Musician and tech advocate Will.i.am is betting that the next new thing won’t come out of the labs at Google, Apple or even Tesla. He thinks it will come from you. Especially if you’re a creative kid not “working for a company at all.” Will.i.am has taken his platform as a famous musician to push for an educated youth population–he especially wants to see kids succeed in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum. His own background in STEM set the stage for much of his success, he says.
Will.i.am does see the future being about wearables, where companies like Apple are hoping to dominate the market. But he started his own wearables company, i.am+, because he thinks the tech will need to blend better–in fashion and design–with how people want to represent themselves. And Will.i.am believes that future won’t be cooked up by Tim Cook (Apple CEO) or even Mark Zuckerberg (though wearable hoodies are a no brainer!) Will.i.am says that future is going to designed by “the person with the best idea, regardless of size of company, or maybe one creative person with a kernel of an idea who doesn’t working for a company at all. It could be kids from Boyle Heights, the South Bronx, the Fourth Ward, South London, Hackney, or Brixton.”
