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We’re in the midst of a technological revolution. Whether it’s the cloud, apps, software, or mobile, the pace of technological change is stunning. It’s affecting every type of company, where the “Internet of things” is starting to take hold (think of a farm where digital tech allows the farmer to monitor crops, irrigation, and sunlight all through digital apps). Or where building a mobile presence is not an option for pretty much all companies. Facebook, for example, recently announced record revenue and profits, almost all due to mobile.
I thought it would be interesting to talk to an expert on one of these major technological shifts – the rise of mobile technology – to learn more. Sophie-Charlotte Moatti (“SC”) is that expert.
While working at Facebook, Trulia and Nokia, SC built mobile products that are used today by billions of people. One of them even received an Emmy nomination. Some people call SC “a genius at making mobile products people love.” Today, SC helps companies succeed with mobile. Her new book is mobilized, an insider’s guide to the business and future of connected technology.
SF: What do you do in your career, and why did you decide to do it?
SCM: I dedicate my time and energy helping companies succeed with mobile. I’m the author of mobilized, an insider’s guide to the business and future of connected technology, and the founder of Products That Count.
My passion for mobile started very early when I studied electrical engineering. I’ve always been fascinated by technology yet I care that it be out of the way. That’s exactly what mobile is about: a flexible lifestyle where people come first and technology makes our lives easier no matter where we are or what we do.
SF: What did you discover about your job that most surprised you?
SCM: I spent 13 years in Silicon Valley at the cutting edge of technology. This is a culture that heavily promotes rational over emotional: data-driven decisions, computer-assisted design, artificial intelligence and other buzzwords.
So what surprised me is to realize that mobile products are extensions of ourselves. Mobile has now become such an integral part of how we live that, for many people, losing a cell phone is like losing a limb. In fact, we so identify with our mobile products that we expect from them what we wish for ourselves: an attractive body, a meaningful life, and increasing competence and ability. Great mobile products replicate and amplify human behavior and interaction. They don’t replace human relationships; they enhance them.
SF: What’s special about “mobilized”?
SCM: Everybody knows mobile is the future, and every business wants in, but what are the elements of mobile success? mobilized reveals a unique “Mobile Formula” that makes it easy for any business to develop a strategy for creating mobile products that count. It has three rules: the Body Rule, the Spirit Rule and the Mind Rule. The Body Rule dictates that mobile products must appeal to our sense of beauty—but beauty in a mobile world is both similar to and different from what it means offline. The Spirit Rule says mobile products must help us address our deepest needs, both as individuals and as members of communities. And the Mind Rule explains that businesses that want to succeed in mobile need to continually analyze the user experience and use that data to refine and improve their products.
SF: If there’s one thing you’d like people to do differently in their lives, what would it be?
SCM: Some people are pessimistic. They believe that we’re gradually going to be replaced by our mobile products.
In his book The Question Concerning Technology, philosopher Martin Heidegger writes that we use technology to amplify our impact in and on the world. But he takes it further, explaining how technology also serves as a magnifying glass that amplifies both the good and bad sides of humans. So yes, I suppose mobile technology could have unintended consequences or, in an extreme scenario, be used for evil purposes.
But it could also be used for good, and that’s where I’m placing my bets. For instance, many jobs robots do—investigating hazardous environments, cleaning industrial ducts—are extremely dangerous. Living in a society where people don’t need to do them would be a good thing.
Mobile can also lead many of us to a more meaningful, rewarding work life. In her book The Human Condition, Heidegger’s pupil, political philosopher Hannah Arendt, observes how modern technology transforms our relationship to what we do: instead of working to live, we’re living to work.
She encourages us to find more meaning. She distinguishes work, the urge we all have to make an impact and leave a mark in the world through our talent and craft, from labor, the need to make a living and survive. Bound to necessity, labor is alienating while work is liberating. Driven by biology, labor is the realm of animals while work is distinctly human.
I believe the mobile revolution can help us all labor less and live better. If there’s one thing I’d like people to do differently, it’s this: approach technology as a way to live more and work less.
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Follow me on twitter: twitter.sydfinkelstein
See my website: superbosses.com
