The Problems of Today VS. The Problems of Tomorrow

4 min readJun 8, 2020

“We are to face the new reality that we all are forming now — by taking action or sticking to inaction today.”

Food For Thought

As most of you do, I participate in discussions about the changes (or the lack of) that we see in the world today. From realizations of broken systems to the future of work to tackle injustice. This will not be a letter about riots or politics or even space. I want this to provide food for thought and inspire you to imagine the reality you want to live in — and, possibly, take action.

And my 2 core questions to you are:

What would you rather do: Return to normal VS Create the new normal?
Don’t you think that to be able to solve the problems of tomorrow, we first need to solve the problems of today?

Allow me to elaborate a little.

The “Normal” is an ever-changing concept, subject to our personal and collective understanding of the reality we live in. Wearing a mask to the store is normal now. The events unfolding in 2020 (what a year so far…) are driving change — and some things will change temporarily and others will change permanently. In my honest opinion, there is no going back to normal for most of us. We are to face the new reality that we all are forming now — by taking action or sticking to inaction today. Are you actively participating in creating the new reality you will leave in or are you letting others create it for you? As entrepreneurs and investors, we have the power to create and enable, through solutions that can change lives in one way or the other. I hope that we are using this power with positive intentions (right, Facebook?)

At the same time, when we are taking action on building out-of-box solutions, we forget an important aspect: the need to solve real issues of today to be able to implement future-looking ideas. A great example here: building crypto-based solutions for mass adoption when the majority of the population doesn’t understand traditional finance or even how credit card debt works. Funny how it all goes back to education and communication.

But enough with my ranting. What are the trends and discussions that we see arising?

Remote Work

Remote work was a critical enabler of business and economic continuity during the shelter-in-place. Based on a recent report from Gartner, it looks like many workers will continue to have the option to work from home permanently. A whopping 98% of people would like to have the option to work remotely for the rest of their careers. Even amidst a global crisis, employees are reporting greater productivity and higher job satisfaction, which is translating into profitability for their employers. By permitting offsite work, the businesses then get to access even more overhead savings, like lower real estate, equipment, and supply expenses. Global Workplace Analytics reports an average savings of $11,000 per part-time role that is converted from physical to virtual. It’s easy to see why remote work may be the foundation of the future of work.

Perhaps, the conversation that we should be having isn’t about where we are going to work post-COVID but how we are going to work? Payroll tied to location, virtual workplace accessibility, communication tool, and the cooler talks. Here is great info on how people and companies react to remote work — and the struggles/opportunities:

Unplugging after work
Loneliness
Collaborating/Communicating
Distractions at home
Different time zones
Staying motivated
Taking vacation time
Reliable Wifi

Here is a great list of 195 companies that are enabling some aspects for remote work: The Future of Work Map.

Tracking of location and other personal information

In China, authorities are using technology to track healthy people and those who pose a risk. Residents are assigned color-coded QR codes on their phones. The color determines what they’re able to do. In Wuhan, China, where the lockdown has been lifted, residents need to produce a green QR code on their phones to leave their homes. To get into places such as restaurants, people need to show a green QR code. Now Apple and Google are working together to help US health authorities track exposure to the coronavirus using Bluetooth technology. “The tech giants could play an important role in fighting the pandemic despite privacy concerns”.

The Road to Recovery: Reopening

Here is a chart that measures the extent to which 41 major economies are reopening, by plotting two metrics for each country: the mobility rate and the COVID-19 recovery rate:

Mobility Index refers to the change in activity around workplaces, subtracting activity around residences, measured as a percentage deviation from the baseline.
COVID-19 Recovery Rate is the number of recovered cases in a country measured as the percentage of total cases.

The US is in the low mobility, low recovery group.

Dr. Doom a Decade later

Nouriel Roubini, the New York University professor who predicted the 2008 crash, has another dire forecast based on the 10 ominous and risky trends. While many investors bet on a “V-shaped recovery,” “Dr. Doom” is staking his reputation on an L-shaped depression. The economist (and host of a biweekly economic news broadcast) does expect things to get better before they get worse: He foresees a slow, lackluster (i.e., “U-shaped”) economic rebound in the pandemic’s immediate aftermath. But he insists that this recovery will quickly collapse beneath the weight of the global economy’s accumulated debts. Roubini allows that, after a decade of misery, we may get around to developing a “more inclusive, cooperative, and stable international order.” But, he hastens to add, “any happy ending assumes that we find a way to survive” the hard times to come.

Stay strong and UnVentures!

Learn more about UnVentures @ unventures.co