I believe there is an opportunity for a renaissance.
The Renaissance, as in the period of European history in the 15th and 16th centuries, is fascinating for its broad but deep impact across science, culture, art, and the greater human perspective. With the benefit of historical hindsight, the period was characterized by a renewed interest in our natural world, consequential technological advancement from the printing press to materials, new market-based economic and social structures, cultural and intellectual exchange through writing and trade, and humanism or individualism focused on the potential and achievements of the individual.
As such, a renaissance is a period of significant cultural, artistic, and intellectual revival.
I believe we are to enter a period that, with the benefit of hindsight, will be described as a renaissance. This period will be characterized by renewed interest in our environment and built world, shifting societal values through digital citizenship, new capacity unlocked by connecting today’s leading cities to those of tomorrow, and greater free-thinking fueled by the most socially, economically, and culturally consequential technology waves.
The amount of technological innovation that will occur in my career will be an order of magnitude greater than that which has occurred in the careers of every successful investor and entrepreneur that I admire, from Bill Gurley, Mary Meeker, and Jeff Jordan to Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Larry Page. This renaissance will be the result of three (often interrelated) technologies: artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and tech-enabled biology. Artificial intelligence will augment and replace human capabilities. Quantum computing will retire the concept of computing power as a limitation. Tech-enabled biology will, in the least sensationalized way possible, end most human biological constraints such as disease and degeneration. The potential is as consequential to society as The Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries.
This is a very exciting proposition for someone interested in building a career and life around technology. What is to come will be my perspective on the areas in which there is actively a renaissance or there is the opportunity for such a renaissance. Some you might find insightful, perhaps others you might feel demonstrates ignorance and have feedback. Regardless, if these topics interest you, stay tuned :)