How To Spot The Next Big Thing In Technology
A Simple Framework To Consider When Trying To See Into The Future
I spend a fair amount of time each day browsing on Twitter to see what’s going on in the world while also keeping a close eye on the tech industry. More than half of the people that I follow on Twitter are in some way connected to tech, so it’s an easy way to keep my finger on the pulse of the industry.
Over the last week, there has been one phrase that’s been showing up on my timeline really often. Because we are currently in a news cycle that includes rappers running for president, actual presidents making outlandish statements, a stock market that’s defying normal rules of economics, and so much more, I tend to notice when seemingly obscure ideas keep getting mentioned in my Twitter feed.
The phrase and topic that continually showed up was something called ‘GPT-3.’ What GPT-3 is really is not the point of this article.
The point that I’m attempting to surface is that when a large number of smart, ambitious, and innovative people are talking about something new and exciting, it’s worthwhile to pay attention.
[For those who are curious, GPT-3 is a new artificial intelligence language model. Learn more about it here].
One of my favorite innovation quotes of all time comes from Chris Dixon, an investor at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Dixon said:
“What the smartest people do on the weekend is what everyone else will do during the week in ten years.”
I get excited by this quote because it’s undeniably true.
Consider amazing innovations like bitcoin, drones, new databases, 3-D printing and so much more. All of these things started out as hobbies that only a few smart people talked about and spent time working on at nights and on weekends.
Fast forward years or decades later and the rest of the world eventually catch up to the idea that these concepts are novel and useful, oftentimes getting integrated into our daily lives in one way or another.
So how do you spot the next big thing in technology?
The answer is by paying attention to what the smart and nerdy kids (and adults) are working on in their free time. It will shine a light on new and emerging ideas that could easily become the most important innovations that we rely on.
If you don’t normally find yourself spending time or engaging in places where these people do, it may be worthwhile to change that if you have any interest at all in seeing what’s around the corner.