19. Aaron Bastani
The Visionary of Fully Automated Luxury
Aaron Bastani has become one of Britain’s most provocative and imaginative political thinkers, a writer and broadcaster who isn’t afraid to dream big. Born in 1983, Bastani co-founded Novara Media in 2011, helping to establish it as one of the most influential independent outlets in the UK.
With his trademark energy and wit, Bastani has spent more than a decade challenging mainstream orthodoxies on economics, climate change, and technology. His book Fully Automated Luxury Communism (2019) became a manifesto for a bold new politics: a vision of abundance, renewable energy, and automation used to liberate humanity rather than trap it. Whether embraced or critiqued, it got people talking — proof of his talent for putting radical ideas into the public square.
Bastani’s style — sharp, informed, but never dry — has won him a wide audience, both online and in traditional media. He has an unusual gift: the ability to explain complex topics in a way that is both entertaining and accessible. Whether debating economics or climate policy, his passion shines through.
What makes Bastani stand out is his optimism. In an age often dominated by doom, he insists that technology and politics can deliver a better future. He doesn’t just critique; he imagines. That capacity to blend critique with vision has made him one of Britain’s most important intellectual provocateurs.
