Although he said he is unsure where we will be in the next 20+ years, he is certain government needs to keep up and join the changes happening around them. “You can’t govern the way we have been for the last two centuries.” With all this change, says Newsom, “we either get ahead or get run over.” It is no secret that Newsom believes technology will play a big part in shaping our future.
When you go on a journey, you don’t care if the person next to you is a Democrat or Republican, you journey together.
His booming voice rang as he conveyed his beliefs and ideas for the coming days. He says, however, “The world is changing, and we are still operating on an old operating system.” Newsom believes now, more than ever, our country needs to think outside of the box. “The current mindset is “machine” thinking. We need “platform” thinking.” He gave the example of Uber, which today is the largest public transportation company, and yet it doesn’t own a single car. Airbnb, an accommodations service, is going to be the first company to operate in every country, but they don’t own any real estate. He thinks we need to apply this mentality to the government.
However, talking about the future and what it could bring is not easy. Having a conversation about how self-driving trucks could eliminate jobs for millions of people is not what people want to hear, but it’s a necessary step towards having a capable government. “The government’s on a collision course with the future; you either roll over it or you get run over.”
Newsom says the way we approach these needs need to be more forward thinking, so consequently, “we’re having the wrong debate,” he says. We’re arguing about the wrong things and putting the emPHAsis on the wrong syllable.
We all need to set aside our differences and work together, he added. “When you go on a journey, you don’t care if the person next to you is a Democrat or Republican, you journey together.”