Non-linear Thinking

Invitees will represent a range of industries

Why different industries? The best ideas often come from outside or adjacent industries, and from orthogonal thinkers—those who approach problems from unconventional angles.

This kind of cross-industry innovation happens because:

Orthogonal thinkers—those who challenge norms, blend disciplines, or connect seemingly unrelated dots—are key drivers of true innovation. They see what others miss, precisely because they aren’t constrained by the same mental models.

• Fresh Perspectives – People outside an industry aren’t constrained by its conventional wisdom. They question assumptions and introduce new ways of thinking.
• Analogous Solutions – Solutions developed in one field often solve similar problems in another. For example, Formula 1 pit crews inspired hospital surgical teams to improve efficiency.
• Adjacent Possibilities – Ideas from closely related industries can evolve existing concepts. AI in autonomous vehicles, for example, has influenced robotics in surgery.
• Breakthroughs in One Area Unlock Others – Advances in materials science (e.g., graphene) impact multiple industries, from batteries to wearables to aerospace.
• Hybrid Thinking – Some of the most powerful innovations blend knowledge from multiple disciplines. Steve Jobs famously combined calligraphy with computing to revolutionize typography on digital screens.

Breakthroughs Often Come from Industry Outsiders

Apple integrated calligraphy-inspired typography into computing, inspired by Steve Jobs' college class. Jobs’ experience as CEO of Pixar played into Apple’s future, too. Eventually, the iPhone blended telecommunications, music distribution, movie watching, and software through innovations such as the App Store,  iTunes, and an in-phone camera. This fundamentally reshaped multiple industries, not to mention consumer expectations. Large players like Nokia and Blackberry were displaced. Apple’s iPhone opened the door for Uber and Airbnb. Orthogonal and cross-industry thinking turned it into the world’s largest company, and digitally integrated ecosystem, a bit like Amazon became.

V1 of Ford borrowed the assembly line concept from meatpacking plants to revolutionize car manufacturing. By specializing tasks and using conveyor belts, he reduced car production time from 12 hours to 90 minutes.

Tesla transformed automotive manufacturing by integrating software-driven agile iteration methods from consumer electronics. Its unique approach propelled Tesla to a $800 million market cap exceeding the combined value of traditional carmakers, reshaping industry’s hardware-first mindset to over-the-air updates and expectations around electric vehicles.

Uber became possible when the iPhone and App store was invented. It adapted logistics and supply chain principles to urban transportation, creating a decentralized network optimized by GPS and real-time data. Wait times dropped from 15-20 minutes to under 5 minutes, fueling Uber's rapid global expansion. Uber now dominates the U.S. ride-hailing market with a 76% share and boasts a market cap of $147 billion.

The Wright Brothers, bicycle mechanics by trade, applied principles of balance, control, and lightweight construction from cycling to aviation, enabling the first powered flight and transforming human transportation forever.

SpaceX adopted lean manufacturing and rapid iteration from the auto and consumer electronics industries to slash rocket launch costs by 94%. This innovative approach enabled reusable rockets, dramatically expanding commercial access to space.

Starlink, also by SpaceX, applied automotive-style mass production techniques to satellite manufacturing, deploying over 4,000 satellites—surpassing the total of any single nation. This innovative strategy democratized high-speed internet access, particularly benefiting rural and emerging markets worldwide.

Orthogonal Thinking Drives AI’s Biggest Advances

Airbnb used peer-to-peer trust models from eBay to turn spare rooms into a global hospitality network. By leveraging reviews and user verification, Airbnb quickly scaled to over 7 million listings globally without owning real estate. It’s market cap is $83 billion—larger than Hilton's $62 billion and Marriott's $67 billion.

Amazon applied hedge fund analyst Jeff Bezos's insights (on very-early-stage, yet explosive internet growth potential) to retail. Amazon invented relentlessly— pioneering experimentation such as website A/B testing at scale. Amazon evolved into a nearly $3 trillion ecosystem by integrating massive data analytics, cloud computing (AWS), Prime Video, and innovative hardware (Kindle, Echo). Data collected in one business segment continually improved performance across others, establishing Amazon as one of the world's first deeply interconnected, data- and ecosystem-driven companies. This approach accelerated delivery speeds dramatically, redefining e-commerce standards.

Dyson adapted industrial cyclone separation technology from sawmills to home vacuum cleaners, eliminating the need for bags. This unconventional approach created a vacuum with unmatched suction power.

Netflix used AI-driven predictive analytics from finance to personalize content recommendations, keeping users hooked. This data-first strategy helped it reach over 200 million subscribers worldwide, dominating the streaming market.

Orthogonal thinking and leveraging adjacencies applies to AI, too:

DeepSeek borrowed efficiency principles from hedge funds to rethink how AI models are trained. Instead of relying on the massive GPU clusters of Google or OpenAI, DeepSeek optimized AI development like a trading strategy—prioritizing software innovation over raw GPU compute power. They proved that a lean approach can compete directly with resource-intensive labs. What typically costs others $100 million and 20,000 GPUs, DeepSeek’s fairly small team accomplished with just $6 million and 2,000-some GPUs.

AlphaFold adapted AI strategies from chess and Go to solve protein-folding, a decades-old biological puzzle. Instead of predicting game moves, it predicted molecular structures, transforming drug discovery and medical research.

MidJourney & Stable Diffusion applied open-source software principles to AI, decentralizing generative models. By enabling users to fine-tune models locally, they challenged the dominance of centralized AI labs.

Change Will Continue, and It’s Likely to Speed Up

Ways AI Will Further Transform Our World

• A convergence of beauty, wellness, and health, where AI-driven personalized wellness and medical diagnostics become commonplace.
• A robotaxi revolution could slash ride costs from roughly $2 to $3 per mile to just 50 cents, profoundly reshaping urban mobility. Seniors and children gain greater independence. Car ownership declines, and insurance rates fall as roads become safer. Homes no longer need garages, shopping centers require fewer parking spaces, and downtown areas reclaim valuable land. Logistics companies face dramatic workforce shifts.
• In parallel, widespread adoption of autonomous delivery vehicles could reduce logistics costs by up to 40%, making e-commerce and deliveries faster, cheaper, and more reliable. Together, these autonomous innovations promise a transformative shift in transportation, accessibility, and urban planning.
• AI-enhanced healthcare providing personalized medical treatments and preventive care, significantly improving outcomes and reducing costs.
• Agricultural productivity will also surge, driven by AI-powered crop management, substantially enhancing food security and sustainability. We can expect extensive impacts: cosmetics and medicines derived from plant-based ingredients will become more accessible and sustainable; forests will be managed more efficiently for lumber production, improving supply chains and reducing waste; and optimized crop management can lead to increased oxygen production, directly benefiting air quality and overall environmental health. The integration of AI into agriculture will revolutionize multiple sectors, from healthcare to building materials, reflecting agriculture’s critical role in global wellbeing and economic stability.
• Financial services and banking are simultaneously undergoing transformation through hyper-personalized AI-driven financial planning, advanced risk management, and instant, seamless transactions. AI optimizes insurance processes, improving claims accuracy, reducing fraud, and lowering premiums. Furthermore, AI-enabled back-office optimization, beginning in financial sectors, sets a foundation that can streamline administrative operations across various industries, enhancing efficiency, reducing operational costs, and increasing overall productivity.