On Work: Money, Meaning, Identity (Atlantic Editions)
An urgent treatise on the future of work in a precarious world. An Atlantic Edition, featuring long-form journalism by Atlantic writers, drawn from contemporary articles or classic storytelling from the magazine’s 165-year archive.
On Work gathers a selection of Derek Thompson’s most popular and significant essays on work, life, and the future of jobs. From essays on how mass automation could change society to his widely read treatise on “workism” as our modern religion, Thompson’s analysis and forecasts have become fixtures of the 21st century conversation about work. This collection answers questions like: what would Americans do if they never had to work again? What is the “job” of the modern office? And what does leisure look like when we can work anytime, anywhere? We are at an inflection point in the history of labor with the rise of remote work and AI. On Work is an essential and memorable guide to that anxious future.
On Work gathers a selection of Derek Thompson’s most popular and significant essays on work, life, and the future of jobs. From essays on how mass automation could change society to his widely read treatise on “workism” as our modern religion, Thompson’s analysis and forecasts have become fixtures of the 21st century conversation about work. This collection answers questions like: what would Americans do if they never had to work again? What is the “job” of the modern office? And what does leisure look like when we can work anytime, anywhere? We are at an inflection point in the history of labor with the rise of remote work and AI. On Work is an essential and memorable guide to that anxious future.
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Community Reviews
It’s interesting how the book delves into the ways work shapes our identity and sense of worth—how what we do often becomes who we are. I found myself nodding when it discussed the tension between doing a job just for money versus doing it for meaning. On that note, I recently used a job board at https://vacancies.vavsynergy.com/vacancies/s-vodii_ce_kategorii CE driver vacancies abroad
to explore a role abroad, and though it started as a way to earn, the idea of contributing to something larger (a team, logistics network, international transport) nudged me into thinking about how work could reflect values. If you’re looking at that “money vs meaning” balance, it might be worth a glance—not a flashy change, just another option
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