Bright Technology Futures

A day after iOS 7 was released, I find myself repeating one of my favorite mantras “We (in technology) always have bright horizons.”  It wasn’t solely a reference to the interesting shifts coming out of Cupertino with the iPhone OS version 7 and new iPhone 5c and the stunning iPhone 5s.  Rather, it is what interesting technology does to all of us.  Consumers crave the latest, but perhaps more exciting for those of us in the technology business is laboring to create something that is great.  From concept on a whiteboard, sketched on a napkin, or the aha moments at 30,000′ in a jet – we labor and strive to get something great for people on the planet.  When it hits the markets and our customers get to touch and feel, and hopefully get delighted by what we make, there is an indomitable, deep-in-your-gut satisfaction of a ‘job well done’.

Technical people have an interesting and rarely talked about trait.  They rarely labor so hard for the money alone (though they are paid very well).  They put so much passion into what they do because they want their babies to live forever.  And when those babies make it into the hands of the public, the developers get a twinge of anxiety – will it get loved?  Will it make a difference?

If the Product Managers, Program Managers, Information Architects, Visual Designers, Web Developers, and everyone upstream on the technology build team have done their job – then the first sweet moments of satisfaction begin to pour in once the fruit of their labor hits the markets.  The product is a win.  Their baby has been kissed.

So yeah, the technology futures look bright.  We have a tremendous responsibility to do great things in the world and to make this a better place.  But for my dear friends in technology, take a deep breath and lets enjoy the horizon from time to time.