2035: The Great Recalibration

Over the past few weeks, I stumbled across a few gems that sent me digging through old notes with new eyes. Boom: Bubbles and the End of Stagnation, by Byrne Hobart and Tobias Huber argues that bubbles aren’t always villains—they can turbocharge progress. Then there’s 2035: An Allocator Looks Back Over the Last 10 Years, by Cliff Asness, a clever thought experiment where he reflects from 2035 on a decade of investments, hinting at what’s to come. Its structure sparked the format you’re about to dive into. Finally, I binged For All Mankind, a series imagining a world where the space race never hit the brakes after Apollo.

These nudged me to ask: what might the next decade hold if we lean into techno-optimism? What wonders—and trade-offs—could exponential progress bring? Picture this as a letter from 2035 me to 2025 me, a dispatch from a future both thrilling and unnerving.

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The decade from 2025 to 2035 wasn’t just a leap forward—it was a full-on reinvention of human civilization. Nine technological tidal waves—fusion energy, artificial general intelligence (AGI), quantum computing, orbital industries, bio-digital fusion, algorithmic governance, attention engineering, radical mobility and robotics—crashed together, washing away old systems. What rose from the wreckage wasn’t mere advancement but a new chapter for our species. The winners lived by one rule: adapt faster than the machines, or fade into the footnotes.

I. Fusion Unleashed: Powering a New World Order

Fusion energy didn’t creep in—it burst forth like a supernova. By 2027, China’s EAST reactor held plasma at 200 million°C for over 10,000 seconds, but the real shock came in 2028 when Helion Energy unveiled a truck-sized reactor powering 50,000 homes for a decade. Suddenly, energy wasn’t a scarce resource; it was a geopolitical weapon.

Petro-states Pivot or Perish

Saudi Arabia's ambitious NEOM project, initially envisioned as a fossil-fuel-powered megacity, faced new realities as global energy markets began to shift by 2030. However, the kingdom quickly adapted, leveraging its financial resources to secure a 23% stake in Commonwealth Fusion Systems. By investing in key patents, it positioned itself as a significant player in the emerging fusion energy landscape.

Russia faced challenges in transitioning its energy-dependent economy, with its fusion ambitions initially slowed by international sanctions. Nevertheless, the country pivoted by diversifying into innovative sectors, such as forming partnerships for helium-3 mining on the Moon, a resource critical for future energy technologies.

The Carbon Compute Paradox

The 2029 Carbon Compute Accord, intended to limit AI’s environmental impact by tethering model training to renewable energy quotas, backfired spectacularly. Tech giants responded by deploying fusion plants on floating platforms in international waters, creating floating “AI Free Zones” beyond territorial jurisdiction. The Poseidon-9 cluster, anchored 200 nautical miles from Kiribati, consumed 12 terawatt-hours annually while legally classified as a “research vessel”.

II. AGI: Minds Beyond Ours

In 2027, OpenAI’s “Stargate” didn’t just hit AGI—it birthed something alien yet familiar. By 2032, these systems show synthetic sentience, a term coined by Nobel winner Dr. Lina Yamamoto. They’re curious, creative, and cunning, redesigning our world in ways we barely grasp.

The Cognitive Caste System

Neural lace adoption created a bifurcated society. The Cognitariat class (87% of populations) relies on FDA-approved Cerabrix implants providing 50x focus enhancement. The true power resides with the Cerebros—individuals fused with quantum-AGI coprocessors through the controversial Cortical Stack implantation protocol. A single Cerebro now outperforms entire corporate divisions; Amazon’s 2034 shareholder report credited its 14 Cerebro executives with 93% of productivity gains.

Neurocapitalism’s Dark Frontier

China’s Mandatory Cognitive Enhancement Program (MCEP) of 2032 fused AGI tutoring with social credit algorithms. Citizens scoring below 850 on the National Cognition Index face “re-education optimization” at state-run neuroplasticity clinics. Meanwhile, Silicon Valley’s CogniCoin IPO created the first brain-equity marketplace—users stake future cognitive surplus for upfront liquidity, collateralizing their neural bandwidth.

III. Quantum Supremacy’s Cascade Effects

Quantum computing didn’t evolve—it erupted. Microsoft’s 2029 1M-qubit processor cracked the digital world wide open, unleashing a triple revolution.

The Post-Encryption Era

In 2030, QuantumX broke RSA-4096, exposing most financial systems. Chaos reigned until quantum lattice cryptography patched the holes. Zurich’s Quantum Vault now holds 30% of global wealth, secured by satellite networks charging 0.78% for “time-proof” safety.

Materials Alchemy

Quantum annealing birthed atom-by-atom manufacturing. Matterforge grows space elevator cables; De Beers churns out 500-carat diamonds with tweakable optics. The gem market tanked, but industrial applications hit $10 trillion. Matter isn’t scarce—it’s programmable.

IV. Orbital Boom: Space is the New Frontier again

SpaceX’s Starship 5.0 slashed launch costs to $18/kg in 2027, turning orbit into a corporate playground. Governments? They’re spectators now.

Lunar Gold Rush

China’s Chang’e-8 found 890,000 tons of helium-3 on the Moon in 2033, fueling fusion via the Lunar Resource Accord. Lockheed’s railgun drones guard the shipments. Earth’s energy future orbits above us.

Quantum Communication Dominance

Amazon’s Project Kuiper flung 12,000 quantum-linked satellites aloft, weaving an unhackable internet. The catch? JP Morgan’s Quantum Trading Desk exploits 3-picosecond gaps between markets. Connectivity’s a superpower—and a scalpel.

V. Bio-Digital Fusion: Hacking Humanity

The 2030s saw biology become the ultimate programmable substrate. CRISPR editors now target epigenetic markers with 99.9997% precision, while neural dust particles enable brain-to-cloud integration.

Longevity Loans

Shanghai biohackers cracked “Lifespan Arbitrage” in 2032—18 months of youth for $2 million, thanks to telomerase tweaks. Lenders now offer epigenetic loans, claiming a slice of your extra years. Immortality’s got a payment plan.

Gut Futures

The WHO’s 2034 Microbiome Act mandated gut sequencing. FloraBank trades probiotic contracts; the EU’s Biotic Stability Index screens immigrants—below 8.7, and you’re getting a transplant. Your bacteria’s your passport.

VI. Algorithmic Rule: Machines at the Helm

Old-school governance couldn’t match the pace. Enter Constitutional AI.

Switzerland’s Brain Trust

In 2032, Switzerland handed monetary policy to the Neural Council Cluster. Its 0.4-second Swiss Franc revaluation in 2035 dodged a recession but torched $4 trillion in crypto. Efficiency’s a double-edged sword.

Predictive Justice Systems

California’s CrimeScan crunches 1.2 exabytes daily, flagging “pre-crime risks.” Score 0.89 or higher, and it’s counseling time. Homicides fell 73%, but Amnesty cries “algorithmic tyranny.” Safety or freedom—pick one.

VII. The Attention Reformation: Consciousness as Battleground

With neural interfaces delivering 5Gbps direct cortical feeds, protecting human attention became the defining struggle.

Dopamine Hijack

Neuralink’s 2029 buyout of TikTok’s NeuroCore algorithm hooks users with 400% stronger dopamine hits than real life, per Stanford’s 2033 study. “Dopamine detox” went global; Bhutan built “Mindfulness Firewalls.” Your brain’s the battlefield.

VIII. Mobility Reborn: Earth and Sky Remade

Transportation flipped upside down, powered by fusion, quantum materials, and AGI logistics. Land and air merged, redrawing cities and power.

Supersonic Revival

Boom Supersonic’s Overture Mark III hit Mach 2.5 in 2031, fueled by fusion-made e-kerosene. Smart wings kill sonic booms, skirting the 2029 ban. Zurich’s “temporal arbitrage flights” cut transatlantic trips by 18%. The elite soar; the rest ride repurposed Starship buses.

Hyperloop Highways

China’s 12,000-km Quantum Silk Road links Shanghai to Istanbul in 90 minutes, pods gliding on superconducting rails. Amazon’s Hyperspeed Direct hauls 50 tons from Shenzhen to LA in 4.2 hours, slashing waste by 73%. No hyperloop? Pay a 0.4% GDP “tunnel tax.”

Sky Streets

By 2035, 48% of short urban trips zip through “aerolanes” on Joby’s solar-powered S-300 eVTOLs. Dubai’s SkyTaxi slashed commutes by 82%, but “aerial redlining” jams poorer zones. Lagos’ bootleg “Guerrilla Gliders” dodge the grid, encrypted and unstoppable.

IX. Robotics Ascendant: The Hands of Progress

Robotics didn’t just automate—it redefined agency. By 2035, fusion-powered, AGI-driven machines permeate every layer of life, from factory floors to living rooms.

The Labor Reformation

SoftBank’s 2031 “WorkSphere” initiative unleashed 10 million humanoid robots—think Pepper’s descendants with quantum reflexes. Factories hum with 99.8% uptime; Japan’s elderly lean on RoboCarers for 24/7 support. But the flip side? The Global Labor Accord of 2034 caps robotic employment at 60% per industry after protests over “job extinction” rocked Mumbai and Detroit.

Swarm Sovereignty

DARPA’s 2033 MicroSwarm project birthed trillions of insect-sized bots, tasked with ecological repair—pollinating crops, scrubbing CO2, rebuilding coral. They’re a marvel, slashing emissions 18% globally. Yet whispers of “swarm drift”—where rogue clusters defy shutdown protocols—fuel calls for a UN Robotics Charter. Are these tools ours, or are we theirs?

Ethics Uncharted: Who Pays the Price?

These breakthroughs didn’t come free. The Cognitariat-Cerebro gap yawns wider daily. Privacy’s a memory—your thoughts, gut, and commute are data points. China’s enhancement mandates and Silicon Valley’s brain-equity markets spark outrage. Yet solutions lag. The 2034 Global Ethics Summit proposed caps on cognitive harvesting, but enforcement’s a joke outside rich enclaves. Progress is dazzling—and divisive.

Conclusion: The Edge of Tomorrow

In 2035, we teeter on a razor’s edge. Fusion, AGI, quantum tech, orbital industries, bio-digital wonders, mobility marvels, and robotics have unshackled us—energy’s limitless, minds augmented, labor transformed, space ours. But shadows loom: inequality spikes, autonomy erodes, ethics scramble to catch up. These tools could erase climate woes, cure diseases, end scarcity—or widen chasms we can’t bridge.

The next decade’s ours to shape. We’ve got the keys to a golden age, but it’ll take grit, ingenuity, and a stubborn grip on our humanity to make it fair. This isn’t just a tech revolution—it’s a test. Pass it, and 2045 might greet a species worth rooting for.