These are the game changers that shape the world

What do Apple in California, Alibaba in China, Netflix in Holland and Zidisha in Kenya have in common? 

They are all part of the top 100 game changers of 2015.  

“The game changers are the companies that change the future. The ones who design the future in their own vision,” says Peter Fisk, who recently published a book with the title ‘Gamechangers: Creating innovative strategies for business and brands’ based on interviews with 100 CEO’s from around the globe.

Tectonic shifts in the world economy

According to Peter Fisk, we live in a global economy characterized by a series of tectonic shifts. Which means that the games and rules of the past no longer apply.

By 2030 the world’s population will amount to more than eight billion people. The global economy will grow but the centre of gravity will shift from west to east. Urbanization will be unprecedented, companies will need to think of services instead of products and all of these shifts will be further propelled by the 4th industrial revolution, Big Data, nanotechnology and new breakthroughs in genetic science. 

Read: Become your own gamechanger

The game changers, Peter Fisk says, will be the ones who manage to use these tectonic shifts to their advantage, for instance by developing digital services in a physical world.

Think of WhatsApp, who has 900 million users worldwide. The company behind the app only consists of 17 people, yet they managed to create a market value of $ 19 billion in three years. Or think of Netflix, who has completely revolutionized the market for online streaming. 

When the largest retailer doesn’t own any inventory

Here is another way of putting things into perspective:

The world largest accommodation company (Airbnb) doesn’t own any property, the world’s largest retail company (Alibaba) doesn’t own any inventory, the world’s largest taxi company (Über) doesn’t own any cars and the world’s largest media company (Facebook) doesn’t own any newspapers or TV channels. 

A company like Über has been widely criticised by politicians and cab companies, but basically that’s just because Über is changing the game to their advantage, said Peter Fisk on stage.

”Innovators break the rules – that’s certainly what game changers do.”

Facts: Three game changers that redefined their markets

1. Nespresso: With an annual revenue in the excess of $ 4,3 billion, Nestlé’s Nespresso pods have turned the coffee consumer market upside-down by introducing an entire community around those 5-6 grams of coffee found in each pod. It’s not about the actual coffee machine – the machine is really just enabling a long-term revenue stream from the pods, which are x1000 more profitable than the machines.

2. Tesla: Anyone remember Toyota Prius? Toyota tried to design a high-end environmentally friendly electric car, but never really succeeded in shaking the electric car market. The Tesla, however, did just that by not only being good for the world but also damn sexy at the same time. But like Nespresso, it’s not just about the machine: By developing superchargers and home batteries that will meet tomorrow’s consumer demands, Elon Musk and his people are shaping the market to their advantage by creating an ecosystem around the car.

3. Airbnb: Airbnb basically started out with two guys renting out their loft in San Francisco as lodging space in order to be able to pay rent. Today Airbnb offers more rooms globally than many of the largest hotel groups by delivering the emotional angle – your home is everywhere – that most hotels lack. Together with Über, Airbnb is probably the best example of companies, who have changed the game by introducing digital products in a physical world.