Page 117 - INC Magazine-November 2018

EDITOR’S LETTER
W
Welcome to elcome to

t t
the Futurehe Futurehe Future

very founder has a vision of the future,
if only to imagine a world in which
his or her company stands where there
once was a void. But some companies
will play a truly outsize role in deter-
mining what lies ahead for all of us.
We’ve identified more than a dozen
such companies and technologies in the
package beginning on page 66. Executive director of editorial
Jon Fine and San Francisco bureau chief Jeff Bercovici
teamed up to find founders and firms that are extending the
limits of what’s possible across several industries. Take, for imits of what’s possible across several industries. Take, for
l
example, Fulcrum BioEnergy (page 96), a company that is
solving two problems at once by converting household waste
into jet fuel. Or theMednet (page 78), a brother-and-sister-led
firm that is opening up an entirely new communication
A sleep-deprived and overworked
c
channel between doctors—with a huge potential for changing hannel between doctors—with a huge potential for changing Elon Musk is providing a very public
how health care is delivered. seminar in how not to conduct
business. Columnist Helaine Olen
W (page 53) offers some advice
We’ve been reading for years about the effects that artifi-e’ve been reading for years about the effects that artifi-
cial intelligence and robotics will have on the workplace. on how you can take care of
A study released in September by the World Economic Forum yourself—while you’re still taking
predicted that in 2025—just seven years from now—robots care of your business.
will provide more than half of the work hours needed to
complete all tasks in the global workplace. That prediction
may be off, but, as contributors Tom Foster (page 17) and Matthew Yeomans (page 80)
explain, much more thinking needs to be devoted to the complex interaction of humans
and machines that will soon be commonplace for offices and shop floors.
The scenarios raised by these stories and the paths they blaze toward an idealized
future are—like the path of a fast-growing business—rarely smooth. There will be reversals,
backlashes, and unintended consequences. Nonetheless, we’re excited to present this
FROM TOP: SHAYAN ASGHARNIA; BRIAN DOWLING/GETTY
vision of the future through the eyes of creative and ambitious founders. Like you.

James Ledbetter jamesl@inc.com

1 4 ● I N C . ● N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8 ● ● ● ● ● ●