By almost any measure, the last two centuries delivered astonishing leaps in human prosperity. We live longer, healthier, safer lives than almost any generation that came before us. And yet, the experience of modern life often feels unsettled. People are anxious, politics are brittle, and the promise of progress feels shakier than ever. Few thinkers […]

Right now, millions of high school seniors are finalizing their college applications and anticipating where they’ll spend the next four years studying and sleeping on bunk beds. If the most hashtagged universities on TikTok are any indication, a lot of them will be headed below the Mason-Dixon line.  You’ve probably heard about #RushTok, the corner […]

Everyone you know is about to start putting their money where their mouth is.  Prediction markets are booming. Think of them as like a stock market, but instead of buying shares in companies, you buy shares in the outcomes of real-world events — and you can bet on almost anything. The top platforms, Kalshi and […]

I live in New York City, which fashions itself as many things: the financial capital of the world, the media capital of the world, and obviously, the bagel capital of the world. But I like to think of it as something else as well: the zero-sum capital of the world. Or at least, the US. […]

It was not a particularly subtle gift, but as the recipient himself would probably admit, he’s never been a particularly subtle guy.  When President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea last month, President Lee Jae Myung presented him with a bejewelled golden crown, a replica of one worn by ancient Korean rulers.  The gift came […]