On Work: Money, Meaning, Identity

An urgent treatise on the future of work in a precarious world. An Atlantic Edition, featuring long-form journalism by Atlantic writers, drawn from contemporary articles or classic storytelling from the magazine’s 165-year archive.

On Work gathers a selection of Derek Thompson’s most popular and significant essays on work, life, and the future of jobs. From essays on how mass automation could change society to his widely read treatise on workism as our modern religion, Thompson’s analysis and forecasts have become fixtures of the 21st century conversation about work. This collection answers questions like: what would Americans do if they never had to work again? What is the job of the modern office? And what does leisure look like when we can work anytime, anywhere? We are at an inflection point in the history of labor with the rise of remote work and AI. On Work is an essential and memorable guide to that anxious future.