In my book ‘Slingshot’ I talk about the importance of April Fools – which is the one day each year that adults officially give themselves license to by playful and mischievous. April Fools symbolizes the re-discovery of our childish creativity and humor – a prime ingredient in our ability to shape the future and re-imagine boundaries as adults. Not surprisingly, this connection is not lost on the most forward-thinking companies, who wholeheartedly celebrate the occasion.
One of my favorite corporate pranks this April Fools was done by Audi. The car company announced the introduction of the Audi Autonomous Office Chair: “Intelligent, powerful and autonomous. The all-new Audi Autonomous Office Chair is here. Equipped with the latest piloted driving technology from Audi, the Audi Autonomous Office Chair takes the drudgery and effort out of getting around the office.” The chair boasts impressive features, such as the Bio-Metric sensors that knows when you need a coffee break, is linked to your calendar so that it knows exactly when and where your meetings are and takes you there without any effort on your part, and has Supervisor Avoidance Technology – to help you always avoid unwanted encounters with bosses.
