Digital Transformation: Survive and Thrive in an Era of Mass Extinction
Good Fit
- Company executives and government leaders who want to understand the strategic side of digital transformation
- Anyone who wants to see the combined impact of cloud, big data, AI, and IoT covered in a single book
- Fans of business books grounded in real, named company case studies (3M, Caterpillar, Shell)
- Readers curious about the inside perspective of a veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneur
Not a Fit
- Readers looking for a technical, programming-level explanation of AI (the book operates at a strategic/managerial level)
- Anyone wanting a fully neutral source, given C3.ai's own commercial stake (the author also owns the AI company)
- Readers wary of fast-aging technology books who'd prefer a more "classic" business strategy title
Condoleezza Rice, the foreword's author (the former U.S. Secretary of State, now a corporate advisor), opens by describing having learned firsthand the importance of identifying the source and scope of risks and opportunities — framing Siebel's book as devoted to digital transformation, simultaneously the greatest risk and the greatest opportunity.
The core thesis is laid out: the convergence of four technological forces — cloud computing, big data, AI, and the Internet of Things — is causing successive 'mass extinctions' across industries, leaving behind a trail of organizations that either can no longer survive or have become irrelevant.
An example is given of how the entire financial-services value chain, from retail banking to payments, is being eroded — proof that digital transformation now has concrete industry consequences, not just abstract ones.
The spread of AI-powered applications in 'capital-intensive' industries like oil, gas, manufacturing, utilities, and logistics is highlighted — these industries, while less publicized than consumer industries, are undergoing major shifts resulting in significant economic and environmental benefits.
Drawing on personal experience working with Siebel, Rice stresses that the book is grounded in concrete case studies of C3.ai's work with real organizations like 3M, Caterpillar, Royal Dutch Shell, and the U.S. Air Force, some of which are among the largest of their kind.
- The book opens with endorsement quotes from prominent business and government leaders (Robert Gates, a Yale president, etc.), lending it credibility
- Real, named company case studies (3M, Caterpillar, Shell) make abstract concepts concrete
- A clear, topic-divided chapter structure (a separate chapter for each technology)
- The author's own 40-year technology career (Oracle, Siebel Systems, C3.ai) lends experiential credibility
Written from inside the tech industry, a similarly documentary-business style
A similarly critical look at the economic/political power of digital technologies
At the end of the part read, Rice, speaking of her own experience working with Siebel, stresses that the book rests on concrete case examples of C3.ai's work with real organisations such as 3M, Caterpillar, Royal Dutch Shell and the US Air Force, some of them among the largest of their kind.
If you see a problem, write to us. Publisher, author, rights holder, or just a reader — it doesn't matter. If there's something problematic about copyright in this review, if the review's author has broken the site's rules, or if you simply have a suggestion or complaint, hey@kitabdanevar.com. We'd rather resolve this between ourselves than go to court: we review requests within 48 hours and, if needed, correct or fully remove the review.
