How much work will really be automated? Will we have more free time in the future? How will we spend it?
What does the economy of the future look like more broadly?
What are the biggest “X” factors keeping us from a future where we spend more time doing what we love?
2120 Insights is a newsletter that explores these sorts of big questions and more.
I feel like there are two types of “futurists”:
Near and medium-term focused journalists and analysts whose predictions drive the business world
Longer-term focused authors who help us envision what the future might feel like by writing dystopian (and occasionally utopian) fiction
In writing 2120 Insights, I mix these approaches together into a “protopian” blend of optimism and realism. I focus on how we might best measure and predict progress, and do my best to disambiguate where data sources differ, or where reasonable people might have a very different view about where the world is headed.
When I am piqued by a question, I dive deep! A few series that I have published so far include:
The history and possible future of the workweek (2021-2022)
When doing my research, I often think back to this Jeff Bezos quote:
“I very frequently get the question: 'What's going to change in the next 10 years?' And that is a very interesting question; it's a very common one. I almost never get the question: 'What's not going to change in the next 10 years?' And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two.
With this in mind, my approach is to weigh the latest developments in technology, culture, and economic data against longstanding observations about human nature to come up with my best, optimistic-but-realistic guess about what’s likely to change vs. stay the same over the coming century.
Hopefully you’ll leave 2120 Insights feeling better informed, but also excited about the possibilities of the future.
Who is the author?
Ethan Heppner has a background in economics, technology, and public service, ranging from teaching computer literacy in the Peace Corps to designing financial dashboards and automating operational processes for the Technology Transformation Services.
Why subscribe?
Subscribing allows you to get the latest updates. A paid subscription encourages me to write more frequently, and unlocks occasional subscriber-only content.
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