Tyler Cowen's argument that America has become dangerously risk-averse and complacent — declining dynamism in housing, careers, startups, and personal risk-taking threatens long-term prosperity.
The dynamism decline: Americans move less frequently, change jobs less often, start fewer companies, take fewer risks. The culprit: the internet's matching technologies (Tinder, LinkedIn, Spotify) enable people to find exactly what they already like — creating comfortable segregation (economic, political, cultural) that reduces exposure to novelty and disruption. The paradox: technologies that increase individual satisfaction may decrease aggregate social dynamism. Cowen argues the current complacency is unsustainable and will end badly.
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