Derek Thompson
Derek Thompson is an American journalist, author and podcast host who spent 17 years at The Atlantic as a senior editor and staff writer and since 2021 has hosted the podcast Plain English for The Ringer. He wrote Hit Makers and co-wrote Abundance with Ezra KleinEzra KleinEzra Klein is an American journalist, columnist and podcast host who founded the Wonkblog vertical at the Washington Post, co-founded the explanatory news site Vox in 2014, and since 2021 has been an opinion columnist at The New York Times and host of The Ezra Klein Show. He wrote Why We’re Polarized and co-wrote Abundance with Derek Thompson.Open the full entry, and after leaving The Atlantic in 2025 he moved his writing to Substack.
Contents14 sections
Key facts
1986Born in McLean, Virginia
Thompson was born in McLean, Virginia, in 1986.[1]
2008Graduates from Northwestern University
He graduated from Northwestern University in 2008 with a triple major in journalism, political science and legal studies.[1]
2012Named to Media Lists
In 2012 he was named to FOLIO: magazine’s “15 Under 30” and Min’s “People to Watch.”[2]
He has also appeared on ForbesForbesForbes is an American business media brand that began with Forbes magazine, founded by B.C. Forbes in 1917. It is known for rankings such as the Forbes 400, the World’s Billionaires list and 30 Under 30, and operates Forbes.com, ForbesLive events and licensed editions in 81 countries. Since 2014 a majority stake has been held by the Hong Kong investment group Integrated Whale Media; a 2021 plan to list on the New York Stock Exchange through a special purpose acquisition company was terminated in 2022. It is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey.Open the full entry’ “30 Under 30” list.[1]
2015Publishes “A World Without Work”
In 2015 he wrote the Atlantic cover story “A World Without Work,” on the future of jobs and technology.[1]
February 2017Publishes Hit Makers
In February 2017 Penguin Press published his first book, Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction, which explores the cognitive and social psychological forces shaping pop culture hits.[3]
November 16, 2021Launches Plain English
On November 16, 2021, his news podcast for The Ringer, Plain English, launched with new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.[4]
April 4, 2023Publishes On Work
On April 4, 2023, On Work: Money, Meaning, Identity, an Atlantic Edition, was published, collecting his most popular and significant writing on work, life and the future of jobs.[5]
January 2025Publishes “The Anti-Social Century”
In January 2025 he wrote the Atlantic cover story “The Anti-Social Century,” on Americans’ growing solitude, and discussed it on PBS’s Amanpour and Company on January 17.[6]
2025Publishes Abundance with Ezra Klein
In 2025 he and Ezra Klein published Abundance, which argues that Democrats should increase the supply of everything from housing to mass transit and that older progressive rules have slowed housing, energy and infrastructure.[7]
Barack Obama put the book on his 2025 reading list; Bernie Sanders argued that the abundance agenda distracts from the major crisis facing American society, and Elizabeth Warren argued that it is used by wealthy donors and corporate-aligned Democrats.[7]
March 26, 2025Appears on the Lex Fridman Podcast
On March 26, 2025, he and Ezra Klein appeared as guests of episode 462 of the Lex FridmanLex FridmanLex Fridman is a Soviet-born, US-raised computer scientist and podcast host who works as an MIT research scientist on human-AI interaction and autonomous driving. His Lex Fridman Podcast is known for hours-long conversations with guests including heads of state and technology leaders.Open the full entry Podcast, discussing American politics and the ideas in Abundance.[8]
June 2025Leaves The Atlantic for Substack
He spent 17 years at The Atlantic, serving as senior editor and business editor of its website and writing a business column for the magazine; he has also been an adjunct professor at the Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University, formally Columbia University in the City of New York, is a private research university in New York City and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1754 by royal charter from King George II as King's College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in New York State and the fifth oldest in the United States. It was renamed Columbia College in 1784 and adopted the university name and moved to Manhattan's Morningside Heights in 1896. It has 17 schools and four affiliated colleges, with 35,978 students enrolled in fall 2025. Legal scholar Jennifer L. Mnookin became president on July 1, 2026.Open the full entry Graduate School of Journalism.[2]
In June 2025 he announced that he was leaving The Atlantic and moving his writing to Substack.[2]
As of October 2026: Writing and Podcasting
He publishes a newsletter on Substack with more than 10,000 subscribers and remains a contributing writer to The Atlantic.[9]
Plain English continues to release new episodes weekly through The Ringer.[10]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
X: Public account: https://x.com/dkthomp (opens in a new window)[8]
Substack: Public link: https://derekthompson.substack.com (opens in a new window)[9]
The Ringer: Official website: https://www.theringer.com/ (opens in a new window)[10]
The Atlantic: Official website: https://www.theatlantic.com/ (opens in a new window)[6]
Sources
- Derek Thompson | Berklee (opens in a new window)
- Thompson departing The Atlantic (opens in a new window)
- Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction (opens in a new window)
- Introducing Plain English with Derek Thompson - The Ringer (opens in a new window)
- On Work: Money, Meaning, Identity (opens in a new window)
- “The Anti-Social Century:” Inside America’s Epidemic of Solitude (opens in a new window)
- The ‘abundance’ agenda (opens in a new window)
- #462 – Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson: Politics, Trump, AOC, Elon & DOGE | Lex Fridman Podcast (opens in a new window)
- Derek Thompson (opens in a new window)
- Plain English With Derek Thompson - The Ringer (opens in a new window)