One of my most interesting friends shared Underground Empire on Bluesky. The book traces how the internet and the global financial system were built by idealists who wanted to connect the world and avoid centralized control. But those systems ended up embedding U.S. influence. After 9/11, that leverage was first used against enemies—Russia, Iran, and others. Later, it extended to rivals and even allies. And it wasn’t just limited to other nations–the government exerted its will on companies like AT&T and Microsoft as well. A big focus is how the U.S. used its influence to contain Huawei and China’s tech ambitions. The resultant tensions among the US, Europe, and China in particular (though Russia certainly as well), define the moment we’re living through and the moves to come (though the complete picture also likely needs to consider global debt and trade).

It’s invaluable reading now, adding context to the tariff negotiations, the AI race—with its demands for GPUs, data centers, and energy, and China’s renewable boom as the US doubles down on fossil fuels. Recent headlines—the U.S. taking a 10% stake in Intel—fit right in. It’s not a crystal ball, but it pulled all these threads into focus, deepening how I think about what’s ahead.