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Futurism & technology and society: videos Hacker News recommends
Futurism: future of technology, transhumanism, technological progress, long-term thinking, singularity, effects of technology on society, social media impact, TED-style big ideas, techno-optimism and criticism. Below: every video in this topic that at least three HN users linked with real commentary, in at least three different months (38 talks, 23 explainers, 10 comedy videos), best-scored first, with the comments on each video page.
- 12 HN recommenders 11 months 2018–2025HN commenters repeatedly recommend it in longevity and aging threads as a concise, fun case for fighting aging.
- 14 HN recommenders 12 months 2020–2025D DevGAMM · talkIt is the standard link in HN threads about software decay, lost knowledge and fragile technological civilization.
- 11 HN recommenders 8 months 2019–2023B bus · talkA perennial HN reference for arguments that software is getting worse and that hard-won knowledge is disappearing.
- 8 HN recommenders 8 months 2018–2023H HBS Digital Initiative · lectureA staple HN recommendation in crypto and Web3 threads as an entertaining, compelling case against blockchain.
- 7 HN recommenders 6 months 2019–2024Cited constantly as the name and example of the 'but sometimes' argument, where edge cases are used to resist better technology such as EVs and solar.
- Peter Thiel on "The Portal", Episode #001: "An Era of Stagnation & Universal Institutional Failure."8 HN recommenders 7 months 2019–2024HN people recommend it as a thought-provoking, wide-ranging case for the stagnation thesis, worth hearing even if you disagree with Thiel.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2017–2026HN commenters cite it whenever engagement-optimizing feeds, micro-targeting or ad infrastructure come up, as an accessible warning about algorithmic amplification.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2015–2025HN links it constantly in threads on social media, polarization and outrage as the canonical explanation of why angry content wins.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2015–2023V vlada888 · lectureRecommended as the best exposition of Tainter's theory, and used to explain slowing innovation, centralization and collapse risk.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2014–2025C College of DuPage · lectureHN recommends it to engineers as a skeptical counterweight to technology boosterism, especially for those building AI and consumer tech features.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2018–2025HN commenters link it to argue for cooperation and engagement over isolation, and as an accessible statement of positive-sum thinking.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2012–2022HN commenters recommend it as the clearest account of human computation and games with a purpose, straight from the inventor.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2017–2025HN longevity fans point to it as a concise, fun statement of the case for fighting aging, and some say it changed their minds.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2017–2022HN recommends Isaac Arthur as an entry point for far-future and thermodynamic-endgame questions.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2025HN returns to it whenever moving the solar system, Kardashev civilizations or generation ships come up, with some calling it their favorite Kurzgesagt video.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2018–2025HN commenters bring it up in threads about online mobs and cancellation as a relevant talk by a journalist who interviewed shamed people.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2021HN people share it as an inspiring talk linking skateboarding creativity to hacking and open-source knowledge sharing.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2019–2026S Sid Smith · lectureRecommended in collapse and energy threads as a sobering thermodynamic view of civilization, often with a warning that it is heavy.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2023HN points to it for black hole energy and colonization ideas and recommends the whole channel.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2024HN returns to it whenever corporations as paperclip-maximizer AIs or AI risk come up.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2017–2024Listed alongside his other talks as foundational context for Dynamicland and visual-programming ideas, and he is the most frequently cited speaker on such threads.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2021Commenters bring it up in threads on phones, boredom, attention and children's screen use as a funny but resonant take.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017HN commenters recommend it as a corrective to enterprise blockchain marketing and as an explanation of what makes Bitcoin distinctive.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2023–2024Praised as a standout, non-standard Strange Loop talk explaining the reasoning behind Uxn and resilient computing.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2026L Lisa Zielinski · comedy videoHN invokes it whenever people grumble about convenience, technology or AI that would have seemed miraculous not long ago.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2015–2019S SETI Institute · talkRecommended in threads about long-lasting structures and passing knowledge across generations, as a long but fascinating talk.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2012–2025E Evan Schurr · commentaryRecommended to anyone asking whether space exploration is worth the cost.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2018T Tony Seba · talkCited as a well-argued case that solar plus batteries and EVs will reach a tipping point sooner than mainstream forecasts expect.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2023–2025HN recommends it in threads about dying forums and social media as a lens on why smaller communities suit us better.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2011–2016R Reid Gower · videoRecommended as a motivating, long-horizon vision that puts everyday concerns in perspective.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2025C CraftHub Events · talkHN commenters recommend it as a good talk on ethics in software engineering, and Cantrill himself cites it as capturing his views.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2013–2024Brought up in nearly every discussion of AI tutors and the future of schooling as the original Digital Aristotle idea.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2018–2022HN commenters point to it in population and megacity discussions, mainly for its estimates of how many people arcologies could support and the heat, power and elevator bottlenecks.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2018–2024HN links it as a concise, accessible explainer whenever the Fermi paradox or Great Filter comes up, though one commenter criticized its lack of source attribution.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2023–2026Pointed to in copyright and AI debates as a compelling case that all culture is remix.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2026J Jonas Čeika - CCK Philosophy · explainerRecommended as a clear introduction to hauntology and lost futures in discussions of Mark Fisher and cyberpunk.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2025HN returns to it in discussions of algorithmic feeds, misinformation and parasocial relationships, as a clear and thoughtful talk.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2018HN commenters recommend it as one of the best single introductions to Thiel's worldview on technology and stagnation.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2025M Michael Wesch · explainerCited as a classic, compact explanation of the read/write web and open data, invoked in threads on the semantic web and open APIs.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2023R Rebel Wisdom · interviewRecommended to people interested in propaganda, misinformation and how to improve public discourse.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2012–2025Cited as an early, prescient warning about algorithmic personalization, echo chambers and social media feeds.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2020K kykeon · talkHN recalls it as one of the most interesting debates between two contrasting worldviews on progress.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2021Recommended in Fermi paradox threads as a thorough and reasoned treatment of Dyson sphere detectability.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2024K Kevin Galvayne · videoRecommended in Max Headroom threads as a surprisingly good, short original film.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2026J jessanmur · videoHN returns to it as an uncannily prescient prediction of tech consolidation and AI-written, personalized news.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2022Pointed to as an antidote to pessimism about the future, tied to Deutsch's ideas in The Beginning of Infinity.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2025HN commenters cite it for hard data on millennials versus boomers and the economic reality facing young workers.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2023N NEXT - Les Mondes Sensibles (byThePassengerStudio) · explainerHN commenters post it in climate threads as a clear explanation of overshoot and declining carrying capacity.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2022Cited in threads about search bias, election influence and big-tech data practices as the most comprehensive video of Epstein's research.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2025HN cites it in TikTok ban debates as the accessible summary of how Douyin and TikTok differ.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2021During COVID-19 HN commenters cited it as a prescient pandemic warning.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2012–2019C Corning Incorporated · videoReferenced as an inspiring example of a vision-of-the-future video with believable everyday uses.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2010–2012C checkoutmytrip · comedy videoPosted constantly in threads about tech complaints as a reminder to appreciate how remarkable modern technology is.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2021HN points to it in discussions of whether a past industrial civilization would leave detectable evidence.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2026HN commenters cite it as the go-to reference for the idea of living in Venus's atmosphere rather than on the surface.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2023HN people cite it as an eye-opening summary of Elsagate and the manipulation of YouTube's algorithm in threads about bot-made and kids' content.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2010–2024HN invokes it as a reframing of the information overload problem, often when discussing content filtering, tagging and curation.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2026C charstarleneTV · comedy videoCited in threads about phone addiction and distraction as a classic, widely seen illustration of the problem.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2025HN cites it as a strong exposition of algorithmic complacency and of the case for active information seeking.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2025F flightcrewguide.com · lectureHN cites it as the famous lecture on over-reliance on automation and on when to drop to a lower level of automation, applicable well beyond aviation.
- Daniel Schmachtenberger on The Portal (with host Eric Weinstein), Ep. #027 - On Avoiding Apocalypses2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020Commenters recommend the whole interview as a wide-ranging discussion of existential risk.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2026P Patrick Reed · comedy videoHN commenters bring it up as a reminder to appreciate technology instead of complaining, from Waymo to AI art to flight delays.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2019Offered as a concise summary of the economics and manipulation behind social media addiction in Facebook-related threads.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2011–2012HN recommends it as an inspiring pitch for video-based, flipped-classroom learning.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2019S Science, Technology & the Future · interviewOffered as a less technical introduction to Bostrom's simulation paper.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2024B Bundeskanzler-Willy-Brandt-Stiftung · lectureHN cites it for Lanier's ideas on the circle of empathy and paying people whose data and work train AI.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2024HN commenters point to it as satire that illuminates strange transhumanist and digital immortality culture.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2022Cited as a data-backed counter to doom and pessimism about the state of the world.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2012I Intercollegiate Studies Institute · talkCited for Thiel's technological stagnation thesis, especially his argument that energy costs offset IT productivity gains.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2024HN links it as a nice intro to what a realistic Dyson swarm would require, and as a companion to megastructure discussions.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2013–2019Recommended as a great technical talk from the pioneer of human computation.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2024D David Preece · videoHN commenters cite it as proof that walk-out shopping was envisioned long before Amazon's version, and as an appealing vision of the future.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2014–2026F Future of Humanity Institute · talkCited as a source for the feasibility of colonizing the universe with self-replicating probes and for building a Dyson swarm from Mercury.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2010–2020HN people point to it as the talk version of his book on innovation, and for his brief discussion of liquid networks.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2019C Colorado Renewable Energy Society (CRES) · talkHN commenters cite it as a big-picture case for exponential solar and EV adoption, usually with caveats about whether his predictions will hold.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2022T Tom Nicholas · commentaryCited in Musk-related threads as a critical perspective on his futurism and his projects, such as hyperloop.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2023HN points to it as the accessible introduction to Matrioshka Brains whenever very large computational structures come up.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2020HN commenters cite it for numbers on Facebook's moderation scale and for Destin's ability to get platforms to speak openly about manipulation.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2023–2026G gamedev cuts · talkPulled out in threads about declining software quality, though some commenters distrust Blow's claims about game and web development.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2022HN references it in threads on megastructures, Kardashev civilizations and Dyson sphere detection, and recommends the channel for in-depth futurist content.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2013–2026HN cites it as dystopian satire in threads on DRM, digital ownership, mind uploading and AI copyright, often noting it increasingly looks like reality.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2023HN uses it as a reference for the scale of future human population and long-term thinking.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2021–2025T Tony Seba · talkHN cites it as support for the argument that renewables with storage are already cheapest and still getting cheaper.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2019HN cites it in social media threads as a former Facebook executive's criticism of the platform.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2015–2026I incubatepictures · documentaryHN links it in threads about energy shocks and resource dependence as a quick, accessible overview of peak-oil arguments.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2025K Keiichi Matsuda · videoHN cites it as a shorthand for the dystopian risks of ad-driven, ubiquitous AR, usually in critical discussions of advertising and the metaverse.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2013–2020HN commenters link it as the original talk so people can judge it directly instead of through press retellings.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2026J Jamie Clay · documentaryRecommended as a period piece whose worries about rapid change still feel relevant to current tech anxieties.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2014–2022A Attila Gárdos · explainerBrought up whenever early predictions of the internet and the web's origins are discussed.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2021M Mercatus Center · interviewHN people point to it as a strong interview and as the source of Thiel's stagnation thesis.
- The nightmare videos of childrens' YouTube — and what's wrong with the internet today | James Bridle1 HN recommenders 1 months 2018–2025Cited to explain how YouTube's algorithms produce appalling content aimed at children, and as a reason to keep kids off the platform.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2026O Omeleto · videoHN cites it as a vivid illustration of where automated enforcement, digital ID and crowd-sourced policing could lead.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2021M Microsoft in Business · demoCited as an example of corporate future-concept videos, sometimes appreciated for its ideas and sometimes used as a cautionary comparison.
- cited 5× 0 months 2018–2020P PaymoneyWubby · commentaryCited as an outsider's critical look at Musical.ly and TikTok and the child-safety problems of video platforms.
- cited 3× 0 months 2015–2024HN cites it in education and AI threads as a history of failed technology-will-transform-teaching predictions.
- cited 9× 0 months 2021–2025M Marjo Duiveman · comedy videoHN posts it as a joke reply whenever people complain about technology, airlines, or AI that would have seemed miraculous not long ago.
- cited 4× 0 months 2018–2023I intermission · videoHN cites it as a glimpse of how Google and other data companies think about behavioral sequencing and data collection.
- cited 4× 0 months 2022–2026A Anthony Kalamut (Southside AdGuy) · commentaryCited as a prescient example of predicting the future, though AT&T did not deliver it.
- cited 3× 0 months 2015–2024V Vanity Fair · interviewCited mainly as a source for what Musk and Altman said, notably their musings on the simulation hypothesis and the Fermi paradox, and as evidence of Musk's YC ties.
- cited 4× 0 months 2017–2025E EpiXXmaN · videoHN commenters link it to illustrate Star Trek's moneyless economy in discussions of post-scarcity and the future.
Showing the 100 best-scored of 112. Use search to find the rest.
Questions
What is the most recommended futurism & technology and society video on Hacker News?
We Were Taught to Call Death a Blessing by CGP Grey: HN commenters repeatedly recommend it in longevity and aging threads as a concise, fun case for fighting aging.
How is this futurism & technology and society list ranked?
By HackerTube's score: the number of distinct months in which an HN comment recommended the video, plus half a point for every month with a strong recommendation. One viral thread counts less than steady recommendations over years.
Where do the videos come from?
From every Hacker News comment between 2007 and 2026 that linked a YouTube video, labeled by an AI model as a recommendation, a citation, a joke or a criticism. The list is published by HackerTube under ODC-By 1.0; this edition adds indexable pages and the comment context.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.