Abundance

How We Build a Better Future

By: Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson

Narrated by: Derek Thompson, Ezra Klein

SHORTLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES AND SCHRODERS BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2025

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND OBAMA BOOK OF THE YEAR

'A must-read for progressives' BARACK OBAMA
'Downing Street's current hot read' ANDREW MARR
'Forceful, quick-moving, important' FINANCIAL TIMES

The threat to liberal democracy isn't just autocrats - it's a lack of effective action by so-called progressives.

We have the means to build an equitable world without hunger, fuelled by clean energy. Instead, we have a politics driven by scarcity, lives defined by unaffordability and public institutions that no longer deliver on big ideas. It's time for change.

Bestselling authors Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson have spent decades analysing the political, economic and cultural forces that have led us here. In this once-in-a-generation intervention, they unpick the barriers to progress and show how we can, and must, shift the political agenda to one that not only protects and preserves, but also builds. From healthcare to housing, infrastructure to innovation, they lay out a path to a future defined not by fear, but by abundance.

©2025 Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (P)2025 Simon & Schuster Audio

Showing what’s wrong with where we are

The authors captured so well the frustrations we all feel living in this society and paint a techno utopian picture of what might be. The book is rich with data and relies on multiple entertaining case studies of government inefficiency.

The premise: If only there was less bureaucracy, if only
it was easier to say yes, rather than no. If only we were more focused on achieving the correct outcomes, than following the correct process, we could all run unencumbered into the great future.

Working in a large company, I also saw many similarities and share the sale frustrations. What I would have liked is a more of a mental model on how to recognise these issues, but then also showing a better way of doing things.

The authors would say it’s possible to innovate fast towards utopia and be 100% safe, it’s just not practically clear how. I still really enjoyed the book and the narrators are great. I always love listening to Ezra especially.

An absolute must read

This is a must read for anyone who’s serious about bringing forward the better, abundant future we all want.