Tip of the Spear: Our Species and Technology at a Crossroads is an examination of the state of technology and its disruptive influence on the fate of humanity. The book argues that the changes before us are existential and that we need to have a new conversation to be sure we are prepared. We have for the first time in our species existence, Jim suggests, all of the tools to solve all of the problems facing the world in the next 10 to 15 years; or those same tools will end life as we know it.
It is both a cautionary tale about the inadequacy of our linear systems of organization in the face of exponential technological change as well as a hopeful treatise on how by creating a new definition of innovation based on a new Social Contract that with - as a species - we can meet the challenges head on. The book is suitable for a broad audience - anyone trying to reconcile the complex pressure of the present with the demands of the future: the academic leader attempting to bring her students into a new understanding of the world of rapidly changing technology; parents trying to help plot a course through the minefield of an always-on digital frontier for their teenage kids; and, the business leader trying to build a new organization infused with purpose and a global narrative.

At the beginning of the book, Gibson’s Three Laws of Disruption paints a compelling picture of the state of the world in 2018. The slope of the technology change curve is growing steeper; the genies of technology invention never go back in the bottle; and, our systems of organization - education, democracy, capitalism - are ill-prepared to cope. Layered on this reality are the hard truths of the fall of human discourse, the rise of Fake News, the weaponization of Social media and the remerging spectre of nationalism.

The second third of the book walks the reader into the next decade or so through the eyes of two very different young girls: Olivia is a typical 13-year-old from Canada; Mervis is from the developing nation of Malawi. Their stories provide possible scenarios for all of us to contemplate if we don’t deal with the challenges of today. By changing the narrative into a set of personal stories, Tip of the Spear brings the reader into worlds we can understand and conversations that we have all had. It also introduces us to the developing world narrative. Mervis’ story provides hints into magnificent possibilities for the developing world; one that - with the right investments - could see our emerging economies by-pass the challenges of the past with the promise of future technologies of transportation, energy and collaboration.

The final third delivers a new vocabulary of innovation and change. It begins with a new definition of innovation, called The Innovation of Ways contrasted with the traditional Innovation of Things . This new way imagines a new social contract for all of the roles we play in our lives: As a parent, voter, professional, leader and teacher.

In the cautionary and optimistic conclusion, Jim challenges us to think and act exponentially by creating a new culture of trust and suggest that meeting the Tip of the Spear head on is possible AND urgent.