As we say goodbye to the Roaring Twenties, what fantastic new developments, technological wonders, and global catastrophes await us? January 2020 was a sombre affair, with talk of a strange new virus out of China, and economic fragility. By March the pandemic was real, and the markets crashed, everywhere. But within a few years, thanks to technology and globalization, the virus was beaten, and economies were booming.

But many things had changed, and we would never go back to the ‘old’ routine of business as usual. Leisure travel exploded, as pent-up demand from the quarantine years unleashed millions of post-millennial tourists on the top destinations, as if they were discovering the world for the first time. For the most part, business meetings remained virtual, taking advantage of augmented reality and holographic telepresence spawned by the lockdowns.

Twenties tech roared ahead, with crypto, decentralized finance, virtual worlds, and artificial intelligence all making an impact. New industries like robotaxis, air taxis and space tourism matured. Boosted by nanoprinting, solar panels and batteries killed off fossil fuels. Stem cell and gene therapies are now available as home kits, to treat everything from diabetes to burn wounds. Science has been democratized.

Some of the old bugbears are still with us, like global politics, violent protests, social injustice, and environmental issues. We’re not living in Utopia, but overall the world is in a much better place than it was a decade ago. Not that everyone has noticed!

No doubt the Thirties will bring new discoveries and inventions, new perspectives and new routines, and new businesses and industries. When it comes to the future, the only thing we can be sure of is… it will be different.

Happy New Year!