2025: The old world is dying | Peter Leyden
In the video “2025: The Old World is Dying,” futurist Peter Leyden explores a pivotal moment in history marked by the rapid rise of transformative technologies. As we navigate through 2025, Leyden asserts that we are witnessing the dismantling of outdated systems and the formation of a new societal framework, driven by innovations such as artificial intelligence, clean energy, and bioengineering.
Drawing parallels with past pivotal epochs in American history, Leyden identifies recurring cycles every 80 years where significant shifts occur. He references past transformative periods, such as post-World War II and the Civil War, highlighting how America emerged from chaos to innovation. Leyden believes we are on the brink of a similar renaissance, as the adoption of disruptive technologies prompts a fundamental reimagining of our economy and governance.
The video emphasizes that this transformation isn’t merely technological; it’s a redefinition of societal structures, moving towards digital democracies and sustainable capitalism. As we stand at this critical junction, Leyden urges viewers to comprehend the scope of change on the horizon and its potential to reshape our future.
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Author Video Description
“We’re living in an extraordinary moment in history. We are at a moment here in 2025 where we have world historic game-changing technologies now starting to scale.”
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We are living through the collapse of the old world, and the quiet construction of a new one. From artificial intelligence and clean energy to bioengineering and digital governance, the core systems that defined the last century are rapidly being dismantled and replaced. But this isn’t just about technology.
According to futurist Peter Leyden, we’re at a historic turning point: One of the rare moments in American and global history when everything gets reimagined at once.
0:00 An extraordinary moment in history
1:05 Wired magazine
2:09 Technology adoption curve
2:53 80 year cycles
3:26 Post-war era
5:08 Gilded age
6:59 Founding era
8:24 The arrival of AI
9:42 The rise of clean energy
10:52 The rise of bioengineering
13:45 The beginning of a shift
References:
Article: Ziegler, M. S.; Trancik, J. E. Re-Examining Rates of Lithium-Ion Battery Technology Improvement and Cost Decline. Energy Environ. Sci. 2021, 14, 1635–1651.
DOI: 10.1039/D0EE02681F
URL: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/artic…
Dataset: Ziegler, M. S.; Trancik, J. E., 2021, “Data series for lithium-ion battery technologies”, https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/9FEJ7C, Trancik Lab Dataverse, V1, UNF:6:sVT2vBwWolbQL4BxsTSDUg== [fileUNF]
Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/great-inflection-2025/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description
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About Peter Leyden:
Peter Leyden is a longtime tech expert and thought leader on the future. He came to San Francisco to work with the founders of WIRED magazine at the beginning of the digital revolution and has followed the front edge of technological change every step since—including into the AI revolution today.
In addition to being an influential writer and author, Leyden is a keynote speaker who has explained the implications of new technologies and the positive possibilities to come to audiences throughout America and Europe on a monthly basis over the last 25 years.
Leyden also founded several startups that pioneered fields transformed by new technologies and currently advises senior leaders in strategic foresight through his company Reinvent Futures. Get more on all of this on his website.
About Big Think
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Video “2025: The old world is dying | Peter Leyden” was uploaded on 10/20/2025 to Youtube Channel Big Think