Toffler Predicts The Next 40 Years

When Alvin Toffler talks, I listen.  Whether it’s the predictions he made is his first book FutureShock, or the book that started my journey to reinvent selling, The Third Wave, Toffler has always had an uncanny ability to read the tealeaves, and translate those insights into actionable idea.

Yesterday, Toffler released his 40 For The Next 40, his predictions for the next 40 years.  The paper is well worth a read (you can download the full paper here).

Here are the three most important predictions for fast growth companies:

• Companies will increasingly create value by being “connectors.”


• Knowledge will be a major source of capital.


• High costs of “obsoledge” will impact global competitiveness.

That’s right.  Toffler is now equating knowledge to last year’s chip.  Knowledge is becoming like lettuce – it spoils.

The key?  Use it – and keep learning.

Here are my two predictions:

• The people who best learn how to learn will be the leaders of tomorrow.


• The companies that best attract those learners will be tomorrow’s winners.