepreneurs.  Dan and Peter discuss the skill of asking great questions and why general AI’s will soon assist every aspect of our lives.  Peter mentions a few unexpected consequences of converging technologies like 5G, broadband satellites, and quantum computing available on the cloud for free.

Peter and Dan discuss entrepreneurial breakthrough stories specifically in the energy industry. They talk about the importance of timing in launching a new venture and why the 2020’s will be the decade of exponential energy. In this episode: Peter mentions a company “Energy Vault” that is specializing in gravitational energy storage. Its primary product is a gravity battery that utilizes a multi-headed crane to store energy in a stacked tower of heavy blocks made from concrete.Dan mentions that energy is becoming exponential, because as more and more energy is available, human aspirations for using energy increases. Peter discusses another company “Heliogen” that is using concentrated solar energy to exceed temperatures greater than 1,000 degrees Celsius, transforming sunlight to create and replace fuels.

Peter and Dan discuss an effective strategy whereby entrepreneurs and established companies eliminate competition, not by overtaking competitors, but rather by building new partnerships through collaborative opportunities. In this episode: Dan defines and illustrates his concept of the “free zone frontier.” By establishing a partnership between two well-positioned capabilities, one party--the designated “simplifier”--provides a new solution while its counterpart serves as a massive “multiplier.”  Peter offers the example of Amazon’s open sourcing of its internal company software platforms, allowing competitors to use its services and, in turn, make them cheaper for Amazon. By purchasing Amazon fulfillment and customer service, for instance, firms gives Amazon far more data, improving their services while making them cheaper. Dan and Peter highlight numerous cases of entrepreneurs that provide value to clients without anything in return, and thereby validate the products of their business partners. This eventually leads to massive revenue streams and sustainable, trusted businesses.