Linda Mason was originally going to make a case study of Bright Horizons, her $1.3 billion, early childhood care business, but reconsidered in light of the current economic crisis — to the benefit of her audience.
The digital revolution that brought us Facebook, Twitter and YouTube could help revive participatory democracy in the U.S., says Eugene J. Huang. He unveils the FCC’s plan for providing broadband access to every American and its impact on democracy.
The World is Flat: Thomas L. Friedman describes the unplanned cascade of technological and social shifts that effectively leveled the economic world. Friedman lists the “flatteners”.
Few companies have endured such hardship, or risen to such heights in a brief span of time as Akamai Technologies. Paul Sagan tells how he became the CEO of this young firm, and helped it survive and then flourish despite “unimaginable adversity.”
Bill Gates’ explores the next generation of computer science, now that the “rough draft” is done. Gates finds a paradox in that computer science is poised to transform work and home life, “but people’s excitement level is not as high as it was five years ago.”
Imagine a response to oil dependence and climate change that offers people around the world a new and improved version of the car, premised on redesigning infrastructure with green technology. Shai Agassi has devised just such a visionary plan for cracking these global challenges.
