Our secret plan to change the world
- Stephen McBride
- Apr 6
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
I'm writing you from a sun-bleached refinery town just outside Los Angeles.
More on why I’m here in LA with ROS co-founder Dan Steinhart in a moment. First, these emails might start to look a little different, because we’re moving to publishing platform Substack. I’m also happy to announce that the original Rational Optimist, Matt Ridley, is joining us.
I’ve had the pleasure of becoming good friends with Matt over the past year or so. Reading The Rational Optimist back in 2010 literally changed the course of my life. Now we’re teaming up to spread the rational optimist movement across the world.
Matt brings decades of insight into how innovation actually works and where the biggest transformations are happening today. You’ll hear more from Matt very soon. I hope you’re as excited as we are!
Robotaxis gliding through city streets. Rocket engines being assembled in downtown warehouses. Drones that think. This is just a touch of the innovation avalanche I've seen with my own eyes this week.
We’ve met with over a dozen entrepreneurs literally inventing the near future with their bare hands in San Francisco and LA. Earlier this week I toured a 150,000 sq. ft. rocket factory in downtown San Francisco. Wild!
All I could think was how is this not front-page news? If you don’t know about Astranis (more on them soon), what other amazing breakthroughs are you not hearing about?
There’s nothing short of an innovation revolution happening in nondescript factories and warehouses dotting America’s west coast. This week we met with entrepreneurs building:
Jets that could one day fly you from London to NYC in 90 minutes.
Mini nuclear reactors small enough to fit inside a garage but powerful enough to fuel your city.
Machines which turn air into fuel using sunlight (seriously).
And much more. A robotaxi ferried me between meetings!
What a whirlwind trip. I’m just about to head home, so this week’s issue will be shorter than usual. But it feels like someone injected a vial of optimism into my veins. I’ve seen the future, and I’m here to tell you it’s better than you would possibly imagine. Dan and I recorded a live podcast from out hotel rooms talking about some of the highlights - watch or listen here.
This trip is part of our secret plan to change the world. We call it the Innovator's League. Think of it as a living Rolodex of the most exciting startups reshaping America. Startups most people don't even know exist.
Our goal with the Rational Optimist Society is to help you see the future, first. You’ll learn about the most transformational technologies months, maybe even years, before others.
Being early is a superpower, no matter who you are or what you do. Investors can get in on the most exciting opportunities on the ground floor. Entrepreneurs can spot emerging trends and pivot. Parents can guide their kids toward promising futures.
There’s also an undeniable thrill in being the person at a dinner party who casually mentions a breakthrough technology months before it hits the headlines. "Oh, hypersonic travel? Yeah, I've been following that since 2024..."
But you don't get that edge sitting behind a desk. Well, as a member of the Rational Optimist Society, you do. But to bring them to you, there’s no substitute for putting boots on the ground and looking the innovators in the eye.
I've always believed in the power of a firm handshake, a lesson my grandfather hammered into me as a kid. Remember during COVID when the "experts" confidently declared business travel dead forever? Maybe for them.
In our increasingly digital world, the real competitive edge comes from being stubbornly, refreshingly human and building genuine relationships. Besides, there’s nothing more electrifying than someone showing you technology that could change our world. I'd be doing this even if nobody were reading.
I spent the last few days zipping around El Segundo, just south of LAX airport. “Gundo” is ground zero for America’s defense tech renaissance. Having seen it for myself, it’s obvious El Segundo is the new Silicon Valley.
It felt like meeting Mark Zuckerberg when he was still building Facebook in his dorm. Mark my words: One or two of the twentysomething innovators we met with this week will be billionaires.
These folks are building stuff that will genuinely change the world.
"Dad, what did you do when everyone was telling us the world was doomed?" That’s the question I imagine my six-year-old daughter asking me a few years from now.
I want Aubrey—and your kids and grandkids—to know the truth. The world is bursting with opportunities. With grit and innovation, we can tackle almost any problem.
The most powerful way to spread this truth is by sharing stories of innovators changing the world. Our ancestors handed down everything through stories. Our brains crave them.
These stories show the world is getting better not by accident or by fate, but because determined people are making it better. Most important, they give people the simple and true belief: "I can change things too." This sense of agency is the master key that unlocks everything else. Your entire life changes when you understand doing amazing things isn't some special power reserved for others. It's available to you.
The future is built by rational optimists who can see a better future and convince others to help build it. Remember you're not just a reader of these stories. You can help write them.
Every time you share a breakthrough with a friend, every time you tell your kids about the amazing things humans are achieving, you’re helping more people see the future clearly.
The Rational Optimist Society just crossed 17,000 members. That's 17,000 beacons of clear thinking amid a fog of pessimism. Thank you for being one of them. Next stop, 100,000.
My own ask: bring someone new into our circle. Forward this email to a friend or family member. It costs nothing but could change everything.
To quote Ronald Reagan, “All great change begins at the dinner table.”
Tonight, I challenge you to be the spark. Pull a chair close, gather your family, and share your favorite breakthrough.
Then ask your children: "What would you build if anything were possible?"
And when they tell you, smile and say: "It probably is."
Don’t miss our Rational Optimist Podcast.
You can find our latest episodes here: Rational Optimist Podcast
PS: Hey, you don’t need to wait until the end of the week for great news. Follow us on X for regular updates.
Writer: Stephen McBride
Editor: Dan Steinhart
Rational Optimist Society: ROS