“At a moment of great concern about inequality, now comes a learned tome proclaiming
the gravity of the inequality problem,” says Larry Summers in a conversation with
Andreessen Horowitz general partner Balaji Srinivasan. “It’s a stunning thing, and
it must reflect positively on the growing intellectualism of the society that a book
like that could be a best-seller.” But that doesn’t mean Piketty got it right, adds
the former Secretary of the Treasury and current CFI special advisor. Summers
describes the two big problems he sees with Piketty’s argument, and Srinivasan
shares how the forces of technology and globalization are better lenses for viewing
and explaining income inequality.