10 Key Lessons from Singularity University
By: Usman Iftikhar
Tags: Singularity University, Education, Entrepreneurship, Disruption, Community

It is what academia should be, but isn’t. We learned about various exponential technologies such as AI, robotics, blockchain, biotech and digital medicine, AR/VR, digital fabrication, and nanotechnology, as well as got a chance to get our hands dirty in using these to understand the problems underlying climate change.

We also got up to all kinds of mischief from constructing a 3D printer out of e-waste, to driving rovers in the ocean, training Machine Learning models with large data-sets, setting up smart community gardens and even having fireside chat with Astronauts and other incredible pioneers. No topic was off-limits, including a night-long faculty debate of whether we are living in a simulation.

With the incredible Anousheh Ansari — First private woman astronaut in the World.

However, what brought us together as a cohort was the combined mission to work together on stopping climate change, reducing inequity and saving our ecosystems.

We got the opportunity to connect with Stockholm Resilience Centre, UNICEF, and a myriad other impact partners to dig deeper into the complex problems facing our planet and life on earth at large, as well as join the SU Global Summit.

After a hard slog of 9 weeks, various teams started forming around problem areas. They were then taken into the SU Ventures Accelerator program to turn their moonshot into a startup with a product, business plan and a go-to-market.

A few startups to follow out of the program are: NextBiotics, Afforest4Future, 42.City, CoreX Solution, Majik Water, X1 Wind, Terasoil, Bioverse Labs, DirtIO and Spiral , with more in the making.

10 Key Lessons

Many people have since asked me about the key take-aways from Singularity University. It has been a very intense and life-changing experience, hence I’ve procrastinated to pen something down.

These are a mixture of my thoughts, feelings, and a recombination of old ideas into a more cohesive list — not the official stance of SU.

1. Developing an Exponential Mindset

Exponential Growth — Source here.

The biggest lesson that I have learnt is how to develop an exponential mindset, towards both technological development and a lot of other disruption in general.

Why should you care?

Because a lot of the technologies and systems are actually on an exponential curve, and the price-performance of computing (Moore’s Law) can also be applied more broadly to other forms of technology.

Using this way of thinking is essential to not only understand disruption but also to plan for transitioning in a world of accelerating change to meet the future head on.

2. How to develop your MTP, or Massive Transformative Purpose

The world is far from perfect, but we’ve made great strides and solved a lot of problems in the past. According to Steven Pinker, we are living in the most peaceful time ever.

But there are still a lot of problems that need to be addressed, from Climate Change to Refugee Crisis; the list is long.

Primarily due to our new ability to access emerging technology an individual is now far more powerful than in the past.

If you’ve dreamed about changing the world, it is possible!

A way to think about large scale positive impact is to think about developing your Massive Transformative Purpose (MTP) which can not only act as your north star but can also be a useful tool to communicate and attract other pieces of the puzzle.

To develop a Massive Transformative Purpose, check out this video by Peter Diamandis, co-founder of SU.

3. The problems we face are not of scarcity, but of abundance

Where technology has been a great enabler, giving us great benefits and improving the quality of life of many humans on this planet, it has also had a cost.

Beyond the Boundary — Source here.

In this epoch, called the Anthropocene (human epoch), we are actually going beyond the limits of our planet.

We are no longer living in a world of scarcity, but of abundance. It follows that the problems we face are also due to abundance. That understanding and mindset is crucial before addressing these problems.

4. World’s biggest problems are the biggest opportunities

The world’s biggest problems are the biggest opportunities.

Our theme was Climate Change, because it is one of the biggest existential threats and wicked problems facing us today.

There’s plenty written about it already, so I won’t go into details, but Climate Change is a symptom of multiple problems and root causes. They all present opportunities for people to solve.

Whether you do it through a business, social enterprise, running a not-for-profit, volunteering or collaborating with others, using the problem-opportunity mindset helps in doing meaningful work.

Also using pace-layer thinking is a great way to attack problems at the right level and construct effective solutions.

5. How to be less wrong about the future

Companies are getting disrupted left, right and centre.

The average age of an S&P 500 company is under 20 years, down from 60 years in the 1950s, according to Credit Suisse.

Innovation vs. Disruption — Source here

No one can be 100% accurate about predicting the future, but we can be less wrong about what to expect.

Using exponential thinking, looking for varying opinions, testing assumptions and diving deep into the Six Rules of Effective Forecasting by the incredible Paul Saffo is a great way to get started.

6. Don’t be a bystander

The universe is huge and we as Earthlings are pretty insignificant in respect to both time and space. There’s also that probability of us existing in a simulation ;)

You can use that knowledge to either become nihilistic or have a profound shift in perspective.

If nothing matters, then everything matters. Live life on your terms and stand up for what you believe in.

Don’t let people box you into categories and when you see injustice or a problem you can fix, don’t be a bystander. You don’t need to be an expert to do something, so take action!

7. What the world desperately needs is leadership — exponential leadership

In exponential times, what we need is exponential leadership.

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that do not really matter. Real leaders, develop leaders who develop leaders.” ~ David Roberts

Exponential leaders are bold, mission focused, empathetic and willing to embrace change.

They are not cogs in the machine. If you don’t want to be a cog, you’ve got to do something courageous to break out!

How do you find that courage? Find compassion for other people, help others, solve their problems and you get courage.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than one’s fear.” ~ James Hollingsworth

Be compassionate, be courageous and be an exponential leader.

8. Don’t guess, Learn — Why Rapid Prototyping is better than elaborate plans for startups.

We can stay in the clouds and talk about the big ideas, but it is equally important to be grounded, start doing and execute.

There’s a bunch of frameworks you can follow, but the best and quickest way to test whether an idea or a product might work is to develop a prototype.

A lot of ideas are guesses, and rapid prototyping can be used to finding the fastest path to direct experience.

Prototype for Google Glass — Source here

According to Tom Chi, there are three rules of rapid prototyping:

Find the quickest path to experience. Doing is the best kind of thinking. Use materials that move at the speed of thought to maximise your rate of learning.

Startups are learning machines and they should optimise to maximise the rate of learning by minimising the time it takes to try things (experiment).

9. It is all about choices

In the world of disruption and accelerating technologies, an individual has immense power and potential for positive and negative impact.

Star Trek OR Mad Max? — Source here

So the critical question that Vivek Wadhwa poses, is whether we want to create a Star-Trek (utopia) universe or Mad Max (dystopia)?

The choices we make today will make all the difference. So we have to choose carefully and remember that inaction is also a form of action.

10. Well-being is crucial

For change-makers, disruptors and influencers who are standing against the status-quo, trying to create new systems and transformations, physical and mental well-being is crucially important.

Here’s an easy habit to get started. Set-up a Doubt Club with your friends, fellow entrepreneurs or change-makers. Find a group of people who you can trust, and follow the process that Pascal talks about on here.

If you’re looking to set-up self-care for yourself and to develop habits for physical, emotional and mental well-being, check out this amazing video series by our wellness manager — Elie Calhoun.