I sat down with Joel Kotkin, author of “The Coming of Neo-Feudalism,” to examine how America’s middle class is being erased and what that means for the future of civilization. Joel argues that we’re entering a new feudal order, where tech oligarchs and ideological elites control wealth, culture, and opportunity while ordinary families lose the ability to own homes, raise children, and build stable communities. We explore the roots of this transformation in collapsing birth rates, failing cities, and the dominance of a secular clerisy pushing increasingly extreme ideas—first among them the likely next mayor of NYC, Zohran Mamdani.
Follow Joel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/joelkotkin
Learn more about Joel’s work: https://joelkotkin.com/
Outline:
[0:00] AI will change everything
[9:44] The overeducated, underpaid class
[19:29] AI destroys entry-level work
[29:59] America is splitting in two
[43:47] People are opting out of woke
[58:34] Local government matters most
[1:07:18] Class matters, but race doesn’t
[1:18:43] Why can’t moderates win cities anymore?
[1:30:37] The rise of the populist right
[1:40:36] What happened to the left?
[2:03:36] Why tech oligarchs are so weird
[2:19:59] Social media pros and cons
[2:25:49] The British deserve credit
[2:36:44] Antisemitism and political violence
[2:41:38] Confirmation bias, climate, and population
[2:57:22] How to build a fulfilling life
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