Derek Thompson

And it's January 2022, and I'm standing in line in the freezing cold in Washington, D.C., waiting for some rationed COVID test because Omicron is circulating. And it's cold, and I don't do well in the cold, and I'm just angry. It's been two years since the pandemic started. There aren't enough tests. And before that, there weren't enough vaccines. And before that, there wasn't enough PPE.

And it's January 2022, and I'm standing in line in the freezing cold in Washington, D.C., waiting for some rationed COVID test because Omicron is circulating. And it's cold, and I don't do well in the cold, and I'm just angry. It's been two years since the pandemic started. There aren't enough tests. And before that, there weren't enough vaccines. And before that, there wasn't enough PPE.

And it's January 2022, and I'm standing in line in the freezing cold in Washington, D.C., waiting for some rationed COVID test because Omicron is circulating. And it's cold, and I don't do well in the cold, and I'm just angry. It's been two years since the pandemic started. There aren't enough tests. And before that, there weren't enough vaccines. And before that, there wasn't enough PPE.

And as I'm getting angrier and angrier, I'm thinking if you zoom out, there's been a supply chain crisis in the pandemic, in the post-pandemic era. And if you zoom out again and look at the entire century, it's been defined by a housing crisis and a clean energy scarcity and even a shortage of doctors.

And as I'm getting angrier and angrier, I'm thinking if you zoom out, there's been a supply chain crisis in the pandemic, in the post-pandemic era. And if you zoom out again and look at the entire century, it's been defined by a housing crisis and a clean energy scarcity and even a shortage of doctors.

And as I'm getting angrier and angrier, I'm thinking if you zoom out, there's been a supply chain crisis in the pandemic, in the post-pandemic era. And if you zoom out again and look at the entire century, it's been defined by a housing crisis and a clean energy scarcity and even a shortage of doctors.

And I write this sort of controlled screed that says this is a century that has been pockmarked by scarcity. And what if we could fix that with an abundance agenda?

And I write this sort of controlled screed that says this is a century that has been pockmarked by scarcity. And what if we could fix that with an abundance agenda?

And I write this sort of controlled screed that says this is a century that has been pockmarked by scarcity. And what if we could fix that with an abundance agenda?

I'd write this piece, the Abundance Agenda piece, and I have a sense now of where the story goes in my head, but what do you recall is the bridge that takes us from this moment to us getting together and deciding faithfully to work on a book together?

I'd write this piece, the Abundance Agenda piece, and I have a sense now of where the story goes in my head, but what do you recall is the bridge that takes us from this moment to us getting together and deciding faithfully to work on a book together?

I'd write this piece, the Abundance Agenda piece, and I have a sense now of where the story goes in my head, but what do you recall is the bridge that takes us from this moment to us getting together and deciding faithfully to work on a book together?

Let me answer your question directly just after I reflect in the crypto conversations. If I recall, you called me and essentially said, there's a piece of this technology that many people I consider smart are so interested in that I want to be similarly interested in. Are you interested in it?

Let me answer your question directly just after I reflect in the crypto conversations. If I recall, you called me and essentially said, there's a piece of this technology that many people I consider smart are so interested in that I want to be similarly interested in. Are you interested in it?

Let me answer your question directly just after I reflect in the crypto conversations. If I recall, you called me and essentially said, there's a piece of this technology that many people I consider smart are so interested in that I want to be similarly interested in. Are you interested in it?

And the feeling that I had about crypto in 2021 is for better or worse, very similar to the feeling that I have about crypto in 2025, which is that I think it is historically remarkable for any technology to become or to mint multi-billion dollar wealth before it demonstrates a use case outside of creating an asset class to bet coins up to the moon. And I'm still incredibly confused by it.

And the feeling that I had about crypto in 2021 is for better or worse, very similar to the feeling that I have about crypto in 2025, which is that I think it is historically remarkable for any technology to become or to mint multi-billion dollar wealth before it demonstrates a use case outside of creating an asset class to bet coins up to the moon. And I'm still incredibly confused by it.

And the feeling that I had about crypto in 2021 is for better or worse, very similar to the feeling that I have about crypto in 2025, which is that I think it is historically remarkable for any technology to become or to mint multi-billion dollar wealth before it demonstrates a use case outside of creating an asset class to bet coins up to the moon. And I'm still incredibly confused by it.

And I was confused about it on the phone in 2021. And four years of thinking about it has unfortunately not revealed much more, to use a telianism, a definite optimism about this technology. But it was, I remember that those conversations about crypto were sort of the beginning of our being in touch in a different kind of way in the run-up to this project.

And I was confused about it on the phone in 2021. And four years of thinking about it has unfortunately not revealed much more, to use a telianism, a definite optimism about this technology. But it was, I remember that those conversations about crypto were sort of the beginning of our being in touch in a different kind of way in the run-up to this project.