Tim Urban

Tim Urban is a writer and illustrator whose long-form blog Wait But Why includes the two-part 2015 series 'The AI Revolution' on the road to superintelligence. A Harvard graduate of 2004, he co-founded the educational technology company ArborBridge in 2011 and Wait But Why, with Andrew Finn, in 2013. After Elon Musk reached out to him, he wrote a four-part series on Musk's companies in 2015 and a long post on Neuralink in 2017. His 2016 TED Talk on procrastination had 75 million views by 2025, and in 2023 he published the book What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies, which grew out of his series The Story of Us. He is the writer and illustrator of Wait But Why.

Now at: Wait But Why
Badges: Founder
Bridge

Timeline

2004–2011

Harvard and ArborBridge

He graduates from Harvard University in 2004. In 2011, he and Andrew Finn co-found ArborBridge, an educational technology company for international students planning to attend college in the United States.
2013–2014

Founding Wait But Why

In 2013, he and Andrew Finn co-found Wait But Why, a long-form blog that he writes and illustrates. His post 'The Fermi Paradox' appears in May 2014 and becomes extremely popular.
2015

AI Revolution and Musk series

In January 2015, he publishes the two-part series 'The AI Revolution' on Wait But Why: Part 1 is 'The Road to Superintelligence' and Part 2 is 'Our Immortality or Extinction.' The series follows artificial narrow intelligence through artificial general intelligence to artificial superintelligence. After Elon Musk reaches out to him, he writes a four-part series on Musk's companies that begins in May 2015.
2016

A TED talk on procrastination

In 2016, he gives the TED talk 'Inside the mind of a master procrastinator.' As of 2025, it has 75 million views and ranks as the second most viewed TED Talk in history.
April 2017

Writing about Neuralink

In April 2017, he publishes 'Neuralink and the Brain's Magical Future,' a six-part post on Elon Musk's new company Neuralink. It moves from the brain and brain-machine interfaces to a final part called 'The Great Merger.'
2019–2023

The Story of Us as a book

In August 2019, the first chapter of his series The Story of Us goes up on Wait But Why. He turns the project into the book What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies, which he publishes in 2023.
February 2022

Talking AI with Lex Fridman

In February 2022, the Lex Fridman Podcast posts episode #264 with him, a conversation on Elon Musk, Neuralink, AI, aliens and the future of humanity.
As of October 2026

Writer at Wait But Why

As of October 2026, he is the writer and illustrator of Wait But Why, the site he founded with Andrew Finn. In November 2025, he posts 'The sights and sounds of Bhutan' about a trip there.