Description

The Times and Financial Times Book of the Year

‘Enticing’ Sunday Times ‘Engaging’ Financial Times ‘Excellent’ Amol Rajan, BBC News

As technology accelerates, the human mind struggles to keep up – and our companies, workplaces, and democracies get left behind. This is the exponential gap.

Now, a leading technologist explains how this exponential gap is rewiring business and society. Exploring corporations and the workplace, diplomacy and big tech, Exponential makes sense of a period of dizzyingly fast change – and reveals how we should respond.
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‘Valuable and timely . . . The importance of the book lies in its diligent and comprehensive definition of a new phase in human affairs.’ Sunday Times

‘A sweeping, engaging, nuanced, and ultimately conflicted look at how recent innovations in computing and other emerging technologies have radically transformed human existence . . . Deft and clear-eyed.’ Financial Times

‘Azhar has a knack for interrogating and inverting conventional thinking . . . A convincing case that something extraordinary is taking place in business and society.’ Economist

‘Comprehensive but lively . . . An essential addition to the ongoing discourse about where remarkable new technologies can take us, and where we should be aiming to go. Highly recommended!’ Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and author of Blitzscaling

‘Azhar is unapologetically bullish about the power of technology . . . He speaks powerfully about how we need to shape technology to put it back in the service of society.’ Guardian

‘Read this book if you are interested in how we can design a more inclusive and sustainable system with a re-direction of technological change at its centre.’ Mariana Mazzucato, UCL professor and author of The Value of Everything and Mission Economy

‘A powerful argument . . . Azeem Azhar’s writing is informative and accessible, and his prescient ideas are only going to become more important as time goes on.’ Hannah Fry, BBC Radio 4 presenter and author of Hello World

‘Azeem Azhar is one of the best-regarded thought leaders in the industry . . . He has a broad understanding of the ways technology can be used to solve our biggest problems, shape our society, and bridge cultural divides.’ Daniel Ek, co-founder and CEO of Spotify

‘Azeem Azhar is a globally recognised voice on technology and its impact. He has written a fascinating and important book, required reading for anyone seeking to understand the new economy and the massive global corporations that seek to dominate that economy.’ Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive, Royal Society of Arts

Publisher Review

As high-tech innovation accelerates in ways that deliver huge benefits to society but also create unique challenges, Azeem Azhar delivers a comprehensive but lively take on the key issues informing what he calls the Exponential Age. It's an essential addition to the ongoing discourse about where these remarkable new technologies can take us, and where we should be aiming to go. Highly recommended! -- Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and author of BLITZSCALING While many talk about the rate of innovation, too few talk about its direction. Azeem's new book helps bring that directionality to the surface through a dynamic understanding of the connections between economic, social and technological forces. Read this book if you are interested in how we can design a more inclusive and sustainable system with a re-direction of technological change at its centre. -- Mariana Mazzucato, UCL professor and author of THE VALUE OF EVERYTHING and MISSION ECONOMY Azeem Azhar is one of the best-regarded thought leaders in the industry. But more importantly, he has a broad understanding of the exponential ways technology can be used to solve our biggest problems, shape our society, and bridge cultural divides. -- Daniel Ek, founder and CEO of Spotify Azeem Azhar is a globally recognised voice on technology and its impact. He has written a fascinating and important book, required reading for anyone seeking to understand the new economy and the massive global corporations that seek to dominate that economy. -- Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive, Royal Society of Arts Every generation fears technology is changing frighteningly fast. Usually it is hyperbole, the fear of the unknown. But today technological shifts are posing challenges to our security, our democracies, our way of life, our sanity. Azeem Azhar's brilliant book demystifies these exponentially fast changes and - importantly - shows how the chronic volatility can be harnessed for good. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how to reclaim a good society from the snapping jaws of looming chaos. -- Robert Peston A powerful argument . . . Azhar's writing is informative and accessible, and his prescient ideas are only going to become more important. -- Hannah Fry, BBC Radio 4 presenter and author of HELLO WORLD