Creating a new economic model centred on sustainability, inclusion and innovation

From Dallas to Squid Game

Forty years ago, when I was kid growing up on the west coast of Ireland, the most popular TV show globally was Dallas. Set in Texas, it was a glamorous take on the oil industry, extreme wealth and lavish lifestyles. It was very much a traditional capitalist view of success: individual gain, no matter the consequences.

Now, the most popular show in 90 countries is Squid Game, a Korean survival drama that is a social commentary on inequality. The show spotlights the costs of extreme capitalism, and its popularity reflects a global yearning for a more humane economic model. What has happened over the past decades that has impacted how we view "growth at all costs" and our evolution as a global society? Wellington has a unique window into that question. In 1981, a group of Wellington partners in Boston launched Future Themes. Every seven years or so since then, we have tapped into our employees' knowledge...