All Thumbs

Abstract

A few days before I embarked on writing this book, I met with a Fortune 100 CEO and CMO. Both were tapping away on their phones as the meeting started—a common scene in corporate conference rooms across the globe—and they apologized, saying that they needed a few minutes to respond to some urgent texts and e-mails. I sat patiently and turned off my own phone, putting it safely in my coat pocket—a practice I have embraced as common courtesy during meetings of any type. I watched them as they both continued to tap at their devices. I observed that both were using their thumbs, and the CEO held up his index in a perpetual “just wait a minute” pose, almost forgetting he had done it. The CMO was alternating between two devices—a Blackberry and an Android. The CEO had three devices.