Interesting piece. The graphic is good, a classic "innovation to commodity and utility," a journey well-trodden. It's a helpful way to communicate the process to those unfamiliar with the idea. But I’d like to offer another perspective, another angle.
Think of evolution. What we label as "emerging tech" often resembles an uncharted, untamed landscape, where pioneers (think startups) stake their claims. Their tools are crude, their methods experimental, the outcome uncertain. They’re venturing into the genesis of a new act, a chaotic and exciting phase of exploration.
Over time, custom-built solutions, once crafted for a specific niche, begin their journey toward product standardization. This is where the settlers arrive, the larger, more established players. They seek to build upon the initial discoveries, refine them, and introduce repeatability, paving a path toward wider adoption. As this path solidifies, it sets the stage for industrialization.
The path doesn’t end there. The product, having conquered its initial market, journeys towards utility. At this stage, it becomes widely accessible, affordable, reliable, and embedded in our daily lives, like electricity or the internet. The initial novelty is gone, replaced by dependability. The "emerging" becomes a fundamental part of the very fabric of our existence, a foundational element upon which new innovations, new acts, are built.
And the cycle begins anew.
Each stage, each act, demands a different approach. In the early phases, agility and experimentation are essential. Later, it’s about operational efficiency and standardization. It’s not a single methodology we require, but an understanding of when and where to adapt, to shift gears as the play unfolds, to learn new lines and find fresh perspectives.
You say "Emerging tech is nothing without methodology," and I push back. It's not nothing, but rather an unrefined potential. Instead, I argue that emerging tech is nothing without understanding its place on the map. It's like saying, "A seed is nothing without the sun." Well, it is something. It has latent potential, yet it is nothing without the appropriate nurturing process, the right soil, water, and yes, sunlight, to guide its growth into the towering tree it could become.
Will we merely react to the shifting tides of technological advancement, or will we, with Nietzschean audacity, become the masters of its evolution, sculpting the future in our own image? The choice, and its inherent risks and rewards, is ours.
