
The Exponential Age
How Accelerating Technology Is Transforming Business, Politics, and Society
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Narrated by:
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Azeem Azhar
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By:
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Azeem Azhar
About this listen
From Azeem Azhar, renowned technology analyst and host of the global tech podcast Exponential View, comes a bold exploration and call-to-arms over the widening gap between AI, automation, and big data - and our ability to deal with its effects
We are living in the first exponential age.
High-tech innovations are created at a dazzling speed; technological forces we barely understand remake our homes and workplaces; centuries-old tenets of politics and economics are upturned by new technologies. It all points to a world that is getting faster at a dizzying pace.
Azeem Azhar knows this better than most. Over the last three decades, he has founded companies bought by Amazon and Microsoft, served as the Economist’s first ever internet correspondent, and created a leading international tech newsletter and podcast, the Exponential View.
Now, Azhar offers a revelatory new model for understanding how technology - especially that of Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google, and Spotify - is changing the world. He roots his analysis in the idea of an “exponential gap”, in which technological changes rapidly outpace our society’s ability to catch up with them. Azhar shows that this divide explains many problems of our time - from political polarization to ballooning inequality to unchecked corporate power. With stunning clarity of vision, he delves into how the exponential gap is a near-inevitable consequence of the rise of AI, automation, and big data. And he offers a set of policy solutions that can prevent the growing exponential gap from destroying our societies.
The result is a wholly new way to think about technology. It will transform your understanding of the economy, politics, and the future.
©2021 Azeem Azhar (P)2021 Blackstone PublishingListeners also enjoyed...
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What listeners say about The Exponential Age
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- Satoshi Nakamoto
- 02-24-22
Prophet powered by data
Azeem unpacks the complicated dichotomy of good and bad forces brought about by exponential technologies in simple clear terms. He offers deep insight and experienced knowledge to what is on the horizon, where the world is headed, and what we can do individually, and in business and government to steer the direction of these forces towards the best outcomes. After reading The Exponential Age, I feel more positive for a beautiful and abundant future… and more prepared to expect specific bumps along the way. #2020Theory
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- Anthony
- 04-16-23
Coming of age in the Exponential Age
Mr Azhar has rendered great service through his dedicated and extensive research, analysis, and recommendations on a topic which is constantly shifting and hard to pin down. As a legislator I am grateful for what he brings to the table- food for thought , excellent conversation , ideas and insights I can and will use in our Parliament as we navigate shifting terrain in these turbulent and uncertain times.
Anthony Vieira, Senator, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
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- Yoshi Tryba
- 11-08-21
timely and thought provoking
worth a read if one is grappling with the rapid changes of the modern era
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- JVG
- 12-11-23
Definitely worth reading
If you are a big picture thinker, this is definitely the book for you. He makes very compelling cases and illustrates beautifully as well.
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- James Pann
- 11-07-21
Worth reading if you want to understand where we are headed
Love Azeem’s work, newsletter and interviews. This book clarifies and some of the main lessons he has learned from his work. An essential read if you care about our future.
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- Jeff
- 10-04-21
Good & Bad
Good explanation of the power and potential of exponential technological change. However, in my opinion, too much hand-wringing about how unfair it will be and way too much emphasis on the need for government to step in to control, regulate, break-up and protect us all from big tech.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Alex Wittenberg
- 10-20-21
Broad primer on Exponential Age
This was a good overview of ongoing trends for those who might be new to to the topic, but as someone who listens to Exponential View and is quite tuned in to the innovation ecosystem, I was disappointed in the lack of depth here. It seems like it was written for someone with little to no prior knowledge of the problems facing technology today, so I didn’t really learn anything new.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Thomas Maufer
- 12-27-21
interesting insights on our changing world
it's a well presented set of ideas and the homework is left to the reader, which is appropriate in this case
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- Brian Laung Aoaeh, CFA
- 10-10-21
Supply Chains in the Exponential Age
Azeem does an amazing job capturing how the increasing pace of technological change is going to affect supply chains in ways society may be unprepared for.
Supply chains are formed from a complex and interconnected network of social, environmental, and economic systems. The book discusses how technology affects each of these, and how those effects may be even more pronounced in the future as Exponential Technologies become even cheaper and more powerful than they have ever been in the past.
This is a topic everyone should understand. I own the ebook and the audiobook, and I bought two extra copies for my teenage son and his cousin.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- George Gillette
- 12-13-21
some insights, some repetitive points
it is well narrated, and easy to listen to. it had some interesting insights. however, some points were repeated too frequently, and some just felt obvious. overall would still recommend though
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