How To Build A Truly Abundant Future

Thompson describes a 2050 with abundant housing and clean energy, including solar, wind, geothermal, and nuclear power. He argues that plentiful energy could enable energy-intensive technologies such as desalination, carbon removal, vertical farming, and supersonic flight.

Thompson argues that government should treat speed as a virtue, while holding projects accountable for outcomes. He points to California high-speed rail and a $42 billion rural broadband program: its 14-step application process delayed implementation, and only three of 56 applicants had completed it four years after the law passed.

Thompson traces the American innovation system to wartime coordination led by Vannevar Bush, which helped scale penicillin and establish institutions including the NIH and NSF. He says science funding should be updated through experiments such as longer grants, individual “golden ticket” awards, and more support for high-risk research, noting that scientists spend about 40% of their time on paperwork and grant applications.

Thompson describes penicillin and GLP-1 drugs as discoveries whose broader value emerged through further development and testing. He also suggests AI could map the effects of approved drugs to help researchers identify possible treatments for diseases and molecular problems.

Thompson contrasts AI companies with startups working on physical-world challenges such as energy, robotics, and carbon removal. He explains that government purchase guarantees can reward companies that meet targets, as advanced market commitments did in Operation Warp Speed, and advises founders to work backward from the future they want to build.