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| October was a hectic month. I spent time meeting and speaking with business executives, government leaders, academics and journalists around the country (and the Western Hemisphere). See below for links to my recent reflections on global developments...
Happy November!
Best,
Vikram
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| OCTOBER 5, 2025
Rising tensions in the Caribbean Sea and with Venezuela have led pundits and policymakers alike to ask questions about the coherence of the Trump Administration’s foreign policy. Many are confused, noting the seeming inconsistency of an America First rhetoric and the use of military force against an adversary. The declaration of war on drug cartels, designation of these groups as terrorist organizations, and military strikes against them is the precise type of foreign policy that agitates Trump’s base of supporters. There has even been talk of regime change, the bete noire of the populist right.
Trump’s posture towards Venezuela has always… |
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| OCTOBER 12, 2025
Long-time readers know that I have long championed a generalist rather than specialist approach to navigating uncertainty. It is my belief that experts by their very nature live in silos and tend to view most developments through the narrow lens of their specific microscope. This leads to depth of expertise, but the flip side of that dynamic is that specialists tend to lack breadth of perspective. They tend to overlook the proverbial “big picture.”
The most effective approach to navigating uncertainty, I contend, is to look across silos and connect dots rather than focus on generating dots. My second book, Think for Yourself: Restoring Common Sense in an Age of Experts and Artificial Intelligence, is about how experts should be consulted but not empowered (“Keep Experts on Tap, Not on Top” is the title of one of the chapters). My third book, The Making of a Generalist, shares how I arrived at this approach to addressing… |
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| OCTOBER 19, 2025
I recently returned from a trip to Colombia where I had the chance to speak with the country’s business and political leaders and share my thoughts on global trends, the ongoing trade war, and America’s re-emerging interest in their part of the world. In preparation for my speech at the #CaribeBizForum 2025, I read and reviewed news, podcasts, videos, and reports to bring myself up to speed on developments in Colombia since my last trip to the country.
Anyone following Colombia will be aware of the growing tension between Washington and Bogota which was on full display |
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| OCTOBER 26, 2025
I’ve recently been on the road a lot and have had meetings in Tennessee, South Dakota, Arkansas, and Washington DC. I also made a quick trip to Barranquilla, Colombia to give a keynote speech on navigating global uncertainty, and while in Washington, was on a panel discussing the US economy and how consumer behavior might change in the future.
As I’ve often said, travel is one of the best forms of education today, and I relish the opportunity to meet with journalists, politicians, business leaders, and academics while on the road. The exchange of ideas with people who have different perspectives on global and economic developments is one of my favorite ways to make sense of the world. Connecting the dots formed from different perspectives is, I believe, essential to understanding dynamics that appear chaotic or… |
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| | As many of you are aware, I’ve returned to writing my weekly newsletter and have been pleased by the rapidly growing interest in my thoughts. As I have in the past, I’m addressing a wide range of topics, ranging from geopolitics and economics to social trends to technology. The overall theme of my work is focused on “navigating uncertainty” and how a generalist approach can help us all make sense of what seems like chaos.
If you have not already done so, please consider subscribing! (It’s Free!) |
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| | | Want Vikram to speak at your event? |
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| Have an upcoming board meeting, corporate offsite, conference or other event in which you might want to have Vikram share his view about the global economy, geopolitical dynamics, technological developments, or social pressures? Click below to inquire about his availability! |
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| VIKRAM MANSHARAMANI is an entrepreneur, consultant, scholar, neighbor, husband, father, volunteer, and professional generalist who thinks in multiple-dimensions and looks beyond the short-term. Self-taught to think around corners and connect original dots, he spends his time speaking with global leaders in business, government, academia, and journalism. He’s currently the Chairman and CEO of Goodwell Foods, a manufacturer of private label frozen pizza. LinkedIn has twice listed him as its #1 Top Voice in Money & Finance, and Worth profiled him as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Finance. Vikram earned a PhD From MIT, has taught at Yale and Harvard, and is the author of three books, The Making of a Generalist: An Independent Thinker Finds Unconventional Success in an Uncertain World, Think for Yourself: Restoring Common Sense in an Age of Experts and Artificial Intelligence and Boombustology: Spotting Financial Bubbles Before They Burst. Vikram lives in Lincoln, New Hampshire with his wife and two children, where they can usually be found hiking or skiing. |
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