In this segment from Friday's Where the Money Is, Motley Fool financial analysts Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson take a question from a Fool reader, who writes, " [I] recently read about how Intel (and maybe others) employs a full-time 'futurist' to help predict social/ economic /technological trends. What are your thoughts (Yes or No) on the following future possibilities becoming enough of a reality within 10-15 yrs to 'significantly' affect related businesses:
1) Driver-less cars make collision insurance obsolete (Geico)
2) Global food culture shifts, dramatically reducing sugary drink consumption (Coca-Cola)
3) Home 3-D printing significantly disrupts shipping of physical products (FedEx)
4) Online and mobile payment players offer retail banking and loans services (PayPal)
5) Low cost, online higher education gains real legitimacy, significantly disrupts brick and mortar colleges .
6) Routine medical checkups are completed free of human doctors (IBM)
7) Battery powered vehicles outnumber gas powered vehicles (Tesla, ExxonMobil)
8) A man-made machine will become self-aware.
9) Alternative energy sources (wind/solar/hydro) produce more power than fossil fuels (ExxonMobil)
10) Major low wage employer becomes unionized (Wal-Mart, McDonalds))
