December 2024
Brief
Headlines
Updates from the consulting industry + the world's biggest problems
The WHO has certified Egypt as malaria-free, marking a historic victory over a disease that has plagued the country since ancient times. -WHO
A new congressional report calls for a Manhattan Project-style race to build superintelligent AI based on questionable claims about China. -Garrison Lovely
Trump nominates Stanford physician-economist Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health, known for his early opposition to COVID lockdowns and vaccine mandates. -Forbes
New data show that access to electricity in India has become nearly universal, with coverage expanding from 60% to 99.6% of the population since 2000. -Data for India
The 2024 Ibrahim Index reveals African governance progress has stalled, with security and democracy declining despite gains in human and economic development across the continent's 54 nations. -Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Quick wins
Want to change directions in 2025? Start here.
In just 15 minutes, you can complete a Quarterly Life Review.
Exploring pandemic preparedness? Check out biosecurity.world - a new interactive map to discover 120+ organizations worldwide working to prevent biological catastrophes.
Working on AI Safety research? The AI Safety Fund (AISF) is accepting grant applications to study frontier AI risks.
If you're struggling with low mood or brain fog from lack of sunlight, try making a Lumenator.
Do you use insights from psychology to make life decisions? Test your thinking with this interactive quiz on unreliable studies!
Deep reads
A closer look at complex, critical topics
Interviews and court documents paint a dark picture of McKinsey's role in the climate crisis. -The Guardian
Moral uncertainty is a sensible response to complex situations. But we still have to do things. -80,000 Hours
Almost all debates about AI come down to these five questions. -Steve Newman
Researchers at Giving Green ranking of promising climate interventions by scale, feasibility, and funding need. -Giving Green
Negotiating? Never split the difference. -To Summarize
While for-profit startups hold seed, series A, B, and C funding rounds, nonprofits can use funding circles. -EA Forum
Climate organizations like the Clean Air Task Force achieve outsized impact by championing promising yet under-explored solutions for clean energy, such as "superhot rock geothermal energy."
Coming up
Events worth blocking on your busy calendar
- AIM Connect Online, December 5
- Giving Green: Bold climate philanthropy for 2025 and beyond, December 5
- AI & Liability Ideathon, December 7
- Impact Accelerator Program - Intro + Q&A Webinar, December 9
- Effective Animal Advocacy Meetup @ProVeg Incubator, December 10
- EAGxSingapore, December 14-15th
- Giving What We Can Pledge Week Q&A session, December 16
- Giving What We Can Pledge Week: Signing and Celebration!, December 20
Meet the member
We caught up with Constantin Weisser, an ex-McKinsey data scientist who recently started as a technical staff member at Haize Labs doing safety testing for large language models. .
"It's easy to fall into the trap of 'upskilling' in some vague way that seems cool but isn't actually practical or helpful. Being actively involved with the right community helps you avoid that pitfall and provide you the kind of feedback you need to increase your impact over time."
Jobs
Your three-year transition plan just got a lot shorter
- Community Director, North America - The School for Moral Ambition (Apply by December 8)
- National Consultant, Risk Communication and Community Engagement, Cambodia - United Nations, World Health Organization (Apply by December 11)
- Project Officer, Zoosursy, Preparedness and Resilience - World Organization for Animal Health (Apply by December 18)
- UK Community Lead - The School for Moral Ambition (Apply by December 22)
- Fellowship Coordinator - Reducetarian Foundation (Apply by December 31)
- Program Manager, Industry, Program Managers (x7), Senior Manager - Lead Exposure Elimination Project (Apply by January 5)
- Communications Lead - Shrimp Welfare Project (Apply by January 10)
- People Operations Specialist / Manager, Operations Generalist - FAR AI (Rolling)
- Senior Project Manager, AI Capabilities Evaluation, Technology and Security Policy Center - RAND Corporation (Rolling)
- Climate Change Program Manager - University of Pennsylvania, Perry World House (Rolling)
Applying to jobs in 2025?
Our team has 15+ years of experience in the consulting industry and have each personally transitioned into high impact roles. We'd love to help you do the same!
