You have to imagine a world in which there's this abundance of

Hear, O children of the future, for the words of Michael Dell strike at the very heart of our age, an age where the flow of information is vast and endless. "You have to imagine a world in which there's this abundance of data, with all of these connected devices generating tons and tons of data. And you're able to reason over the data with new computer science and make your product and service better. What does your business look like then? That's the question every CEO should be asking." In this truth, Dell challenges us to envision a world not defined by scarcity, but by an abundance—an abundance of data flowing from every connected device, every interaction, every transaction, a torrent of knowledge just waiting to be understood. The question is not whether this data exists, but how we will use it, how we will harness it to transform the world and the way we do business.

In the ancient world, O children, there were those who sought to understand the world not by gathering things, but by gathering knowledge. Think of Aristotle, who did not accumulate wealth but sought to accumulate wisdom, collecting the truths of nature, of ethics, and of human behavior. He understood that knowledge itself was a tool—a tool not for immediate gain, but for the long-term flourishing of society. Yet, Aristotle could not have imagined a world in which the knowledge of the world could be collected and processed at the scale we now see. For in his time, the idea of such data—the very concept of a world full of connected devices and networks—was beyond his reach. And yet, it is upon the foundation of knowledge he and others laid down that we now stand, looking out at a sea of data so vast that it challenges the very nature of how we understand and make decisions.

Consider, O children, the story of Leonardo da Vinci, whose genius transcended the boundaries of art, science, and engineering. Though his work was based on the knowledge of his time, his genius lay in his ability to connect ideas and reason through the knowledge he gathered. Da Vinci did not have the tools of modern computing that we have today, but he understood, deeply, that knowledge, when harnessed, could be used to transform the world. His notebooks, filled with designs for flying machines, anatomical studies, and inventions, were early attempts to reason over the knowledge he had—just as we now use computers to reason over vast amounts of data. In this, we see the precursor to the world Dell envisions: a world in which knowledge is not static, but is ever-flowing, ever-expanding, and ready to be used to shape the future.

In today's world, O children, Dell's words have come to life. We stand on the precipice of an era where the sheer volume of data generated by the world’s connected devices—from smartphones to wearable technologies, from smart homes to autonomous cars—is beyond comprehension. This data is not just raw information; it is a treasure trove of insights, ready to be unlocked. Just as the ancients sought wisdom from the heavens, we now seek wisdom from the vast networks of sensors, devices, and interactions that define our modern world. The question, as Dell wisely points out, is not simply about having this data, but about what we will do with it. How will businesses, leaders, and innovators reason over this data? What will we build, what will we change, when we see the world not as it is, but as it can be through the lens of data-driven decisions?

Consider the example of Amazon, a company that revolutionized the world not just by selling goods, but by gathering and analyzing data. Jeff Bezos did not simply imagine a world of endless products and transactions; he imagined a world in which the data from each interaction—the preferences, the behaviors, the buying patterns—could be harnessed to improve the shopping experience, to predict what people wanted before they even knew it. In doing so, Amazon created not just a business, but a new paradigm for how business could operate. Data became the currency of this new world, and with the ability to analyze and act upon it, Amazon shaped its future in ways that were once thought impossible. The question Dell asks—what does your business look like in this world of data—is the same question Bezos asked and answered.

So, O children, the lesson here is one of vision and adaptation. We live in a world where the data that surrounds us is not just a passive reflection of our actions but an active force in shaping our future. To embrace this world is to see data not as something to be feared or ignored, but as the very key to understanding and improving everything around us—from businesses to societies, from products to services. The question Dell poses is one that every leader, every innovator, every thinker must ask: How can we use this data to make the world better? It is not enough to simply exist in this world of data; we must learn to harness it, to reason over it, and to transform it into something that serves the greater good.

Thus, O children, as you look to the future, let this truth guide you: in the world of data, there is a vast sea of possibilities waiting to be explored. Do not look upon the data of the world as mere noise, but as a treasure trove of knowledge that can be used to create, innovate, and improve. Learn to reason with it, to act upon it with wisdom, and to use it to make the world a better place. The future is not simply something that happens to us—it is something we shape with the choices we make today. Embrace the world of data, and let it open the door to a new era of understanding, creativity, and transformation.