CEO Stories: They Say It Can’t Be Done

Christina Elson, the Executive Director for the Center of the Study of Capitalism at Wake Forest University, and Patrick Reasonover, the lead producer on the movie, share their perspectives on capitalism, innovation, and regulation, and why they are both ultimately optimists.

DOUBLE MEANING

There’s a double meaning of the movie’s title, according to producer Reasonover. On one hand, the title refers to the strides being made in three critical areas: creating meat from animal cells without any harm to living animals; new approaches to cleaning air and water; and being able to print “on-demand” organs using people’s own DNA. On the other, it refers to regulators inhibiting commercialization of new technologies. For example, food company Eat Just is still looking for regulatory approval in the U.S., but it can sell its cultured chicken in Singapore.

KEEPING PACE

Elson and Reasonover aren’t suggesting that regulation be done away with or for the dissolution of regulatory bodies. Rather, they are pointing out that the regulatory system that exists in the U.S. is one that was created for an industrial model of capitalism and can’t keep pace with technology and innovation. If the regulatory model isn’t fixed to match the new realities of technology and innovation, the market will ultimately lose its power to decide on whether a company is viable, they say – which is a fundamental aspect of capitalism.