Adam Greenfield is a best-selling author, urbanist, and critical futurist whose work has identified and demystified many of the seismic changes of the 21st century. His most recent book, Lifehouse: Taking Care of Ourselves in a World on Fire (Verso, 2024), is a blueprint for navigating uncertainty and outlines how... Read more
Adam Greenfield is a best-selling author, urbanist, and critical futurist whose work has identified and demystified many of the seismic changes of the 21st century. His most recent book, Lifehouse: Taking Care of Ourselves in a World on Fire (Verso, 2024), is a blueprint for navigating uncertainty and outlines how communities and individuals must adapt to thrive in a world shaped by climate chaos and the collapse of late capitalism.
Adam has lived and worked in London since 2013. After nearly a quarter-century in the technology industry, with experience in building, deploying, and scaling up new technologies, he has recently gone back to school and is expected to complete his PhD at the Cities Programme of the Sociology Department at the London School of Economics in May 2025. His previous roles include Head of Design Direction for Service and User Interface at Nokia headquarters in Helsinki, Lead Information Architect for Razorfish in Tokyo, and Managing Director of the design practice Urbanscale in New York City. He has also taught at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program and the MArch Urban Design Program at the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London, and was the inaugural Senior Urban Fellow at the LSE Cities research centre.
Adam’s first book, Everywhere: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing, was published in 2006 and explored what is now known as the Internet of Things (IoT). In 2017, he examined augmented reality, virtual reality (the Metaverse), and other emerging technologies, including blockchain, automated workplaces, self-driving cars, and AI, in Radical Technologies: The Design of Everyday Life.
Many governments, organizations, and academic institutions worldwide have invited Adam as a speaker or consultant. These include Number 10 Downing Street, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the Government of the Netherlands, and several prominent U.S. government agencies. Adam has given keynotes at many firms, including Microsoft Research, Samsung, General Motors, and Deloitte. He has also spoken at MIT Media Lab, Columbia University, the British Council, the Royal Society of London, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Yale University Law School, the Oxford University School of Geography and the Environment, NESTA, the Harvard Graduate School of Design, the École Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers (ENSAM), and the Collège de France.
Following his undergraduate degree at NYU, where he graduated cum laude, Adam Greenfield joined the U.S. Army, serving as a Psychological Operations (PSYOP) Specialist (MOS 37F). This experience, combined with his background in technology, gives Adam unique insight into the feedback loops and amplification of mass messaging over social media.