In the software development industry, the academic and business worlds are drifting ever further apart: The gulf between the ivory towers and office desks continues to widen. Both sides would benefit from working more closely together. Our ‘Future Trends of Software Engineering’ (FToSE) initiative is designed to highlight this unwelcome development and to stimulate a discussion. It aims to increase mutual understanding of key themes and developments by improving communication on the major trends in software development.