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Tim Urban (author)

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Tim Urban
Born
EducationHarvard University
Known forWait But Why

Tim Urban is an American author and blogger. He is the cofounder of Wait But Why.[1][2][3][4]

Early life and education

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Urban was born in Newton, Massachusetts. He grew up in a Reform Jewish family.[5] In his childhood, Urban befriended Andrew Finn, who would later become his business partner for multiple ventures.[5]

Urban graduated from Harvard University in 2004.[6][5] During his time at Harvard, Urban participated in a study where he was locked in a windowless room for 12 days. He was compensated $3,500 for his participation.[5]

Career

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In 2005, Urban founded his first blog, Underneath the Turban.[5]

In 2007, Urban was a candidate for season six of The Apprentice, lasting in the competition until week eleven.[7]

In 2011, Urban and Finn co-founded ArborBridge, an educational technology company catered to international students planning to attend college in the United States.[8] The company was originally a sister company to the Launch Education Group, also co-founded by Urban and Finn in 2007,[9][10] but was later merged into ArborBridge in 2014.[10]

In 2013, Urban and Finn co-founded Wait But Why, a long-form blog.[6] Urban is a writer and illustrator for the blog.[8] He created a series of posts in 2015 about Tesla and SpaceX,[11] which later led to direct collaboration with Elon Musk, writing to break down the concepts behind Neuralink.[12]

In 2016, Urban gave a TED Talk about his experiences with procrastination.[13]

In 2023, Urban published the book What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies.[14][15] The book was endorsed by Elon Musk on X.[16] The book was also praised in a review by Luigi Mangione, which Urban dismissed, stating that Mangione's interpretation was "Very much not the point of the book."[17]

Bibliography

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  • The Story Of Us: A Deep Dive Into Human Evolution (2022) ISBN 9781787633957
  • What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies (2023) ISBN 9798987722602
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References

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  1. ^ "Tim Urban | The Institute". www.theinstitute.com. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  2. ^ Klein, Ezra (2020-02-10). ""We're in the climax of a movie": Tim Urban on humanity's wild future". Vox. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  3. ^ Raz, Guy (26 August 2016). "What Happens In The Brain Of An Extreme Procrastinator?" (Radio transcript). NPR.
  4. ^ "A Mind-Expanding Conversation About Human History and Happiness With Tim Urban". www.theringer.com. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  5. ^ a b c d e Sinow, Catherine (16 December 2022). "Tim Urban Interview: The Unusual Power of Wait But Why".
  6. ^ a b Roberts, Dave (27 August 2015). "Tech nerds are smart. But they can't seem to get their heads around politics". Vox.
  7. ^ Pastorek, Whitney (2 April 2007). "The Apprentice: The end of the affair". Entertainment Weekly.
  8. ^ a b Davis, Noah (30 October 2014). "How Do You Make a Living, Email Newsletter Writer?". PSMag.
  9. ^ Doll, Jenn (29 November 2012). "Preparing for a World in Which No One Does His Own Work". The Atlantic.
  10. ^ a b "ArborBridge and Launch Education Group Announce Merger" (Press release). 19 March 2014.
  11. ^ Boran, Marie (27 April 2017). "Elon Musk outlines vision for 'consensual telepathy'". The Irish Times.
  12. ^ Masunaga, Samantha (21 April 2017). "A quick guide to Elon Musk's new brain-implant company, Neuralink". Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^ Swanson, Ana (27 April 2016). "The real reasons you procrastinate — and how to stop". The Washington Post.
  14. ^ Robinson, Nathan J. (2023-03-04). "Why Centrism Is Morally Indefensible". Current Affairs. ISSN 2471-2647. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  15. ^ Zimet, Saul (2023-01-25). "Book Review: What's Our Problem? by Tim Urban". Human Progress. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  16. ^ Quiggle, Jeffrey. "Elon Musk Just Gave This Book a Glowing Endorsement". TheStreet. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  17. ^ Malone Kircher, Madison; Bernstein, Joseph (9 December 2024). "Suspect in C.E.O. Killing Showed Interest on Social Media in Self-Improvement". New York Times.