Thoughtworks Launches First ‘Looking Glass,’ Bringing The Technology-Led Changes Impacting Business Into Focus

ThoughtWorks, a global software consultancy, released Looking Glass, a guide to the critical technology-driven shifts set to shape business in 2021 and beyond. The report, which incorporates five-years of internal strategy and experiences from real-life client work, offers industry leaders a rare glimpse into how ThoughtWorks keeps the businesses they advise at the forefront of technology and innovation.

“Looking Glass is rich in insight and advice that will allow any business, from any industry, to look ahead at the technology trends impacting customer behavior and the tools driving enterprise growth,” says Dr. Rebecca Parsons, chief technology officer at ThoughtWorks. “ThoughtWorkers have been successfully leveraging these technology lenses for our own business and for the many clients we serve. Today we are excited to invite business leaders from across the globe to peer into the Looking Glass alongside us.”

Looking Glass identifies over 120 individual trends separated into six ‘lenses’ of focus for 2021, collectively giving businesses from all industries tools for success that extend beyond typical specified trend reports. Notably, ThoughtWorks offers a new interpretation of the term ‘hostile tech,’ which is commonly associated with criminal activity such as ransomware, data theft and computer viruses. Instead, hostile tech by this report’s definition can encompass not just criminal tech, but also use cases like advertising and customer targeting, and isn’t always malicious or intended.

“These are turbulent times with businesses facing more uncertainty than ever and increased pressure to rapidly digitize,” said Julie Woods-Moss, chief marketing officer at ThoughtWorks. “Unlike traditional trends forecasts, Looking Glass gives businesses the actual tools and actionable insights needed to succeed in the coming year, but these principles are also crucial for long-term business planning. Looking Glass helps industry leaders cut through the noise of tech trends and focus on what is actually critical to business success.”