If you take 30 steps linearly, you will walk 30 meters. But if you take 30 doubling steps, going 1 meter in the first step, then 2 meters, then 4, then 8, and so on, by step 30, you will have traveled 1 billion meters, or 26 times around the globe.
That is how Salim Ismail, the founding executive director of Singularity University, described exponential thinking, which his institution is hoping to translate from product development to global development.
“When you challenge somebody to impact a billion people, it changes their frame of reference,” he told Devex at the first Singularity University Global Summit in San Francisco last week. “If I say go impact 100 people, you’ll use your traditional thinking to operate that way. When we say go impact a billion people, you’re forced to think exponentially.”
About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.
