Why are San Francisco's offices empty during the biggest tech boom in history? How did Marriott become more valuable by owning fewer buildings? Why do tech companies pay some engineers 20 times more than others in the same role? How did ChatGPT reach 100 million users while established tech giants struggle to innovate? Why are companies with zero revenue getting billion-dollar valuations? And what does all this mean for your career in an economy where success looks more like Hollywood than Wall Street?
In this thought-provoking guest lecture for MIT's Real Estate Technology Hub, hosted by James R. Scott, author and strategist Dror Poleg explores how the rise of intangible assets is transforming real estate and cities. Part of the Hub's graduate student lecture series, this talk challenges conventional wisdom about the relationship between digital innovation and physical space.
From the Hollywood-ization of the broader economy to the surprising ways AI is reshaping our built environment, Poleg explains why traditional assumptions about real estate value are breaking down - and what it means for the future of our cities.
Key topics:
The shift from tangible to intangible assets in the global economy
Why the "death of distance" prediction got cities wrong
How remote work is changing real estate fundamentals
Lessons from Hollywood for an unpredictable economy
The future of cities and buildings in the age of AI
About the Speaker:
Dror Poleg is a leading voice on the future of cities and real estate in the digital age. His insights on how technology is reshaping the built world have been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and beyond.
📚 Learn more: www.drorpoleg.com/
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