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Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: ‘Deep Future: Creating Technology That Matters’

In his book Deep Future: Creating Technology That Matters, Pablos Holman reveals that we’ve been living in a world obsessed with apps and ad clicks (what he calls “shallow tech”) while the true foundations of civilization (energy, food, infrastructure, and materials) inch along. Holman makes the case that “deep tech”—the stuff that moves atoms—is the lever we need if humanity wants to scale, survive, and thrive.

He argues that we must radically rethink how we approach energy, materials, manufacturing, infrastructure, biotech, AI, and more. He rails against the tech industry’s comfort zone of low-hanging fruit and demands that we address the actual problems:

• Hard is still hard: Deep tech problems are solvable, but they’re messy, physical, political, and slow. You can’t push a software update and fix concrete formulations or nuclear reactors overnight. Holman acknowledges that regulators, incumbent industries, and inertia are part of the challenge.
• Vision needs execution: It’s one thing to dream about self-healing concrete or reactors using nuclear waste; it’s another to pilot, scale, and make adoption frictionless. Holman proposes ideas like drop-in cement reforms or assembly line nuclear reactors. 
• Optimism with caveats: Holman is not naïve, but he is unapologetically optimistic. He frames the future as a choice. The tools exist or are emerging, but they will require determination, commitment, and investment. 
• Clear, direct voice: Holman doesn’t hide behind technical jargon. He writes as he speaks — bluntly and with humor. He’s sometimes provocative, but always grounded.
• Vision backed by invention: Holman has a track record working on nuclear reactors using nuclear waste, hurricane suppression tech, and laser mosquito control, giving credibility to his arguments. 
• Actionable mindset: Holman doesn’t just paint a utopia; he offers step-by-step reasoning on how to get there—from the mindset shift to aligning inventors + capital + regulatory pathways + scaling bridges.

Some readers may balk at the speed of change he envisions. Physical infrastructure, cultural institutions, and regulatory systems are slow. Even the most visionary engineers will hit friction. The optimism may feel idealistic to skeptics who live within today’s constraints: politics, scarcity, and power structures. Implementation risks remain high. Pilot programs might fail. Not all ideas will succeed, and scaling from a prototype to infrastructure is slow and capital-intensive.

This book is a wake-up call. If you want results and demand transformation, Deep Future is your battle plan. It demands that you show up, build, invest, and lead. If you’re still stuck in the shallow tech mindset, this book will knock you out of complacency. And if you’re already in the engineering, manufacturing, or invention trenches, Holman gives you ammunition, frameworks, and a moral imperative to push harder.

Deep Future is worth your time if you want to think big, design for the future, build things that matter, and believe our future is in atoms, not just in code.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.

Title: Deep Future: Creating Technology That Matters
Author: Pablos Holman
Copyright: Forbes Books, 2025
Pages: 249 
Price: $27.98