What Went Wrong? Ask AIG’s Former Lawyer

This week’s installment of What Went Wrong includes an interview with the former head council for AIG, Ernest Patrikis. He weighs in on what could have happened if the Fed […]

by

December 30, 2009

Get the Big Think newsletter on Substack

This week’s installment of What Went Wrong includes an interview with the former head council for AIG, Ernest Patrikis. He weighs in on what could have happened if the Fed didn’t bail out AIG. Mark Zandi, the chief economist and co-founder of Moody’s Economy.com, chats about a fantasy world without ratings agencies: would Google do as good a job?

bigthinkeditor Full Profile

Monthly Issue April 2026

The Energy Transition

In this monthly issue, we examine how our understanding of energy — and how we source and use it — is evolving.

1 video 11 articles

Two hands surround a glowing, illustrated sun with a human face, against a green background with radiating lines.

Related Content

The paradox at the heart of AI progress

AI is unlocking unprecedented capabilities — and exposing new vulnerabilities just as quickly.

by Beatrice Erkers

A pixelated silhouette of a leaping cheetah, inspired by d/acc aesthetics, appears to disintegrate into square particles against a blue grid background.

From infinite scroll to infinite worlds: How AI could rewire Gen Z’s attention span

AI can now generate entire worlds from text prompts. What does this mean for how we think, create, and connect?

by Kiara Nirghin

An orange silhouette of a standing child is overlaid on a background made of ASCII art and dense lines of text, resembling digital code or data.

The AI chip startup that could take down Nvidia

Just eight of Etched’s Sohu chips could replace 160 Nvidia GPUs.

by Kristin Houser

A close-up view of a computer graphics card featuring an array of components, including capacitors, resistors, and a central processing chip, all mounted on a black circuit board.

Why harmony with nature is a myth

Slowing growth and limiting development isn’t living in harmony with nature—it is surrendering in a battle.

by Jason Crawford

Illustration depicting "Humanity vs. Nature" with diagrams of evolution, ecocentrism, biocentrism, and anthropocentrism, featuring images of a tree, human evolution, and a whale.

Learn from the world's biggest thinkers.

© Copyright 2007-2026 & BIG THINK, BIG THINK PLUS, SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by Freethink Media, Inc. All rights reserved.