The Horizons Tracker

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

While the metaverse sprang to public attention with the renaming of Facebook earlier this year, the phrase was coined back in 1996 in Neal Stephenson’s book Snow Crash, in which the science fiction author described an immersive version of the internet that was accessed via virtual reality.

Stephenson 87

Stephenson Wireless Christensen Automotive 87

Harvard Business Review

JULY 14, 2017

Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age inspired Jeff Bezos to create the Kindle ; Sergey Brin mines Stephenson’s even more famous Snow Crash for insights into virtual reality. The protagonists wrestle with the impacts of tech consolidation, data breaches, and the theory and practice of corporate social responsibility.

Stephenson 15

Stephenson White Paper Real Estate Hedge 15

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 18, 2018

Randall Stephenson, then CEO of AT&T, famously said , “I told people you weren’t betting on a device. Yet stories like the one above about Steve Jobs made us wonder: might there be some hidden benefits to overconfidence in the context of corporate leadership? You were betting on Steve Jobs.”

Stephenson 10

Stephenson Kahneman CEO Commitment 10

Harvard Business Review

JULY 10, 2017

And in an emotional recounting of his black friend’s experience outside the office that went viral on YouTube, AT&T chairman Randall Stephenson encouraged employees to get to know each other better.

Ryan 8

Ryan Stephenson Groupthink Politics 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 16, 2015

Randall Stephenson of AT&T explained, “We had 270,000 people we employed around the globe. As David Thodey put it, “Leadership was pretty important. Leadership Competition' People observed what I did and what I spent my time on. As a CEO, how you spent your time became more and more important as you went along.”

CEO 8

CEO Stephenson Pharmaceuticals Globalization 8