How the world actually works, told as stories.
Short stories about the hidden systems, strange economics and big ideas behind everyday life. No jargon and no lectures, just the kind of idea that stays with you after the video ends.
How India Built the Payment System America Couldn’t
In 2016, a country where almost half the adults had no bank account started making more payments than Visa. The reason is the opposite of what you’d expect.
Read it before the video →- The cash crisis didn’t create UPI. The system had quietly launched seven months earlier.
- Old payment systems survive because they work just well enough that nobody replaces them.
- India won by starting last. With nothing to protect, it could build from zero.
Every story starts with something that really happened. Every number comes with a source.
Each story page ends with a table of every figure in it and where it comes from. If something’s wrong, you can tell me and I’ll fix it.
You pick the next story.
A shortlist of stories worth telling. The one with the most votes becomes the next video.
- 1
Everyday tech
Why the elevator always seems to go the wrong way
- 2
Cities & getting around
Why building more roads makes traffic worse
- 3
Money
Why money still moves slower than an email
Get the next story by email.
Every new story when it’s out, plus the next shortlist to vote on. Roughly one email every two weeks.
Sign-ups open with the first story.