Economics & Work Archives

A group of seven young adults stands in a line against a brick wall, each appearing bored or tired, with some resting their heads on others' shoulders.

How to navigate the hidden economics of waiting in line

In this excerpt from “Lucky By Design,” Judd Kessler explains how opportunity costs shape our choices and why time is the real price we pay.

Collage with hands shaping dough, overlapping U.S. flags, circular architectural elements, and "THE NIGHTCRAWLER" at the top—reflecting on the AI divide woven into the fabric of American life.

Business

The great AI divide: Europe vs. Silicon Valley

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

A man in a dark polo shirt sits and smiles in front of a background with graph lines and stock charts, evoking the analytical style of Buffett and Munger.

The Long Game

A fresh take on the Buffett-Munger axis of genius

A conversation with investor and author Alex Morris on what Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger can teach us about focus, discipline, and building a life that lasts.

Green circuit board lines form three dollar signs on a dark background with faint circuitry patterns.

The Present

AI adoption rates look weak — but the data hides a bigger story

Behind the plateau in corporate AI lies a surge in personal and agentic use.

Four women stand in front of a vintage computer, each holding different components of its hardware, with the computer's panel visible in the background—an image reminiscent of historical innovation studied by Angus Fletcher.

Business

Why your AI strategy needs guidance from an 82-year-old computer

The incredible story of how the US Army began the march toward generative AI in 1943 — and what it means for your business today.

A digital collage features the title "THE NIGHTCRAWLER," a robotic dog inspired by China tech, vintage storefronts, and abstract purple geometric shapes.

Business

A postcard from the frontlines of China’s tech boom

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Book cover of "Epic Disruptions" by Scott D. Anthony, featuring bold, stacked text and an orange lightning bolt—evoking the spirit of innovators like Mark Zuckerberg; left side reads "an excerpt from" on an orange background.

Business

Gutenberg to Zuckerberg: How to handle disruption without hitting an iceberg

Even when leaders know disruption is a smart long-term decision, the pain of transition can produce a titanic shambles. Just ask Kodak.

Black and white portrait of Alex Osterwalder with glasses and facial hair, framed against a graphic background featuring striking orange, white, and beige geometric patterns.

Business

How to bust the innovation myth

Strategyzer CEO Alex Osterwalder on why entrepreneurs should take a leaf from Amazon’s innovation playbook.

A man speaking into a microphone, an illustration of a person with a bun near Japanese text, and Kevin Kelly, a bearded man, are overlaid with red geometric shapes under the title "THE NIGHT CRAWLER.

Business

What AI can never replace

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

A collage features people using phones, a vintage courtroom scene, and a close-up of mechanical watch parts under tweezers, exploring ancestral bonds, with the title "THE NIGHTCRAWLER" at the top.

Business

Inside my study of the world’s oldest companies

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

A storytelling collage featuring a man inspecting barrels, a person holding a skull mask, another man observing the mask, and the text "THE NIGHTCRAWLER" in bold black and orange.

Business

Exceptional storytelling and the myth of superhuman AI

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

John Candeto, in a white shirt, smiles while sitting outdoors near stone steps and green potted plants.

The Long Game

The John Candeto interview: Bigger dreams and the colossal effect of “power laws”

Fund manager and writer John Candeto is on a mission to decode the hidden patterns that drive extraordinary outcomes.

A grayscale portrait of David Senra is centered on a collage background featuring a marble statue, abstract black-and-white swirls, and purple book spines.

Business

The David Senra interview: “Use history as a form of leverage”

The host of the Founders podcast joins Big Think for a chat about success, obsession, business genius, human nature, and more.

A collage with the text "THE NIGHTCRAWLER," featuring a hand holding money, coins, and a windowed building, all tinted in pink and black tones.

Business

Money as the dark matter of the Universe

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

The image shows the cover of the book "Me, My Customer & AI" by Henrik Werdelin and Nicholas Thorne alongside the text "an excerpt from," set on a split blue and green background, hinting at the future of headless agents in business.

Business

How Dell’s membrane paved the way for “headless agents”

In the post-AI startup landscape, the role of the entrepreneur will evolve from operator to orchestrator. Are you ready?

Collage with a man in a suit, stacked mugs, an upside-down creature, dice, and the text "THE NIGHTCRAWLER" at the top on a dark grid background—hinting at the power of intuition amid surreal imagery.

Business

The importance of intuition and the limits of rationalism

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Bogumil Baranowski, dressed in a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie, stands and smiles in front of a plain light blue background.

The Long Game

The Bogumil Baranowski interview: “Treat everyone with care”

The investment advisor and host of the Talking Billions podcast explores childhood curiosity, building networks through kindness, and more.

A digital collage with overlapping purple-tinted images, including a traditional building and a sculpture, explores panpsychism under the title "The Nightcrawler" on a black grid background.

Business

On consciousness, AI, and panpsychism

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

A black-and-white portrait of smiling Katie Gatti Tassin with glasses is centered on a collage featuring a close-up of a dollar bill, a checkered pattern, and a vintage microphone.

Business

The Katie Gatti Tassin interview: “Go the extra yard — not the extra mile”

The host of the Money with Katie Show has some priceless advice for women on how to approach pay-rise negotiations.

A graphic titled "The Night Crawler" features grayscale and red-tinted images of two men, one writing and one smiling—possibly Brad Feld—overlaid on a grid background with abstract shapes.

Business

The art of mentorship and long-term thinking

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Split-screen image: left side has the words "an excerpt from" on a pale blue background; right side shows the book cover of "After the Spike," which explores how population and environment shape our future, by Dean Spears and Michael Geruso.

Books

More people, more pollution? Dispelling an environmental myth

In “After the Spike,” Dean Spears and Michael Geruso show why policy, rather than high population density, has the most significant impact on the environment.

Collage featuring photos of wildlife, ancient stone carvings, and a camel, with the text "THE NIGHTCRAWLER" at the top on a gray grid background—an homage to Sean B. Carroll’s explorations of nature and history.

Business

The hidden rules of business — according to nature

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Collage featuring a snail, two hands gripping a baton symbolizing succession, and a boat, overlaid on a pink and black grid pattern with the text "THE NIGHTCRAWLER" at the top.

Business

Inside the subtle art of succession

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Abstract illustration of tall, grid-patterned skyscrapers interspersed with textured blue marble-like panels evokes a sense of innovation, reminiscent of a blue ocean strategy, set against a light background.

Business

“Blue ocean strategy”: The red thread connecting Apple with Yellow Tail

When organizations focus on finding new markets, the returns can be spectacular — as a case study from Australia perfectly illustrates.

A grayscale collage features a smiling woman, a silhouetted figure with outstretched arms, and the title "The Nightcrawler" at the top. Geometric shapes and architectural sketches, inspired by Shannon Vallor's work, are layered in the background.

Business

AI vs. humans: A question of humanity

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Two glowing spheres connected by a thin line suggest a quantum link above a red, knotted rope, with abstract wave patterns in the background.

The Long Game

The “quantum long game”

A meditation on quantum physics, creative endurance, and the unseen forces that shape what lasts.

Book cover of "The Systems Leader" by Robert E. Siegel, featuring geometric orange shapes, next to text that reads "an excerpt from" on a blue background—highlighting concepts of systems leadership.

Business

Why “Systems Leadership” is hard in the best possible way

The corporate world is no cake walk — as a leader you need a framework that can equip you for the cross-pressures.

A person is being recorded on video by a camera mounted on a tripod, with the display highlighting visual literacy as the subject appears in focus and the background is artfully blurred.

Business

6 ways for leaders to hone their “visual literacy”

Leaders may not realize it — they’re not just being watched, they’re being interpreted, filtered, and judged, frame by frame.

Two men in suits stand in front of a graphic collage featuring technical drawings and a building with solar panels, overlaid with the text "The Nightcrawler," evoking innovation that stands the test of stellar age.

Business

The end of extraction and the rise of abundance

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Black-and-white portrait of Steve Hanke, an older man in a suit and glasses, centered on a background with graph lines and dotted patterns.

Business

The Steve Hanke interview: “Writing a tweet is the endgame of the Feynman Technique”

The veteran economist joins Big Think to unpack the new rules of social media, explain tariffs, and recount his adventures in Albania.