From gunpowder to generative AI, the forces of disruption are repeatedly rewriting the rules of business, society, and human possibility. But what drives these revolutionary changes? In Epic Disruptions, innovation expert Scott Anthony masterfully weaves together the fascinating stories behind history''s most transformative disruptions—from ninth-century China to twenty-first-century Silicon Valley. Through eleven pivotal innovations, including the printing press, mass-produced automobiles, the McDonald''s revolutionary food system, and the iPhone, Anthony reveals the hidden patterns behind world-changing breakthroughs. But Epic Disruptions goes beyond just celebrating invention. Through vivid storytelling and sharp analysis, Anthony introduces the iconoclasts who dared to think differently—the Renaissance-era scientists, French cooking enthusiasts, and corporate visionaries who saw opportunities others missed. He reveals how disruption actually happens. As artificial intelligence and other technologies promise to unleash another wave of transformation, Epic Disruptions arrives at the perfect moment—offering innovators and curious readers a page-turning exploration of how radical change reshapes industries, launches new powers, and, yes, occasionally changes everything.
Scott D. Anthony is a Clinical Professor of Strategy at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, where his research and teaching focuses on the adaptive challenges of disruptive change. Scott’s ninth book, Epic Disruption: Eleven Innovations that Shaped Our Modern World, will be released in September 2025. His previous books are Seeing What’s Next, The Innovator’s Guide to Growth, The Silver Lining, The Little Black Book of Innovation, Building a Growth Factory, The First Mile, Dual Transformation, and Eat, Sleep, Innovate. Scott previously spent more than 20 years at Innosight, a growth strategy consultancy founded by Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen. He served as Innosight’s elected Managing Partner from 2012-2018, a period where Innosight tripled its revenues and expanded internationally. Scott has lived in the United Kingdom (1997-98) and Singapore (2010-22), held Board roles at public and private companies, given keynote address on six continents, and worked with CEOs at numerous global organizations. Thinkers50 named him the world’s ninth most influential thinker in 2023 and named him the world’s leading innovative thinker in 2017. Scott received a BA in economics summa cum laude from Dartmouth College, an MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, and an Executive Master in Change from INSEAD, where he graduated with distinction.