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"The world isn't flat anymore; the world now is fast": Thomas Friedman

Xinhua, June 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

The world is not flat anymore; the world is now fast, said Thomas Friedman, the author of an international best-selling book The World Is Flat, when he outlined here on Wednesday the big trends that are shaping the current world.

Giving a speech at the UN headquarters in New York, Friedman, while illustrating fresh high-tech innovations including Uber, Facebook, 4G network, computer story-writing algorithm for the Los Angeles Times, said "the world is getting fast, and we are taking complexity out of everything."

He also quoted the lead of a story from TechCrunch as saying that "Uber, the world's largest taxi company owns no vehicles, Facebook, the world's most popular media owner creates no content; Alibaba, the most valuable retailer, has no inventory, and airbnb, the world's largest accommodation provider owns no real estate. Something interesting is happening."

By saying "this is a fantastic time to be a maker," and unfortunately "a great time to be a breaker," Friedman is trying to highlight that when the world is now changing so fast there are both opportunities and challenges with the example of the Islamic State (IS) who is using tools like Google, What's APP as its commanding control systems.

During this fast-changing era, Friedman said that "average is officially over for countries," and every country now has to face up to global competition, climate change and the impact brought by globalization with its own national capacity.

Friedman is a well-known journalist and columnist in the United States and a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner. His reporting has focused on globalization as well as the threat of terrorism and the Middle East.

The book "The World Is Flat -- A Brief History of the Twenty- first Century," helped Friedman gain world reputation. The title is a metaphor for viewing the world as a level playing field in terms of commerce, where all competitors have an equal opportunity. Endite