Nine Worrying Signs About the Economy

Is the U.S. destined to have a recession in 2022? I don’t know for sure. But here are nine signs that worry me. Sign up for Derek’s newsletter...

What’s Behind America’s Shocking Baby-Formula Shortage?

Bacteria, a virus, a trade policy—and a lesson About the author: Derek Thompson is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of the Work in...

The Forgotten Stage of Human Progress

Invention is easily overrated, and implementation is often underrated. Sign up for Derek’s newsletter here. What if we invented a technology to...

Disney vs. DeSantis Is the Future of Politics

This is how a culture war death spirals. Sign up for Derek’s newsletter here. The drama in Florida between Governor Ron DeSantis and the Walt...

What If Elon Musk Buying Twitter Isn’t the Worst Thing?

Anybody who is extremely confident about how this is going to work out doesn’t know what they’re talking about. About the author: Derek...

Are America’s Biggest Cities Shrinking or Booming?

Solving an urban mystery. Sign up for Derek’s newsletter here. Pop quiz: What do the metros of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami,...

A Stanford Psychologist Says He’s Cracked the Code of One-Hit Wonders

What separates Blind Melon from Shania Twain? Sign up for Derek’s newsletter here. In September 1992, the band Blind Melon released their...

Why American Teens Are So Sad

Four forces are propelling the rising rates of depression among young people. Sign up for Derek’s newsletter here. The United States is...

Why People Are Adding a Second Shift at Night

Why 9-to-10 is the new 9-to-5 Sign up for Derek’s newsletter here. After two years of working from home, I don’t have one unified period of...

Why U.S. Population Growth Just Crashed to an All-Time Low

A country grows or shrinks in three ways. Sign up for Derek’s newsletter here. The U.S. population grew at the slowest pace in history in 2021,...

The Myth That Most Americans Hate Their Job

Resignations are rising because people are seeing more job listings, not because they’re feeling more Marxist. Sign up for Derek’s newsletter...

Russia’s Economic Blackout Will Change the World

Like all novel experiments, the group punishment of Russia is a leap into the unknown. Sign up for Derek’s newsletter here. In a matter of days,...

Russia’s Looming Economic Collapse

This is terra incognita for economic policy. No country has ever faced this kind of global freeze-out. Sign up for Derek’s newsletter here. The...

How the Crisis in Ukraine May End

We’re still looking at a range of possibilities, including de-escalation and a great power conflict. About the author: Derek Thompson is a staff...

The Easy Way to Save the Planet

A new book on energy abundance is profound, sure to annoy both conservatives and liberals, and just maybe the best climate plan in the world. Sign...

The Five-Day Workweek Is Dying

And the implications for work and cities are going to be fascinating. About the author: Derek Thompson is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the...

Why Does the U.S. Make It So Hard to Be a Doctor?

America needs medical abundance. About the author: Derek Thompson is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of the Work in Progress...

Why Denmark Is Done With COVID (For Now)

The country became the first in the EU to lift all COVID restrictions despite leading the world in per-capita infections. About the author: Derek...

Why Simple Is Smart

Complicated language can send a signal that the writer is dense or overcompensating. About the author: Derek Thompson is a staff writer at The...

Can Medieval Sleeping Habits Fix America’s Insomnia?

The history of “first sleep” and “second sleep” holds surprising lessons about preindustrial life, 21st-century anxiety, and the problem with...

Scientific Funding Is Broken. Can Silicon Valley Fix It?

A group of tech founders, crypto billionaires, and star scientists is launching a fleet of science labs. About the author: Derek Thompson is a...

A Simple Plan to Solve All of America’s Problems

The U.S. doesn’t have enough COVID tests—or houses, immigrants, physicians, or solar panels. We need an abundance agenda. About the author:...

Why More Americans Are Saying They’re ‘Vaxxed and Done’

COVID has always divided Americans. The Omicron wave is even dividing the vaccinated. About the author: Derek Thompson is a staff writer at The...

Is Omicron Milder?

The mystery of the moment is very hard to solve. Here’s my best shot. About the author: Derek Thompson is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the...

Is America Really Running Out of Original Ideas?

The nation’s crisis of originality isn’t in our minds, but in our markets. About the author: Derek Thompson is a staff writer at The Atlantic and...

Joe Biden’s Year Was Ruined. Whose Fault Is That?

America Is Running Out of New Ideas

America Needs a New Scientific Revolution