Michael Rogers

Futurist-in-Residence of The New York Times

Michael Rogers is a best-selling author, technology pioneer and futurist, who most recently served as futurist-in-residence for The New York Times. He has worked with companies ranging from FedEx, Boeing and NBC Universal to Microsoft, Pfizer and Siemens, focusing on how companies can think about the future in useful ways. He speaks to audiences worldwide and is a regular guest on radio and television.

The Practical Futurist

Rogers began his career as a writer for Rolling Stone magazine. He co-founded Outside magazine and then launched Newsweek’s technology column, winning numerous journalism awards. For ten years he was vice president of The Washington Post Company’s new media division, leading both the newspaper and Newsweek into the new century and earning patents for multimedia technology. He is also a best-selling novelist whose books have been published worldwide, chosen for the Book-of-the-Month club and optioned for film. His latest book is Email from the Future: Notes from 2084.

Education

Rogers studied physics and creative writing at Stanford University, with additional studies in finance and management at the Stanford Business School Executive Program. He lives in New York City and is currently working on book and television projects.

The Post-COVID Consumer

Sometimes it seems as if society has fast-forwarded five years in the last five months: far more of our shopping, work and schooling now happens online, and post-COVID, not everything will go back. In addition, after so much uncertainty, consumers will seek security, safety, trusted relationships and reliable information. At the same time many families and businesses will struggle with limited financial resources. Big challenges--but also an opportunity for bold thinking and new initiatives around services, communication and community.

What Comes After COVID?

The “virtualization” of our world has greatly accelerated. Work from home, telemedicine, virtual shopping, distance learning, socializing, exercise: this trend alone will impact every sector of the economy. But of course, there is much more. Consumers will emerge with a new desire for security and control yet lagging incomes will change what they can afford. The public will continue to seek authoritative information sources, with a new focus on wellness. Management will face questions about localization, automation, staffing and real estate. And this are just a start: the prognosis seems to change daily. What Comes After COVID? is a highly customized presentation. Michael will work with you and your team in advance to pull out the specific topics relevant to your sector. He offers either a virtual keynote with a Q&A, or else a full small-group interactive session.

Artificial Intelligence Will Change … Everything

Cognitive computing is the latest and most potent expression of artificial intelligence. Software and robots can now learn from experience and then reason and act upon information--often coming up with insights that humans might not reach. Because they are “cloud-based”, these powerful thinking tools will be accessible even to small organizations and individuals. The result will be new efficiencies and surprising new intelligent services that will change the very nature of work and challenge us to identify what skills are uniquely human.

Your Business in 2029: A Customized Prediction

For this popular speech, Michael—who is also a best-selling science fiction writer— does an interview to learn more about your business, practice or discipline. He then creates a realistic scenario of what your profession or business may be like in the late Twenties. He’ll identify potential new products, new customers and new challenges. He’s done it for lawyers, health care professionals, transportation companies, retailers, educators, financial services companies and more—even a luxury goods manufacturer!

The Virtualization of America—And the World

Over the next decade, more and more of our work, what we care about and how we interact with others will involve the Internet, intelligent computers and the Internet of Things. If you think that’s already happened...just listen to what Michael predicts is next. Add to that the rise of a new generation of “digital natives” who are remarkably comfortable with virtual relationships. What will this mean for how our businesses and organizations must evolve in the years to come? How will products change to meet new needs and what will companies do to reach their customers?

The Health Care Revolution

The future is bright for medicine: telemedicine, wellness monitors, personal genomics, electronic health records, and more. Plus: “big data” and smart computers will choose the best and most efficient treatment options based on actual outcomes. All this progress will come with caveats, of course: how do we keep the human element in healthcare? What are the privacy implications of personal genomic data? How do we fund the latest technologies while still making sure that basic healthcare is affordable? Michael has presented this topic to pharmaceutical companies, hospital networks, health insurers, medical educators and more.

All Michael Rogers Books

Email from the Future: Notes from 2084

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Do You Care to Lead?: A 5-Part Formula for Creating Loyal and Results-Focused Teams and Organizations

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Your thought-provoking comments generated much discussion and were exactly what we needed to close out our meeting.

- | FedEx

Michael presents as though he is talking with you, versus at you. He’s someone you would love to be seated next to at any event!

- | General Electric

We were absolutely delighted with your presentation and have received very positive feedback from management and customers alike.

- | Boeing

You hit a home run with this group. Longtime bar association executives who can be somewhat jaded were particularly enthusiastic about your presentation.

- | American Bar Association