Memoir. Manifesto. Playbook.

The Third Wave
Case leverages his incredible experience and business acumen to make a compelling argument: the future of the internet is coming much faster than we might think, and if the U.S. doesn’t make fundamental changes at both the private and public levels, we might miss out on it. He argues there have been two “waves” of internet-related business so far: the first was the initial scale-up of the system and its commercialization by visionary companies like AOL. The second was the mobile revolution and the “app economy” that broke the internet free from the confines of the desktop computer. The third wave, Case argues, is the “internet of everything,” when the internet stops being something we interact with for short periods of time, and becomes something that exists constantly around us, in everything we use, from cars to appliances to medical tools to the clothes we wear.
The bona fides
Few people have Case’s sheer breadth of experience. Not only was he one of the only people to envision the early potential of the internet, not only did he build AOL into one of the most amazing success stories of the modern age, but he has continued to make shrewd investments with his firm Revolution LLC, helping companies like Zipcar and LivingSocial realize their potential. Few people have been so right about so many aspects of the Internet Age, making his new book a must-read for anyone trying to read the tea leaves of technology’s future.
The lessons
What makes The Third Wave so compelling a read is Case’s easygoing style, coupled with his brutal honesty. He discusses his triumphs and his failures—including the Time Warner merger, which should have been his victory dance and instead ended in disaster. He’s honest about mistakes made and opportunities missed throughout his career, and uses examples of each to outline lessons that inform his vision of the future. Case argues that phrases like “Internet Enabled” will soon be as archaic as saying an appliance is “electricity enabled.” He argues that companies will have to seek partnerships, because the Internet of Everything will have to work with existing products and industries, ranging from healthcare to education to manufacturing and farming. And he argues the government will need to be involved, but in a much more nimble and faster-moving way than ever before.
The takeaway
Should we fail to heed his advice, Case’s vision of the future is a grim one, in which the U.S. loses its competitive edge and other, hungrier nations take the lead. He doesn’t see this as inevitable, but he’s clear about the challenges ahead, and less than shy about outlining exactly what he thinks needs to happen to right the ship. Even if you discount his extensive experience, he makes a compelling argument. The Third Wave might sound like the title of a science fiction novel, but the fact is, it’s already lapping at our shores: many of us have smart thermostats in our homes, internet-connected cars in our garages, and wifi-enabled locks and lights we can manipulate from anywhere through our mobile devices. There’s little doubt the third wave is coming—the question is whether or not we, as a nation, will be able to catch it, and ride the crest all the way into shore.