Jeffrey Cole is one of the world’s leading voices on media, technology, and the digital future, and has spent more than three decades tracking change and anticipating what comes next.
Cole illuminates the forces that disrupt industries, transform economies, and change the way people live, work, and communicate. Today, he is recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities on technological disruption and the digital future.
As Director of the Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, Cole leads pioneering research into the impact of technology on business and society. He is the founder of the World Internet Project, the world’s leading ongoing study of the Internet and digital technology, conducted for more than 30 years in 35 countries. His research helps business leaders and policymakers anticipate the trends that drive lasting change rather than simply react to them.
An advisor to governments and global corporations, Cole has presented his research to the White House, Congress, the FCC, the U.S. Department of Defense, and heads of governments around the world. He has also advised many of the world’s most influential organizations—including Microsoft, Sony, AT&T, Coca-Cola, HP, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Unilever, and more than 40 other companies—as they navigate disruption and develop long-term digital strategies.
Cole co-founded the Global Disruption Investment Fund, identifying companies poised to disrupt and be disrupted. He is a partner in V42 Films, and serves as an executive producer of the upcoming The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd, starring Amanda Seyfried, which is the opening production for the 2026 Toronto Film Festival.
Cole has delivered more than 1,000 keynote presentations across North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, earning a reputation for translating complex technological shifts into clear, practical insights that help leaders prepare for what’s next. His latest book, Disrupters at the Gate, explores why transformative change so often comes from unexpected places, why even the world’s most successful organizations fail to recognize disruption until it’s too late, and how leaders can anticipate and capitalize on the forces reshaping the future.
In recognition of his contributions to technology, education, and public service, Cole received the 2022 Ellis Island Medal of Honor.