Shifts: How will our version of the American Dream evolve over time?

NOW: From traditional ideals to celebrating agility

The idea of homeownership and a lifelong career in one sector are fading as markers of the American Dream, as financial agility and skills-based economic mobility become central to survival in the wake of inflation and housing unaffordability. Success looks like remote work flexibility and side hustles, while younger generations bail on traditional milestones.

NEXT: From bootstrapping to systemic overhaul

Purely self-made success will become a myth as education, corporate work and housing become inextricably linked with AI displacement. Partnerships between the public and private sector will create a rise in modular credentialing, allowing people to pivot more easily in their careers. The debate about automation’s impact on humanity will reach a tipping point.

FUTURE: From personal legacy to impact on the collective

Personal legacy will adapt from a measure of one’s financial- or status-related impact on the world to a focus on how much better they left the planet relative to their time on it. Accountability metrics in corporate and government programs result in sustainable assets and a healthcare-as-a-right program, making it impossible to delineate between what’s good for one versus good for all.