Deep Future

Creating Technology That Matters

De: Pablos Holman

Narrado por: Pablos Holman

For decades, the tech industry has overwhelmingly been just a software industry. Silicon Valley’s big win was disrupting Yellow Cab. What about disrupting General Motors? General Mills? General Electric?

Energy, water, waste, food, manufacturing, construction—things every human on Earth relies on—have made incremental progress over the last century but have not seen the kind of exponential improvements we take for granted in computing.

Meanwhile, scientific progress continued, invention kept advancing, but these technologies were considered too hard by the tech geniuses preoccupied with shoving more ads into your prefrontal cortex.

Now is the moment when all of this changes. Seismic waves signaling the tectonic shift are underfoot. We call it Deep Tech—the advanced technologies we will use to solve the biggest problems in the world.

Deep Future is about giving you the mindset, the tools and the reasons for creating technology that matters.

©2025 Pablos Holman (P)2025 Pablos Holman

The book I was looking for

I teach a class on emerging technology, and the goal is to dream of a future you want, not a future that’s coming by default. I didn’t have a book for the class; I do now.

A modern day, Tony Stark

This book is mind blowing. So many ideas so many possibilities. Pablo’s is a real genius and I loved listening to him talk.

Finally, a real one makes himself known.

I’ve known a couple of guys kind of like Pablos, so I bought this book partly to see how unhinged he is. I was happy to find out that he’s the thoughtful genius I’d hoped he’d be.

There was a time when I wanted to leave my career and work for Elon. I admired that he was doing things to advance people. In hindsight, I’m glad I never made that leap because there is a world in crisis and he is not the guy, nor is Mark or Sam or any of the rest of the Silicon Vegas cast. Pablos may be.

I find it more than a little ironic that Elon has taken the Tesla name, when he’s more the Edison in our story. It’s guys like Pablos and the people he enables that are the true brains behind the operation, who don’t get (or want) the popular recognition they truly deserve. There’s no time for all that, we have problems to solve and incredible tools at our disposal.

Find me among the co-conspirators. -StG

A Call to Hack the Future to Solve Hard Problems

Deep Tech is a rallying cry for inventors, innovators builders, and visionaries who want to work on “hard” problems—the ones that actually matter.

What resonated with me was Holman’s sharp and sobering critique of waste and excess, especially in the domains of food and fashion. His framing is brilliant: we’re drowning in abundance—our closets packed with clothes we never wear (many of which go straight to landfills), while our waistlines expand from overconsumption. These aren’t just lifestyle issues; they’re climate and economic disasters in slow motion. He challenges us not to guilt-trip, but to invent better systems.

Holman also throws down the gauntlet: if we can build algorithms that predict click-through rates down to the millisecond, why are we still so mediocre at tackling real-world needs like energy, water, manufacturing, and food security? The answer lies in  “Deep Tech”.

Whether you’re a coder tired of building yet another app or a student wondering where to focus your ambition, this book is great and will push you to ask the only question that matters: “What are you working on that will still matter 100 years from now?”

Must read

One of the best books out there, Must read! Pablos has written a guide to boycott the dystopia.

Favorite Book of the Year

This book is one of those rare combinations of wit, mind-shifting ideas, thought-provoking insights, and inspiration. A must-read if you’re in tech.

The ideas and narrations

Very insightful and enjoyable. The guy should narrate other books too, he reads very well

Super book by supernerd!

Don’t read this book. Listen to it. Pablos is a glaring example of everything that is good about being a nerd-creative-inventor, and it comes to life in his deadpan dead-on voice. He has seen everything and done a bit of everything in deep tech, and there is no one whose off-hand opinion I would take more seriously. Listen and learn and be inspired.

A Must Read for Understanding How the World Works

Whether you are a technologist, startup founder, business person or political leader, or just plain curious this book is a must read.

It is exceptionally well written and highly technical concepts are explained simply. Among other fascinating things you will learn:

Why nuclear energy is the safest and most efficient kind but lags behind all others
The two big problems bedevilling the apparel industry and why sustainaiblity is elusive
A novel method for making cement that reduces 20% of pollution but makes it about 10x stronger
Breakthrough ideas in nuclear fusion that seem to violate the laws of physics (how to compress a liquid)
Why everyone else (except Tel Aviv) has failed at creating a next Silicon Valley
Pablos' own interesting life story

I highly recommend it.

The depth of Pablos' experience

Enjoyed the personal details and stories. His historical recollections, insights into the future, and his motivational writing style make this a fascinating and inspiring read. Great job, Pablos!