Reed Hastings, the co-founder and former CEO of Netflix, is widely credited with revolutionising how we consume media. From disrupting the DVD rental market to pioneering global streaming and original content production, Hastings has always stayed a step ahead of the curve. His leadership style blends vision with experimentation — a trait reflected in his reading habits.

One of his favourite novels is The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, a sci-fi epic set in a futuristic world shaped by nanotechnology, decentralised learning, and fractured societies. At the heart of the novel is a "primer" — an AI-powered book designed to educate a young girl through storytelling, interactivity, and adaptability. It’s not hard to see the appeal for a tech-forward thinker like Hastings, who has consistently championed innovation in how people learn and engage with content.

The novel’s themes resonate with key ideas in modern business: personalisation at scale, the ethics of technology, and the power of storytelling to shape minds. For professionals, it’s a reminder that the next leap forward may lie not in hardware, but in how we deliver knowledge and experience. Hastings’ admiration for The Diamond Age underscores the importance of remaining open to speculative, creative ideas — even when they come cloaked in fiction.

For those in business, the message is clear: look beyond case studies and whitepapers. The next transformative idea might just be waiting in a novel, daring you to imagine what’s possible.

Contact: Kerry Philps

E-Mail: readingcorner@literary-escape.co.uk

Company: Literary Escape Editorial Services

Tags: #Leadership Lessons #Fiction for Business #Reed Hastings #Entrepreneur Mindset #The Professional Fiction Files #Fiction Friday #The Diamond Age #Kerry Philps

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