Airplanes Can Drive but Cars Can’t Fly

What if Digital Transformation is a false hope? You can build an airplane that drives, but you cannot have a car that flies.

Traditionally unicorns are known for being software companies: Uber, Alipay/ANT Financial, Didi Chuxing, Airbnb.

But it seems that unicorns are becoming traditional businesses with technology in their DNA.

“WeWork: Now a $5 Billion Co-Working Startup” or “New York-based Compass is now valued at $2.2 billion post-money, up from $1.8 billion just four weeks ago, with $775 million raised to date.” Meanwhile OpenDoor “is in 10 markets right now, and also says it now purchases more than $2.5 billion in homes on an annual run rate“. It’s “valuation tops $2 billion“.

Existing, established, companies are not succeeding in transforming from within. SNCF created e.SNCF as an outside company to act from the outside in. Compte Nickel started as an outsider, and was later bought by BNP Paribas.

Perhaps only Netflix has achieved true Digital Transformation – but then again, it’s more of a metamorphosis, more than just transformation.

But digital transformation is not that hard really: it’s about using technology to make complex and time consuming things easier – for customers and employees.

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