Industries of the Future

Why it’s on the list: Alec Ross’s 2016 map of the next wave of economic transformation — robotics, genomics, cybersecurity, big data and the digitization of money — and which societies are positioned to thrive in it. It is the source of the West Virginia vs. Estonia parable about which regions adapt to automation and offshoring and which cling to declining industries.

Where I heard about it

• The Future of Work (Article) — a future-of-work essay I annotated, which cites the book as the origin of its central West Virginia vs. Estonia contrast.

Connections

• Alec Ross — author
• The Future of Work (Article) — the essay that cites it
• Estonia — the future-embracing case in the book’s parable