Inflection Points

Leonardo da Vinci invented the helicopter in the late 15th century, but the world had to wait for the invention of the materials to make it possible.

The first driverless concept car was introduced in 1939, making the Interstate Highway System possible. The world also had very fast trains at that time, and they go half as fast now, and the technology that supplanted them seems to have plateaued. Had the Concorde not crashed, it is conceivable that the technology would have evolved more rapidly.

Even when the technology is ubiquitous and even inexpensive, disinvestment and disinterest can kill paradigm shifts, even when they are ready to be born or taken to the next level.

The car is now where trains are in terms of their evolution. In effect, it is the reverse of 1939, where the roads need to be built to make the driverless cars possible.