This Could Be Our Future

Oct 8, 2024 12:32 AM

Author:Yancey Strickler

Break free from a wealth-obsessed world

Western society is trapped by three assumptions: 1) the point of life is to maximize your self-interest and wealth, 2) we're individuals trapped in an adversarial world, and 3) that this path is inevitable.

These ideas separate us, keep us powerless, and limit our imagination for the future. We see them as the truth, but they are just a point of view that previous generations accepted as inevitable. It's time we replace them with something new.

In this bold, powerful book, Yancey Strickler – co-founder of Kickstarter – lays out an inspiring vision for a new world we have the power to create and how we can change course. While the pursuit of wealth has produced innovation and prosperity, it's also produced dire consequences: environmental collapse, corruption, exploitation, and unhappiness around the world. We don't have to get rid of money entirely, though: we can co-opt the tools we have used toward better measurement of what matters, technology, and specificity of goals--and refocus them to build a more generous, fair, and future-prepared society. By re-calibrating our definition of value, a world of scarcity can blossom into a world of abundance.

Hopeful but firmly grounded, full of concrete examples and bursting with creativity, This Could Be Our Future brilliantly dissects the world we live in and shows us a road map to the world we are capable of making.

Reviews

Want to actually change the world for the better? Start here

—— Sophia Amoruso, bestselling author of #GIRLBOSS

This book is a gift to humanity ... If you’ve got future-fatigue, this book might be the perfect bedtime story to help you sleep at night

—— Amanda Palmer, musician and bestselling author of THE ART OF ASKING

A seminal work, it puts a long overdue stake through the heart of profit maximization and all the harm this toxic idea has caused. Beautifully written, thoughtfully researched, a must read for nyone who cares about where we’re headed

—— Seth Godin

In this wise, and sometimes bracing, manifesto, he reveals how hidden assumptions about what matters have coarsened our culture and corroded our values. Then shows how to create organizations and institutions built less on maximizing financial gain and more on family, faith, and sustainability. This book is the conversation starter our world needs

—— Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of WHEN, DRIVE, and A WHOLE NEW MIND

Audacious and elevating: a thought-provoking read for anyone who knows there’s more to life than accumulating wealth

—— Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of GIVE AND TAKE, ORIGINALS, and OPTION B

A fresh vision of a people before profit model that benefits all stakeholders. Preach on Yancey!!

—— Simon Sinek, Optimist and New York Times bestselling author of START WITH WHY and LEADERS EAT LAST

A beautiful, simple, important book. If we all follow its advice, the world will be a far better place for our children and grandchildren

—— Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO

This bold, moving book explains why forging a more humane, equitable society depends on a fundamental shift not just in values, but in the very way we define what value is. This is urgent, actionable reading for how to start seeing the bigger picture and making real change

—— Eric Ries, bestselling author of THE LEAN STARTUP

Throughout history, societies have fallen for the fallacy that the world around them is how things are destined to be forever—only in hindsight do we see how wrong and short-sighted they were. This Could Be Our Future is a brilliant exercise in reasoning from first principles, challenging our assumptions about how the world must be

—— Tim Urban, writer of WAIT BUT WHY

Reading This Could Be Our Future should be a requirement for all who endeavour to build and lead humane organizations

—— Jerry Colonna, author of REBOOT: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up

Yancey’s career has been predicated on debunking unbridled self-interest––especially of the financial kind. In this book, he promotes a new design for society based on a more generous sharing of riches, ideas, and destinies

—— Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator, Architecture and Design at The Museum of Modern Art

Intriguing ideas on how to create a better world … A valid evaluation of the modern world and why it needs to shift from financial maximization to something more humane

—— Kirkus Reviews

Inspiring to read about the courage, pragmatism and determination in these women forging careers and livelihoods in traditional professions. These stories of women from all backgrounds and social levels show the power of persistence and fortitude.

—— Professor Alice Gast, President, Imperial College London

[Robinson] weaves an inspirational epic from the lives of countless determined, self-propelled women

—— The Herald

The Culture Code examines the dynamics of company culture through stories of success and failure, offering valuable insights on leadership through change.

—— Anthony Noto, CEO of Sofi, Books of the Year , Bloomberg

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