The Two Separate But Complimentary Branches of Tech
This unprecedented global lockdown has helped me to crystallize my thoughts on how to best categorize how technology is evolving. It basically boils down to two separate but complementary tracks.
You can separate tech into two different groups. Tech whose purpose is to move data. And tech which is motorized in order to move things. One supports the other.
Bringing the World to You
This is technology which transports data. It allows people access to data that they wouldn’t have had easily before. It also connects people in ways that they weren’t before.
The concept of Bringing the World to You is having the most profound impact on society. How we live, where we live, and how cities are designed. All of these are being changed by the way people are connecting to one another and to their work.
Replacing You
This is motorized tech which exists to transport things. I’m tempted to say that this is tech which replaces “essential workers” but it is bigger than that. Even so, it’s helpful to convey the idea that I’m trying to explain.
As you look at what has happened over the last month you see two groups of workers. Knowledge workers who manipulate data in some way for a living and analog workers who manipulate things for a living. This latter group of factory laborers, drug store cashiers, grocery store stockers, and truck drivers can’t work from home. They need to undertake risk to deliver your prescriptions or put your pasta on the store shelf.
Motorized tech of drones, robots, and automatic guided vehicles is slowly replacing these jobs. Imagine going to a Sonic Restaurant and a 3D ice cream printer made your shake and a drone flew it out to your car. Imagine self-driving trucks leaving a factory and delivering inventory to a Walmart distribution center.
And I hail from the manufacturing world. So I’ve been witnessing the replacement of humans with robots for over 25 years. But as with most trends in big business, as the cost comes down, it filters to smaller businesses. It may not be soon, but it’s coming.
And in this odd time when everyone is freaking out that someone might cough on them. Would you feel better if your waiter was a robot? What if you drove up to Walmart’s parking lot and a drone flew out your order? What if you knew that Amazon warehouses were 100% automated and there were no human hands touching your box?
Summary
As cool as motorized tech sounds, it isn’t really driving change in society. It plays a supporting role to the branch of tech which delivers data. Knowledge workers of the future can collaborate from anywhere. They don’t need to go into an office. Entertainment doesn’t require congregating at a local movie theatre. Shopping doesn’t require a mall. All of these trends are made possible by moving bits of data.
Tech which replaces people serves to PRESERVE SOCIETY as we know it, not change it. It almost plays the opposite role that many people think. There will always be a need to carry food to your table or deliver packages. Does it matter who or what does it?
One thing is clear to me after this past month. The changes in society technology has been making possible, are going to accelerate. People are going to demand more and more services and collaboration. And also, more and more jobs which people have done in the past will move to motorized tech.
Bringing the World to You
This is technology which transports data. It allows people access to data that they wouldn’t have had easily before. It also connects people in ways that they weren’t before.
The concept of Bringing the World to You is having the most profound impact on society. How we live, where we live, and how cities are designed. All of these are being changed by the way people are connecting to one another and to their work.
Replacing You
This is motorized tech which exists to transport things. I’m tempted to say that this is tech which replaces “essential workers” but it is bigger than that. Even so, it’s helpful to convey the idea that I’m trying to explain.
As you look at what has happened over the last month you see two groups of workers. Knowledge workers who manipulate data in some way for a living and analog workers who manipulate things for a living. This latter group of factory laborers, drug store cashiers, grocery store stockers, and truck drivers can’t work from home. They need to undertake risk to deliver your prescriptions or put your pasta on the store shelf.
Motorized tech of drones, robots, and automatic guided vehicles is slowly replacing these jobs. Imagine going to a Sonic Restaurant and a 3D ice cream printer made your shake and a drone flew it out to your car. Imagine self-driving trucks leaving a factory and delivering inventory to a Walmart distribution center.
And I hail from the manufacturing world. So I’ve been witnessing the replacement of humans with robots for over 25 years. But as with most trends in big business, as the cost comes down, it filters to smaller businesses. It may not be soon, but it’s coming.
And in this odd time when everyone is freaking out that someone might cough on them. Would you feel better if your waiter was a robot? What if you drove up to Walmart’s parking lot and a drone flew out your order? What if you knew that Amazon warehouses were 100% automated and there were no human hands touching your box?
Summary
As cool as motorized tech sounds, it isn’t really driving change in society. It plays a supporting role to the branch of tech which delivers data. Knowledge workers of the future can collaborate from anywhere. They don’t need to go into an office. Entertainment doesn’t require congregating at a local movie theatre. Shopping doesn’t require a mall. All of these trends are made possible by moving bits of data.
Tech which replaces people serves to PRESERVE SOCIETY as we know it, not change it. It almost plays the opposite role that many people think. There will always be a need to carry food to your table or deliver packages. Does it matter who or what does it?
One thing is clear to me after this past month. The changes in society technology has been making possible, are going to accelerate. People are going to demand more and more services and collaboration. And also, more and more jobs which people have done in the past will move to motorized tech.
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