I cannot believe what happened this past week and a half. I wanna dive a little more deeply into the article that I initially wrote, which was, New York City is dead forever, here's why. I didn't expect that Seinfeld would respond, Mark Cuban would respond, Mayor de Blasio would address it as someone born in New York. I've lived the past 26 years in New York. I was raised all around the New York City area. I wanna explore why I wrote the article, why I wrote the things I did, why it might have gone viral or struck such a chord with so many people from so many different backgrounds and places and then maybe focus on solutions. Why the title? Right before 911 happened, I had my apartment up for sale because I was going broke and I was scared to death. And if someone had written an article right then, right after 911, Hey buddy, New York City is is dead forever.
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[James Altucher] Why I Said NYC Is Dead
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James Altucher
James Altucher reflects on his viral article declaring New York City dead, responding to critics including Jerry Seinfeld and Mayor de Blasio. He assesses the city's economic crisis during the pandemic and calls for innovative solutions to revive New York’s businesses and workforce before the damage becomes permanent.
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“I wanna explore why I wrote the article, why I wrote the things I did, why it might have gone viral or struck such a chord with so many people from so many different backgrounds and places and then maybe focus on solutions.”
“I do think that some dangerous things happened in the the reaction to the article and some of this was my fault. I think I could have had a little bit more empathy towards people going through a very difficult time.”
“New York City right now has an 18% unemployment rate. For some people, forever might just be 2 months. How are they gonna survive the next 2 months?”
“In general, most companies in most industries are more productive when people are working remote.”
“Between 90 to 95% of the restaurants in New York City are gonna go out of business if they have to survive November December without any customers.”
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Here's why. I probably would have been really upset. I understand why people are upset when they saw the problems and they didn't see me address solutions. I do think that some dangerous things happened in the the reaction to the article and some of this was my fault. I think I could have had a little bit more empathy towards people going through a very difficult time. I didn't mean for this post to be, a poster child for, hey, New York City's dead. Let's dance on the grave. I want New York City to get better.
New York City right now has an 18% unemployment rate. For some people people, forever might just be 2 months. How are they gonna survive the next 2 months? You know, 1 in 4 New Yorkers have not paid their rent since March and they're gonna owe that rent or they're gonna get evicted. The other reactions I didn't expect was people like, you know, Jerry Seinfeld wrote an op ed. I kind of hit did wrote my article from a very logical like here are the facts sort of point and here's my story and I get it like Jerry Seinfeld and a lot of other people looked at it from a very emotional point of view, which I totally understand. And a lot of people mentioned and I believe I've seen it, I've been there, the the grit of growing up around New York City, living in New York City during 9/11, living there during 2,008, I can handle uncertainty. We all can. I did notice though that over 400,000 people left New York basically in March.
Restaurants closed, small businesses closed, people can't pay their rent. What are people going to do? How are these 1 in 4 people who haven't paid rent since March? How are they going to pay? Are the 400,000 people who left, are they going to come back? And Jerry Seinfeld brought up this problem. He said that everybody hates remote. The problem is I wish that were true but it's not true. The IBM did a study, they interviewed about 20,000 people and a little more than half actually loved being remote and not having to go into the office. The other thing that people have researched is our company is more productive or not. And the answer is yes. In general, most companies in most industries are more productive when people are working remote.
And not only that, they save on costs. So what happens if people don't come back to work? Well, they move to other places. And we don't know how many are coming back. Hopefully, a lot of them will come back, but some of them won't. Between 90 to 95% of the restaurants in New York City are gonna go out of business if they have to survive November December without any customers. That's disturbing to me. That that is a problem that needs to be addressed by words other than grit. It needs to be addressed directly to mayor de Blasio when he says he's gonna have to lay off 22,000 EMTs, teachers, police, garbage collectors, MTA workers.
22,000, that's about 7% of New York City's workforce. These are real issues we have to think about and for that, I'm really grateful that whatever my title is, my article was noticed by people who could make decisions like de Blasio, Cuomo, maybe other officials. Let's think for a second about solutions. A lot of these solutions are hard. New York City owns a lot of things for instance. Maybe some assets that New York City owns, they can sell to raise money. Restaurants have to go back to work. There has to be incentives in place for tourists to come back to New York City.
You know, Disney owns all of 42nd Street. Disney, maybe when people land in the airport or or land in a bus in Port Authority, as soon as they step foot on New York City soil, they get a $100 coupon for restaurants or or theater or other tourist attractions. We have to be creative now about what these solutions are. I'm happy to talk to anybody more about this. My email is altature, just my last name@gmail.com. Send me a message and I'll compile solutions. Thank you for reading the article. Jerry Seinfeld, thank you for reading my article and responding to it.
Let's now focus on solutions. The problems are real. Let's focus on solutions because the faster we do that, the faster forever ends. Thanks.
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1️⃣ One Sentence Summary
James Altucher defends his article "NYC Is Dead Forever."
🔑 Key Themes
New York City's economic challenges post-pandemic
Public reactions to the article, including Seinfeld's
Unemployment, unpaid rent, and business closures
Remote work's impact on NYC's workforce
Potential solutions to help the city recover
Gratitude for the article's reach and impact
Call for creative solutions and collaboration
💬 Keywords
Here are 30 topical keywords covered in the text:
New York City, dead forever, Seinfeld, Mark Cuban, Mayor de Blasio, 9/11, unemployment rate, rent, eviction, op-ed, grit, uncertainty, remote work, productivity, costs, restaurants, out of business, layoffs, EMTs, teachers, police, garbage collectors, MTA workers, solutions, assets, incentives, tourists, Disney, 42nd Street, coupons, theater, tourist attractions.
📚 Timestamped overview
00:00 NYC faces an 18% unemployment rate, with 25% of residents unable to pay rent since March and risking eviction. The author contrasts their logical concern about this crisis with Jerry Seinfeld's emotional defense of NYC's resilience, noting over 400,000 people left NYC around March.
03:39 NYC restaurants risk 90-95% closure if customers don't return by November-December, affecting jobs and services.
📚 Timestamped overview
00:00 New York: 18% unemployment, eviction risk, mass exodus.
03:39 NYC restaurants risk closure; urgent city intervention.
❇️ Key topics and bullets
Introduction
Reaction to the article "New York City is dead forever, here's why"
Responses from notable figures (Seinfeld, Mark Cuban, Mayor de Blasio)
Altucher's personal connection to New York City
Reasons for writing the article
Exploring the motivation behind the article
Discussing the viral nature and impact of the article
Acknowledging the need for more empathy towards those affected
Current issues faced by New York City
High unemployment rate (18%)
Rent payment difficulties (1 in 4 New Yorkers)
People leaving the city (400,000 in March)
Closure of restaurants and small businesses
Reactions to the article
Jerry Seinfeld's emotional response
Discussing the grit of New Yorkers during challenging times
Addressing the remote work debate
IBM study on remote work preference
Productivity and cost-saving benefits of remote work
Potential consequences of the current situation
Uncertainty of people returning to the city
High risk of restaurant closures (90-95% by November/December)
Layoffs of 22,000 city employees (7% of NYC workforce)
Solutions and moving forward
Acknowledging the need for creative solutions
Selling city-owned assets to raise funds
Incentivizing tourists to return to the city
Example: Disney offering restaurant/theater coupons
Altucher's call for collaboration and ideas
Focusing on solutions to end the "forever" state of the city
Anatomy of Good Content
Here's why we appreciate James Altucher's thoughtful response to the reactions surrounding his article "New York City Is Dead Forever, Here's Why":
Acknowledging the emotional impact: James recognizes that his article struck a chord with many people and that he could have shown more empathy towards those going through difficult times. This self-awareness and willingness to take responsibility for the article's impact demonstrate his sincerity.
Highlighting real issues: James does not shy away from the harsh realities facing New York City, such as high unemployment rates, struggling small businesses, and potential layoffs. By addressing these issues head-on, he emphasizes the importance of finding solutions and not just relying on the city's grit.
Referencing data and research: To support his points, James cites studies and statistics, such as the IBM study on remote work preferences and the potential closure of 90-95% of NYC restaurants. This use of data adds credibility to his arguments and underscores the severity of the situation.
Focusing on solutions: Rather than dwelling on the problems, James shifts the focus to finding solutions. He suggests ideas such as selling city assets to raise money, providing incentives for tourists, and encouraging creativity in addressing the challenges faced by the city.
Encouraging dialogue and collaboration: By sharing his email address and inviting people to send him messages about potential solutions, James demonstrates his willingness to engage in constructive dialogue and collaborate with others to help New York City recover.
Addressing key figures directly: James acknowledges the responses from notable figures like Jerry Seinfeld and Mayor de Blasio, showing that he has considered their perspectives and is open to having conversations with decision-makers who can effect change.
Ending on a hopeful note: James concludes by emphasizing that the faster solutions are implemented, the faster "forever" ends. This optimistic outlook leaves the audience with a sense of possibility and encourages them to take action to support the city's recovery.
How to Create Content Like This
Here are a few ways to replicate the success of James Altucher's viral article on why NYC is "dead forever":
Take a bold, contrarian stance on a popular topic: By declaring that NYC, one of the most iconic cities in the world, is "dead forever", James immediately grabs attention with a shocking and contrarian view. Taking a strong stance that goes against the grain on a topic people are passionate about is sure to get a reaction.
Back up your argument with facts and personal anecdotes: Rather than just stating an opinion, James supports his view by citing statistics on unemployment, business closures, and people moving out of the city. He also relates his points to his own history and experiences living in NYC. Combining data with personal stories makes the case more compelling.
Acknowledge the opposing view with empathy: James recognizes that many people, like Jerry Seinfeld, will have an emotional reaction against his argument. He validates this perspective and shows empathy for how difficult this time is for New Yorkers. Thoughtfully addressing the other side strengthens your position.
Pivot from problems to proposing solutions: After laying out the issues, James shifts his focus to suggesting ideas for how to address them. Transitioning from just doom-saying to offering constructive solutions makes the piece feel more balanced and actionable vs. purely negative.
Invite discussion and engagement: James ends by welcoming people to contact him directly to discuss further and share ideas. Encouraging readers to engage and continue the conversation in this way increases the chances of the content being shared and discussed more widely.
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