Jeffrey Funk

Dr. Jeffrey Funk is a retired professor, consultant, and Fellow at theDiscovery Institute, known for his expertise in the economics and diffusion of new technologies. With over 45 years of experience in academia, consultancy, and engineering across the United States, Japan, and Singapore, he specialises in evaluating technological advancements and identifying trends. He earned his PhD fromCarnegie Mellon University, focusing on the economics of robotics during the AI boom in the early 1980s.

Dr. Funk has held academic positions at leading institutions, including the National University of Singapore, Hitotsubashi University, and Kobe University. He received the NTT DoCoMo Mobile Science Award in 2004 for his contributions to the field of mobile communications. Notably, he was among the first to predict the rise ofsmartphonesand mobile apps in the late 1990s and early 2000s, advising companies to focus on app ecosystems before the iPhone's debut in 2007.

He has authored five books, includingUnicorns, Hype, and Bubbles: A Guide to Spotting, Avoiding, and Exploiting Investment Bubbles in Tech(2024), which critiques the economic foundations of tech startups. He has also published over 50 academic papers and contributed articles to outlets such as IEEE Spectrum, Scientific American, and Fast Company. His research and writing frequently explore realistic assessments of emergingtechnologies, including AI, 5G, VR, AR, and smart homes.

Dr. Funk’s insights are featured in Edelman’s "AI Creators to Know," highlighting his focus on digital innovation in smart cities. Since 2016, he has worked as an independent consultant,collaboratingwith universities, companies, and venture capital firms. His LinkedIn account, with over 54,000 followers, serves as a platform for sharing daily analyses on technology and economic trends.