Solving For - A note as the year begins
As the new year begins — and Solving For enters its first full year — I wanted to take a moment to thank you, and share what we’re aiming to do in 2026.
Solving For is a long-form journalism venture built around a simple idea: take one pressing problem at a time and examine it in depth — the problem itself, the forces shaping it, and what credible solutions could look like.
This work is for people who value storytelling and reporting that puts clarity over outrage, depth over speed, and solutions grounded in reality.
Each month, the reporting unfolds in weekly installments, published in both written and audio versions. Series typically run in three parts, with an open thread in between to share updates and try new things. Through an agreement with The New York Times, we're using their photo archive to visually complement the issues we explore. We’ll start experimenting with video too.
In our first four months we’ve taken on four subjects:
China’s dominance of rare earth elements, and why it matters for technology, defense, and the economy
AI safety and the control problem, as artificial intelligence accelerates
The collapse of competition in Congress, and what that means for democracy
The end of amateurism in college sports, and the choices now facing athletes and schools
These are the kinds of problems we’ll continue to focus on: issues that affect many lives, resist easy answers, and carry long-term consequences — but also contain the seeds of real solutions.
The goal of each series is not just to explain what’s broken, but to walk away with a clearer understanding of a way forward.
Next week we’ll kick off our first series of 2026: a deep dive into a global military buildup unlike anything since the Cold War — and ways a rapidly rearming world can avoid turning deterrence into disaster.
Thanks for being here. I’m grateful to be on this journey with you.
— Matt
Note: If you missed anything, you can find past series at solvingfor.io.