In Shapiro’s ‘Ninja Future,’ All Things, People, Governments Are ‘Interconnected’

It’s “no longer feasible to innovate just enough to turn a profit," writes CTA President Gary Shapiro in the introduction of his new book, Ninja Future, released Monday in time to be promoted at CES. “In the ninja future, everything is interconnected things, people, governments, financial networks, cultures,” he says. “A breakthrough technology or a piece of legislation that impacts one nation or industry will inevitably impact them all.” In the book, Shapiro admits to having had “mixed emotions” about President Donald Trump’s 2017 decision withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accords. Immediately after the decision, Shapiro urged the CTA executive board to show that the private sector could do what government could not, and commit to “holding our industry accountable for meeting or exceeding the standards set in the agreement,” he said. “On the other hand, I saw the president’s point,” that the agreement required billions in cash from the U.S. that would go toward “polluting nations” such as China, he said.