We know that most factory workers and drivers will be gone soon, that’s easy enough to see, but the coming decades are going to see tech companies try to swallow just about every other job and industry as well. The only way for companies to survive will be to become tech companies themselves and the only way for individuals to find jobs will be to innovate and incorporate some of the latest tech into their work.
Say bye bye to….
Automotive Companies – The auto industry had not seen a new major player enter the market in decades until Tesla came along. Suddenly, with the emergence of self-driving cars, a number of tech companies are jumping into the fray. The traditional car companies have all been forced to change their strategies and are themselves trying to become tech companies.
Retailers – Amazon Go is just the beginning, once it establishes itself as the cheapest and most efficient solution to grocery stores it will apply the same technology to malls. This will give Amazon the ability to out-compete every traditional retail store, stores that will have to take cues from the auto industry and either adapt or die.
The Health Care Industry – Tech giants have begun pouring billions of dollars into new healthcare projects built to incorporate tech into how we treat people, and big pharma seems to be following suit. Doctors as well shouldn’t get too comfortable as it only seems like a matter of time before toilets, Star Trek like tricorders, and a host of other gadgets will be able to tell you more about your health than any doctor ever could.
Telecom – When SpaceX, Facebook and Google begin beaming wifi services all over the planet, why would anyone continue paying exorbitant rates to phone companies when you can just facetime or skype anybody anywhere?
Then there is the rise of Artificial Intelligence and the havoc it will wreak on millions of jobs. Everything from financial analysts to lawyers to accountants to even jobs like therapists and content creators are in jeopardy of being replaced. And it’s not just the low wage workers that need to be wary, high-end earners will also be affected.
These trends are spreading to every part of life and if people want to continue to be relevant in the job market they too will have to adapt and find innovative ways to merge new technologies into their fields.
Competition between tech companies and their entrenched rivals will be fierce. Thus far tech companies are proving to be better than the competition at whatever segment of the economy they set their sights on. They have access to more data to better analyze market trends, tend to be more flexible and innovative, and have more employees with the skills needed to adapt and thrive in the 21st century.
What will the world look like when every company is a tech company? It might not be such a bad thing, tech companies tend to have better customer service, usually have better employee satisfaction and are on the whole more environmentally responsible. The question remaining is, what will everyone else do?
For more on the future of work check out this great blog.
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