In The New Geography of Innovation: The Global Contest for Breakthrough Technologies, Mehran Gul examines how innovation works in different countries around the globe—diving deep into the ecosystems that produce great technology companies.

Gul is a writer and leading technology thinker, having served as the Lead for the Digital Transformation of Industries at the World Economic Forum. His book, which was nominated as a Financial Times best business book of 2025, he discusses why the United States remains at the world’s technological frontier, with only China being a true challenger.

In his conversation with Nikolaus Lang, Global Leader of the BCG Henderson Institute, he talks about how innovation ecosystems are converging, the role of statecraft in fostering innovation ecosystems, and the main forces that will shift the global innovation landscape in the coming decade.

Key topics discussed: 

[01:22] Attributes of successful innovation ecosystems
[06:57] US vs. China talent pool
[10:26] What China gets right about innovation
[13:20] Why Europe lags behind on innovation
[18:54] The role of intentional statecraft in fostering innovation
[23:31] The convergence of innovation ecosystems around the globe
[26:34] Implications for businesses
[28:56] How the global innovation landscape will evolve in the next decade