Why Sweden builds so much prefab housing — and the US doesn’t
Sweden has given the world many wonderful gifts. Zara Larsson, obviously. Spotify and social democracy. And Ikea, the…
Cuba has plenty of doctors. So why is its healthcare system collapsing?
Since January 2026, many Cubans have lived a life of near-constant darkness. The Trump administration’s oil blockades have…
Agentic AI, the alignment problem, and what comes next, explained
Just how much is AI poised to change our world? Unless you’ve been in hibernation, the flurry of…
The Iran war threatens something more important than oil prices
The gas prices are unmissable. Since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, Brent…
How the war in Iran threatens food supply everywhere
This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.…
The world just set a surprisingly positive nuclear record. But how long will it last?
The post-war international order may be tearing apart at the seams and international law is increasingly looking like…
Will prediction markets corrupt elections and politics?
Everyone you know is about to start putting their money where their mouth is. Prediction markets are booming.…
How zero sum thinking hurts the economy and growth
I live in New York City, which fashions itself as many things: the financial capital of the world,…
AI voice cloning complicates estate planning for celebrities’ legacies
Before Franz Kafka died in 1924, he had a simple wish for his friend and literary executor Max…
Social Security retirement age: How to raise it without hurting poor people
The other day, economist Tyler Cowen made an offhand observation that took me aback a bit: that the…
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is spending billions on AI after its metaverse flop
Companies in the AI race are barreling toward a new goalpost: so-called superintelligence, or an AI model that…
Why tech’s Trump bet failed: Silicon Valley’s political awakening
I live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I don’t know anyone who says they…