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Clay Shirky Is Back (And He's Taking On China)

What do you really know about China, smartphones, business and how it impacts the world?

There are only a handful of truly original, influential and innovative modern thinkers when it comes to business, media and technology. If there were a Mount Rushmore of thinkers like this, there is no doubt that Clay Shirky would be on this list. His first two books, Here Comes Everybody (2008) and then Cognitive Surplus (2010), are two of the most important business books that were written on the effects of technology and social change. He holds a joint appointment at NYU as an Associate Arts Professor at the Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) and as an Associate Professor in Journalism Department. A few years back, he decided to move to China instead of Silicon Valley to better understand what was happening in technology today, and to further study the effects of the internet on society. Well, it has been a long six (almost seven!) years since his last book. Now, he’s back with Little Rice – Smartphones, Xiaomi, and the Chinese Dream.

Where does your smartphone come from?

Newsflash: it’s not like babies… it’s not the stork. Odds are, your smartphone (in one way, shape or form) comes from China. Here’s something to think about: A company named Xiaomi (which translates as “little rice” from Mandarin) has managed to become the most valuable startup ever, by becoming the third largest manufacturer of smartphones (just behind Samsung and Apple) in only five years. Think on that. China has quickly become the world’s largest creator of that little device in your pocket (and many other technologies). Clay’s book is about big changes from a big country by a big thinker who spent a year in Shanghai trying to think about this, the future, globalization and how we’re all connected. With that, Shirky recently visited Google to discuss Little Rice, the rise of China and how this technology (which embodies freedom and connectedness) interacts with autocratic countries and non-democratic environments. As is usually the case, Clay is a super-dynamic and passionate presenter who weaves in great and unique stories to make his point. This presentation is no exception.

Watch this: Clay Shirky – “Little Rice” – Talks At Google.

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.