The Raging 2020s by Alec Ross Summary
Overview of The Raging 2020s
In "The Raging 2020s," Alec Ross dissects our broken social contract between citizens, government, and corporations. Endorsed by Hillary Clinton as "immensely readable," this Bloomberg Best Book reveals why Adam Grant believes it will "challenge your assumptions about democracy, capitalism, and globalization."
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Key takeaways
When the Invisible Agreement Shatters
Picture your daily routine: grabbing coffee, checking your phone, heading to work. These mundane acts rest on an invisible foundation-a social contract binding citizens, businesses, and governments in mutual obligation. For decades after World War II, this contract hummed along beautifully. Workers earned living wages, corporations paid taxes, governments built infrastructure. Then something fractured. Roads crumble while tech giants hoard billions offshore. Public schools struggle while corporate profits hit record highs. The rage defining our current decade isn't random chaos-it's the sound of a broken contract demanding repair. The social contract has always evolved during massive upheavals. The Industrial Revolution triggered one such rewriting. Early factory life was hellish: children worked sixteen-hour shifts, Manchester workers lived just seventeen years on average, and Dickens documented misery in novels that shocked Victorian readers. This "Engels' Pause" saw technology advance rapidly while ordinary people suffered tremendously. Eventually, societies responded with innovations we now take for granted-minimum wages, public education, antitrust laws, worker pensions. These weren't gifts from benevolent elites but hard-won reforms that spread industrialization's benefits beyond factory owners. We're living through another Engels' Pause, but for the digital age. The equilibrium established during industrialization has collapsed as technology, globalization, and climate crisis fundamentally alter power relationships. Tech giants employ more people than many nations' entire populations. The gig economy creates workers outside traditional protections. Automation threatens millions of jobs. Meanwhile, our social contracts haven't been updated to address these seismic shifts, creating the perfect conditions for the rage consuming our politics.
The Tyranny of the Quarterly Report
When Government Becomes the Problem
The Vanishing Power of Workers
The Global Tax Heist
Rebuilding the Contract: From Rage to Renewal
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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