Issue 77: A Bulletin for Big Ideas and Better Business

OPINION/ BUSINESS

Are you an ideas person?

💬 Sir John Hegarty

It is a trick question. In business, the existence of the ‘ideas person’ is a myth that many still subscribe to. While there are those individuals in companies who readily offer their opinion and occupy centre stage in meetings, the notion that some of us are able to have ideas, and others are not, is quite simply untrue. And when we label some as being an ‘ideas person’, or a ‘creative thinker’ (or whatever), it strengthens the assumption. I have always felt it to be a fallacy: because if you are a human being, you are creative.

You are an ideas person. There is compelling evidence to back this up. In 2020, neuroscientists at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario used fMRI scans to count how many new thoughts human test subjects had in a single day. Researchers discovered that the average human has 6,200. It’s harder to determine the content or value of each idea. The majority of these thoughts is likely to be prosaic stuff about your commute, or what’s for lunch. The art then, is about upping your chances of having a great, profound, or fortune-shifting idea in amongst the mass.

The machine between your ears is whirring away constantly – recognising the great ideas is about practice, application, and self-belief

There are two traits that help cultivate better ideas (and I’ve observed them in every great thinker I’ve ever met). The first point is about feeding your brain properly. That means reading widely and well, gravitating towards those who are the best at what they do. Challenging yourself with pastimes that condition the mind-muscle – like writing, painting, sport, or playing a musical instrument. And avoiding unconscious hours scrolling on social media.

The second trait is about listening. The machine between your ears is whirring away constantly. But recognising the great ideas when they emerge is about practice, application, and self-belief. The best thinking comes out of context, and when you happen across a helpful thought, it’s your responsibility to keep it in store, and – crucially – bring it to life when the right moment arises. Are you an ideas person? If you are a person, then the answer is ‘yes’

THE AGENDA

🗓️ Diarise this: your agenda for the coming week

1.
Rachel Reeves will deliver her Mansion House speech today. It’s an opportunity for the UK chancellor to outline key economic plans for the coming months. With stumbling growth in the government’s first year, Britons will be hoping for something audacious.
15th July

2.
Christopher Street Day will take over Berlin. A pride procession that attracts around one million attendees each year, the floats, costumes, and music belie a serious intent: solidarity with LGBTQ+ communities and a stand against discrimination. Don’t expect a quiet riot – the motto this year is “Never silent again!”.
19th – 20th July

3.
Young artists will be brushing up on their craft about now. The seventh Royal Academy of Arts Young Artists’ Summer Show opens this week. A free open submission exhibition, it shows work by those aged between four and nineteen. The kids are alright.
15th July – 10th August

4.
The Hong Kong Book Fair turns thirty-five this week. The theme this year is ‘Food Culture – Future Living’. Why the foodie focus? Organisers reckon that eating and reading are both tied up with culture, and represent living stories that evolve over time.
16th – 22nd July

5.
Gianni Versace dominated fashion in the 1990s. Now a major exhibition of the Italian designer’s work is due to be shown at Arches London Bridge. The collection features over 450 original pieces, including outfits worn by Princess Diana, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and George Michael.
16th July

US / TRANSPORT

Tesla on Autopilot (and on trial)
Source: Tesla

Tesla’s trials and tribulations

Tesla has been on damage control in recent years following hundreds of incidents that call into question the reliability of Autopilot, its semi-assisted driving system. A site that amasses public data on crashes involving Teslas (grimly called Tesla Deaths) reckons that a total of 58 fatalities have occurred in connection with the technology. This week the brand’s reputation could take a further dent after a federal trial in Miami commenced yesterday. The suit is the result of a deadly crash in 2019, and represents the first case of its kind to go to a jury. It could also result in a legal judgement against Tesla and Autopilot. The inquiry comes at a bad time for the automaker. The brand has suffered a backlash after its plate-spinning CEO Elon Musk involved himself with the Trump administration and took a public and decided rightward political position. Self-driving cars have the potential to dramatically reduce accidents. But rapid innovation should never come at the expense of human safety.

ON CREATIVITY /

Contributor: Sir John Hegarty

CHINA / TECHNOLOGY

Ambitions in Beijing: Jensen Huang, Nvidia founder and CEO
Source: Nvidia

Nvidia heads to Beijing

The US and China might be in a prolonged period of tension, but there’s one figure who is keen to smooth things over. This week Jensen Huang, boss of US chip giant Nvidia, is in Beijing to attend the third China International Supply Chain Expo. The ambition is to shore things up ahead of his company’s roll out of a chip intended specifically for China. While meeting with business leaders and the country’s political elite, the executive will walk a fine line – he must retain his company’s prominence in a huge and important global market, while not invoking the ire of Donald Trump. Export restrictions imposed by the White House have already cost Nvidia billions of dollars in lost revenue, according to reports by the Financial Times. Can Huang play both sides and win a major slice of China’s expected $50bn AI prize? Perhaps. But in geopolitics and business the chips have a habit of falling as they may.

NEW YORK / SPACE

A piece of Mars: For sale to the highest bidder
Source: Sotheby’s

The (four) million dollar meteorite

Sotheby’s New York is about to sell a big ticket item that is – really – out of this world. The auction house will put the largest Martian meteorite ever found on Earth under the hammer. The hunk of space rock is thought to have been chipped off Mars by a colossal asteroid strike, after that, it careered around 140 million miles to land in the Sahara Desert. It was found by an anonymous meteorite hunter and given the less-than-catchy name ‘NWA 16788’, (presumably not a Dr. Dre reference). The piece is expected to fetch something to the tune of $4m. For its proud new owner, it ought to be a profound reminder of the enormity of the universe, and the infinite span of opportunities therein.

Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks.

/Plutarch