Xavier Fontanet is the former president of Essilor International, which he directed for 16 years. Affiliate Professor of Strategy at HEC and columnist at Les Echos, he is the author of Pourquoi pas nous ("Why not us?"), 2014.
"Have you ever thought about what happens when you order an Uber on your iPhone? You are providing work for a self-employed contractor, you are helping an immigrant to get out of unemployment, you are generating turnover for his small business, you are improving geolocation techniques, you are stimulating the traditional profession which itself improves the service it provides, you are making city-dwellers question the need to own a car, you are contributing to the fall of the price of a taxi licence that would previously have subsidized a retirement, you are preparing a package distribution system that will one day compete with mail, and so on."
Globalization and technological change challenge our societies. Rather than fighting against these inevitable changes, it's better to adapt and make the best of it. With this book, Xavier Fontanet makes the case that the French are entirely capable of evolving if we explain clearly the situation and the purpose for which their efforts are required.
In simple steps, he begins with a diagnosis of the economy before we identified ways in which successful companies and countries could evolve. He then draws lessons so that we — individually and collectively — can improve our daily lives.