If we think long and hard about it, cognitive dissonance is at the root of all human angst. When reality differs from expectations, we find it difficult to understand and process. All pain, all suffering, that we inflect on ourselves is because we refuse to accept that what is, and continue to want that what could be, or that what we believe should be. It is our inability to reconcile the two, when our mind rebels, when the dissonance sets in.
I recently came across an article in the journal Nature that just blew me away. Titled "How unrealistic optimism is maintained in the face of reality", it explains the mechanism that according to me underpins the very survival of the human species. Though it is primarily I believe a survival mechanism, it is what leads us to entrepreneurship, innovation, success, and also the inevitable failures that must exist .
I recently read an article on Uber in the New York Magazine that got me thinking. Not particularly about how Uber is a glorified taxi company and is headed for a crash soon, but about monopolies and innovation and the desire for change.
Amazon, Alibaba, and others tout staffless stores as the future of retail experience. There are hardly a handful of stores launched worldwide. But I think that before thousands of such stores are rolled out, there could be a wave of another type of store or retail experience that has the potential to disrupt the staffless stores themselves. A bold retailer that wants to pick up the gauntlet and take the fight to Amazon's door would be able to do so if they think it through.
ACES is the new buzzword in the automotive industry. It stands for Autonomous, Connected, Electric, and Shared. It is the vision being laid down by car manufacturers everywhere. OEMs certainly seem intent on delivering the vision, but what do consumers want? Who's asking for ACES? What is driving the run towards this ACES future?
