Summary, Analysis & Review of Thomas L. Friedman's Thank You for Being Late by Instaread Thomas Friedman's Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Acceleration is about the accelerating pace of change in modern society. The event that inspired the book's title occurred when some of Friedman's colleagues from the New York Times failed to arrive on time for an appointment. Friedman realized that the time spent waiting,...

Friedman discusses how the key to understanding the 21st century is understanding that the planet's three largest forces -- Moore's law (technology), the market (globalization) and Mother Nature (climate change and biodiversity loos) -- are accelerating all at once. And these accelerations are transforming the five key realms: the workplace, politics, geopolitics, ethics, and community. Friedman posits that we should purposely "be late" -- we should...