When Thomas Friedman began to write The World Is Flat in 2004, there was no Facebook or Twitter and “Skype was a typo.” Friedman contends that the move from connected to hyperconnected is the major trend driving all social, political and economic issues.
National boundaries are now largely irrelevant to international corporations that work with global supply chains and markets. Goods are “Made in the World” not “Made in America” and manufacturing jobs will not be returning to their traditional homes.
How the United States and its people respond to this change is fundamental not just to the country’s future, but also to global growth and stability.
The one-on-one session with Thomas Friedman, From Connected to Hyperconnected can be found here:
Thomas L. Friedman is an internationally renowned author, reporter and columnist. Having worked for The New York Times since 1981 and the recipient of three Pulitzer Prizes, Friedman is arguably America’s most influential columnist. Following stints in the Middle East and Washington DC, he has been the paper’s Foreign Affairs columnist since 1995. Friedman is the author of six books, including The World Is Flat, his book about globalization and, more recently, his sixth New York Times bestseller, That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back.