2020 Tech Trends Report

To capitalize on the future, leaders need to know what it might hold.

The 2020s will witness extraordinary change, as expanding technology creeps into every facet of life. Leaders can optimize opportunities while mitigating catastrophes.

Trends ideally obey the following “laws”:

1. Basic human needs drive trends.
2. Trends are timely, but persist.
3. The convergence of weak signals over time makes trends.
4. Trends evolve as they emerge.

Much of the “technological ecosystem” is still under construction, so strategic trends remain murky. Future trend drivers include demographics, economies, politics and social movements.

Eleven “macro sources of disruption” exist, with technology as the “connective tissue”: 1) wealth distribution, 2) education, 3) infrastructure, 4) government, 5) geopolitics, 6) economy, 7) public health, 8) demographics, 9) environment, 10) media and telecommunications, and 11) technology.

These disruptions remain outside a leader’s control. Companies should think exponentially but act incrementally. Start with tactical planning (one to two years) and expand into strategic planning (two to five ...