November 2025
Dear Atlas Society Supporter,
“Force and mind are opposites; morality ends where a gun begins.”
That iconic line from John Galt’s radio speech in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged returned to me again and again as I grieved the political assassination of Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk.
Words or weapons. Persuasion or compulsion. Trade—including the trade in ideas—or terror.
These are our choices, and as Rand reminds us, only by persuading others to “choose to change course,” can we avoid the dystopian future Rand dramatized in her magnum opus.
But an embrace of peaceful debate does not mean an abandonment of objective truth and objective reality. In pursuit of truth, another virtue is required: Toleration.
As The Atlas Society’s founder David Kelley, Ph.D. argued in Truth and Toleration: “The use of reason is the only method by which one mind can persuade another… If we hold reason as our highest value, then we must respect the sovereignty of each individual mind and appeal to it by argument, not coercion or intimidation.”
Not only does this twin commitment—to truth and toleration—comprise the double helix of The Atlas Society’s intellectual DNA, I’m firmly convinced that it’s responsible for the remarkable growth we’ve achieved in recent years, and especially in the last 12 months.
We tolerate taking artistic and technological risks. We tolerate partnerships with those with whom we may not 100% agree. And we welcome young people to join us in learning more about Ayn Rand, with patience, benevolence, and encouragement.
The result is that millions of young people from around the world are flocking to our platforms, our programs, and our events. While some scoffed at my “moonshot” of reaching a billion young minds with Ayn Rand’s ideas, thanks to your support, we are on track to prove them wrong.
As you read about all we’ve accomplished together in 2025, I hope you feel proud of the work we’re doing—and inspired by the road ahead. We couldn’t be where we are today without supporters like you.
This year our community of donors helped fuel extraordinary growth across every front, doubling our YouTube subscribers to nearly 1.9 million, surpassing a million hours of Objectivist content consumed, and launching a bold new program: Atlas Society International (TASI), with a dozen John Galt Schools globally, and a European student conference, the New Intellectuals Conference (NICON), hosted this fall in Tbilisi, Georgia.
At the same time, we welcomed nearly 1,400 new donors into our community over the last twelve months, hosted a record-breaking student conference in Austin, TX this summer, and released award-winning animated book trailers that are not only going viral online, but racking up film festival awards from coast to coast.
None of this would be possible without you. You’ve helped us reject the tired narrative that young people are “lost” to collectivism, and instead proven that, when engaged with creativity and conviction, they are hungry for the ideas of reason, freedom, individualism, and achievement.
Your support has empowered us to reach further than ever before––fueling innovative programs, engaging young minds worldwide, and proving that ideas, when shared effectively, can change the course of a generation.
It is this momentum that inspires us to dream even bigger for the year ahead.
2025 marked the biggest expansion in The Atlas Society’s 35-year history with the launch of Atlas Society International (TASI) following our merger with the former Ayn Rand Center Europe.
TASI now serves as the structured, programmatic global arm of The Atlas Society, expanding our reach with initiatives that bring Objectivism to young minds across continents.
The crown jewel: 20 John Galt Schools (JGS)—an eight-week introduction to Objectivism taught through lectures, debates, and interactive workshops. For this year’s spring semester we hosted 11 John Galt Schools across Argentina, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Burundi, Georgia, Italy, Mozambique, Nepal, Peru, Portugal, and Zimbabwe.
The fall semester includes 9 schools including Kenya, Spain, and India!
“The John Galt School taught me to stand by my ideas, defend them with reason, and live with clear goals. It gave me the tools to work to protect individual freedom in my country. I now know that living for yourself is about taking full responsibility for your life.”
Fabio C., John Galt School alumni 2025, Peru
Graduates have the opportunity to apply for scholarships to attend the New Intellectual Conference (NICON), held this September in Tbilisi, Georgia.
From hundreds of applications, 140 students were selected to attend. Over four days, participants engaged with the top minds in Objectivism. Planning is already underway for next year’s NICON in Porto, Portugal!
As with any merger, there’s always a question—how will the customers, (or in this case, students served) react?
You’ll be pleased to know that all metrics point in a positive direction, with more applicants, higher satisfaction ratings, and more graduates than any previous year.
While our global programs are reaching students across continents, we’re equally committed to nurturing the next generation of Objectivist thinkers right here at home. Our U.S.-based conferences continue to grow in size, energy, and impact––bringing together students, young professionals, and mentors for immersive experiences that inspire, challenge, and connect.
In early June this year, we hosted our largest and liveliest US student conference—Galt’s Gulch in Austin, TX. With 200 attendees, we’ve increased attendance by more than 50% year over year since our inaugural conference in Nashville, TN.
Students and young adults joined us for three jam-packed days of networking, intellectual discovery, and fun—including line-dancing and lasso-wielding entertainment. They come to connect with Atlas Society faculty, learn from liberty-minded guest speakers, and make new friends.
“The Atlas Society has changed my life. I’ve learned so much. I’ve made wonderful connections and friends from all over the world, and I’ve been the first to receive the Prometheus Prize. It’s such an honor.”
— Matt F.
“Galt’s Gulch was the best conference I have ever attended. It had a professional and balanced schedule, customizable sessions that allowed you to get more involved in things that you found more relevant for yourself. On top of all that, it was a really fun experience.”
— Eren C.
“It’s the perfect event for deep, meaningful discussions on Objectivism, fostering a broader understanding while connecting you with likeminded individuals. I left feeling empowered, inspired, and motivated to continue my own path, firmly rooted in reason and individualism.”
—Valentina J.
Thanks to the generous supporters of people like you, we’ve been able to keep student
commitment fees minimal while covering the bulk of travel, lodging, and meals. That model ensures the event is available to students from all walks of life while maintaining high standards of accountability—with applications, interviews, and participation requirements.
Looking ahead, we’re thrilled to announce that the fourth annual Galt’s Gulch will take place in San Diego, California, June 4–6, 2026. We’re going biennial with our gala schedule—so with no gala happening next year, I highly encourage you to make plans to join us in San Diego!
Just as we invest in transformative in-person experiences for students, we’re equally committed to reaching young minds where they spend much of their time, for better or worse—online.
In the 15 years I spent in business before returning to the nonprofit world, I witnessed, and took advantage of, the revolution in the transaction of ideas via digital and social media. I was baffled why barely any liberty organizations seemed to recognize—much less leverage—the technological transformation to reach and persuade new audiences.
When I joined The Atlas Society back in 2016, I made a big bet to invest a third of our budget at the time in social media and digital strategies to reach new audiences.
While our overall budget has quadrupled since then, our digital audience has grown exponentially—making it the largest, and most engaged audience in the liberty space, and many-multiples larger than that of other Objectivist organizations.
In the past 12 months, our campaigns generated over 20 million engagements (comments, shares, and likes) - double the number of engagements from the previous 12 months.
Our tailored content now reaches young minds on TikTok, Instagram, X, Facebook, and YouTube, where our channel ranks in the top 0.02% of all creators globally.
Our YouTube audience doubled over the past 12 months (to nearly 1.9 million)—while our other platforms added 106K new subscribers, a 164% increase compared to the previous 12 months.
So, you may be wondering: What precisely is driving that kind of growth?
Building on the success of our animated book trailers of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, we attracted funding for five similar videos of Anthem. These videos have drawn nearly 15 million views in 2025, setting the stage for a full-length animated feature film of Anthem. A post-apocalyptic dystopian love story—dramatized in anime— will be tailor-made for today’s Gen Z audiences. Stay tuned!
The popularity of these videos got us thinking about how else we might leverage this artistic and technological innovation. We researched the six most popular YouTube
searches related to Ayn Rand and Objectivism, and then produced six new videos addressing these searches, such as “What is Objectivism?,” “Who is Ayn Rand?,” “Why is Ayn Rand so Controversial?”—even “How to Pronounce Ayn Rand?”.
As of this writing, five of the six videos in this “Search Series” have secured the #1 spot in each of these search categories—and in the process, are driving tens of thousands of quality subscribers to our YouTube page.
Increasingly, The Atlas Society is the “go-to” source for trusted information about Objectivism!
We may hook new audiences with such viral video content, we also create spaces to explore ideas at greater length.
Back in the spring of 2020, when lockdowns and draconian restrictions limited our ability to connect in person with our community, we started a live weekly podcast where I interviewed entrepreneurs, artists, thought leaders, and authors. We kept at it week after week, and at the time of this writing are preparing to host our 274th episode.
With over 10,000 monthly listeners, this past year we decided it was high time for an upgrade, with a new professional studio, and a rebrand from the somewhat prosaic name of “The Atlas Society Asks” to “Objectively Speaking.”
Some of my favorite episodes over the last 12 months include interviews with Nellie Bowles of The Free Press, Bryan Caplan on how regulations stifle housing supply, Todd Rose author of Collective Illusions, Martin Gurri author of The Revolt of the Public, and many more— bringing Objectivist ideas to those hungry for clarity and courage in today’s chaotic world.
As this year comes to a close, one truth stands out: the appetite for freedom among young people is stronger than ever. From viral book trailers, to podcasts, to John Galt Schools and not one but two student conferences, The Atlas Society is not about preserving Ayn Rand’s ideas as some kind of closed dogma—we are propelling them into the future with unprecedented scale and impact.
And we are only able to do that thanks to your investment—your belief in the importance of reaching new audiences with Ayn Rand’s ideas, and your confidence that The Atlas Society is the organization best positioned to achieve those ends.
You will be pleased to know that more and more new donors are stepping forward to help fund the work that so many of our longest-standing donors have supported for decades. In the past 12 months, nearly 1,400 new donors have joined our community. And a gratifying number of our veteran donors have increased their support.
With our board of trustees matching all new and increased support, this has helped increase our revenues during this time of unprecedented growth of our programming, particularly
with our John Galt Schools internationally and our new European student conference.
With our biggest year in our history about to close, we’d be honored to count on your renewed support. Your generosity has been instrumental to our growth, and with your continued partnership, we can take the next bold step toward realizing our moonshot goal of reaching one billion young minds with Rand’s ideas.
As we look to 2026—with the Fourth Annual Galt’s Gulch in San Diego, the next NICON in Portugal, and ambitious new media projects—we invite you to renew your support with a year-end gift. Together, we can build on this momentum, expand our reach, and bring Ayn Rand’s ideas to millions more young minds worldwide.
In the wake of the senseless political violence and murder you and I have witnessed so recently, it’s understandable to be left with feelings of pain, anger, and even fear. But in moments of the most acute pain, I repeated to myself Dagny Taggart’s line in Atlas Shrugged like a mantra:
“There was no time for pain. She had to think, to act, to go on, to do.”
In that spirit of resilience, of purpose, of productivity and pride in achievement, I rededicate the next 12 months to redoubling our efforts to bring Ayn Rand’s ideas to ever wider audiences.
Thank you for helping make that impact possible.
With gratitude,
P.S. We’re so grateful for your support making so much possible over the last year— from our John Galt Schools around the world to viral book trailers, podcasts, and student conferences. We’d be honored if you’d help us take the next bold step toward reaching one billion young minds with Ayn Rand’s ideas. Every gift matters—and every gift drives impact.