Peter F. Drucker

When it began in the late 1700s, the Industrial Revolution was first identified with the steam engine. No one at the time foresaw that the steam engine would give birth to the railroad, an invention that changed the world forever. Peter F. Drucker, a professor of social science and the author of more than thirty books, notes the similarities between the Industrial Revolution and today's counterpart, the Information Revolution. Just as the railroad was the life—altering surprise of the Industrial Revolution, the Internet's e—commerce is the unforeseen offshoot of the Information Revolution. Using the Internet to buy and sell, to advertise, and even to hire has dramatically changed the world of business and will continue to have a profound impact on the world economy.