It’s time to bet on the future

When US President John F. Kennedy gave his famous “moon speech” in September 1962—against the backdrop of the Cold War—he described “an hour of change and challenge, in a decade of hope and fear, in an age of both knowledge and ignorance.”

Those words could have been uttered today. JFK acknowledged a pervasive anxiety and uncertainty that had taken hold, straining conventional approaches and systems. But rather than succumbing to this environment, he set forth a hopeful vision, inspiring progress to meet societal, technological, and business challenges.

Sixty years later, as climate change, economic turmoil, geopolitical conflict, and generative AI converge in the aftermath of a pandemic, businesses need an optimistic vision of progress to rally around—and leaders willing to bet on the future.

As far as bets go, we bet on human ingenuity.

Working together, we can slow global warming, prevent the next pandemic, manage systemic financial risks, cure cancer, and create a more sustainable future for human kind. The bets we make today redefine what’s possible tomorrow.

We live in a time of challenge and change. Drawing on real-world experience and in-depth research, we have identified seven business trends that we expect to shape the world in the next three years—and seven bets worth making to benefit from them.