Matt Damon, Fran Drescher and an Indian Soybean Farmer on 2024

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By Peter Coy

Opinion Writer

What are your hopes for 2024? See how they compare with those of 11 people I put that question to. (Most of them replied by email. The people from Afghanistan and India spoke by phone.)

Fran Drescher, an actress and the president of SAG-AFTRA, which staged a 118-day strike against movie and television producers this year:

In 2024, I am looking forward to a sudden and essential collective human emotional growth spurt, whereby empathy becomes the main emotion that informs all behavior.

Andrew Marsh, the chief executive of Plug Power, a fuel cell supplier:

My hope is to see 2024 as the year we get serious about decarbonizing hard-to-abate heavy industrial manufacturing sectors. Building out a nascent U.S. hydrogen industry is essential to moving these industrial processes to carbon neutrality.

Uri Levine, an entrepreneur and a co-founder of Waze:

I want people to find a purpose in life. When you have a life purpose or figure out what your destiny is, your life becomes simpler, everything is clearer, and you’re happier, healthier and richer. You know what you have to do. The purpose becomes the north star to guide you. My purpose is to create value.

Jason Dube, a package truck driver from Poland, Maine:

As a 17-year Teamster at UPS, I’m incredibly proud of the historic contract we won in 2023. I hope our victory will spark real change for working people in 2024, including my fellow package delivery drivers at Amazon.........

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