# Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson

14 Hacker News commenters recommended Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson and 5 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 6 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended for its clear summary of over-regulation problems in building projects and proposed deregulation fixes; critics say its ideas are recycled neoliberal economics.

## Why people recommend it

- Clear summary of regulation problems (2 comments): "Abundance does a good job of summarizing the problems (over-regulation) and suggesting solutions (de-regulation)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45841787)) "the Abundance guys have done a great job summarizing them" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46417873))
- Explains why government projects struggle (2 comments): "It's about figuring out the right set of rules and incentives that allow governments to sustainably build things" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48888394)) "a pretty easy read, and a really interesting examination of why projects like this struggle" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47955170))
- Appeals to builders and engineers (2 comments): "Both are excellent books and will probably appeal to a lot of Hacker News folks with an engineering/builder mindset." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45800679)) "We get out of it by building more, read Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48585584))

## What people warn about

- Neoliberal ideas repackaged as new (2 comments): "Abundance is mostly neoliberal economic ideas repackaged for the current iteration of consultants" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48418917)) ""Let them eat cake" Ezra Klein "Abundance" neoliberalism affluenza." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49882077))
- Tired, recycled, deregulation-focused arguments (2 comments): "Ezra Klein’s ideas mostly feel tired, recycled, boring, outdated, and rudderless." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46210531)) "what they have done is read some economists and argue, again, for deregulation." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45845115))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cuckoo-s-egg.md): 40 recommend
- [Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amusing-ourselves-to-death.md): 36 recommend
- [The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/anxious-generation.md): 24 recommend
- [Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bullshit-jobs.md): 20 recommend
- [Enshittification by Cory Doctorow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/enshittification.md): 19 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1668023504?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9781668023501) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson", https://hackerapproved.com/p/abundance/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).