Being ready for the future isn’t about seeing the big changes in advance, says Amazon’s chief futurist Jeff Bezos. That’s too hard, first of all. Here’s a better formula–a more Amazon-style formula–for success: figure out the things that will stay the same. And ride that steady wave. What never changes? People want the best prices. That’s steady. What else? Fast delivery. Always in vogue. (Good prices and fast delivery don’t go in and out of fashion.)
Bezos is quoted in a great piece by VC and computing guru Bill Gurley: “I very frequently get the question: ‘What’s going to change in the next 10 years?’ I almost never get the question: ‘What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?'” says Bezos. “And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two — because you can build a business strategy around the things that are stable in time.” Bezos goes on to mention, yup, good prices and fast delivery. A decade from now, these will still be desirable. Though of course Bezos may achieve them with drones.
