Necessity drives innovation

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With the US election now less than six months away, the polarisation we’ve seen so far this year has the potential to ramp up. But, as Jared is quick to mention in his conversation with Calum, polarisation in US politics is nothing new. So what is different now? The biggest difference, as Jared explains, is actually the shallow nature of polarisation compared to the past. In the 1800s, brawls were seen in the House of Representatives over state rights and slavery. Whereas, today’s issues seem to be based on shallow labels of being a Democrat or a Republican. And yet as we draw closer to election day, we’re likely to see those divisions intensify – particularly on the issues between the US and China.

Those issues have only been exacerbated by the current Covid-19 pandemic – referred to by President Trump as the “Chinese virus” – of which, as Jared suggests, we are likely only in chapter 2 of what will be a long global crisis. The friction and technological race between the US and China has only been made more complex by Covid-19.

One of the most interesting outcomes that Jared believes will come out of the pandemic is the technological innovation in areas we desperately need – how we work, collaborate and educate – compared with the “luxury innovation” seen in the last 10 years.