Evil Geniuses by Kurt Andersen Summary
Overview of Evil Geniuses
Kurt Andersen's "Evil Geniuses" exposes how wealthy elites deliberately dismantled America's middle class since the 1970s. Praised by Alec Baldwin and featured across major media, this bestseller reveals the shocking blueprint behind our growing inequality - a must-read for understanding who hijacked your economic future.
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Key takeaways
When America Made a U-Turn Nobody Noticed
Something fundamental broke in America around 1980, and most of us missed it happening in real time. For three decades after World War II, when workers became more productive, they earned more money-simple as that. A factory worker could buy a house, support a family, and retire with dignity. Then the rules changed. Productivity kept climbing, corporate profits soared, but paychecks flatlined. The average CEO went from earning 20 times what their workers made to over 300 times as much. This wasn't an accident or natural evolution-it was engineered. A 1971 memo from future Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell warned that American business faced an "existential threat" and needed to fight back aggressively. Wealthy heirs and corporate leaders took this seriously, methodically funding think tanks, reshaping legal theory, and rewriting the social contract that had created the largest middle class in history. The 1970s brought inflation, oil shocks, and cultural exhaustion after the turbulent 60s. Americans felt overwhelmed by rapid change and increasingly receptive to promises of stability through lower taxes and less regulation. Business leaders, feeling besieged by new environmental and safety rules, organized with unprecedented coordination. In 1973, CEOs of America's largest corporations formed the Business Roundtable, requiring personal CEO participation in lobbying-no more delegating to underlings. This wasn't your grandfather's Chamber of Commerce; this was a precision instrument for reshaping policy. The shift in public opinion was dramatic. By 1978, 58% of Americans believed government had gone too far in regulating business, up from 42% a decade earlier.
The Golden Age We Forgot We Had
Reagan's Revolution and the Courtroom Coup
When Finance Ate Everything
The Day Paychecks Stopped Growing
The Hidden Consensus for Change
Reclaiming the America We Built Together
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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