The discourse about lighting industry disruption in the past decade has not resulted in many actionable insights. Our industry has constantly been told to “evolve or die” without being offered many examples of tangible, viable new business models. This has in many cases left us - largely like parents - complaining about our kids growing out of their clothes, while real change has happened outside of our control, without even our passive approval. The permanent chaos we all seem to face also represents significant unrealized opportunities – it’s only negative for passive bystanders or those who refuse to depart from business-as-usual. Today’s most successful market leaders understand how to use design as the key implementer for technology and technology as the natural enabler of design advancements. Specifiers need to become more efficient and relevant; manufacturers need work more collaboratively with all stakeholders in the design process; and distributors, rep agencies, and contractors all need to add value to the process of making better buildings by adapting new business models. Beyond this greatly needed improvement of our design processes, we need to grasp the opportunities that technological advancements offer. Among many, the connected grid is just around the corner. We can either see this as yet another threat or disruption to deny and fight – or we can choose to embrace it as an inevitable change that enables us to put lighting back into its historical place as the driving force in electrification. Let lighting - as the most visible use of energy - lead the transformation of building practice, controls, and the evolving resilient decarbonized grid. This talk will outline ideas for mastering the symbiosis between design and technology and taking control of the future of lighting.