Erik Baker

Historian Erik Baker, a lecturer at Harvard and author of "Make Your Own Job: How the Entrepreneurial Work Ethic Exhausted America," delves into the allure of the entrepreneurial work ethic. He discusses its historical roots and its seductive power in American culture, sparking conversations about responsibility and identity in the workplace. Baker also critiques how this ethos has evolved, particularly in the tech-driven age of Silicon Valley and in the era of political figures like Trump, highlighting its significant impact on society and individual fulfillment.

Erik Baker, Harvard University lecturer, and editor at The Drift magazine joins the podcast to discuss Garry Wills' book 'Bomb Power' which explores how the development of nuclear weapons transformed US democracy, empowering the presidency and enabling secrecy, deception, and clandestine war. They cover topics such as presidential power, secrecy, the unconstitutionality of bomb power, and the president as commander in chief. They also touch on figures like Snowden and Ellsberg, and the book's profound Catholic perspective.

Erik Baker, a Harvard lecturer and Senior Editor of The Drift, joins to unravel the intricate relationship between entrepreneurialism and pop psychology. He discusses the historical roots of the entrepreneurial spirit, tracing its evolution from spiritualism to modern self-help. Topics like the link between anti-psychiatry movements and entrepreneurship, as well as how crises drive innovative thinking, are explored. Baker emphasizes the need for collaborative solutions in today’s economic landscape, highlighting the shift from individual success to collective welfare.

Erik Baker, historian and author of Make Your Own Job, traces how corporate work and management styles evolved. He discusses how factory-era control met office life, why middle managers rose and fell, and when tight oversight boosts short-term output. Conversations also touch on remote-work surveillance, handling difficult bosses, and the real costs of micromanagement.

Erik Baker, Harvard lecturer and author of Make Your Own Job, critiques how the entrepreneurial work ethic reshaped American labor. He traces how corporations turned employees into perpetual opportunity-seekers, reframed creativity as labor, and pushed marginalized people to "make their own jobs." The conversation explores why hustle culture persists and how it sidelines collective fixes.