Rutger Bregman (1988) is a Dutch historian and bestselling author. His books Humankind: A Hopeful History (2020) and Utopia for Realists (2017) were both Sunday Times and New York Times bestsellers, translated into 46 languages.

The Guardian described him as “the Dutch wunderkind of new ideas,” while TED named him “one of Europe’s most prominent young thinkers.” His TED Talk, “Poverty Isn’t a Lack of Character; It’s a Lack of Cash”, was selected by TED curator Chris Anderson as one of the top ten talks of 2017.

In spring 2025, Rutger will publish the English edition of his new book Moral Ambition. He argues that career choices, consisting of 2,000 workweeks, are among the most important decisions of our lives. Yet millions are stuck in pointless or harmful jobs. The antidote to this waste of talent? Moral ambition: the will to be among the best, but with different measures of success.

In 2024, Rutger co-founded The School for Moral Ambition, a nonprofit focused on helping people find impactful work.