Making money in 2023 can be surprisingly tricky business. Should we be investing in crypto? Does the post-pandemic economy work the same as it once did?
If questions like these keep you up at night, we have good news: a handful of brand new books offer a variety of insightful answers. Find out for yourself by checking out the five essential reads below.
The End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto
By Jonathan Taplin
A brilliant takedown and exposé of the great con job of the 21st century—the metaverse, crypto, space travel, transhumanism—being sold by four billionaires (Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreesen, Elon Musk), leading to the degeneration and bankruptcy of our society. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jonathan Taplin, in the Next Big Idea App
Gonzo Capitalism: How to Make Money in an Economy That Hates You
By Chris Guillebeau
Gonzo Capitalism is your field guide to the new rules of money, where any and everything is for sale. In it, you’ll learn how capitalize on today’s technology and platforms to turn your time, talents, and creativity into income—on your own terms. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Chris Guillebeau, in the Next Big Idea App
The Phoenix Economy: Work, Life, and Money in the New Not Normal
By Felix Salmon
An award-winning journalist presents a tour-de-force analysis—drawing from history, economics, sociology, and popular culture—of the profound and transformative years of the early 2020s, both for individuals and for the global economy. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Felix Salmon, in the Next Big Idea App
The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze
By Laura Shin
The recent growth of crypto would have been all but impossible if not for a brilliant young man named Vitalik Buterin and his creation: Ethereum. In this book, a tech journalist takes readers inside the founding of this novel cryptocurrency network. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Laura Shin, in the Next Big Idea App
Cloudmoney: Cash, Cards, Crypto, and the War for Our Wallets
By Brett Scott
An economic anthropologist takes us to the front lines of a war for our wallets that is also about our freedom, from marketing strategies against cash to the weaponization of COVID-19 to push fintech platforms, and from there to the rise of the cryptocurrency rebels and fringe groups pushing back. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Brett Scott, in the Next Big Idea App
The Key Ideas in 15 Minutes
“If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books,” Roald Dahl once famously said. The only trouble is, reading even one book from cover to cover takes hours—and you may not have many hours to spare.
But imagine for a moment: What if you could read a groundbreaking new book every day? Or even better, what if you could invite a world-renowned thinker into your earbuds, where they personally describe the 5 key takeaways from their work in just 15 minutes?
With the Next Big Idea App, we’ve turned this fantasy into a reality. We partnered with hundreds of acclaimed authors to create “Book Bites,” short audio summaries of the latest nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Discover cutting-edge leadership skills, productivity hacks, the science of happiness and well-being, and much more—all in the time it takes to drive to work or walk the dog.
Go Deeper with a Next Big Idea Club Membership
The Next Big Idea App is free for anyone to try—and if you love it, we invite you to become an official member of the Next Big Idea Club. Membership grants you unlimited access to Book Bites and unlocks early-release, ad-free episodes of our LinkedIn-partnered podcast. You also gain entry to our private online discussion group, where you can talk big ideas with fellow club members and join exclusive live Q&A sessions with featured authors.
For a more focused learning experience, we recommend a Hardcover or eBook Membership. Every few months, legendary authors and club curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink select two new nonfiction books as the must-reads of the season. We then send hardcover copies straight to your doorstep, or eBook versions to your favorite digital device. We also collaborate with the authors of selected books to produce original reading guides and premium video e-courses, 50-minute master classes that take you step by step through their most life-changing ideas. And yes, it’s all available through the Next Big Idea App.
Learn Faster, from the World’s Leading Thinkers
Whether you prefer to read, listen, or watch, the Next Big Idea is here to help you work smarter and live better. Wake up with an always-fresh Idea of the Day, the perfect shot of inspiration to go with your morning coffee. Then dive into one of our Challenges, hand-picked collections of Book Bites that form crash courses in subjects like communication, motivation, and career acceleration. Later, watch the playback of an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt, or philosopher John Kaag. And be sure to check the “Events” tab in the app, so that you can join an upcoming live Q&A and personally chat with the next featured thought leader.
If you’re hoping to grow as a person or as a professional, we hope you’ll join us and tens of thousands of others who enjoy the Next Big Idea. Get started by downloading the app today!
