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Tim Urban (author)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.