I define that the digital revolution is basically sort of extraordinary empowerment  of individuals. So, you know, basically what digital does is it gives the tools of  production, gives the key to the factory to all of us, and that what we do with it is  really up to us.  

I'm, I've been working on a book, starting to work on a book on that theme,  because I and kind of to put it into the to the very big picture. You can, you can  kind of look at the history of civilization and see key points at which very, very  important resources became, started to be supplied centrally. You know, the  dawn of civilization. That's what happened with food production, when we went  from everybody having to do their own, you know, hunting and gathering to an  agricultural model. Electricity is the most recent example where we went from  everybody having to generate their own power to do things, to it being supplied  centrally. And I think we're now going through the same thing with information  processing and computing in general. And what always happens is that that  pushes down the cost dramatically for everyone, and it leads, it always leads to  big changes in that. For instance, if you look at electricity, it was only when it  became a utility that the that the applications of electricity exploded into all sorts  of appliances and really changed the world in many ways. And, you know, I think that as we look forward over the next, you know, 5, 10, 15, 20, years, we'll see  everybody really gaining access to unlimited amounts of computing power,  unlimited amounts of storage capacity, network storage capacity, unlimited  amounts of bandwidth. And I think it's going to change the way we gather  information. It's going to change the media business, the way we interact, and in a profound way, I think it's going to change the economics of business. And  we're starting to see some of that already, where more and more, you know,  knowledge work becomes portable, and you can do it everywhere, and use the,  you know, the general the internet, as your kind of Computing Grid, and I think  that, I think we're just at the start of that process.  

So let me leave you with the words of Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of HP, who  said when I interviewed her for the book Tom everything we've called the IT  revolution, the information technology revolution up to now, sorry to tell you,  that's just been the warm up act. What you are now about to see, ladies and  gentlemen, is the real it. Revolution off this new platform. We are just at the end  of the beginning. Now you're going to see the real thing. So fasten your seat  belts, put your seat backs and tray tables into a fixed and upright position  Because the world is flat. Thank you Very much. 


Last modified: Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 1:56 PM