Episode · The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett · 2026-06-08
Books mentioned on Death of the Middle Class: Billionaire vs Entrepreneur DEBATE - Daniel Priestley v Nick Hanauer
Why is the economy collapsing? Nick Hanauer and Daniel Priestley debate the wealth divide, why wages should be double what they are, what AI is doing to your job, and whether capitalism can still fix itself!
Nick Hanauer discussed Progress and Poverty by Henry George, Henry George's Progress and Poverty by Henry George, The Distribution of Wealth by John Rogers Commons, and The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Progress and Poverty
Progress and Poverty by Henry George is an 1879 foundational economic text that explores the paradox of advancing material progress alongside persistent poverty and wealth inequality.
Discussed“So in 1879, a guy named Henry George writes a book called Progress and Poverty in the United States. And basically, it's the first book about the rich stealing from the poor.”
Where to get it
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Henry George's Progress and Poverty
Henry George's Progress and Poverty by Henry George is an influential 1879 economic text that examines the paradox of advancing poverty alongside material progress and addresses land monopoly.
Discussed“So in 1879, a guy named Henry George writes a book called Progress and Poverty in the United States. And basically, it's the first book about the rich stealing from the poor.”
Where to get it
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The Distribution of Wealth
Discussed“And so Henry George writes a book called The Distribution of Wealth, in which he invents this idea called Theory of Marginal Productivity, which asserts this idea.”
Where to get it
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The Wealth of Nations
Why people recommend it: Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations is a foundational 1776 text by the Scottish economist often regarded as the father of modern capitalism, examining the nature and causes of national prosperity through free markets and division of labor.
Discussed“And you know, even even Adam Smith in the in in the Wealth of Nations outlined this asymmetry of power.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“The most recent one is called The Lifestyle Business Playbook, and it's basically how to get started with a small business. And a business that will give you more fun, freedom, and flexibility.”