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Bill Gates is one of the wealthiest individuals in the world thanks to Microsoft. His eye for technological developments and innovative thinking helped him to change the world forever. One might even say his insights are prophetic. Well, as it turns out, that wouldn’t be too far off from the truth.
Markus Kirjonen, a business student, recently wrote a blog post detailing 15 predictions Gates made in his 1999 book “Business @ The Speed of Thought” about the future technological industry. His accuracy is legitimately frightening. I’m going home tonight and checking under my bed for Bill Gates.
Check out all of these predictions and then we can discuss what type of sorcery Gates is conjuring in the conference room at Microsoft HQ:
Online Price Comparison Services
“Automated price comparison services will be developed, allowing people to see prices across multiple websites, making it effortless to find the cheapest product for all industries.”Mobile Devices
“People will carry around small devices that allow them to constantly stay in touch and do electronic business from wherever they are. They will be able to check the news, see flights they have booked, get information from financial markets, and do just about anything else on these devices.”Instant Payments, Online Financing and Healthcare
“People will pay their bills, take care of their finances, and communicate with their doctors over the internet.”Personal Virtual Assistants
“‘Personal companions’ will be developed. They will connect and sync all your devices in a smart way, whether they are at home or in the office, and allow them to exchange data. The device will check your email or notifications, and present the information that you need. When you go to the store, you can tell it what recipes you want to prepare, and it will generate a list of ingredients that you need to pick up. It will inform all the devices that you use of your purchases and schedule, allowing them to automatically adjust to what you’re doing.”Online Home Monitoring
“Constant video feeds of your house will become common, which inform you when somebody visits while you are not home.”Social Media
“Private websites for your friends and family will be common, allowing you to chat and plan for events.”Automated Promotional and Sales Offerings
“Software that knows when you’ve booked a trip and uses that information to suggest activities at the local destination. It suggests activities, discounts, offers, and cheaper prices for all the things that you want to take part in.”Live Sports Discussion Websites
“While watching a sports competition on television, services will allow you to discuss what is going on live, and enter contest where you vote on who you think will win.”Personalized Advertising
“Devices will have smart advertising. They will know your purchasing trends, and will display advertisements that are tailored toward your preferences.”Website Integration With Live Television
“Television broadcast will include links to relevant websites and content that complement what you are watching.”Regional Online Discussion Boards
“Residents of cities and countries will be able to have internet-based discussions concerning issues that affect them, such as local politics, city planning, or safety.”Interest-Based Online Communities
“Online communities will not be influenced by your location, but rather, your interest.”Project Management Software
“Project managers looking to put a team together will be able to go online, describe the project, and receive recommendations for available people who would fit their requirements.”Online Recruiting
“Similarly, people looking for work will be able to find employment opportunities online by declaring their interest, needs, and specialized skills.”Business Community Software
“Companies will be able to bid on jobs, whether they are looking for a construction project, a movie production, or an advertising campaign. This will be efficient for both big companies that want to outsource work that they don’t usually face, businesses looking for new clients, and corporations that don’t have a go-to provider for the said service.”
Spooky, no? Maybe this Gates guy knows what he’s talking about after all.
