Turmoil Ahead for the Automotive Industry
Turmoil Ahead for the Automotive Industry In 1954, Brook Stevens, a well-known industrial designer gave a keynote speech at an advertising conference titled “Planned Obsolescence.” By his definition, planned obsolescence was “instilling in the buyer the desire to own...The Disruptive Underground Vs. the Banking Industry
In 1997 Reed Hasting returned his copy of “Apollo 13” to the video store and was hit with a late fee so big that he was embarrassed to tell his wife about it. Out of this moment of humiliation the idea for Netflix was born, a business that would eventually take down...
The Curse of Infrastructure
The Curse of Infrastructure Every time I drive to the office there are 11 separate stoplights along my route. Based on some cosmic luck-of-the-draw, two thirds of the stoplights will either be red or green, and the time it takes me will vary from 12 to 22 minutes....
When Countries Go Bankrupt
When Countries Go Bankrupt In December 2006, Britain made its final payment of $84 million on a $4.34 billion loan from the U.S. that was made all the way back in 1945. Germany wasn’t the only country to go bankrupt after WWII. This money allowed Britain to stave off...