Former VP of US Chamber of Commerce visits MSBA class

Rich Cooper, former Vice President of Emerging Issues at the US Chamber of Commerce was our guest this month in the MSBA Leadership Series. Rich has a wealth of knowledge and information on future trends and directions and kept the class spellbound with his ideas on what their future might look like.

Mr. Cooper contends many of the old definitions are no longer relevant and the status quo is constantly being disrupted. “Think Über and Lyft versus the taxi monopoly,” he urged. “Will regulators be able to keep up with the technology? What about the unintended consequences of these disruptors? Who will decide the limits of the drone? Your airspace, free airspace?”

“Google glasses may be a great convenience, but what if you don’t want your conversation recorded?”, he asked. Lawyers and ethicists will have to deal with these questions in the future.

In fact, Mr. Cooper thinks the current Millennial generation may be the most disruptive generation since the founding fathers; not willing to accept the status quo and possessing the means to disrupt it. For example, smart phones today have more computing power than the technology that landed man on the moon and all of the information contained in the Alexandria library, once considering the greatest in the world, would fit on a thumb drive today.

In closing, Rich counseled vigilance and humility will be needed to ensure progress is for the benefit of all.