Albert Einstein said automation caused the Great Depression. It didn’t.
Einstein blamed automation for the widespread unemployment of the Great Depression, but his reasoning was based on a false premise.
AI is already in the classroom. It’s time colleges caught up.
Rather than banning AI, schools should adapt by designing assignments that promote responsible use and keep the focus on learning.
The Freethink Interview
In this groundbreaking series, we host intimate conversations with tech and business leaders on the bleeding edge, exploring how technology works and its impact on people and society.
2025: We’re not in a crisis. We’re in a transformation.
“We’re living in an extraordinary moment in history. We are at a moment here in 2025 where we have world historic game-changing technologies now starting to scale.”
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The Freethink Interview
The war over microchips is coming, says Chris Miller | The Freethink Interview
“When we think about technology, we think of social media, search engines, apps on our phone; but undergirding all of this are chips.”
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The Freethink Interview
The solar revolution turning sunlight into synthetic fuel
“10 years ago, my colleagues and I looked at the prognosis for Climate Change, and it looked pretty hopeless. There really was no way out.” But something happened – something good.
A curated selection of thought leaders whose voices deserve to be heard now more than ever.
A call to innovators in Silicon Valley and beyond to help chart the new way forward
Peter Leyden sums up the key themes and big ideas of his new series at a Freethink Conversation in San Francisco.
Technophobia has a body count
Activists push scary headlines about the harm they predict a technology will cause, but ignore the good things we stand to lose without it.
The AGI economy is coming faster than you think
The impact of AGI on the economy will be big, it’ll happen fast, and it’ll be disruptive. Here’s how the disruption could play out.
It’s far too early to call “peak ideas”
Economic growth is driven by ideas, not resources — and as history shows, the well of innovation is unlikely to ever run dry.
What if you could start civilization over with AI?
Innovators in every industry and field should adopt the same mantra: If you could start fresh with AI, then what would you do?
Three founders look to the future at Freethink’s inaugural Great Progression event
The tech community came together for the launch of the Great Progression event series, curated by Peter Leyden and produced by Freethink.
Predictions of resource scarcity have a fundamental flaw
From where we stand, the true limits to growth are currently unknowable and need not affect any decisions we make today.
If progress has stalled, we need to know why
We need to figure out what drives progress, what might cause it to slow down or stop, and what, if anything, we can do to re-accelerate it.
Why Substack will be the intellectual engine of the 21st century
The 21st-century version of the Royal Society could be the Substack network that we are just starting to build out today.
Cheap AI is causing a power shift in the world’s militaries
The militaries that leverage the low-cost capabilities of AI the most will have a decisive advantage in the future.
How AI could usher in The New Enlightenment
AI could trigger a civilization-scale change for humanity the same way the steam engine helped usher in The Enlightenment 250 years ago.
The missing tech case for how we create an era of abundance
AI and other new technologies could make things that are costly and scarce today, cheap and abundant for all tomorrow.
Why progress was so slow, for so long
Progress was agonizingly slow for most of human history, but the rapid progress of the last few centuries was not a fluke.
Why America reinvents itself every 80 years — and is doing so again
Three separate theories help explain why America enters a period of great progress every 80 years — and why another is coming soon.
What a historian in 2100 might say about Trump’s America
President Donald Trump might clear the way for the building of 21st-century systems and open up the political space for a new way forward.
Hard Reset
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Hard Reset
24 hours in an illegal, car-free community
What happens when you ban cars? Step inside the first walkable neighborhood of its kind in the US.
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Hard Reset
Moon landings are back, baby! Feat. Firefly Aerospace
“These investments we make in exploring our universe have always paid dividends. That drive to explore these frontiers is what forces us to be creative and inventive.”
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Hard Reset
Inside the insane lab making fuel from thin air
Come with us to visit Terraform Industries, the start-up harnessing artificial photosynthesis to make fossil-free fuel.
Future Explored
Freethink's premier newsletter exploring the incredible technologies moving the world forward.
Collection
Future Explored
This is Future Explored, your guide to world-changing technology. Each month, we explore the past, present, and future of innovation.
Humanoid helpers are now entering our homes
Robotics startup 1X Technologies is now sending its humanoid robots into homes to help people with chores and provide companionship.
Fire-resilient prefabs are helping LA build back better
Victims of LA’s wildfires are opting for tech company Cover’s prefab homes over traditional new builds. Here’s why.
Get inspired with the most innovative stories shaping the world around us.
With Our Partners
Stories focused on interesting solutions to big problems.
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How local innovators are transforming the world
In partnership with Skoll Foundation
These changemakers show that social innovation thrives when it draws on the knowledge and lived experience of the people impacted.
Why we need social innovation now more than ever
In partnership with Skoll Foundation
Social innovation is proving that when we work together across sectors, lasting change is possible.
When pollution poisons a community, what does justice look like?
In partnership with Skoll Foundation
Toxic waste sites surround Black communities in the South, poisoning their air, water, and health. This is how they’re fighting back—and winning.
Police spend 40% of their time on paperwork. Can AI help?
In partnership with Axon
Axon’s AI innovations promise to free officers from desks, but not without questions of ethics. CEO Rick Smith addresses concerns and community trust:
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In The Arena with Evan Baehr
Adapting education for an ever-changing workforce
In partnership with Arena Hall
At a time where AI is constantly shifting the workforce, how can you ensure your skills are cutting edge?
Indigenous Peoples standing up to corporate greed
In partnership with Skoll Foundation
Indigenous Peoples’ lands are key to combating climate change, but corporate greed puts them at risk. Meet the land and environmental defenders fighting to hold them accountable.
Meet the guardians of Earth’s last untouched lands
In partnership with Skoll Foundation
This group makes up just 6% of the global population, but protects up to 80% of our remaining biodiversity. Meet the most committed keepers of planet Earth.
The hidden crisis of environmental racism – and the fight against it
In partnership with McNulty Foundation
Those on the frontlines of environmental degradation have the best solutions. This is their fight.
The unsung heroes restoring America after disaster
In partnership with McNulty Foundation
When disaster strikes, the workers helping us rebuild are often exploited. Here’s a solution to protect and scale this urgently-needed labor force.
Original Series
This is a show about rebuilding the world from scratch and reimagining everything from first principles.