NewCo Shift Forum — Speaker Spotlight
Robert Reich is the Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He served as Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration, and Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the 20th century.
A leading political economist, Reich has authored 14 books. His latest book, Saving Capitalism, debunks the notion that we need to choose between the “free market” and “big government”. The free market is a myth, Reich argues, because the rules of our market are set, organized, and maintained by government, and the market cannot be separated from the administrators, agencies, legislators, and judges that define it.
Reich’s concern is that the laws that govern and shape capitalism — contracts, property, monopoly, and bankruptcy, for example — have been organized and controlled by the elite to their own benefit, rather than in the interest of society as a whole. The critical choice our society faces, then, is not between the “free market” and “big government”, but between a system that only delivers gains to the top, and one that is more equal, inclusive, and prosperous for all.
Reich was in the spotlight recently for calling out President-elect Trump, criticizing him for lashing out at union leader Chuck Jones on the Carrier deal. “You are looking and acting as if you are mean, petty, thin-skinned and vindictive,” he told Mr. Trump. “Stop this. This is not a fireside chat.”
Reich will be joining us for a session at NewCo Shift Forum, NewCo’s new executive conference covering “Capitalism at a Crossroads.” He’ll be interviewed by John Heilemann, former managing editor of Bloomberg Politics and co-host of the award winning HBO show, The Circus. Joining 400 of the best minds in business, technology, and government, Reich will discuss the ideas put forward in Saving Capitalism and his other writings, helping explore a new compact between business and society. We’re now accepting applications for delegates, and we’d love for you to learn more and apply.
Join us for the NewCo Shift Forum, where 400 of the best minds in business, technology, and government will come together for two days of focused, action-oriented dialog.