What would you say if you could give one last talk before you die? This question was the premise of a lecture series at Carnegie Mellon University, where professors were asked to speak as if it was their last lecture. For most professors, it was just a thought exercise. But for Randy Pausch, a computer […]
Was WeWork a Unicorn? Or a Cult?
Adam Neumann, WeWork’s co-founder, never learned to code and rarely used a computer. So how did he seemingly take over Silicon Valley? Moreover, why was he paid so much to leave? It may seem like ancient history now, but more than a decade ago, when WeWork started attracting deep-pocket investors, Neumann was described as the […]
Is the US Losing its Military Advantage?
The year before his death in 2018, Senator John McCain wrote a letter to the US secretary of defense that proposed a new national defense strategy. McCain, who was famously a war hero, strongly believed that if the US continued its military spending without making significant changes, it would lose future wars. The new strategy […]
Being Tough Doesn’t Make Things Easier
Adam Brown, one of the most famed Navy SEALs, was born tough. A breech birth necessitated dislocating his shoulder in order to take him out of the womb. The newborn didn’t shed a single tear, but we can imagine how much it hurt. Adam’s tough spirit served him well as a young adult, when he […]
The Outcome Mindset
The work-life struggle is real. It’s an unfortunate fact that productivity tends to decrease in relation to how busy we are. It’s hard to set priorities when everything is important. Here’s a trick you can try the next time you’re struggling at work or at home: try to focus on outcomes. Whether you’re creating a […]
Why Big Government is Bad News
Too many people see the federal government as a parent, entrusted with the responsibilities of handing out allowance and enforcing the rules. At least that was the view of Milton Friedman, the figurehead of the Chicago school of economics and the thinker who, according to the Wall Street Journal, “reshaped modern capitalism.” According to Friedman, the […]
The Life-Changing Magic of a Great Disguise
You may think of magicians as entertainers at children’s birthday parties, or the characters in the Harry Potter universe. But historically, some magicians have had very serious jobs, including John Mulholland, who was on staff at the Central Intelligence Agency. It makes sense if you think about it. Like magicians, spies need to do a […]
Don’t be a Victim
You’ve probably noticed that movies and stories have four main types of characters: the victim, the villain, the hero, and the guide. These are the same roles we tend to play in life. In fact, it’s possible you play all four kinds of characters every single day. What’s important to realize is that the role […]
What Bad Economists Always Miss
With high gas prices, rising inflation, and far-reaching ripple effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, economists around the world have been busy trying to sort out what’s next. They’re on the news, on social media, and in the newspapers of record all day, every day—and it can be hard to know who to believe. As you […]
Where does Equality Come From?
The French economist Thomas Piketty says that history bends toward equality. Since 1820, life expectancy has been rising all over the world, along with literacy rates. A college education, which was once considered class privilege, is now accessible to almost everyone. Across the world, the average income has been multiplied by 10. But some of […]
