Among a myriad of changes, we have seen obsolete technologies mercilessly replaced, witnessed a couple of global economic collapses, and several products and services that we could never have imagined before — like the Internet — have become part of our daily lives. Whenever I see new, life-changing technology, I can’t help thinking: how did we get here so fast? Naturally, countless factors come into play in answering such a question; this Executive Update discusses two of my favorites: applied foresight and transdisciplinary collaboration.