Rebuilding the Middle Class Requires Wages, Ownership, and Antitrust
Venture capitalist Nick Hanauer and entrepreneur Daniel Priestley agree that Western economies have become too concentrated to sustain a secure middle class, but split over where repair should begin. Hanauer argues that capitalism needs deliberate democratic design — higher wages, labor standards, antitrust, taxation and stronger counterweights to corporate power. Priestley argues those measures are not enough in an economy reshaped by technology, finance and AI; ordinary people need ownership of homes, businesses and shares, and more small firms creating alternatives to dependence on large employers.
The Diary of a CEO·Jun 8, 2026·32 min read
