Derek Thompson

Derek Thompson is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of the Work in Progress newsletter. He is also the author of the books Hit Makers and On Work: Money, Meaning, Identity and the host of the podcast Plain English.

Newsletter
Work in Progress

Derek Thompson, Rogé Karma, Annie Lowrey, Jerusalem Demsas, and others explain today’s news and tomorrow’s trends in work, technology, and culture.

Latest

  1. Is Moderate Drinking Okay?

    “Every drink takes five minutes off your life.” Maybe the thought scares you. Personally, I find comfort in it.

    Photo of a hand holding a mini bottle of beer
    Illustration by Paul Spella / The Atlantic. Sources: Getty; Shutterstock.
  2. The Anti-Social Century

    Americans are now spending more time alone than ever. It’s changing our personalities, our politics, and even our relationship to reality.

    Illustration of a person sitting on stool and eating alone at diner counter, surrounded by empty tables with no other people visible.
    Illustration by Max Guther
  3. RFK Jr. Is a Bellwether

    Kennedy embodies several trends across politics, science, and society, which require careful attention to understand how America is changing

    Collage consisting of a photo of RFK Jr. holding a microphone interspersed with red images of COVID-19 vaccines, "Make America Healthy Again" caps, and pills.
    Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Kevin Dietsch / Getty; deliormanli / Getty.