California has been the greatest economic miracle in modern history. People came here to build, to dream, and to better their lives. But today I believe we are living off the inheritance of past generations instead of building a future of our own.

In this solo episode, I make the case that California has become a “trust fund society.” We are coasting on the wealth and institutions created before us while making it harder to build, harder to afford a home, and harder to run a business.

I walk through the anti-growth movement, the housing crisis, and the paradox of Silicon Valley’s dominance at the same time Sacramento seems hostile toward tech. I argue that California has ignored a basic truth: prosperity depends on building. Drawing on history, economics, and culture, I explore what it means to inherit greatness and what it will take to reclaim California’s role as the world’s engine of dynamism.

This episode also wraps up Season 1 of the Podcast! I am pausing the show as my wife and I welcome our second child. Thank you for all of you who have followed along with the journey so far. See you in the future. 

Chapters: 

00:00 – Pausing the Pod

02:04 – California as a Trust Fund Society

04:30 – The Cyclical Nature of Wealth

06:15 – California’s Past Success

08:34 – California’s Stagnation

12:49 – California Beats Up Our Tech Sector

20:12 – European Decline

22:07 – We’re Killing the California Dream

Keywords:

California, California Dream, trust fund society, California politics, California history, California economy, California housing crisis, California anti-growth movement, California building crisis, Pat Brown, Jerry Brown, CEQA, California infrastructure, California water, California aqueduct, Silicon Valley, California tech industry, California tech policy, California business climate, California stagnation, California GDP, California per capita income, California poverty rate, Public Policy Institute of California, PPIC, California high speed rail, California renewable energy, Texas vs California, California vs Texas economy, California companies leaving, Oracle California, Chevron California, HP California, In-N-Out Tennessee, housing affordability California, California regulation, California future, California innovation, California Future Society