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Guest: Nick Foster, futures designer, former Head of Design at Google X, and author of Could Should Might Don’t

Episode Summary:
Everyone’s talking about the future, but few are thinking about it well. Nick Foster, one of the world’s most influential futures designers and former Head of Design at Google X, argues that our imagination about what’s next is often shallow, clichéd, and dangerously incomplete.

In his book Could Should Might Don’t, Foster introduces a powerful framework for rethinking how we approach tomorrow. Instead of relying on sci-fi utopias, doomsday scenarios, or neat statistical projections, he challenges us to combine different lenses—what could, should, might, and don’t happen—to build a more rigorous and useful picture of the future.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why sci-fi optimism and dystopian doom both fail as guides to the future
• The four dominant ways we imagine tomorrow—and how to balance them
• Lessons from inside Google X on how bold organizations explore the unknown
• Why overconfidence in forecasts blinds us to hidden possibilities
• How leaders, policymakers, and innovators can think more responsibly about what’s coming next

Links & Resources:

• Nick’s book: Could Should Might Don’t (on shelves today, Aug 26!)