From Amstrad to AI: Thomas Power's Journey at the Cutting Edge
Business Networking From Amstrad to AI: Thomas Power's Journey at the Cutting Edge
In this episode of the Business Growth Podcast, powered by ActionCOACH UK, we welcome Thomas Power – a tech pioneer, futurist, and master networker. Over nearly four decades, Thomas has worked with the likes of Alan Sugar, Michael Dell, and senior leaders at Microsoft, while building global communities that shaped the foundations of LinkedIn.
Thomas has always lived “on the edge” of business and technology. As he says:
“Always stay on the edge, always on the front line. Otherwise you miss it.”
This conversation covers everything from AI to Bitcoin, from Twitter/X to LinkedIn, and why community may be the last thing humans truly have left.
Key Highlights and Quotes from Thomas Power:
On working with Alan Sugar at Amstrad in the 1980s:
“I learned about gross margin. I learned about cash flow. I learned about preservation of cash and reserve cash… and I learned about the pain of customer service. Selling a hundred thousand computers a month with no call centre or CRM - it was brutal.”
On Twitter/X being the front line of knowledge:
“All the best minds in the world are on Twitter. You’ve got to be reading it one or two hours a day to stay on the edge. Otherwise you miss it.”
“It’s the most advanced platform ever created - way ahead of Facebook.”
On Elon Musk:
“Whether you like him or not, he’s the highest-performing individual in business on the planet. He started with nothing and built it all between 21 and 51. And now he owns Twitter.”
On networking with the greats:
“Fly with the eagles and you’ll become one. From Alan Sugar I met Michael Dell. I worked with directors at Microsoft. These brilliant minds taught me lessons I’ve carried for life.”
On Michael Dell (1987 meeting):
“I spent four mind-blowing hours with him at Olympia when he was just 21. He wasn’t focused on Amstrad - he was going after IBM and Compaq. I told Alan Sugar, ‘He’s cleverer than you are.’ And time proved it.”
On what’s next (his A-B-C):
“AI, Bitcoin, and Community. One is about automation. One is about money. And one is about the last thing left for humans - community.”
On Bitcoin:
“You get the price of Bitcoin you deserve to pay. Some bought at $1, some at $200, some at $5,000. Today it’s $120,000. By the end of the decade it’ll be $1 million. By 2050, $50 million.”
On community vs networking:
“Networking is about hunting down information, contacts and deals. Community is about emotional support, identity, and belonging. One is a hunter, the other a farmer. My wife Penny is the farmer - I’m the hunter.”
On his legacy:
“When I’m dead, I want to be known simply as a networker. I love connecting people. That’s what I’ve always done.”
On the risk of falling behind:
“If you miss a nudge in tech, you’re dead. The tech minds rule the world now - not politicians, not CEOs. Less than 400 people globally are really shaping the future. And I study them every day.”
This isn’t just a podcast episode - it’s a rare chance to hear the lived experience of someone who’s been at the front line of tech revolutions for nearly 40 years. From the early PC boom, to the rise of online communities, to today’s AI-driven future, Thomas Power has always asked one question: What’s next?
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