Chapter 01 / Summary
1. Progress has stagnated since the 1970s, with dire consequences for society
"We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters."
Stagnation is real.Despite the rhetoric of exponential growth and accelerating change, technological progress has slowed significantly since the 1970s. This is evident in:
Consequences are severe.The lack of progress has led to:
Innovation is geographically concentrated.Throughout history, progress has been driven by specific creative clusters (e.g. Renaissance Italy, Victorian Britain, Silicon Valley). These clusters eventually decline unless renewed by competition and new entrants.
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