by Eric Schmidt
First published 2013
Schmidt and Cohen examine how universal connectivity will reshape human civilization. The authors analyze the balance of power between citizens and governments in a digitally saturated world. They explore whether technology will simplify or complicate terrorism, and investigate the tradeoffs between privacy and security that digital participation demands. The book presents concrete scenarios: urban professionals commute in autonomous vehicles and attend holographic meetings while managing voice-controlled robots. Meanwhile, a Congolese fisherwoman leverages smartphone technology to track market prices and coordinate sales, reducing waste and preventing resource depletion. The authors reveal how virtual statehood and internet asylum could protect dissidents and minorities, but also warn how authoritarian regimes might weaponize mobile devices for mass surveillance. International figures like Julian Assange contribute their perspectives on technology's trajectory. Schmidt brings experience scaling Google from startup to global influence, while Cohen offers insights from his roles at Google Ideas and as advisor to secretaries of state Rice and Clinton. Together they map the benefits and dangers awaiting individuals, communities, and nations as the information revolution accelerates.
Genres: business, computers, non-fiction, technology, 21st-century, current-affairs
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: expert-perspective, near-future
Setting: Congo, Google
Period: 21st Century
315 pages · Hardcover · Knopf