The art of anticipating the future, seeing around corners, and peering into the unknown requires us to have 20:20 vision. To look forward 20 years to what might be possible, or probable in our world, we need to look back 20 years and consider how much that world has changed.

Looking back 20 years… There was no iPhone; Google was a search engine, barely five years old; electric cars and reusable rockets were the crazy dreams of a 30-something maverick called Elon Musk (who?); Amazon was yet to show a profit; George W. Bush was waging a war on terror; Facebook didn’t exist; General Electric was the most valuable company; China hardly mattered; and no one anticipated the Credit Crunch.

And Mindbullets: News from the Future was born. To spark strategic thinking about provocative possibilities for alternate futures for business and society.

Looking forward 20 years… There will be no iPhones; Google will be an AI-powered cloud platform; electric cars will dominate and SpaceX Starships will replace long-haul airfreight; Amazon will reinvent itself, again; POTUS will wage a war on poverty and pollution; Facebook won’t exist, but Meta might; Apple won’t be the most valuable company, but Tesla could; China will still be the big gorilla, but with big challenges; and the jury’s out on cryptocurrencies.

And who’s to say where Mindbullets will be? Since 2003, we have published news from the future every week, sketching scenarios for the far and near future, and opening minds to the challenges and opportunities they could bring.

Looking back, we’ve provided valuable insights and fresh perspectives; we don’t predict the future – no one can – but constantly looking ahead keeps us alert to rapid, unexpected change. The only future certainty is change, and technology drives exponential change, which accelerates the innovation cycle.

With 20:20 vision we can imagine the future for businesses and create ‘memories of the future’ for our own organizations; and look forward to the next 20 years of exciting, tumultuous, and fantastic futures to come. We hope you will stay with us on this journey into the beyond.