#whatsnextisnow

Beyond Predictions: Mastering the Art of Shaping the Future

Mar 7, 2025

11:30am – 12:30pm CT

In a world where 98% of predictions fail, isn’t it time to rethink how we approach the future? Dr. Frederik G. Pferdt, Google’s first Chief Innovation Evangelist and author of What’s Next Is Now: How to Live Future Ready, flips the script: Predictions don’t work—creating does.

Frederik invites you to rethink how you approach tomorrow, challenging you to actively shape what’s next instead of bracing for what might happen. The future isn’t something to wait for—it’s something to shape. And this session will show you how.

By unlocking a “future-ready mindstate”—a dynamic way of experiencing the present that empowers you to shape what comes next, going beyond mindset—you’ll learn how to transform anxiety into action, turn uncertainty into possibility, and design a future you love.

Because the question isn’t, What will the future bring?—it’s, Who do you need to become today to shape a future you love tomorrow?

Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.

photo of Frederik Pferdt

Frederik Pferdt

Google (Former)

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