The Trump-Zelensky spectacle went beyond geopolitical drama. Our world is changing

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The world watched in disbelief as Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump clashed on live television, an unfiltered spectacle that laid bare the absurdity of modern geopolitics. Allies watched. Adversaries watched. Millions of ordinary people—across continents—watched. This was not diplomacy behind closed doors, nor was it a carefully curated narrative spun by governments. It was raw, unscripted, and embarrassingly human.

What does this mean for humanity? Is our access to real-time political chaos going to bring us together, or will it rip us apart? Will it force the world’s leaders into accountability and reason, or will it amplify division and destruction?

We now have access to knowledge and tools like never before. The exponential advance of artificial intelligence, computing, robotics, and sensors has accelerated this transformation, making it possible for people at every level of society to tap into capabilities once reserved for the elite.

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A few weeks ago, when I was in India, a beggar approached me asking for money. I told him I didn’t have any cash. He grinned, whipped out his smartphone displaying a QR code, and asked me to send it digitally. I stood there for a second, unsure whether to be amused or impressed. Here was someone who probably didn’t have a home, yet he was fully integrated into the digital economy. He was more financially savvy than some government officials I’ve met.

The poorest of the poor in the developing world now have access to the same advanced technologies as the wealthiest in the West. Digital payments, instant communication, and limitless information have collapsed barriers that once separated classes and nations.

For centuries, power was maintained through secrecy and control of information. Today, that control is slipping. The Zelensky-Trump fiasco—whether it leads to Ukraine’s destruction or forces a peace deal—was witnessed by the world in real time. It exposed the weaknesses of leaders and the dysfunction of global diplomacy. Adversaries who watched now have leverage. Allies who watched now have doubts.

Could this radical transparency also be a force for accountability? Could it push leaders beyond their egos and ambitions to do what is right? Trump, for all his bluster, may now have leverage over Putin. If he can humiliate Zelensky so publicly, what does that mean for Russia’s strongman? Will he be willing to risk the same fate? Will it push him toward a reasonable negotiation? The balance of power is shifting in unprecedented ways.

We have faced similar moments in history, but never with such visibility. When the Berlin Wall fell, the world saw it through television cameras. When the Arab Spring unfolded, social media amplified the voices of protestors. Today, the interconnectedness of information is even more profound. Anyone with a smartphone can document, broadcast, and influence global events. A single viral clip can shift public opinion or expose corruption in ways that once took decades.

In The Driver in the Driverless Car, I asked whether technology would lead us toward a utopian or dystopian future. We are now facing that choice, but at a scale that transcends industries and economies—it is a choice for all of humanity.

The same tools that connect us and allow a beggar to receive money through a mobile transaction can also be used to spread propaganda, incite violence, and manipulate reality. AI-generated deepfakes, misinformation campaigns, and algorithmic echo chambers distort truth and sow division. Yet these same technologies can empower individuals, hold governments accountable, and foster innovation.

Blind trust in leadership, institutions, and media narratives is over. People are no longer passive observers; they are active participants in shaping reality. Leaders can no longer operate in darkness without consequences.

This new reality demands discernment—the ability to sift through noise and find truth. It demands responsibility—to use our access to information wisely rather than succumb to manipulation. And it demands courage—to push for the world we want rather than accept dysfunction.

The Trump-Zelensky confrontation may feel like just another episode in an ongoing geopolitical drama, but it is a symptom of something much larger. The world is changing. Power is shifting. The structures that held nations together are fracturing under the weight of new realities. The poorest of the poor now have tools they never had before. The most powerful can no longer hide their flaws. We are at a crossroads.

The choice is ours. Do we use this moment to forge a better future? Or do we allow ourselves to be consumed by the very technologies that were meant to liberate us?

The best part is that transparency doesn’t just expose dysfunction—it creates the possibility for reinvention. The same technologies that disrupt governments also empower visionaries in the most unexpected places. AI, biotechnology, and decentralized finance are no longer the domain of the privileged; they are tools for anyone bold enough to solve real problems. A single entrepreneur in a remote village can now develop breakthroughs that once required entire institutions. This is our moment to reclaim control—to use technology not as a weapon of division but as a force for unity and progress. The forces that challenge us can also be the ones that propel us forward—if we have the wisdom and courage to seize them.

(Used with express permission from the author.)

This article first appeared in Fortune, on March 3, 2025)

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