In 1999, Bill Gates made 19 bold predictions in a book titled Business @ The Speed of Thought on the future of internet. All of them seemed outrageous at the time. They were made right before the Dot-com bubble, so it was hard to see any future in tech at the time. But, as business major Markus Kirjonen of Aalto University pointed out in his blog, and his forecasts turned out to be “incredibly accurate predictions.”and “eerily prescient.”
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
Sites for Comparing Prices
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “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.”
What we see now: You can easily search for a product on Google or Amazon and get different prices of the same product. Sites like NextTag and PriceGrabber are built specifically for price comparisons.
Mobile Will be Huge
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “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.”
What we see now: Smartphones, and now smartwatches, do this for most people.
Pay Online for Everything
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “People will pay their bills, take care of their finances, and communicate with their doctors over the Internet.”
What we see now: PayPal have eliminated pretty much all friction in online payment. All major banks now allow you to pay bills and transfer funds online. Even though the healthcare industry hasn’t changed much, there are a new wave of healthcare startups such as Intake.Me, Livongo Health, and Dr. Chrono who are working to make it easier to communicate with your doctor.
The Internet of Things
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “‘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.”
What we see now: Google Now, a smart assistant that runs on mobile devices, is starting to head in this direction. Meanwhile, smart devices like Nest collect data on your daily routines and automatically adjust the house temperature. Beacons will send you store coupons based on your past purchasing habits.
In-home Security Camera
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “Constant video feeds of your house will become common, which inform you when somebody visits while you are not home.”
What we see now: Dropcam sells home surveillance cameras that make home-monitoring easy. Google bought the company for $555 million in 2014.
Social Media
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “Private websites for your friends and family will be common, allowing you to chat and plan for events.”
What we see now: Social media sites like Facebook and Instagram take care of this.
Automated Promotional Deals
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “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.”
What we see now: Travel sites like Expedia and Kayak offer deals based on past purchase data. Google and Facebook ads can offer promotional ads based on the user’s location and interests.
Live Sports Discussion
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “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.”
What we see now: A bunch of social media sites allow this, with Twitter being the clear leader. You can leave comments in real-time on sports sites like ESPN.
Targeted Advertising
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “Devices will have smart advertising. They will know your purchasing trends, and will display advertisements that are tailored toward your preferences.”
What we see now: Every search term you type into Google builds up your interest portfolio. Every activity on Facebook is packaged and sold to companies who want to target you based on specific actions. Good luck browsing online without being tracked.
Links to Sites on Live TV
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “Television broadcast will include links to relevant websites and content that complement what you are watching.”
What we see now: Many news programs and sports games feature live stream of Twitter discussions and what people are discussing online.
Online Activism
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “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.”
What we see now: Most news sites have comment sections where people can have live discussions, while many sites have forums where people can ask and respond to certain questions. Twitter and Facebook played roles in political revolutions in Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia.
Forums Based on Your Interest
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “Online communities will not be influenced by your location, but rather, your interest.”
What we see now: There’s all kinds of news sites and online communities focused on single topics. Many news sites expand to separate verticals, offering more in-depth coverage on a given topic.
Project Management
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “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.”
What we see now: There’s tons of workflow software in the enterprise space that’s revolutionizing how you recruit, form teams, and assign work to others.
Online Recruiting
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “Similarly, people looking for work will be able to find employment opportunities online by declaring their interest, needs, and specialized skills.”
What we see now: Recruiters can pay $119.95 / month for a premium recruiter account on LinkedIn to search for prospective employees based on skills, work history, alma mater, location, interests, etc.
Outsourcing Jobs to Specialized Consultants
15 Accurate Predictions Bill Gates Made In 1999, It's Scary How He Does Those Predictions
What Gates predicted: “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.”
What we see now: Many enterprise soft-wares are focused on the social aspect of it, so that users can reach out to other businesses and start a conversation that could lead to bigger projects directly within their apps.
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