The Upside of Disruption

CHAPTER 1A Wake‐up Call from the Future

“You can't use an old map to explore a new world.”

– Albert Einstein

Not too long ago, I experienced the future by letting a driverless car navigate me through the streets of San Francisco. I was on a business trip and staying at a hotel in downtown Union Square. I'd read a lot about Google's spin‐off Waymo and General Motors's subsidiary Cruise to operate 24/7 hail‐riding services in the city and was curious to test one out. Rumor has it that the cars cost more than $200,000.00 each and are fitted with hundreds of high sensors and cameras to ensure a safe ride.¹ I didn't know what to expect and felt nervous, but as somebody who writes and speaks about the future, I always try to embrace new experiences, even life‐or‐death ones. I first decided to get a coffee for a good dose of courage and opened the Waymo app, just like Uber or Lyft. My destination was a well‐known restaurant where San Francisco's Golden Gate Park meets the Pacific Ocean. I pressed “go,” and a message alerted me that my Waymo ride was on its way and that it would take around nine minutes to arrive outside my hotel. Still drinking my coffee, I followed my ride as it approached the hotel and waited with a mix of fear and excitement. A few moments later, I watched as a gleaming white Jaguar pulled up on the other side of the road with its distinctive Waymo logo on the side.

My first reaction was embarrassment as people nearby started staring at the car, and I was tempted ...