Dr. Frederik G. Pferdt shares his week at SXSW Sydney, from keynotes on the "toothbrush test" and Larry Page's principle about products used twice daily, to introducing a "future scent" created by his nine-year-old daughter. He urges people to stop worrying about the future and start sensing it instead.
Chapters
Hi everyone, Fredrik here. At South by Southwest Sydney, I felt this electric energy, like thousands of people buzzing with ideas, questions, and a hunger for what's next. And I wanted to share a little snapshot of what that week was like. After a long flight, I took a ferry to Manly Beach, watched the sunset under the bridge, and was reminded how early people in Sydney rise to enjoy the outdoors. I just love that. I kicked things off with a keynote at Visa's leadership event for their top 150 clients, and I shared how to build a culture of innovation and trust, starting with the toothbrush test. Larry Page told me on my first day at Google, build something people use at least twice a day. That principle shaped our work on self-driving cars and now AI. Later, I joined the Growth Distillery podcast and shared how we can get out of our minds worrying about the future and into our senses I introduced a future scent crafted by my 9-year-old daughter Josefina, a reminder that the future isn't just something we think about, it's something we feel. And then came the big moment, my closing keynote at South By. The room was packed. We explored 3 traps we fall into when thinking about the future and how to get out of them. People laughed, cried, and hugged each other. It was just magical. Afterwards, at the book signing, which is honestly a highlight for me because I get to spend about 60 seconds with many people around deep connection, people shared beautiful things with me. One person said, Frederick, this really felt like 60 minutes of therapy, and I really needed that. Another person said that this was a her highlight of the entire week. We sold out every copy of What's Next Is Now, and I wrapped up the week in an intimate roundtable at Speaker Connect, rethinking how we want to shape what's next together. Now I'm heading home to celebrate my daughter's birthday, full of gratitude, and I hope that people felt a little bit more calm but also felt clarity when it comes to their future. The future is something we create together. That was a reminder I'll take with me on my next trip.
