5 questions for the Institute for Progress’ Caleb Watney

Politico October 4, 2024
By Derek Robertson

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of the Future In Five Questions. This week I spoke with Caleb Watney, co-founder of the Institute for Progress, a nonpartisan think tank whose goal is to “accelerate and shape the direction of scientific, technological, and industrial progress.” Caleb discussed why he thinks America’s future depends on actively recruiting the world’s best scientific minds into a “superteam,” why federal scientists should be paid more — and the prescience of his favorite 1959 post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel. An edited and condensed version of the conversation follows:

What’s one underrated big idea?

When Alabama wants to build a college football team, they don’t limit themselves to high schools in their own state. They’ve built a bonafide...

Today's Sponsors

Today's Sponsor