Positive Sum

Effective Altruism is about asking questions. It’s being judged by its loudest minority.

The movement that funded bednets and cheap housing is now known for saying AI will kill us all. Many of its members, even in AI safety, don’t share that…

Oct 8 • Abi Olvera

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Newspapers and Think Tanks Are Slowly Losing Their Informal Monopoly on Credible Research

Government and institutions used to ignore blogs. Now they cite them. That's great news for good writers, and for conspiracy theorists.

Oct 2 • Abi Olvera

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September 2026

What Decides How Much AI Changes the World

Incentive systems and entrenched interests keep making AI forecasts wrong.

Sep 24 • Abi Olvera

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The working class has its own pride. Not everyone wants to enter elite circles.

I wanted into elite circles badly enough to take being looked down on, and to leave home for good. Many people wouldn't.

Sep 17 • Abi Olvera

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How Poor People Buy Cars

Elite circles have their own cultural knowledge. So does the bottom 40%. Here's some of mine.

Sep 10 • Abi Olvera

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A No-Regrets AI Agenda for Workers and Low-Income People

Thirteen things worth doing to make Americans’ lives more resilient regardless of how AI impacts labor.

Sep 3 • Abi Olvera

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August 2026

Antibiotic resistance kills as many Americans as car crashes. Someone won an award for stopping a fix.

A program to fund new antibiotics has been stuck in Congress for six years. It's not only because Congress is slow.

Aug 26 • Abi Olvera

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A Pro-Poor Rideshare Debate Would Be About Prices

Rideshare costs matter.

Aug 11 • Abi Olvera

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July 2026

When I got into Yale, my family asked if I meant jail

Why culturally working class kids don't end up in elite circles.

Jul 30 • Abi Olvera

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Why AI-assisted bioweapons won't kill us all

I interviewed dozens of biosecurity experts. The fear that AI will enable lone wolves to build pandemics is a case study in how domain expertise gets…

Jul 20 • Abi Olvera

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We accidentally made it really hard to open a daycare

One city allowed daycares on just 4 percent of its land. Until we fix rules like these, subsidies will mostly benefit the better-off families who can…

Jul 10 • Abi Olvera

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June 2026

I Was a Diplomat Where Being Gay Was a Crime

Corporate pride looks different from there.

Jun 23 • Abi Olvera

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