The hottest Technological Change Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Technology Topics

The High-Wage Thesis isn’t even wrong!

Something to Consider • 159 implied HN points • 26 Jul 24
💾 History Technological Change
  1. The High-Wage Thesis suggests that higher wages encourage investment in technology, but this idea is poorly supported by evidence. It means that just because wages are higher, it doesn't necessarily lead to faster innovation.
  2. Instead of focusing solely on labor costs, we should consider the absolute costs of resources like coal that made certain technologies more practical. This could explain some innovations without relying on the idea of higher labor costs.
  3. The assumptions behind the High-Wage Thesis might not hold true, and questioning these assumptions can lead to a deeper understanding of economic history and industrial innovations. It shows the need for careful examination of widely accepted theories.

Abundance, Dislocation, & the Fight to Focus Our Attention in the 21st Century

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 230 implied HN points • 10 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Technological Change
  1. Material abundance has largely ended mass scarcity and improved health and longevity, but it doesn’t automatically give people meaning or a sense of agency; we must use wealth to create conditions for living wisely and well.
  2. Rapid technological change brings big gains but also disruptive dislocation and is being handled only moderately well by current politics. The emerging Info‑Bio‑Tech era makes attention the scarcest resource, so guarding focus against platform-driven capture is essential.
  3. The center of global growth is shifting toward the developing world, and the main political task is building institutions that expand real freedom—agency, dignity, and a shared sense of reality—so people can truly flourish.

Robots don't take your job. Bosses do

Altered States of Monetary Consciousness • 821 implied HN points • 04 Feb 25
💼 Business Technological Change
  1. Jobs are created not by robots but by the need for workers to operate businesses. Companies like Amazon rely heavily on their workers to exist.
  2. When companies automate or replace jobs with machines, it's really about the bosses choosing to spend money on technology instead of their employees. This often means fewer jobs.
  3. Economic growth doesn't necessarily mean better lives for workers. As technology advances, the pressure to keep up increases, leaving employees stressed and wanting.

30% Off For My Book on Japan Entrepreneurship

Japan Economy Watch • 239 implied HN points • 10 Nov 23
📚 Literature Technological Change
  1. The book is about reviving entrepreneurship in Japan and offers a 30% discount on the hardcover edition for pre-orders.
  2. Pre-orders are important for marketing efforts and a bigger print run. Ordering from Oxford's global site provides the discount.
  3. The book covers various topics like technological change, gender relations, and the need for entrepreneurial growth to improve Japan's economy.
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Social Theory for the Mid-21st Century: Part II. From -73000 to 2055: Malthusian Poverty to Modern Economic Growth

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 269 implied HN points • 17 Nov 24
📖 Philosophy Technological Change
  1. Throughout history, technological growth has drastically changed, particularly in the last 150 years. This period saw growth that's far beyond anything in earlier times.
  2. Today's society is much better off than before, with greater access to resources and technology. Most people have standards of living that are far superior compared to the past.
  3. Understanding our economic growth is complex. It's important to measure not just resources, but also how people work together and use ideas to improve life.

TWELVE SLIDES: The History of Economic Growth :: (Roughly) Seven Summary Bullet Points per Lecture

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 192 implied HN points • 27 Nov 24
🚌 Education Technological Change
  1. Economic growth means people's living standards and productivity improve over time. It's not just about having more money, but also how everyone shares those resources fairly.
  2. Before 1870, most economic progress was slow, and many people lived in poverty. After that, societies began to develop better ways of organizing and sharing wealth, leading to real improvements for many.
  3. Today, we face challenges like climate change and inequality that threaten our progress. We need to find new ways to support everyone and ensure that future generations can thrive.

Regulation's Role in Stifling Innovation

Knowledge Problem • 39 implied HN points • 07 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Technological Change
  1. Regulation based on cost recovery stifles innovation by not focusing on value creation
  2. Traditional economic regulation in the electricity industry is static and not adaptive to dynamic environments
  3. Regulatory institutions need to evolve towards promoting competition and consumer information for innovation and value creation

Fear of Oozification

Breaking Smart • 130 implied HN points • 30 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Technological Change
  1. Oozification, a process driving technological evolution, is making the future less certain and more complex.
  2. Swamps represent evolutionary vigor and the potential for radical change, showcasing the dual nature of stability and destabilization.
  3. All technology undergoes oozification, transforming into more elemental building blocks and increasing evolutionary potential.

History is in the making

The Works in Progress Newsletter • 28 implied HN points • 29 Nov 24
💾 History Technological Change
  1. History often focuses too much on political events like wars and revolutions, but it's actually technology and ideas that drive real change in our lives.
  2. Key dates in history, like the invention of the airplane or the creation of the first synthetic hamburger, are often overlooked, yet they have profoundly shaped how we live today.
  3. If we shift our attention from politics to technological advancements, we can better understand how human ingenuity improves our world and offers solutions to modern problems.

Human Reality in the Digital Age

The Digital Anthropologist • 0 implied HN points • 02 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Technological Change
  1. We all perceive reality differently and use various tools like language and art to find common ground for socialization and collaboration.
  2. The advancement in technology, especially digital devices, has reshaped the way we interact with and perceive time, impacting our concepts of reality.
  3. The rapid evolution of digital technologies like AI and VR is challenging our understanding of time and reality, highlighting the importance of cultural adaptation and cooperation in managing multiple realities.

Breaking through hurdles set by economists

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 08 Oct 18
🔬 Science Technological Change
  1. The work of economists Bill Nordhaus and Paul Romer in integrating innovation and climate with economic growth has played a significant role in breaking down barriers and pushing for policy action.
  2. Nordhaus's approach helped quantify the costs of climate change mitigation, showing that the costs were manageable and shifting the debate from denial to action.
  3. Romer's endogenous growth theory emphasized the importance of science and innovation in driving economic growth, highlighting the need for systems to promote research and development.

Society & Technology: Awareness

The Digital Anthropologist • 0 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Technological Change
  1. Technological change in society is often slower than perceived due to the time it takes for societies to become aware of and react to new technologies.
  2. Societies encounter new technologies with varied reactions based on biases, cultural backgrounds, and social structures, leading to opportunities, moral panics, and fear of disruption.
  3. The awareness phase of new technology can last for years, involving reactions like fear, excitement, and evaluation before significant changes start to impact sociocultural systems.

Some Frameworks for AI Impact

The (Ge)Narrative • 0 implied HN points • 26 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Technological Change
  1. Good strategy has three essential components: diagnosis, guiding policy, and coherent action.
  2. Rising fixed costs, regulatory change, and predictable biases in forecasting impact businesses with AI.
  3. AI enhances prediction speed, obsolesces slow thinking, retrieves personal connections, and might reverse into contradiction.