# James Pethokoukis

> James Pethokoukis is a Washington D.C.-based economist, journalist, and author who holds the DeWitt Wallace Chair at the American Enterprise Institute. He writes the 'Faster, Please!' Substack newsletter - one of the leading voices in techno-optimism and pro-progress policy - hosts the 'Political Economy with Jim Pethokoukis' podcast, and authored 'The Conservative Futurist: How to Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised' (2023). A longtime CNBC contributor, he argues that culture - not capital - is the real barrier to the abundant, innovative future humanity could build.

- **Role:** DeWitt Wallace Chair and Senior Fellow at American Enterprise Institute
- **Organizations:** American Enterprise Institute (AEI), CNBC, The Progress Network, The Breakthrough Institute, ITIF (Information Technology and Innovation Foundation), Tikvah Fund
- **From:** Chicago, Illinois, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA, Soviet Politics and U.S. History, Northwestern University, MSJ (Master of Science in Journalism), Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism
- **Known for:** DeWitt Wallace Chair (named, endowed fellowship) at AEI - marks seniority and distinction, Author of 'The Conservative Futurist' (2023, Center Street/Hachette) - widely discussed book on techno-optimism and economic policy, Jeopardy! champion (Season 19, 2002)

## Career timeline

- **1991** — Early career journalist at Investor's Business Daily and USA Today
- **1997** — Joined U.S. News & World Report as business editor and economics columnist ('Capital Commerce')
- **2002** — Appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy! (Season 19), winning as a 1-time champion
- **2009** — Left U.S. News & World Report to join Reuters Breakingviews as Washington columnist
- **2012** — Joined American Enterprise Institute as Senior Fellow; awarded the DeWitt Wallace Chair
- **2012** — Launched 'Political Economy with Jim Pethokoukis' podcast on AEI
- **2022** — Launched 'Faster, Please!' newsletter on Substack
- **2023** — Published 'The Conservative Futurist: How to Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised'
- **2025** — Continues active publishing on Faster, Please! (4-5x/week) and Political Economy podcast (201+ episodes)

## Achievements

- DeWitt Wallace Chair (named, endowed fellowship) at AEI - marks seniority and distinction
- Author of 'The Conservative Futurist' (2023, Center Street/Hachette) - widely discussed book on techno-optimism and economic policy
- Jeopardy! champion (Season 19, 2002)
- Political Economy podcast - 200+ episodes, 4.7/5 stars on Apple Podcasts
- 'Faster, Please!' Substack - tens of thousands of subscribers, one of the leading pro-progress newsletters
- Official CNBC contributor with regular TV appearances
- Recognized as 'Abundance Innovator' by Inclusive Abundance
- Political Economy podcast named to AEI's Top 5 Podcasts of 2019 and Top 10 of 2020

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Continues active publication of 'Faster, Please!' newsletter at 4-5 issues per week on Substack
- **2025-12** — Political Economy podcast surpassed 201 episodes; recent guests include Hal Brands on AI and geopolitics, Tobias Peter on housing, Mackenzie Eaglen on military preparedness
- **2025-10** — Noted U.S. productivity growth of ~2.7% for 2025 - nearly double the prior 10-year average - as a positive signal
- **2025-07** — Featured on Foresight Institute podcast discussing 'Conservatism Meets Futurism'
- **2023-10** — Published 'The Conservative Futurist: How to Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised' (Center Street, Hachette)

## Links

- Website: https://fasterplease.substack.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-pethokoukis-b9a62244/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/JimPethokoukis

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/james-pethokoukis
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-25