Two decades ago, he asked what’s the matter with Kansas? Now he’s back to look at the 70-year con of ‘creativity’ and ‘innovation’

Thomas Frank, a journalist, discusses his latest book, "The Creativity Con: How Innovation Became America's Biggest Racket," which criticizes the idea of "innovation" as the foundation of American business. Frank, known for his 2004 book "What's the Matter with Kansas?" and his time at The Baffler magazine, argues that the concept of innovation, popularized by advertising executive Alex Osborn, has been a "70-year con."

Osborn, not a fan of the New Deal, pushed the ideology of creativity among blue-collar workers, which he believes has "hurt us really bad." Now, with the advent of AI, Frank fears that the same displacement of working-class jobs due to automation and outsourcing will affect the "creative class" as well. Frank, who uses AI for archival research, expresses concerns about the dangers of AI, particularly its reliance on "experts" for answers, which he considers dangerous because "expertise evolves constantly."

Despite his criticism, Frank sees the potential for true innovation in punk rock, which he views as a genuine example of creativity, contrasting it with the "orthodoxy" of modern business innovation.