Thinkers & Ideas

• The Land Trap with Mike Bird

  In The Land Trap: A New History of the World’s Oldest Asset, Mike Bird shows why land remains the ultimate currency of power.Bird is the Wall Street editor at The Economist, where he leads coverage across the American financial industry and cohosts the magazine’s flagship podcast Money Talks. In his new book, he presents a bold new framework explaining how land exerts influence over the modern world, shaping housing, banking, and geopolitics.In his conversation with Nikolaus Lang, global leader of the BCG Henderson Institute, Bird discusses the history of land usage and ownership, how land is related to modern economic crises, and different governance models for land.Key topics discussed: 01:01 | What makes land unique, and why is it a trap?04:58 | The history of land ownership11:38 | The relation between land and economic crises16:00 | The role of “superstar cities”19:08 | How land could be governed23:36 | Business implications of land

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• SuperAdaptability with Max McKeown

  In SuperAdaptability: How to Transcend in an Age of Overwhelm, Max McKeown argues that the key to thriving under uncertainty is adaptability—being able to change with your environment, again and again, getting better each time.McKeown is a leading strategy thinker, coach to Fortune 100 companies, and an award-winning author. In his new book, he reveals how figures as different as Frida Kahlo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Simone Biles all relied on the same pattern of thinking to adapt to radically changing circumstances.In his conversation with Adam Job, senior director at the BCG Henderson Institute, he discusses the difference between adaptability and resilience, and how to scale adaptability from one person to a team to an entire organization.Key topics discussed: 01:14 | The power of adaptive intelligence03:03 | Adaptability vs. resilience05:15 | The RUN loop: Recognize, understand, necessary action09:08 | How to help others become more adaptable11:57 | How to make your company more adaptable16:19 | Applying the loop logic to innovation23:56 | Real life stories of adaptability29:23 | Bringing adaptability to life with illustrationsAdditional inspirations from Max McKeown:The Strategy Book: How to Think and Act Strategically to Deliver Outstanding Results (FT Publishing International, 2024)

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• Capitalism and its Critics with John Cassidy

  In Capitalism and Its Critics: A Battle of Ideas in the Modern World, John Cassidy offers a multi-century history of global capitalism, told through the eyes of its dissenters.Cassidy is a staff writer at The New Yorker and a Pulitzer Prize finalist. His new book blends biography, history, and economic analysis to reveal the roots of urgent debates the business world and society face today, as AI, climate change, and inequality are forcing us to reexamine the economic system.In his conversation with Nikolaus Lang, global leader of the BCG Henderson Institute, Cassidy discusses the main historical themes of capitalism critique, why the system continues to endure, how it is being, and what its future may be in the current context of assaults on the system from both the political left and right.Key topics discussed: 01:44 | The main themes of capitalism critique04:17 | Why capitalism endures09:15 | The paradox of state capitalism14:21 | The misunderstood Luddites19:09 | Trade tensions and global economic asymmetry24:45 | The role of unpaid domestic labor in driving the capitalist system28:50 | The most surprising insights in writing the book31:33 | The future of capitalismAdditional inspirations from John Cassidy:Dot.Con: The Greatest Story Ever Sold (Harper, 2022)How Markets Fail: The Logic of Economic Calamities (Picador, 2010)

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• Warhead with Dr. Nicholas Wright

  In Warhead: How the Brain Shapes War and War Shapes the Brain, Nicholas Wright argues that war and competition are rooted in human biology—in our drives for survival, fairness, territory, and belonging.Wright is a neuroscientist who researches the brain, technology, and security at University College London; Georgetown University; and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, where he also advises the Pentagon. In his new book, he explores how each region of the brain is linked to a certain dimension of conflict—explaining why war seems inevitable, yet also why peace is possible.In his conversation with Nikolaus Lang, global leader of the BCG Henderson Institute, he discusses why neuroscience is a powerful lens to understand conflict, how it helps military leaders make decisions, and why we need to give AI a prefrontal cortex to ensure it makes wise decisions in conflict situations.Key topics discussed: 01:27 | Neuroscience as a lens to understand conflict04:10 | The role of prediction error in the psychology of war07:29 | The clash between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex12:46 | How AI and its interaction with humans may influence the future of conflict18:55 | How neuroscience insights help military leaders make decisions22:13 | Training political and business leaders based on neuroscience insights

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• After the Spike with Dean Spears and Michael Geruso

  In After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People, Dean Spears and Michael Geruso argue that the defining demographic risk of this century is global depopulation.Spears and Geruso are both professors at the University of Texas at Austin, focusing on economic demography and development economics. In their new book, they explore the trend of falling birth rates, how it threatens human progress, and what actions may reverse this trend.In their conversation with Nikolaus Lang, global leader of the BCG Henderson Institute, they discuss projections for global depopulation, why advances in AI and robotics will not replace humans, why fewer people may not be good for the planet, and what the implications of all this are for business leaders.Key topics discussed:01:06 | Projected global population levels06:11 | The impact of depopulation11:00 | The potential for AI and robotics to replace humans17:00 | The environmental implications of depopulation21:24 | Potential solutions to falling birth rates26:02 | Implications for business leaders28:26 | Reasons to remain hopefulAdditional inspirations from Dean Spears:Air: Pollution, Climate Change and India's Choice Between Policy and Pretence (Harper Collins Publishers India, 2019)Where India Goes: Abandoned Toilets, Stunted Development and the Costs of Caste, co-authored by Diane Coffey (Harper Collins Publishers India, 2017)

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