Big Ideas 2025 - ARK Invest
Not sure how I should relate to the works from ARK anymore. On the one hand, they put a lot of work into their reports. On the other hand, it's turning more and more into an unfiltered Silicon Valley gospel, without critical thinking.

The Sting of the Wild - Justin O Schmidt
I love it when people take me down their rabbit holes. Justin O Schmidt is an entomologist on a mission to compare the impacts of stinging insects on humans (mainly himself). The book includes the Schmidt Sting Pain Index of the 83 (!) stings he's sampled so far.

2025 Tech Trends Report -  Future Today SG
The company formerly known as FTI is now FTSG, and its annual tech trends report is (still) growing exponentially. This year, at 1,000 pages, it's more of an encyclopedia than a report drawing conclusions, but still an interesting read. 

Polostan: Bomb Light Vol. 1 - Neal Stephenson
The first of three books set in the US and Russia in the early 20th century. I got hooked on Stephenson through his early sci-fi work, but he's equally good when going back in time. 

The 2025 Energy Security Scenarios - Shell
Year Ahead 2025 - UBS
Global Risks Report 2025 - World Economic Forum
The start of every year means an avalanche of annual outlooks from the usual suspects (banks, think tanks, consultants) and some less obvious sources. Some are good, some are excellent, and some are less so. 

Exodus: The Archimedes Engine - Peter F Hamilton
The latest release from the master of sci-fi space opera. A bit of effort is needed, but you'll be well rewarded. Sequel and video game in the works. 

All-In Podcast
I've listened to these four US investors since they started during lockdown in 2020.  In the beginning, I came for the insights into tech and investing, but nowadays (when they've turned full MAGA), I come back as a way to try to understand what's happening "over there".

Generative AI and the Nature of Work - Hoffmann et al., Harvard Business School
A thought-through perspective on the current development of AI tools and their effect on how we work.

Gula fläcken: Arkitektens memoarer - Gert Wingårdh
The memoirs of one of my favorite architects. Witty, well-written, reflective, and all from memory, so it's not necessarily 100% true. In Swedish (as of now). 

EIC Tech Report 2024 - European Innovation Council
The annual tech report from the deep tech people at the European Commission. Relevant if you want to understand European tech perspectives and priorities. 

The future of European competitiveness - Mario Draghi/EC
"The Draghi Report" on how to strengthen European competitiveness visa vi the rest of the world, specifically China and the USA. 

Expeditionary Force Series - Craig Alanson
17 books and counting! Sci-fi action at its best, not too complicated, not too grand, and meaning this in a good way.

Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital - Carlota Perez
This book explains "The Dynamics of Bubbles and Golden Ages". In other words, a must-read for every tech entrepreneur, investor, and policy maker.

Here - Richard McGuire
An illustrated novel that takes place in one specific place over the course of hundreds of thousands of years. Ambitious, innovative, and mind-expanding.

15 Global Megatrends - CIFS
As always, when coming from the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, rich in ambition and content. Quite often also thought-provoking.

Bad Kids - Zijin Chen
It's always interesting to read novels from cultures you're not naturally exposed to, like this dark crime thriller in a Chinese setting. 

The Path to General-Purpose Robots - Coatue
An excellent overview of the current field of humanoid robotics, but remember that Coatue are financial wizards moonlighting as tech bubble creators. 

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions - Thomas S Kuhn
First published in 1962, this book might not be an easy read, but you'll be well-awarded when finished and after it's been marinating for a while.

The Body and Beyond - Farsight from CIFS
Farsight magazine is a must-read for everyone interested in futures studies. The June 2024 issue examines "The Future of Human Augmentation, Longevity, and Transformation".

Gen AI: Too Much Spend, Too Little Benefit? - Goldman Sachs
A rare example of Big Finance telling the world that "the Emperor might be naked" despite this could affect their bottom line. Way to go!

Are You Living in a Computer Simulation - Nick Bostrom
This paper argues that there's a significant chance that we're living in a computer simulation. Well argued and beautifully concluded. 

100 Reasons to Love the Future - AXA
This report from British insurance giant AXA is a great cure if you're stressed and/or anxious about the future.

Eyes on the Future of Tech - EIC
A thorough dissection of emerging technologies on the radar and in the portfolio of the European Innovation Council (where I'm a small, proud cog from time to time). 

Why Nations Fail - Daron Acemoglu and James A Robinson
Well-written and "brilliant in its simplicity", Acemogly and Robinson take you on a roller-coaster ride through economics, politics, and history to answer this one big question.

What If? - Randall Munroe
As a former NASA robotics expert turned cartoonist, Munroe is the perfect expert to consult for answers to the big questions.

The NASA Archives - Piers Bizony et al
A beautiful, illustrated exposé of the first 60 years of NASA.  Covering both the early days as well as a brief look into the future. 

Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman! - Richard P Feynman
Apart from being an eccentric Nobel laureate in physics, Feynman is also a master in living a life full of adventures - a self-help book in disguise.

How Economics Can Save the World - Erik Angner
A thought-provoking and highly relevant perspective on the economics of some of the grand (and not so grand) challenges that face humanity today.

Inevitable Surprises - Peter Schwartz
A classic book on future thinking published in 2003. It's interesting to see that Schwartz is pointing to demography, the climate, and technology as the megatrends to follow closely. 

Year Ahead 2024 - UBS
The annual UBS report on market prospects and risk management. Even if you're not interested in the stock market, it's an essential read on geopolitics and macroeconomics.

The Quantum Decade -  IBM  Institute
The IBM take on quantum "awareness, readiness, and advantage". Well-researched playbook with everything you need to know about the next computing paradigm.

2024 Tech Trends - Future Today Institute
979 pages of technology frenzy, covering close to 700 trends. Now in its 17th year, the report keeps growing exponentially. Useful, but almost hard to see the forest for the trees!

Abroad in Japan - Chris Broad
Lots of recognition for anyone who's visited Japan with all the cultural clashes and misunderstandings you can imagine.

Big Ideas 2024 -  ARK Invest
Ambitious work and an interesting read. Trying hard not to drink too much of the ARK tech cult cool-aid, though. 

The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
In a total of seven short stories, we follow a self-hacked cyborg that loves soap operas and is horrified by human emotions. Soon, on one of those streaming services.

The Precipice: - Toby Ord
A convincing book outlining the existential risks humanity is facing, how we ended up here, and what we must do to survive.

2024 Generative AI Report - Acquainted
A really good compilation of dozens of thinkers sharing their views on the current state of Generative AI, all collected and structured by the great minds of acquainted.studio

The Orphan Master's Son - Adam Johnson
A beautiful, scary, and somewhat disturbing account of life in North Korea and beyond, all told through the eyes of a kidnapper.

Quantum Supremacy - Michio Kaku
He's definitely one of the best popular science writers around, and this time, he's leaving the cosmos to explain the future promises of quantum computing.

The Netanyahus - Joshua Cohen
The 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, but it's impossible to understand what's real and what's fiction in this book. Highly recommendable!

Rosewater - Tade Thompson
Set in Nigeria in the 2060s, we follow a government agent, when he's fighting his demons from the past while trying to survive a chaotic world where new forms of intelligent life are emerging.

Humankind - Rutger Bregman
An edgier, better-written, and more political view on the state of humanity than "Sapiens". Of course also a bonus that Bregman got banned from the World Economic Forum!

The Coming Wave - Mustafa Suleyman
Having the highest respect for the author and his work with Deep Mind, it's rewarding to read and understand his take on managing powerful technologies. 

Global Megatrends - Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies
CIFS is probably the #1 source for future-oriented reports and courses, well worth a (virtual) visit!

Generative AI Report - Coatue
Another one of those investor brand-building reports. Still interesting if you cut through the hype and corporate/investor tech BS.

Children of Time (-Ruin, -Memory) - Adrian Tchaikovsky
Without revealing too much (or hardly anything), a unique sci-fi plot that almost makes it to the end.

The Genesis Machine - Amy Webb and Andrew Hessel
As always with Amy Webb and FTI, this book is information-dense, to say the least. It's a great overview of the emerging field of synthetic biology and genetics, though. 

The Power of Geography - Tim Marshall
Using geography to understand our past, present, and future. Eye-opening and always very revealing to see things from a different perspective.

What We Owe the Future - William MacAskill
I'm not fully sold on effective altruism and longtermism, but must say that the book is well-written, albeit a bit repetitive.

Signals - Jeff Desjardins
258 pages of graphs "charting the new direction of the global economy". Great "read" if you're a visual thinker/doer!

Three-Body Problem - Cixin Liu
Well-written, and always fresh with a non-English perspective. Not sure how they will be able to make this into a Netflix series...