Rutger Bregman is a Dutch historian and author. His books Humankind: A Hopeful History (2020) and Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There (2017) were both Sunday Times and New York Times Best Sellers and have been translated in 46 languages.
The Guardian described him as ‘the Dutch wunderkind of new ideas’, while TEDnamed him ‘one of Europe’s most prominent young thinkers’. His TED Talk, ‘Poverty Isn’t a Lack of Character; It’s a Lack of Cash’, was selected by TED curator Chris Anderson as one of the top ten talks of 2017.
Bregman was born in Renesse, the Netherlands, to a father who was a pastor and a mother who worked as a special needs teacher. He studied History at Utrecht University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Initially considering a career as an academic historian, Bregman instead ventured into journalism. He began his career at the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant before moving to the independent journalism platform De Correspondent, for which he wrote for ten years.
In 2024, Rutger co-founded The School for Moral Ambition, a non-profit organization inspired by his latest book, Moral Ambition. The initiative helps people to take the step toward an impactful career.
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