Dan Wang to Discuss "Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future" on TBPN as Book Launches

San Francisco, CA – Technology analyst and Stanford University research fellow Dan Wang is set to engage in a live discussion on TBPN today, August 26, 2025, coinciding with the release of his highly anticipated new book, "Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future." The online event, scheduled for 1 PM PT, will delve into the core themes of Wang's latest work, which offers a critical examination of China's rapid technological and economic advancements.

The announcement, made via a tweet from TBPN, highlights the timely nature of the discussion, as "Breakneck" hits shelves today. Wang's book, longlisted for prestigious awards such as the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year, investigates China's "seismic progress" and its profound implications for both its own society and for the United States.

"Breakneck" posits a compelling framework for understanding China as an "engineering state," a nation relentlessly pursuing large-scale infrastructure and technological megaprojects. This approach, Wang argues, has fostered remarkable economic outcomes and a sense of optimism, yet it has also led to significant societal costs, including political repression, surveillance of ethnic minorities, and the enduring traumas of policies like the one-child policy and zero-Covid.

The book draws a stark comparison between China's engineering-driven development and the United States' perceived transformation into a "lawyerly society," characterized by an inclination to obstruct rather than build. Wang's analysis suggests that while Chinese citizens could benefit from greater individual liberties, Americans might gain from embracing a more engineering-focused mindset to achieve better collective outcomes.

Dan Wang, known for his widely circulated annual letters reflecting on Chinese society, brings a decade of firsthand observation to his debut book. His previous work has appeared in prominent publications such as The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, and The Atlantic. The TBPN discussion is expected to provide deeper insights into these complex dynamics, offering an opportunity for audiences to engage with Wang's provocative perspectives on the future of global geopolitics and technology.