Years ago there was a pretty cool TV show starring Lee Majors as…
"Steve Austin, astronaut. A man barely alive.”
“Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man. Better than he was before. Better. Stronger. Faster."
The cost to replace Steve’s right arm, both legs and left eye with bionic implants? Six million dollars.
And so, Lee Majors as Steve Austin was The Six Million Dollar Man for five years in the mid-70s on ABC prime time. With strength, speed and vision enhanced above the human norm (power of a bulldozer, 20:1 zoom and 60 mph, respectively) the show focused on this former astronaut working for the U.S. government, fighting crime around the world. He was a state-of-the-art computer.
So, what would a Steve Austin cost today? A human infused with our most sophisticated technological inventions? It would have to be more than the $6 million, adjusted for inflation and put into 2017 dollars. That’s about $34 million.
So, let me throw a number out: $100.2 billion.
Why? Because that’s the current worth (as of this writing…but likely climbing daily-especially today!) of the most technologically advanced human we know: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
I came across an article the other day that heaps some lofty praise on the 53-year-old e-commerce king, saying Bezos himself is more important than technology. Then I found this one that proves it (read it here).
The article is about AmazonGo, the company’s new cashless store being test marketed in Seattle. Like Amazon itself, this store is a game changer. And it shows exactly why Bezos is considered by many to be the greatest entrepreneur ever. Because, as the accompanying video says, “Four years ago, we started to wonder, what would shopping look like if…”
It’s so simple, really. And it’s a clear reminder that the answers to our problems, the resolutions to our points of friction and the advancement of our businesses all come from one thing: Embracing wonder.
We do that by asking…
What can be improved?
How might we do better?
What does Madeleine think? Or Jimmy? Or Pat?
I wonder what our world will look like in five years?
May we all embrace “wonder” a little more enthusiastically this season.
John