Sorry, Skeptics — AI Is Not a Bubble
This week, Azeem Azhar told us how to think about the new AI economy, and Ryan Hawk shared ideas from his new book.
This Week on the Next Big Idea Podcast
Sorry, skeptics — AI is not a bubble.
First, a few numbers. This year Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta will spend more than $700 billion building AI infrastructure. There are 1,500 data centers in development across the country. AI-linked stocks make up at least 40% of the S&P 500.
These are the kinds of numbers that make some economists jumpy. If this whole AI thing doesn’t pan out, they warn, we’re headed for the mother of all crashes.
But Azeem Azhar is not one of those economists. He and his team recently spent months turning the AI economy inside out, and they just released a report called The State of the AI Economy. It contains surprising answers to what has become an increasingly pressing question: is this the biggest bubble ever blown, or are we building the durable machinery of a radically more abundant world?
In this conversation, Azeem joins Rufus to unpack why AI adoption is growing faster than the internet or mobile, what Wall Street and Silicon Valley may still be getting wrong, and why the most important skill in an AI-powered future may have nothing to do with AI. Along the way, they explore energy, jobs, investing, AI safety, and what exponential change means for the next generation.
Check out our conversation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or watch it on YouTube.
Book Bite of the Week
What is data doing to us?
Data isn’t a byproduct of modern technology. It’s one of humanity’s oldest tools for governing ourselves. Every system we build reflects choices about who is seen, who is ignored, and who holds power. Roopika Risam is a professor of Digital Humanities and Social Engagement at Dartmouth College. Her research explores how histories of race, empire, and technology shape the modern world.
Check out five key insights from her new book, Data Empire: The Power of Information to Organize, Control, and Dominate on the Next Big Idea app.
This week’s Book of the Day sponsor is No Experience Necessary by Ronnen Harary, co-founder and former CEO of Spin Master. At 23, fresh out of college and living at home, Harary built what became a global powerhouse behind PAW Patrol and Bakugan — and he argues his inexperience was the secret. Structured around eleven principles, the book reframes youth’s risk tolerance, energy, and openness as superpowers that young dreamers squander at their peril. Publishers Weekly calls it “a powerful corrective to the myth that experience is a prerequisite for success.”
This Week on the Next Big Idea Daily Podcast
What does it take to perform at your highest level?
The life you want isn’t built through talent, luck, or fleeting moments of inspiration. It’s built by fully committing to what matters and showing up for it every single day.
Ryan Hawk is the host of The Learning Leader Show, a podcast where he has interviewed more than 700 of the world’s most impactful leaders over the past 11 years. Recently, it was ranked the #1 business podcast in the world by Apple Podcasts.
Pick up a copy of his new book on Amazon or listen to his big ideas on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
This edition of Book of the Day is sponsored by Fora, a travel agency platform designed for entrepreneurs who want to build and scale their own travel business. Become a Fora Advisor today at foratravel.com/idea
🎉 Happy Publication Week! 🎉
The following Next Big Idea Club Must-Read authors get to celebrate the publication of their books today--congratulations to them all! 📖 Join us in reading and discussing these exciting new releases:
Cate Hall, You Can Just Do Things: How High-Agency People Get What They Want Out of Life
Ryan Hawk, The Price of Becoming: The Compounding Practices of High Performance
Kim Polinder, Why We Fight: A Transformative Road Map to Healing Conflict in Any Relationship
Emily Eakin, The Frenchmen: Or, My Life in Theory