Just 10 or 15 years ago, payphones were everywhere. Every street corner had one, and people lined up to make a call. Then, suddenly, everyone had a mobile phone in their pocket, and payphones disappeared. The ones who owned them had to adapt. Many started selling phone recharges, but that too became obsolete as online recharge services took over.
Have you noticed something similar happening now? Walk through any city, and you’ll see that every third store is related to mobile phones—selling, servicing, repairing, and accessorizing. But even that is changing. Today, with a few taps on an app like PayPal or Apple Pay, you can send money instantly. People no longer need to go to the bank for transfers or even to a store for mobile top-ups. Everything is digital now.
The world is changing faster than ever, and if you don’t keep up, you’ll be left behind.
Back in 1998, Kodak employed 170,000 people and controlled 85% of the world’s photo paper market. They were unstoppable—until digital photography came along and wiped them out. Within a few years, Kodak was bankrupt, and its employees were out of work.
Do you realize that in the next decade, 70-90% of today’s industries could disappear just like Kodak?
Welcome to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Look at Uber—it’s just a software company. They don’t own a single car, yet they are the biggest taxi service in the world. Airbnb doesn’t own a single hotel, but it’s the largest hospitality company globally.
In the U.S., young lawyers are already struggling to find jobs. Why? Because IBM’s AI system, Watson, can analyze legal cases in seconds and provide better legal advice than most human attorneys. In the next decade, 90% of lawyers will be out of work. The ones who survive will be ultra-specialists.
Watson is also outperforming doctors—it diagnoses cancer four times more accurately than humans. By 2030, artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence in many fields.
Self-driving cars are already here. By 2025, they will be mainstream, and by 2035, 90% of vehicles on the road could be driverless. Imagine the impact:
- No more taxi drivers, truck drivers, or Uber drivers—millions of jobs will vanish.
- Accidents will drop by 99%, making car insurance unnecessary.
- The oil industry will collapse as electric and hybrid cars take over.
- Traffic congestion will disappear as cities will need 90% fewer cars.
Think about it: You won’t own a car. Instead, you’ll summon a driverless vehicle through an app, and within minutes, it’ll be at your door. Share the ride, and it’ll be cheaper than taking a bus.
The industries that don’t evolve will vanish, just like these iconic American brands:
- Blockbuster (Movies)
- Blackberry (Mobile Phones)
- Borders (Bookstores)
- Sears (Retail)
- Polaroid (Photography)
- Pontiac (Cars)
These companies weren’t bad; they just didn’t evolve with time.
The lesson? If you don’t adapt, you’ll be left behind. Businesses must innovate. Individuals must upgrade their skills. The world is not slowing down for anyone.
So, are you ready to change with the times?
Adapt & Evolve. Stay Relevant. Stay Ahead.