Over many years, Malone’s research has consistently anticipated major business and technology trends by decades. For instance, he first wrote about video games and the concept that is now called “gamification” in 1980. In a 1987 article, he predicted many of the major developments in electronic buying and selling over the following 25 years. In a 1997 article, he coined the term “e-lance economy” which anticipated the roughly synonymous term “gig economy” by two decades. In 2004, he published his critically acclaimed book, The Future of Work, long before that phrase became common. And in 2018, he published his newest book Superminds, which if history is a guide, will have again anticipated major developments in our future.

Professor Malone has also published over 100 articles, research papers, and book chapters; he is an inventor with 11 patents; and he is the co-editor of four books. He has been a cofounder of three software companies, has consulted and served as a board member for a number of other organizations, and is a partner in a VC firm.