“Fuzzy thinking can never be proven wrong. And only when we are proven wrong so clearly that we can no longer deny it to ourselves will we adjust our mental models of the world — producing a clearer picture of reality. Forecast, measure, revise: it is the surest path to seeing better.”
— Philip Tetlock
To capitalize on trending topics, many writers have recently focused on curating “best-of” lists and cultural highlights of the preceding year. These retrospectives serve as entertaining and comforting content, offering a snapshot of shared experiences as we coast through the holiday season.
However, the new year brings new perspectives as writers shift their sights forward. What will define 2025? The prevailing sentiment is one of optimism. Despite tense geopolitics, domestic policy debates, and uncertain economic conditions, rapid technological advancements — spanning computer science, robotics, biology, medicine, and energy — inspire hope. The unprecedented pace of innovation offers the possibility to thrive amid these challenges.
While no one can predict the future, we can strive to understand it. By engaging with seasoned observers who track technological and cultural trends, we can gain valuable insights into what may lie ahead. As such, this week we are highlighting the predictions of some well-known writers who shed light on the opportunities and obstacles awaiting us in 2025.
Happy New Year!
AVC
Written by Fred Wilson, as featured in our 10.10.24 post, Platform Agnostic
What Will Happen In 2025
“I've done a lot of these January 1st look forward posts in the 20+ years I've been blogging. I've used many different approaches. I sometimes talk big themes, like I did last year. I sometimes focus on just one thing. And sometimes I just make a bunch of predictions. I am going to do the latter approach today because I feel like it and it's so much fun.”
Feed Me
Written by Emily Sundberg, as featured in our 9.5.24 post, Diving Deeper
“Some standout predictions include:
In: Thin lips, Jersey City, big personalities, paywalls, Broadway, 24-hour Twitch streaming — “Truman Show shit,” chrome, excessive cocktail garnishes, “human made” as the new form of luxury, immersive retail, and handwritten tests.
Out: Cancel culture, job security, matte lips, chef-y bros, socially responsible investing, swag, working from home, calling the cops on student protesters, and launching your own consulting firm.”
The Intrinsic Perspective
Written by Erik Hoel, author of The Revelations, an essayist with work featured in The Atlantic, and theoretical neuroscientist known for work on causal emergence and the Overfitted Brain Hypothesis.
“Personally, it’s a bit funny, because as a writer the authors I always admired were people who could do things rarely but perfectly. One perfect book. One great leap. A short story so beautifully carved it was like handling porcelain. Ideally, after writing such a thing you’d go insane or drop dead, getting your fleshy self out of the way of your creation.
Switching to blogging involved changing styles and expectations. Blogging is about quantity and maximalism. It requires not so much the analytical skills of a maximally-refined aesthetic sense, but rather a kind of robust artistic vitality. It rewards sanity and schedules and physical therapy for your tendons.”
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