Lab Report

THIS WEEK 
Results of our 2030 opinion poll.

Plus: work-based learning, an Apple Watch with EKG technology, and AI bias in healthcare.

Featured story

BUSINESS STRATEGY

7 things to consider when planning for 2030

Once a year, executives earn a second job: annual planning. At a minimum, it is an exercise in right-sizing budgets to achieve organizational goals. But when symbolic years loom, organizations shift the goal posts, prompting new questions. What does the business need to achieve by 2030? And what factors are most likely to help or hinder progress?

We recently asked Lab Report readers and Luminary Labs Twitter followers to weigh in on an opinion poll: “which factor will have the greatest impact on life in 2030?” Perhaps not surprisingly, “technology” received the most votes, but we heard from readers who said they struggled to choose just one factor.

To be fair, no one knows the future. The most hyped technologies often flop (remember the Segway?) and the technologies that have the greatest impact can be a complete surprise. Geopolitics are increasingly unpredictable as the poles of power are shifting. The next recession is likely to happen soon; we just don’t know when.

But there is one factor that we can be sure of: demographic changes. Americans are living longer and fertility rates are dropping, resulting in a population distribution that will look more like a pillar than a pyramid by 2060. As soon as 2035, the United States will be home to more people over 65 than under 18. The racial makeup of America will also shift, and the biracial and multiracial population is projected to be the fastest-growing over the next several decades.

The graying of America is not new. Open any news site and you will read about how 60 is the new 40. While some might see this as a business opportunity in the short term, organizations will need to plan for the long-term economic and political effects. 

If any part of your job is focused on the future, you’ll need to consider the future of technology. But you’ll need to spend as much time — if not more — on the future of humans. Real human needs will dictate where and how technology is deployed, not the other way around. Here are seven things to consider when planning for 2030.

Insights & updates

Cool job alert

Headspace is looking for a head of product management in Santa Monica, California.

Klara, a medical messaging platform, is recruiting a product researcher in New York.

Planned Parenthood is looking for a director of health care strategy in New York.