The prediction, in brief:

The money to be made is in the blades, not the razors … What I am talking about is information about information, and the processes by which we filter the onslaught of bits. The computer industry’s blades may not only be modeled after Bambi or Tetris. Instead, I see a huge market in the agent business, modeled more after the added value of an English butler or the Librarian of Congress. Yes, making and owning the bits is certainly better than simply carrying, storing, or churning them. But there may be another bit business: understanding the bits. So far, in the theater of Wall Street, the personal information filter business has only played a bit part. I assure you that it will be tomorrow’s lead role on the stage of success.

Predictor: Negroponte, Nicholas

Prediction, in context:

In a 1994 essay for Wired magazine, Nicholas Negroponte, a founder and director of MIT’s Media Lab, writes:”We are relearning that the money to be made is in the blades, not the razors. That’s not a new idea. Wall Street investment scion Warren Buffet knew that when he bought into Gillette … What I am talking about is information about information, and the processes by which we filter the onslaught of bits. The computer industry’s blades may not only be modeled after Bambi or Tetris. Instead, I see a huge market in the agent business, modeled more after the added value of an English butler or the Librarian of Congress. Yes, making and owning the bits is certainly better than simply carrying, storing, or churning them. But there may be another bit business: understanding the bits. So far, in the theater of Wall Street, the personal information filter business has only played a bit part. I assure you that it will be tomorrow’s lead role on the stage of success.”

Biography:

Nicholas Negroponte, a co-founder of MIT’s Media Lab and a popular speaker and writer about technologies of the future, wrote one of the 1990s’ best-selling books about the new future of communications, “Being Digital.” (Pioneer/Originator.)

Date of prediction: January 1, 1994

Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information

Subtopic: Intelligent Agents/AI

Name of publication: Wired

Title, headline, chapter name: Bit by Bit on Wall Steet: Lucky Strikes Again

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.05/negroponte_pr.html

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney