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Writer's pictureBjørnulf Østvik

Dawn of a New Industry

Updated: Aug 5



How will the new resource economy change the world?

The New Resource Technology Sector

An emerging new multidisciplinary industry shows similarities to the digital technology revolution of the 1990s. Prominent experts have called this the biggest economic opportunity in a century.

A Pivotal Moment

Gaining a first-mover advantage is still possible but time may be running out very soon as AI advances rapidly, geopolitical shifts are underway, and significant investments are being made into new technologies and infrastructure.

© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 
Unleashing the Future: The Power of the New Resource Technology Industry

In the 1990s, as people first connected to the internet, few understood its potential to transform virtually every aspect of life. The digital revolution was just beginning. 

 

Today, we stand on the brink of another seismic shift with a new industry I call “Resource Technology.” This groundbreaking sector, poised to revolutionize our physical world, may well prove more valuable than the digital/information technology sector. 

 

To fully grasp this, consider that the combined 2023 annual revenue of the 169 biggest tech companies in the Forbes 2000 was $4.2 trillion. By contrast, it only takes 39 companies in a small subset the natural resources sector – in it’s current, pre-transformation state – to exceed $4.2 trillion in 2023 revenues. These ~3 dozen companies, a selection of petroleum/coal, cement, timber, and chemical companies, thus has greater revenues the entire tech industry. 

 

This is not just a matter of greater consolidation in natural resources. The estimated value of natural resource reserves in large countries like Russia, China and the U.S. are each tens of trillions of dollars. 

 

The Information Age has been transformative, shaping the information we consume and defining how we spend our time. It is easy to overlook the physical world beneath us and all it takes to make society function. The physical resources sector is, simply put, multiples larger than the tech industry. 

 

It is easy to see how a radical transformation in the resources sector could create the largest economic opportunity of the century. The application of technologies to the physical resources sector itself gives rise to a field best understood as an entirely new industry: Resource Technology. 

 

Just as the digital revolution of the 1990s was a coalescence of innovations dating back to the 1800s (the earliest mechanical computers), so too the Resource Technology sector represents a maturing and coalescence of scientific and engineering fields that also date back to the 1800s (such as polymer science). 

 

Considering how the Information Age overlaid a ‘virtual layer’ on our physical reality, it seems intuitive and inevitable that our physical world would eventually undergo a radical transformation as well. 

 

Thus, the Resource Technology sector represents the merger of advanced technology with the physical material world. It is driving towards a version of ‘singularity’ where we can work with, control, and manage the molecular building blocks of the world in ways that could not have been conceived a few decades ago. 

 

However, unlike the overt consumer engagement of the digital age, the Resource Technology sector will quietly revolutionize industries—and it can create massive opportunities for those who recognize its potential. 

 

Those who grasp the potential of the Resource Technology sector—and understand its impact—can position themselves to capitalize on entirely new asset classes and anticipate shifts in value. As AI continues to transform our digital existence, Resource Technology offers a tangible counterbalance. This sector is not only reshaping the physical material world but also unlocking enormous and stable value. In a rapidly changing digital landscape, the physical reality remains a constant, and Resource Technology is the key to harnessing its full potential. 

© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 
What is driving the Resource Technology Industry?

The Resource Technology sector isn’t driven by the digital revolution; it’s powered by it. Fundamental forces make transforming the resource economy necessary and inevitable. This revolution must happen, with technology as the enabler, not the driving force. This distinction is vital: the transformation is not optional but an unavoidable necessity. Consider these examples:


Population and Economic Growth

By 2031, the global consumer base will increase by one billion, from 4 billion in 2023 to 5 billion. Global materials use has more than tripled in the last 50 years, from 30 billion tonnes in 1970 to 106 billion tonnes in 2020, and is forecast to grow 2.3% annually. Emerging markets are expanding rapidly; for instance, India’s economy grew by 8% in the last fiscal year. 


Supply Chain and Security Concerns

Supply chain disruptions are among the world’s greatest risks, exacerbated by factors like extreme weather, cyberattacks, pandemics, trade restrictions, and wars. New materials are becoming national security issues, as seen with China’s restriction on graphite exports in October 2023. There is an urgent need for resilient supply chains, decentralization, and strategic material management. 


Technological Advancements

Machine learning and AI are revolutionizing material science, driving the creation of innovative new materials. With global natural resource consumption projected to rise by 60% over the next 25 years, these advancements are crucial. New materials are being widely adopted across various industries, such as carbon fiber, which is expected to grow at an annual rate of 8.8% into the 2030s. 


These examples illustrate significant drivers that are reorganizing the physical world. Viewing them as incremental shifts misses the signs of a broader transformation. Many observers mistakenly see technology progression as merely incremental, a common misconception during rapid growth periods. Similar misunderstandings occurred in the 1990s when Amazon was thought to be just selling books online, MP3s were seen as another audio format, and the internet was viewed as an academic and military information-sharing tool. 


The drivers of the Resource Technology industry are fundamental, not optional, making the transformation of the resource economy both necessary and inevitable.

© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 
A Quantum Leap in Material Technology

We are on the cusp of a profound change in how technology interacts with the physical world. This is not merely a step forward but a fundamental restructuring driven by two key factors: 

 

First, advancements in material science and engineering are unlocking unprecedented capabilities. For example, the development of graphene has opened new competitive edges in industries ranging from aerospace to construction. This has heightened global competition and protectionism over the raw materials required to produce these advanced materials. 

 

Second, the rigid constraints of the physical world—a fixed supply of natural resources coupled with rapidly growing demand—are mandating a shift in how we manage and utilize materials. As innovation accelerates the consumption of certain materials, demand is growing exponentially, outpacing even the rise of the global middle class. 


The Blurring of Material Classes


Indeed, these factors – in particular advancements in materials science – are blurring the lines between types of materials. For example, “plastics” can now be engineered from plants or sugars, not just petroleum. Polymers can also be engineered to be biodegradable – thus mitigating one of the greatest problems with conventional plastics. Scientists have created polymers stronger than steel.  

 

Developments in areas like 3D metamaterials and quantum materials are dissolving traditional boundaries, creating materials with unprecedented capabilities and applications. 

 

3D metamaterials, for example bring together structural and functional aspects of conventional materials like metals on the one hand, and ceramics or polymers on the other hand. Quantum materials exhibit unique properties that blur the lines as well. For example, topological insulators exhibit both electrical and thermal properties, typically seen as separate in conventional materials.  

 

What were once distinct classes of materials, and indeed resources, are now being rearranged as innovation disrupts the status quo. Technology is driving a profound transformation of the material world – changing how we view materials at the most fundamental level. This has the potential to reshape industries, change economies, and drive geopolitics.  

© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 
Implications of Fixed Supply and Growing Demand

What happens when we face a fixed supply of valuable goods and raw materials, coupled with exponential growth in demand? This scenario carries significant national and economic security implications. History and human nature have repeatedly shown us that such situations can lead to extreme outcomes, ranging from devastating wars to enormous economic opportunities.


The Resource Technology industry emerges as a critical factor in this landscape. It holds the key to ensuring prosperity and economic opportunity, while also offering the potential to transform systemic and environmental risks into opportunities. Moreover, it presents the possibility of democratizing resources, making them more accessible to a broader population.


The Urgency of Now


However, the time to act is now, not five years from now, arguably not even two or three years from now. Certainly not for those who seek to gain an advantage. We are witnessing real-time shifts in the industry's landscape. Artificial Intelligence is growing at an exponential rate, materials consumption is surging, and innovation is driving national security considerations and trade restrictions. What were once academic discussions about supply chain systemic risks are now becoming observed realities.

© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 
Defining the Resource Technology Industry

Audiences typically understand “Natural Resources” to refer to specific materials as they exist in nature, such as coal, crude oil, stone, sand, forests, timber, and water. The Energy industry is often associated with Natural Resources because conventional energy production relied on many of these materials (e.g., oil, coal, natural gas) - specifically combustion (an exothermic reaction) of these resources. In a hierarchy of uses, few would argue that simply burning limited raw materials is the highest order of utilization. It follows that eventually the world evolves to higher order uses of its limited physical molecules and shifts to obtaining energy from extraterrestrial sources (e.g. solar energy) and fusion/fission.


Conversely, it is worth noting that conventional 'energy' industries also are not necessarily limited to energy applications. Take the oil industry for example. While plastics production today represent a small portion of oil usage, BP estimates that plastics will drive 95% of oil demand growth from 2020 to 2040! Coal could also see new products-based demand. University researchers and the U.S. Department of Energy have recently been running programs to produce graphene from coal (graphene is a carbon-based 'super material' with applications in the construction, aerospace, automotive, electronics, energy and health industries.


When oil is used for plastics production, or coal is used for graphene production, are they 'energy industries'?


We are witnessing a profound transformation in how we view, manage, and utilize physical resources. The traditional constructs of ‘energy’ industries and ‘natural resources’ are becoming increasingly outdated. This shift is significant, as it challenges long-standing categorizations and understandings that have shaped the finance sector, Wall Street, government regulatory agencies, and commodity trading for decades, if not over a century.


The natural progression of scientific development and the underlying fundamental drivers (such as those mentioned above) will command a new way of looking at everything. Thus, the 'energy industry' will increasingly be one of harvesting space-based energies (including the sun's) as well as fusion/fission. As such, the new energy industry will tie naturally into the space economy/industry as well as physics and certain industrial engineering industries.


One day, the idea of 'burning' things (coal, hydrocarbons) to create energy will seem laughably archaic, an appalling waste of limited physical resources. Certainly, it had its place in human history. So did stone tablets. This does not minimize the incredible advancement that these industries enabled, but progress-limiting ongoing dependence does not need to be a necessary homage to the industry that powered the 19th and 20th centuries.


This transformation should be celebrated as progress towards a higher and more valuable use of physical matter. It is not a theoretical transformation but one that is already happening. We are in the early Silicon Valley days of this new industry.


The “Resource Technology” sector represents the next evolutionary step for various industries, much like how the Information Technology sector evolved from the computer industry. The computer industry initially existed as a machine-based sector performing certain specific functions, but the Information Technology sector expanded to include networks, software and programming languages, data storage, and AI. Similarly, Resource Technology encompasses the natural progression and convergence of a variety of industries, including natural resources, manufacturing, chemical companies, material science, sustainability/recycling/waste sectors, and so forth.


This exciting new sector integrates advanced technology with the physical world to produce materials, optimize and manage limited resources, and steward the planet as an interconnected environmental system. These elements collectively define and drive the Resource Technology industry, marking a transformative shift in how we interact with and utilize physical resources.

© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 
The Interdisciplinary Foundations of Resource Technology


The Resource Technology industry emerges from the convergence of key scientific disciplines, including materials science, chemical engineering, computer science, and industrial engineering. While it may initially appear as merely a multi-disciplinary field, its true impact (and justification as a new emerging industry) becomes evident when these interdisciplinary capabilities are applied to address physical resource constraints and environmental challenges.

By integrating expertise from diverse scientific domains, the Resource Technology industry is pioneering innovative solutions to sustainably manage and optimize the utilization of limited natural resources.

© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 

Lessons from History

This sector's potential is reminiscent of the internet's early days, once seen as just a tool for military and academia. History is replete with experts who failed to foresee transformative innovations, mistaking them for incremental advancements.


The resource economy has been especially politicized, leading to skepticism about real technological advancement. The examples of misjudgments in the computer and digital technology revolutions are provided here to illustrate a recurring pattern. History shows that every transformative period has had its cynics, detractors, or even just apathetic persons - these attitudes are equally unfounded when considering the future of the resource

economy.


Notable Misjudgments


  • IBM's president in 1943: "I think there is a world market

for maybe five computers".


  • FCC Commissioner T. Craven in 1961: "There is

practically no chance satellites will ever improve

telephone, television or radio reception within the

United States."


  • Intel CEO Andy Grove in 1992: "The idea of a personal

communicator in every pocket is nothing more than a

pipe-dream fueled by greed."


  • 3Com founder Bob Metcalfe in 1995: "Almost all of the

many predictions now being made about 1996 hinge

on the Internet's continuing exponential growth. But I

predict the Internet will soon go spectacularly

supernova and in 1996 catastrophically collapse."


  • Economist Paul Krugman in 1998: "The internet will

fade away because most people have nothing to say to

each other. By 2005 it will be clear that the internet's

impact on the global economy has been no greater

than the fax machine."


Those who recognize the emerging Resource Technology industry now have the opportunity of a century, similar to the digital revolution in the 1990s. Just as many doubted the transformative power of the Internet then, today’s skeptics may overlook the immense potential of this resource revolution.

© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 
Seven Pillars of the RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY Industry

The Resource Tech industry is set to redefine how we obtain, utilize, and manage our finite resources, fundamentally altering our interaction with the environment. Understanding the foundational pillars of the broader "resource revolution" reveals the profound changes underway, which are also setting the stage for a sustainable and efficient future. This

revolution will reshape our perception and interaction with the physical world (much like the digital revolution transformed areas like communication, information, and commerce).


1 . Engineering and Managing Physical Matter at the Elemental Level


The physical material world is constructed of molecular and atomic building blocks - the Resource Technology sector will enable physical materials to be more commonly understood, managed, and valued on a 'building blocks', or elemental, level. Management of resources will evolve from a naturally occurring 'substance' level (e.g. crude oil, wood, cotton) to an element or molecule level (e.g. carbon, (bio)polyethylene).The less constrained we are by the form that elements and molecules happen to occur in, the more we can reduce physical matter to building blocks.


2. Limited Physical Matter on Earth


Physical matter on Earth is inherently limited by the law of conservation of mass, meaning it cannot be created or destroyed. This limitation is further compounded by the impracticality of harvesting essential elements from our solar system; space mining, even if feasible, would focus on metals and minerals, not the organic polymers and molecules vital on Earth. Consequently, optimizing the use of our finite physical resources is crucial. Resource Technologies enable this optimization, allowing us to manage and utilize these

limited materials more efficiently.


Historically, human society has operated under the assumption that, aside from certain valuable materials like gold, diamonds or oil, physical matter itself was functionally unlimited relative to human demand. However, we are now reaching a point where the demand for resources is so great (and the potential for contamination or effective destruction of matter a reality), that we must view physical matter as a finite supply facing ever-growing demand. This fundamental shift necessitates a change in how we perceive and use resources, emphasizing the need to avoid waste and single use practices. Recognizing the inherent limitation of physical matter is a foundational pillar of the Resource Technology industry, guiding us towards sustainable and efficient resource management - not simply as a policy goal, but as a necessity and economic reality.


3. Redefining the Energy Industry


The energy industry will undergo a fundamental shift away from traditional carbon-based materials like coal, petroleum, and natural gas, which are primarily used for combustion.

Historically, these materials were synonymous with the energy sector due to their role as fuels. However, as technological advancements unfold, the energy industry will increasingly focus on harvesting energy from non-terrestrial sources such as solar power, fusion, and fission. This redefinition will see solar, fusion, and advanced nuclear technologies at the forefront of energy production, emphasizing the capture and storage of energy rather than the consumption of physical materials. This redefined perspective separates the energy sector from natural resources, positioning energy production within the realm of advanced physics and renewable technology while natural resources become integral to material production and manufacturing. Consequently, the industry will move towards a more sustainable model, where the extraction and use of physical resources are optimized for their material properties rather than their energy potential.


4. Driving Efficiency into Resource Utilization at a Fundamental Level


Technology innovation will expand options for resource utilization, making more efficient methods economically preferable. For example, instead of extracting petroleum from beneath the ocean, we can harvest carbon from surface sources like plants or waste and reorganize it into useful polymers. This shift will be driven by simply economic realities (not contentious policy goals), as it is more cost effective to utilize readily available carbon on Earth's surface than to drill for ancient carbon. As technology advances, we will increasingly use diverse sources of elements and molecules, reducing dependence on traditional resources like coal and petroleum.


5. Internalizing of Negative Externalities


Technological advances will make negative externalities measurable and verifiable, transforming them from abstract concepts to quantifiable impacts. Real-time monitoring via

satellites, sensors, and diagnostic tools will trace contamination sources, such as methane from landfills, directly linking them to health effects. This shift means pollution will be seen as a tangible destruction of value, necessitating compensation. As environmental impacts

become integrated into economic models, industries will prioritize reducing these costs, leading to more sustainable practices. The ability to accurately price and manage

externalities will drive innovation and efficiency, benefiting the entire environmental system.


6. Obsolescence of Waste


The concept of waste will become obsolete with advancements in resource technologies. By efficiently manipulating matter at the molecular level, all substances will be recognized for their intrinsic value. The current practice of discarding materials into landfills, based on the misconception that matter is limitless and usable only in its natural form, will be outdated. Instead, every molecule will be valued according to its utility and extraction ease. Understanding these new valuation methods will be crucial, as resource technologies redefine waste.


7. Valuation of Materials Shifting to Molecules and Elements


As resource technologies advance, the valuation of substances as a raw material will shift from being based on their current form to their molecular and elemental compositions. This fundamental change means that resources like wood, cotton, or coal will be valued based on their intrinsic molecular components rather than their form. Resource technologies will cause a paradigm shift that allows us to engineer any material we need from basic building blocks, where the value lies in the molecular composition rather than the specific form. This will revolutionize how we perceive and utilize the Earth’s limited supply of resources.

© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 
Historical Analogies to Resource Technology

The potential for radical transformations in our interaction with the physical material world is evident when we look at historical analogies from the computer and digital technology industries. The development of mechanical computers and polymer science in the 19th century offers compelling context. Just as mechanical computers from the early to mid-1800s evolved into today’s globally connected Internet, machine learning, and AI, the field of material science, which began around the same time, is now poised for a similar leap. Despite 150+ years of foundational development, both fields show that innovation can suddenly enter into periods of quantum leaps. In this regard, it is actually quite intuitive that the Resource Technology sectors' quantum leap period would follow the Information Age/Digital Technology revolution, as it is the latter (computers, networks and AI in particular) that are enabling the former.


The Evolution of Computing and Its Parallels to Resource Technology


Charles Babbage's early work on mechanical computers, specifically the Difference Engine and the more advanced Analytical Engine, marked significant milestones in computational technology. These machines, designed in the 1820s and 1830s, aimed to automate complex calculations, reducing human error and laying the groundwork for future computing innovations.


It was during the same timeframe that the field of polymer science began to emerge, including with Henri Braconnot's work in the 1830s working with cellulose (a natural polymer).


Fast forward to the mid-20th century, the evolution from mechanical to electronic computers accelerated. IBM's mainframe computers in the 1940s, followed by the personal computer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, showcased an exponential growth in computational power and accessibility. The internet's advent further interconnected these technologies, enabling unprecedented information exchange and processing capabilities.


Similarly, the materials science work in the 1800s set the foundation for significant advancements in the 20th century, ultimately leading to the creation of various synthetic materials that have become integral to modern life (from plastics and synthetic rubber to advanced polymers such as Kevlar and now nanomaterials).


Drawing parallels to today's advancements, the current shift towards 'Resource Technology' echoes the historical progressions of the Information Technology age. As artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies rapidly expand, our capacity to engineer, manage, and optimize physical materials is similarly poised for a revolutionary leap. This evolution mirrors the digital revolution of the 1990s, suggesting that such transformations in the material world are not only possible but also a natural progression of technological advancement.

© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 
The Resource Technology Industry is Poised to
Unlock Enormous Value

Today, the value of the world's natural resources industries is based on their form. Sectors such as minerals, oil & gas, coal, forestry and agriculture, are all assigned values based on their class, purity, location, etc.


As industries adopt advanced technologies, the efficiency and productivity of resource extraction and management are expected to improve, potentially unlocking even more value. However, as materials science advances, the downstream usage of materials will change, affecting the valuation of the raw materials as well.


Increasing advancement in calculating 'negative externalities' – thus necessitating pricing adjustments as economic activity impacts costs are internalized – will further affect valuation.


In the end, the measurement of value must be reducible to some common, predictable unit of measure. I posit that it will be physical matter itself, assigned value based on these factors, and measured (assigned value) at a molecular and, ultimately, elemental level.

© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 







Physical matter, quantified, verified and valued at an elemental level, can itself can become the greatest asset class of all.





© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 
Future Leaders in Resource Technology

While today's natural resource companies (e.g. oil and timber) and manufacturing companies (e.g. steel, paper) are focused on physical matter in specific useful forms, future resource industries—enabled by advanced resource technologies—will largely operate on a more elemental basis.


The companies that will emerge as the leaders of the Resource Technology industry are likely new entrants, just as Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Oracle and others drove the digital revolution (in spite of legacy players also existing, like IBM). In that regard, one can consider chemical companies and materials science companies today, like Dupont, Dow, 3M, BASF to be analogous to IBM and HP in the computer and digital revolution.


NOTE: This is not meant to imply or predict anything specifically regarding any company mentioned above, rather that current mainstays in the industry can remain significant and valuable but do not necessarily represent the drivers of the digital revolution (nor the greatest growth opportunities).

© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 



The Resource Technology industry centers

around the application of technology to

physical matter (resources) to develop,

produce, and manage the world's finite

resources - at a molecular and elemental

level.




© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 
Growing momentum: new products, new technologies, new applications

The transformation of the resource economy creates an enormous economic potential that was recognized at least a decade ago. In 2014, a McKinsey director and a Stanford professor wrote the book Resource Revolution: How to Capture the Biggest Business Opportunity in a Century. The insights offered by the authors, Stefan Heck and Matt Rogers focused around how innovation could solve existential threats related to resource constraints and environmental collapse. Thus, not only could humanity be saved but it could (and would) also create the largest economic opportunity of the century.


The transformation of the resource economy is now occurring, as Heck and Rogers described.


At the center of the resource revolution are the new enabling technologies and capabilities, crystallizing in an exciting new industry that I call: Resource Technology (Resource Tech or, shorthand, ResTech.)


Early examples of the Resource Technology industry:


1. Carbon Fiber


Increasingly being used in the automotive and aerospace industries to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emission, the carbon fiber market is forecast to see annual growth of 8.8% into the 2030s; companies are investing in carbon fiber to replace heavier, traditional materials like steel and aluminum.


2. Composite Lumber


Advanced composites as wood substitutes have become mainstream. The company Trex, for example, is a $9 Billion market cap company focused on wood-alternative composite decking and railing. Trex uses 95% recycled materials for its composites.


3. Synthetic/Lab-grown Diamonds


The synthetic/lab-grown diamonds industry has seen incredible adoption, with lab-produced diamonds growing from 2% of the diamond market in 2018 to 10% in just four years! In fact, now 63% of American jewelers are selling synthetic diamonds.


4. Smart Materials with Programmable Properties


Advances in materials science have led to the development of smart materials that can react to external stimuli, such as temperature, light, and pressure. These materials are being integrated into various industries, including healthcare and electronics, to create responsive and adaptive products.


5. AI-Enabled Material Discovery


AI technologies are accelerating the discovery and development of new materials. For example, AI-driven research has led to the creation of materials for more efficient batteries and new antibiotics, demonstrating the potential of AI to transform material science and enhance resource efficiency.


6. Super Materials


Forbes described a "super materials revolution" underway. In recent years, an array of super materials are being engineered and introduced into various industries, including carbon nanotubes, graphene, aerogels, nano materials, biomaterials, flexible solar cells, recyclable carbon fiber, and ultra-thin silicon circuits.


7. Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing)


Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is not only transforming manufacturing processes themselves, but also unlocking new opportunities for different raw material formats. For example, new research from MIT just announced in April of this year enables machines to adapt to new materials, learning real-time about the material and updating its process parameters to print with the material.


Seizing the Momentum


We may be in the “Resource Technology” equivalent of the early to mid-1990s. At that time, companies like Microsoft, Apple, and Cisco Systems already existed. However, 1994 saw the founding of Amazon, Yahoo, and Netscape, followed by eBay in 1995 and Google in 1998. Social media companies emerged soon after. In 1992, predicting the world’s transformation over the next decade, let alone 30 years, would have been challenging.


Today, the rapid growth in resource demand and the acceleration of technologies such as AI, robotics, manufacturing, satellites, and sensors suggest that the evolution of the Resource Technology sector may take far less time than the digital revolution of the 1990s and 2000s. It is fair to say that the prime opportunity in Resource Technology is now.


Blockbuster’s failure to acquire Netflix in 2000 and its subsequent inability to adapt to the subscription model is a stark example of how quickly industries can change. By the time Blockbuster recognized the shift, it was too late to compete effectively, leading to its decline and eventual bankruptcy . The Resource Technology sector is poised for rapid transformation, and waiting even a few years could mean missing out on significant opportunities.

© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 




Disclaimer


The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other individual, agency, organization, employer, or company. This article is based on the author's personal opinion and should not be considered as professional advice for any purpose.


Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions based on the content of this article. Thank you for reading.



© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

 

Sources and References


1 United Nations Environment Programme's Global Resources Outlook


2 World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2024;






7 BP, Carbon Tracker estimates





© 2024 Bjørnulf Østvik

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