The Atlas Society 2023 Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO

A couple of months ago

I celebrated my seven-year anniversary at the helm of The Atlas Society—and the only “seven year itch” I feel is itching to build on the remarkable progress we’ve made, as measured by so many metrics, to become the category leader in engaging young minds with Ayn Rand’s ideas.

Ed Crane, with whom I had the pleasure of working with at CATO during the mid-’90s, once observed that Ayn Rand was the “all-time greatest recruiter for the liberty movement.” The challenge today—and opportunity—is this: how can Rand keep recruiting when daily reading of books among young people has fallen from 70% in the late 1970s to 12% today?

The Atlas Society has demonstrated we’re up to this challenge: Pioneering artistic, technologically savvy ways of marketing Rand’s ideas to new audiences—and leaning heavily on partnerships to engineer win-win collaborations with other groups.

This annual report will walk you through the progress we’ve made in the past 12 months, but let’s take a moment to reflect on what we’ve achieved in the past few years:

• 455% increase in followers on Facebook since 2017— and grew to become the largest Objectivist account on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Rumble

• Over 3,000 pieces of digital content produced annually, including:

• 400 Instagram Takeover videos, and 2,600 memes annually (average engagement per individual piece of content includes 40K comments, shares, likes)

• 40 animated Draw My Life videos (total views 42M+) and 40 foreign language adaptations (total views 84M+)

• We built our Instagram audience from zero in 2016 to 12K by 2018; Today that number is at 100K

• By mid 2022, The Atlas Society’s TikTok following had grown to 9,312 followers; Today that figure has increased by 343% to 31,947

• Since 2016 over a dozen publications including pocket guides & graphic novels—nine adaptations in Spanish and Portuguese (75K copies distributed annually)

• Since 2020, hosted over 162 episodes of The Atlas Society Asks webinars, with individual episodes drawing upwards of 160K views

• Recruited a world-class paid faculty of six universityaffiliated scholars and fellows for online programming, live speaking engagements, and writing

• Since 2021, 180 Clubhouse chats, averaging 70 participants in the rooms (with 45K podcast downloads)

• Six successful galas featuring Peter Thiel, Palmer Luckey, Chip Wilson, Michael Saylor, Peter Diamandis, and Ricardo Salinas

• Revenue growth since 2015: over 270%, with current budget $2.74M

This demonstrated success in reaching new audiences means we’re well on our way to achieving our moonshot of engaging a billion young minds with Ayn Rand’s ideas. With 90% of young people on social media spending an average 9 hours online daily, the most efficient and scalable way to reach new audiences is to build powerful distribution networks through engaging short form content that then serves as a marketing funnel to upsell opportunities for increased intellectual exploration.

We take a comprehensive approach, providing content and programming for “skimmers, swimmers and deep divers”— ranging from TikTok videos to online webinars to in-depth, in-person seminars with our faculty. We take an individualistic approach not just to our consumers (the young people we serve), but to our customers: the donors who “hire” us to project their values, and share Ayn Rand’s literature and philosophy with the next generation.

Whether you’re supporting us at the $100 level or the $100,000 level, whether you’ve been with The Atlas Society since its founding or you’ve just discovered us, whether you donate with cryptocurrency or invest old-fashioned sweat equity as a volunteer—you are the lifeblood of our organization. You make our work possible. You have our commitment, and our profound appreciation.

While it’s colloquially common to say one feels “humbled” by such generosity, it’s more accurate to say I feel proud to have earned it, privileged to work for it, and profoundly grateful for the opportunity to promote our shared ideals.

As Ayn Rand reminds us, “Those who fight for the future live in it today.” I am glad to be fighting for, and living in, that future with you!

Benevolently yours,

Jennifer Grossman CEO, The Atlas Society

The Fountainhead: Graphic Novel SPECIAL PROJECTS:

As Ayn Rand observed: “Art is the indispensable medium for the communication of a moral ideal.” Her observation has inspired the artistic approach we’ve pioneered at The Atlas Society, including animated videos, visually creative social media and graphic novel adaptations of Ayn Rand’s works: Anthem, Red Pawn, and Top Secret (underway).

While others have announced—then abandoned—plans to bring Rand’s literature to life in graphic novel format, The Atlas Society has forged steadily ahead, painstakingly adapting one work after another, creating a vast distribution network with partner organizations, and even producing animated video series based on our adaptations.

We were the first to recognize and capitalize on the growth of the graphic novel market. While young people’s leisure reading has plummeted during recent decades, the growth of the graphic novel category defies downward reading trends. Graphic novel sales have risen 110% since 2019—and the over 5 million people attending Comic Cons annually help drive demand. Graphic novels are the fastest growing category in libraries of all kinds.

As one donor tells us, “I’ve been trying to get my son to read Ayn Rand and he won’t do it… but he’ll read a graphic novel!”

Now we’re setting our sights higher, with our most ambitious artistic project to date: a graphic novel adaptation of The Fountainhead.

The Fountainhead will lapse into public domain in 2038. With 2023 marking the 70th anniversary of the publication of The Fountainhead, we thought it the perfect time to kick off work on adapting this epic novel to the graphic novel genre. We have partnered with Bosch Fawstin, an American cartoonist, artist and deep admirer of Rand’s literature to undertake this monumental creative project.

“I love this project, love the story, similar to how Roark loved designing his buildings. I will work around the clock if necessary…It’s a dream project, so thank you for giving me hope that it might have a chance to exist in the world.”

– Bosch Fawstin

“The launch of work on a graphic novel adaptation of The Fountainhead marks a shift in how we’re approaching our mission at The Atlas Society. We’re not just planning for the next quarter, the next year, or even a few years down the road—we’re also planning for the next decade, and the decades thereafter. Expect more of this. The best is yet to come.” –

Jennifer Anju Grossman, CEO

365 Days of Ayn Rand Inspiration

365 Days of Cats. 365 Days of Bible Verses. 365 Days of Shoes. You’ve seen those page-a-day calendars featuring everything from pets to recipes. Five years ago we decided to jump into this category with a 365 Days of Ayn Rand Inspiration daily calendar.

While artistically rendered Ayn Rand quotes are the main attraction, we also incorporate inspiration from thinkers ranging from Thomas Sowell to Frederick Douglass to the Austrian Economists—as well as modern day entrepreneurs, and our own scholars, with humorous graphics sprinkled into the mix.

“I love this calendar! I keep it on my coffee table and read the quote of the day out loud to my family when we sit down to watch TV at night. Sometimes I post them on my Instagram too.” – Lori B.

“I love the variety of perspectives, styles, vignettes, that capture the spirit of Ayn Rand each day. WELL DONE!!!! Thank you.” – Patrick P.

Photo of Pete Masterson’s refrigerator,

Production Manager at The Objective Standard

The Story of Greatville—A Children’s Book Partnership

Teens and young adults have options when it comes to Ayn Rand and Objectivism. But what about resources for conveying such values to young children? Sadly, there’s been very few…until now! The Atlas Society is excited to announce that we have partnered with author Mark Ensomme to promote his new book, The Story of Greatville: a Rhymed History Fable

Ensomme calls The Story of Greatville “a marriage of Ayn Rand and Dr. Seuss.”

The Story of Greatville is an anthem to the American ideals of individual rights, limited government, and free markets. This quick-paced, whimsical narrative tells the story of a land called Greatville that is founded on these principles.

Greatville becomes a haven of liberty for people all over and a beacon of hope for humanity as prosperity and innovation blossom. But in time, however, Greatville loses its way when the people abandon these ideals and become increasingly dependent on the government. Desperate for solutions as things collapse, the people call a meeting to find more government-based solutions. This meeting gets mired in bickering until a young girl— Arynda—delivers a powerful message, a message that unfortunately needs to be heard by young and old alike today in America.

Powerful and direct, yet witty and clever, this story is both a tribute to America and a warning that we have lost our way.

The Atlas Society is working to get Greatville into the hands of an even younger audience than those already consuming our Pocket Guides and Graphic Novels. You can buy Greatville for someone you know at atlassociety. org/books. The Atlas Society receives royalties for every copy sold!

“I really enjoyed reading it and how the author used quaint language to tell a tale that philosophers sometimes make boring.” – Kate J.

NEW & ALL TIME PUBLICATIONS

Red Pawn: The Graphic Novel

An early screenplay written by Ayn Rand that dramatizes both the horrors of collectivism and the timeless themes of individualism, heroism, and romantic love.

Print & Animated Series

ANTHEM: The Graphic Novel

Ayn Rand’s dystopian tale of a totalitarian society in which the word “I” has been lost—and the hero, Equality 7-2521, embarks on a journey of discovery and creation, regaining his liberty and purpose.

Print & Animated Series / Translated into Spanish

Pocket Guide to Terms

A glossary of 42 terms defined from an Objectivist perspective. Included are terms such as “egoism,” integrity,” “individualism,” and “sacrifice,” as well as others deserving wider acceptance.

Print & Kindle

Pocket Guide to Philosophies of Education

An early screenplay written by Ayn Rand that dramatizes both the horrors of collectivism and the timeless themes of individualism, heroism, and romantic love.

Print & Animated Series

Pocket Guide to Postmodernism

A concise guide to the fundamental ideas of postmodernism, summarizing Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault by Stephen Hicks, Ph.D.

Print, Kindle & Audible / Translated into Spanish

The 7 Habits of Highly Objective People

David Kelley, Ph.D. poses seven questions to ask ourselves in practicing the virtue of objectivity and maintaining our alignment with reality.

Print, Kindle & Audible / Translated into Spanish

Ayn Rand and Business Ethics

Stephen Hicks, Ph.D. applies Rand’s radical ethical perspective to key issues in business ethics as contrasted with perspectives based on the assumption of the amorality or immorality of business.

Print, Kindle & Audible / Translated into Spanish

Pocket Guide to Atlas Shrugged

A compact summary of the plot, theme and characters of Ayn Rand magnum opus.

Print, Kindle & Audible / Translated into Spanish

Pocket Guide to The Fountainhead

A thorough, quick, and easy-to-use readers’ reference including a complete plot synopsis of the novel and an alphabetical guide to the novel’s cast of characters.

Print Ayn Rand & Altruism

A series of essays, originally establishing that Rand’s definition of altruism—“the placing of others above self, of their interests above one’s own”—as identical to that originated by Auguste Comte, the 19th-century French philosopher.

Print / Translated into Spanish

Pocket Guide to Capitalism

Richard Salsman, Ph.D defends capitalism by explaining that it’s sustainable because it’s practical, moral, and egoistic.

Print & Kindle

Pocket Guide to Objectivism

Learn the basic pillars of Ayn Rand’s philosophy in a simple, digestible way to brush up on the basics of Objectivism, and find ways to apply these principles toward building your best life.

Print, Kindle & Audible / Translated into Spanish

NEW IN 2023

Pocket Guide to Self Interest

Rob Tracinski’s overview of Ayn Rand’s case for the morality of self-interest, contrasted with the common caricature of selfishness, presenting a vision of selfishness that is centered around work, achievement, and respect for rights.

Set to Release June 2023

TOP SECRET: The Graphic Novel

Movie producer Hal Wallis asked Ayn Rand to develop a script about the making of the atomic bomb. The film project, Top Secret never made it to fruition—but we believed that Rand’s ideation of the ingenuity required to achieve such an epic scientific feat bore unique relevance for our times.

We are honored to bring this story about the importance of entrusting technological powers to a free people and the value of the free exchange of ideas to people around the world—in print.

To Be Released in Late 2023, in Print

Pocket Guide to Socialism

Rob Tracinski’s capsule analysis of the history, economics and morality of socialism, contrasted with capitalism.

Set to Release October 2023

DISTRIBUTION UPDATE:

In 2022, we sent over 75,000 pocket guides & graphic novels to partner organizations such as:

• Shelters for battered women and the homeless

• Libraries including school libraries, public local libraries, and prison libraries

• Student Conferences hosted by our partners like Young Americans for Liberty, Turning Point USA, and Students for Liberty

• Comic Cons: coast-to-coast conventions for fans of comics and graphic novels

Distribution Spotlight:

Since 2021, The Atlas Society has partnered with ALED (Action for Liberty & Economic Development)—a libertarian think tank headquartered in Uganda, Africa, that empowers youth and women to advocate for their economic rights and freedom.

The Atlas Society delivers our publications to ALED through a local Ugandan print shop, and ALED distributes them at conferences all across Africa!

Most recently, ALED hosted the Africa Liberty Camp—an annual, regional free-market 3-day event—and passed out copies of Ayn Rand and Altruism, The 7 Habits of a Highly Objective People, and our Pocket Guides to Capitalism, Atlas Shrugged, Objectivism, Postmodernism, and The Fountainhead.

The event drew attendees and speakers from 8 different countries including South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Burundi, Nigeria. A huge THANK YOU to all of our donors who make these kinds of partnerships possible!

After interviewing Rainer Zitelmann, Ph.D., about his book The Rich in Public Opinion, in preparation for our interview with him, we decided to produce his book as an audiobook. The work presents Zitelmann’s findings on envy, including his Social Envy Coefficient, which indicates the ratio of social enviers to non-enviers in any given country. Originally published by the CATO Institute, The Atlas Society released our audiobook version in July of this year.

About the Author: German historian and sociologist, Rainer Zitelmann, Ph.D., taught academically before embarking on a successful career as an entrepreneur and real estate investor. His 25 books include The Power of Capitalism, The Art of a Successful Life, and Hitler’s National Socialism.

About the Book: According to Rainer, The Rich in Public Opinion “examines attitudes about wealth and the wealthy in four industrialized Western countries: Germany, the United States, France, and Great Britain. People often admire the wealthy, but…people can also envy them—a sometimes toxic envy that can put lives at risk.”

MEMBERS SING OUR SCHOLARS’ PRAISES!

“Y’all are rocking it! Richard Salsman has been one of my favorite thinkers/teachers for quite awhile. David Kelley is newer to me, but wow, what extraordinary depth there. You are all doing very important work.”

– Cynthia R.

“I have gained immensely, personally and intellectually, from listening and relistening to [David Kelley’s] recorded lectures”

– Walter W.

“[Stephen Hicks] He’s an excellent speaker and a first-rate thinker” – Nick D.

“[Stephen Hicks is] erudite and eloquent”

– Hossein P.

“I could listen to [Richard Salsman] for hours, following his reasoning and clarity. I have yet to find anything to disagree with.”

– Kate J.

“Another wonderful dose of Salsman! His presentation on Money was fascinating.”

– Dale B.

“I really enjoyed the last meeting with Professor Hill…I’m looking forward to more thoughts and discussions with him! Thank you for bringing him on board!”

– Annmarie S.

“Thank you [Professor Hill] for highlighting the freedom and singular American culture that we are throwing away with both hands. You are an inspiring example for your students—those who are brave enough to listen. Keep speaking The Truth.”

– Stephanie R.

“Robert Tracinski is the most compelling Objectivist intellectual working today.”

– George B.

“[Robert] Tracinski is always thoughtful, insightful, and articulate.” – Larry A.

BI-MONTHLY WEBINARS WITH OUR SCHOLARS

Inflation, school shootings, Ukraine, Roe vs. Wade—the events that dominate news headlines are frequently debated from a partisan perspective, but rarely illuminated from a philosophical, much less, Objectivist point of view.

That’s where The Atlas Society faculty comes in. This all-star team of academics and intellectuals are widely respected scholars in the fields of philosophy, political economy and foreign policy. In addition to their full-time careers teaching, researching, and publishing, they’ve contracted with us to conduct seminars, provide commentary on current events, write Pocket Guides, advise strategy, and speak on campuses, and at conferences.

This includes Morals & Markets with Richard Salsman, Ph.D., covering topics like “Collegiate Cronyism,” “Fascistic Stakeholder Capitalism,” and “Egoistic Foreign-Military Policy.” Also regular current-events webinars, where the scholars move beyond the sound bytes to deconstruct false narratives and provide in-depth analysis. They also host forums that explore specific philosophical themes, such as The Philosophy of History with Stephen Hicks and Robert Tracinski, or interviews in a “Scholars Ask Scholars” format.

These discussions have been downloaded over 3,000 times as podcasts, and 45,000 views across platforms. We’re growing a dedicated audience of viewers and listeners who are tuning out the noise and tuning in the signal when it comes to the philosophical principles that help us gain a better understanding of the world around us, and our role in it.

SCHOLARS

David Kelley, Ph.D.—Senior Scholar

• Atlas Society Founder and current trustee

• Most notable book he authored: The Art of Reasoning (1997)

Reviews and approves all of The Atlas Society’s blog-posted articles

Participates/contributes to weekly Clubhouse discussions

Hosts one Clubhouse session a month on a topic of choice

• Drafts fundraising emails and letters occasionally throughout the year

Richard Salsman, Ph.D.—Senior Scholar

• Professor of Political Economy at Duke University

Most recent book he authored: Where Have all the Capitalists Gone?

Essays in Moral Political Economy (2021)

Hosts quarterly Morals & Markets live sessions

• Responds to Instagram questions with one minute video responses on a monthly basis, called “Instagram Takeovers”

• Participates/contributes to weekly Clubhouse discussions

Attends Atlas University Speaker Bureau Events including partner conferences

Stephen Hicks, Ph.D.—Senior Scholar

• Professor of Philosophy at Rockford University

• Most notable book he authored: Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault (2004)

Attends Atlas University Speaker Bureau Events in the U.S. and abroad both in-person & virtually

• Hosts one Clubhouse session a month on topics of choice

Jason Hill Ph.D.—Senior Scholar

• Professor of Philosophy at DePaul University

Most recent book he authored: What Do White Americans Owe Black People: Racial Justice in the Age of Post-Oppression (2021)

Attends Atlas University Speaker Bureau Events

Rob Tracinski—Senior Fellow

Most notable book he authored: So Who Is John Galt Anyway?

A Reader’s Guide to Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged (2019)

• From inception to publication, created two of The Atlas Society pocket guides to be released in 2023 including the Pocket Guide to Self-Interest and the Pocket Guide to Socialism

• Hosts one Clubhouse session a month on topic of choice

Antonella Marty—Senior Fellow

• Most recent published book: Objectivismo: preguntas y respuestas (2022)

(Objectivism: Questions and Answers)

Manages the Spanish side of The Atlas Society including the Spanish-dedicated social media Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

• Represents The Atlas Society at various liberty/Libertarian events around the world

• Responds to Instagram questions with one minute video responses, called “Instagram Takeovers”

Translates Draw My life videos and publications into Spanish

In addition to curating content for our student conference, Galt’s Gulch Summit, all of our scholar faculty have a long list of other responsibilities— both Atlas Society-related and outside of our organization. They are all authors of multiple books of their own and most of them are full time college professors. Here is a snapshot of what each of them do to support our work at The Atlas Society…

ATLAS UNIVERSITY: EXPANDING OUR REACH

Atlas University provides students and young professionals with a deeper dive into Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, connecting them directly with our Senior Scholars and Fellows for both live and self-directed seminars, discussion groups, and courses.

In addition to expanding our online offerings, in 2023 we’re emphasizing in-person education through our Atlas University Speaker Bureau & inaugural student conference, the Galt’s Gulch Summit in Nashville, July 27–29th.

Atlas University Activism Kits: Distributed from California to Michigan

In addition to distributing our materials through partnerships and at events, in 2023 we began offering individual “Ayn Rand Starter Packs” that anyone can order for on-campus groups, book clubs, local libraries, homeschool groups, or even to distribute amongst friends and family.

Each kit includes our graphic novels (Anthem and Red Pawn), an assortment of Pocket Guides and merchandise such as our dollar sign pins, pens, and hats.

Morals & Markets: The Podcast

Morals and Markets is a 90-minute quarterly webinar hosted by Richard Salsman, Ph.D., a senior scholar at The Atlas Society as well as a professor of Political Economy at Duke University.

Professor Salsman began hosting Morals & Markets for alumni of his classes at Duke who wanted to continue engaging on contemporary topics at the intersection of ethics, politics, economics, and markets. In bringing his seminar to The Atlas Society, we began marketing this 90-minute webinar more widely, and also made it available for download as a podcast.

Recent sessions include Collegiate Cronyism, The ESG Virus, and Why MBAs Are Not Pro-Capitalist. In order to provide fresh content on a biweekly basis, we recently began uploading sessions “from the vault,” that Professor Salsman hosted before the Podcast launched.

BIGGEST DEBATE

OF THE

YEAR: OPEN VS CLOSED OBJECTIVISM –WITH STEPHEN HICKS & CRAIG BIDDLE

Watch here by using QR Code:

What is Objectivism? Is it limited to the philosophic ideas that Ayn Rand identified, developed, and integrated in her lifetime? Or is it open to revisions, additions, or subtractions—and, with such revisions, still properly called Objectivism?

Moreover, should Objectivists shun opportunities to discuss the philosophy with non-Objectivists—as tantamount to providing “moral sanction” to opposing views? Or, as Founder David Kelley has argued, should they commit to reasoned, nondogmatic discussion and debate, and adopt a policy of benevolence toward others, including fellow travelers and critics?

For decades, proponents of Closed Objectivism have refused to debate this topic. That changed on April 11th, when Senior Scholar Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., and Craig Biddle, Director of Education at The Objective Standard Institute, took the stage in a monumental event to explore Rand’s philosophy and its implications from these two differing points of view. Isidora Kolar, CEO of Ayn Rand Center Europe, moderated the discussion at her organization’s New Intellectuals Conference 2023 in Belgrade, Serbia.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM PROFESSOR HICKS:

“Objectivism is a philosophy. Philosophy is a science. Science is about discovery.”

Hicks quoting Ayn Rand: “A discovery cannot be patented…if he cares to make his discovery public, claiming it to be true, he cannot demand that men continue to pursue or practice falsehoods except by his permission.”

“Always remember the benevolence point. You’re doing philosophy with someone who likes, respects, or even loves Ayn Rand. And keep that as a governing part of your thinking about how you’re doing the debates.”

“Ayn Rand is complicated because in addition to being a philosopher, she’s also an artist. Art and science are related to each other, but also distinct in very important ways. Art is a personal creation by an individual. It brings something into existence that did not exist before and it would not have existed except for the unique contributions of the individual who created it. Science is different…When we are doing science, we are both doing the same reality and trying to identify the same reality. So science is about objective reality and identifying it.”

“Distributing these graphic novels to Turning Point USA events is like preaching to the choir, but when you hand them out at ComicCons, you are reaching a whole new audience,”

IMPACT STORY

HIGHLIGHT: JOSHUA-CALEB BARTON

- JOSHUA-CALEB BARTON

GALT’S GULCH SUMMIT

Background: Building on our long history of hosting summer conferences, The Atlas Society hosted our first conference specifically geared towards students in Nashville, Tennessee, July 27 – 29th. We designed Galt’s Gulch Summit to leverage the skill set of our all-star faculty in order to deepen young people’s understanding of Ayn Rand’s ideas and equip them with the philosophical tools necessary to think critically, act independently, set meaningful personal goals, and defend their rational selfinterest.

We kicked off this inaugural event with a modest budget and limited attendance to approximately 50 students and 50 donors. The conference included a variety of content curated by our scholars, including mock debates on college campus controversies, lectures on the morality of capitalism, and interactive seminars incorporating Ayn Rand’s literature and ideas.

Galt’s Gulch Summit Schedule

Who Needs Philosophy? – Stephen Hicks, Ph.D. The meaning, influence, and importance of philosophy for one’s life and the life of a nation.

The Nobility of Business: Purpose & Principles – James Lapeyre: Exploring the pivotal role of business in advancing human progress & examining how Objectivist principles help foster business growth and cultivate mutually beneficial relationships.

Israel: How Ayn Rand Can Clarify & Help – Michael Kauffman: A Practical review of the situation in Israel with Randian applications.

Campus Controversies: Mock Debates – Scholar Panel. Interactive sessions with scholars & students focused on common arguments students face on a daily basis such as: “real socialism hasn’t been tried yet,” “capitalism is exploitative,” and “America was built on slavery and remains systematically racist.”

Art: Model & Fuel For Life – Rob Tracinski: Ayn Rand’s view of the meaning and necessity of art.

Special Remarks – James O’Keefe, Keynote Speaker

Get Real: Objectivity & Objectivism – David Kelley, Ph.D. & Stephen Hicks, Ph.D.: The necessity of objectivity in thinking and valuing and why it’s the essence of Rand’s Objectivism.

The Virtue of Selfishness and the Selfishness of Virtue – Rob Tracinski: Ayn Rand’s case for a morality of rational self-interest.

Capitalism: The Premier Habitat For Humanity – Richard Salsman, Ph.D.: Discussing why capitalism is the only social system fit for the flourishing of rational human beings.

Objectivism Abroad panel – Director of Sociedad Atlas, Antonella Marty; Isidora Kolar, CEO of Ayn Rand Center Europe; Martin Hooss, Educational Content Creator at SFL; and Irakli Iagorashvili, CEO Ayn Rand Center Georgia: Discuss how Objectivism is perceived abroad and best practices in engaging new audiences with Rand’s literature and philosophy.

THE ATLAS SOCIETY AROUND THE GLOBE!

The Atlas Society had a busy 2022 speaking schedule, with the pace increasing in 2023 as speaking invitations and exhibiting opportunities continued to rise. Instead of just listing off all of the events, we decided to “draw you a picture,” with this map of the world charting our speakers’ and staff’s travels.

SFL NE Regional Conference

SOCIEDAD ATLAS—OUR OUTREACH TO THE SPANISH-SPEAKING WORLD

Three years ago we began translating some of our most popular “Draw My Life” videos into Spanish, and the enthusiastic response inspired us to experiment with additional Spanish language content, culminating with the launch of a dedicated division within The Atlas Society for Latin America and Iberian audiences: Sociedad Atlas.

Director, Antonella Marty, is a widely recognized author of 5 books and internationally sought after speaker. In addition to representing The Atlas Society at venues worldwide, Marty curates Sociedad Atlas’ Spanish language social media channels, conducts live interviews, and oversees our Spanish-language translation projects.

“Among the many projects of The Atlas Society, I especially applaud your bringing Objectivism to young people in Central and South America. This will surely add to their “Cultural Capital,” as Tupy & Pooley describe in their book ‘ Superabundance,’ and that can only benefit us here in the US.” – Terrance L.

Books Published by Antonella Marty & The Atlas Society

2022: Objectivismo: Preguntas y Respuestas (Objectivism: Questions and Answers)

Since the release of this book, Antonella has produced over 30 short videos about Ayn Rand’s ideas for circulation on social media covering topics related to Open Objectivism and Ayn Rand’s literature. More than a million people in Latin America have viewed the content.

2023: Los Atlas de América Latina (The Atlases of Latin America)

Over the past year, Marty has been conducting interviews with entrepreneurs throughout Latin America about their creative vision for their businesses, and how they navigate the regulatory and bureaucratic obstacles imposed by Latin American governments, which hinder growth and job creation. Some of those entrepreneurs include: Veronica Razzini, Director of MEAB, Sebastian Sosa, Director of REMAX in Latin America, and Marcelo Martínez, President of Café Martínez, among others.

Worldwide Social Media Engagement

Sociedad Atlas social media pages—Facebook, Instagram and Twitter—now have a cumulative following of over 12,000!

Media Appearances and Op-Eds

Antonella Marty has written more than 20 op-eds in the last year and has been interviewed on mainstream media platforms across Latin America and Spain.

Marty met with Begoña Villacís, the deputy mayor of Madrid, Spain, to whom she gave a collection of Ayn Rand’s books and Atlas Society publications.

THE POWER OF TRANSLATED CONTENT…

While our 40 animated Draw My Life videos have drawn 42M+ total views—our 40 foreign language adaptations have doubled that exposure (total views 84M+)—and that’s just with translations into 10 different languages.

Why those languages? In some cases, a donor has commissioned adaptations for regions they care about. In other cases we’ve done videos about particular places—e.g. Ukraine, Hong Kong, etc. and decided to adapt into native languages. Yet in others, we are experimenting with languages of countries with less restrictive social media regulations.

Then as we begin to gain traction in one region—for example, Latin America and the Middle East—we build on that success, by serving up more adaptations to a specific growing audience. To provide context for those two markets: our most popular English language video attracted 2M+ views, compared with 3.5M views for our most popular Spanish language video (about Venezuela) and 8M+ views for our most popular Arabic language video (about lululemon founder Chip Wilson).

ANTHEM: The Graphic Novel in SPANISH

Thanks to a very special donor, we are finally able to tackle our biggest translation project to date: adapting ANTHEM: The Graphic Novel into Spanish—with publication scheduled for late summer 2023. With additional donor support, we plan to then turn to the painstaking work of adapting all 18 episodes of the animated video series based on ANTHEM: The Graphic Novel into Spanish as well. When we take our most popular graphic novel to student conferences, events, and Comic Cons—we will now be able to offer the publication in Spanish, as well, to any who request it.

DRAW MY LIFE VIDEO LIBRARY— 40 STRONG (IN ENGLISH ALONE!)

Seven years ago, with a minuscule production budget for video content, we turned to a genre popularized by celebrities: “Draw My Life” videos, in which the subject draws and narrates their life in a few minutes span.

We started with “My Name is Ayn Rand,” in which our CEO Jennifer Grossman wrote, drew and narrated (with a Russian accent) Rand’s life. Though we had just a fraction of our current social media following (about onefifth the size on Facebook alone), the video quickly went viral, racking up a million views within weeks.

We knew we were on to something, and so began upscaling our production value (but never too much— the currency of the genre is its immediacy and authenticity). Since then we’ve produced 40 original Draw My Life videos—dramatizing subjects ranging from concepts (Envy, Victimhood, Property Rights, Postmodernism, Socialism, Capitalism, Democracy) to people (Frederick Douglass, Ludwig von Mises, Peter Diamandis, Karl Marx), to places (Cuba, New York, Hong Kong, Iran) to characters from Rand’s novels (Kira Argounova, Howard Roark, Francisco D’Anconia, Dagny Taggart, Hank Rearden, Ragnar Danneskjöld).

In each video, the heroes (or villains) recount their origin stories, setbacks, breakthroughs, allies and nemeses, a narrative approach which helps viewers connect with abstract ideas, and understand larger themes, seamlessly unrolling in a high stakes, suspenseful narrative.

CUMULATIVE ENGLISH VIDEO VIEWS=

42M+

CUMULATIVE TRANSLATED VIDEO VIEWS =

82M+

TOP PERFORMING LANGUAGE → ARABIC

SPANISH, FRENCH, PORTUGUESE, HINDI, TRANSLATED LANGUAGES

Draw My Life Videos All Time

My Name is Ayn Rand

My Name is Envy

My Name is Money

My Name is Greed

My Name is Frederick Douglass

My Name is Victimhood

My Name is Socialism

My Name is America

My Name is Gratitude

My Name is Chip Wilson

My Name is Hong Kong

My Name is Coronavirus

My Name is Von Mises

My Name is Bernie Sanders

My Name is Venezuela

My Name is Property Rights

My Name is Free Speech

My Name is Postmodernism

My Name is Peter Diamandis

My Name is Kira Argounova

My Name is New York City

My Name is Mars

My Name is Cancel Culture

My Name is Howard Roark

My Name is Capitalism

My Name is Objectivism

My Name is Ukraine

My Name is Karl Marx

My Name is Critical Race Theory

My Name is Francisco d’Anconia

My Name is Cuba

My Name is Crypto

My Name is Energy

My Name is Democracy

My Name is Woman

My Name is Oil

My Name is Iran

My Name is Hank Rearden

My Name is Dagny Taggart

My Name is Ragnar Danneskjöld

To Be Released:

My Name is Finance

My Name is Misinformation

My Name is Ricardo Salinas

My Name is Ronald Reagan

GEORGIAN, JAPANESE, HEBREW, VIETNAMESE, ARABIC, UKRAINIAN

3 YEARS RUNNING— WEEKLY WEBINAR SERIES

Our Live webinar series “The Atlas Society Asks” has aired consistently every single week. By the end of 2023, we will have hosted our 184th episode.

We livestream the interviews on six separate platforms—Zoom, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube—with upwards of 180,000 viewers per episode, incorporating live audience questions in addition to those posed by host Jennifer Grossman.

Every week we invite entrepreneurs, economists, philosophers, artists, authors and other great minds including Art Laffer, Steve Forbes, Peter Diamandis, Chip Wilson, novelist Jack Carr, etc.

What goes into every episode…

Many organizations started their own version of a webinar or podcast in response to the events in 2020, but few have achieved the consistency—and consistently high quality—like we have on The Atlas Society Asks. Our dedicated viewers can count on us to host a webinar every Wednesday and walk away from the discussion guaranteed to have learned something new.

What shows up on screen is a lively discussion, fresh insights, and seamless production value. What viewers don’t see is the off-screen prep and logistics, involving countless hours of

research, outreach, follow-up, and technical optimization including:

• Guest selection: tracking new book releases, rising stars, prominent prospects with Rand connections

• Booking: Finding best point of contact, reaching out, multiple follow-ups, cultivating relationships with agents, publishers, support staff

“Jennifer is scary smart. She remembered everything I said in the first conversation, 6 months ago. Very impressive. It was an honor for me. Thank you.” – Paul Johnson (our 150th guest on The Atlas Society Asks)

• Researching guests’ history, interests and accomplishments

• Reading guests’ books and articles, watching/listening to previous interviews, to meticulously prepare questions

• Creating custom graphics to promote the interviews on social media, in our newsletter, and on our website

• Live streaming the event on Zoom, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn—where we collect live questions submitted on various platforms

• Uploading recorded interviews to multiple podcast platforms including Spotify, Google Play, Apple Podcasts and Audible, and

What goes into every episode…

uploading the video footage to YouTube and our website

• Selecting interviews for transcription and publication for viewers who prefer a readable format, mining the transcripts for quotes to graphically render for social media

• Personalized “thank you” notes to past guests, as well as follow-ups with new Zoom attendees to solicit feedback

From the United Kingdom to Israel to Switzerland— our guests hail from around the world, often with already dedicated fan bases. We leverage these interviews not only to bring value to our existing viewers, but also to reach new audiences who may be unfamiliar with Ayn Rand, and the work of The Atlas Society.

2024 Presidential Candidate Larry Elder!

Feedback:

“I am a huge fan and devotee of Leopold [Ajami] so this was a most enjoyable treat for me. I liked Jennifer’s easy breezy laid back approach to this interview. They both had a delightful attitude towards one another.” – Xavier Hart

• “It was a delightful conversation. Zuby is about as genuine a reason-driven human being can be nowadays. He is also fresh and wholesome politically and a great ally to Objectivists. Great booking!” – JP S.

• “ I LOVED the interview with Mark Pelegrino!” – Sandy P.

“Thanks for the excellent talk by Naomi Wolf. I liked her hopeful view that Americans want liberty! – Tony B.

• I really enjoyed what [Jeremy S. Adams] had to say. I’m a teacher and a mom and spend a lot of time learning about the dangers of the Internet for kids. I share his concern about this generation and the future…I was referred to the webinar by a friend who is, and knows I am, passionate about this topic, protecting kids and helping the next generation. – Milena T.

Have a suggestion and a good contact for someone you think we should interview? Email webinars@atlassociety.org

THE TOP TWO CLUBHOUSE SESSIONS OF 2023:

Richard Salsman’s Disgust/Hatred of Finance with 742 listeners!

“In a real world capitalist system, money is not this floating abstraction, printed without limit and invertible into nothing. That’s the status of the system. So we have a very sad situation today where people may come to hate finance because the government has corrupted it.” – Richard

Salsman, Ph.D.

Richard Salsman and David Kelley’s AntiSemitism & Anti-Capitalism with 701 listeners!

“Human beings have some kind of proclivity toward tribalism that can be motivated by lots of things, including, you know, financial grievances about not getting paid. There’s a long, long, sorry, history of all kinds of such tribal, in-group preference. But we have reason and free will, and we can choose not to indulge any such proclivity.”

– David Kelley, Ph.D.

Leisure reading among young people has plummeted 85% since the 1970s. Though we may not like this trend, it’s a fact. 98% of young adults aged 18 to 24 use social media on a regular basis today, so The Atlas Society set out to dominate social media platforms popular with that age bracket with short-form content to build a distribution network, where we then upsell opportunities for deeper intellectual exploration.

Every week we post over 50 pieces of unique content, ranging from graphic memes featuring quotes by Ayn Rand, to graphically rendered statistics, to humorous posts, to video content. Over the past few years we’ve expanded onto new platforms popular with our target demographic (e.g., Instagram and TikTok), gradually stepped up the frequency and variety of content posted, organically increasing both the number of people following our feeds and (more importantly) exponentially increasing engagement (comments, shares, likes).

As a result, we’ve built a social media behemoth, dwarfing other objectivist & libertarian accounts—as well as major socialist/progressive accounts, on nearly every platform. A few metrics over the last year to highlight:

WE’VE BUILT A SOCIAL MEDIA BEHEMOTH 2022 vs. 2023

16.1M VIDEO VIEWS vs. 82M VIDEO VIEWS

23.9M ENGAGEMENTS vs. 36.8M ENGAGEMENTS

9K FOLLOWERS ON vs. 32K FOLLOWERS

36K FOLLOWERS ON vs. 65K FOLLOWERS

AND FOLLOWERS HAVE NEARLY DOUBLED

HOW BIG IS THE ATLAS SOCIETY’S REACH ONLINE, REALLY?

The Atlas Society now has the largest and has the most engaged socialmedia following in the Objectivist space on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok. If there are people out there searching for a community centered around Ayn Rand’s ideas, they are finding The Atlas Society. Without naming names, how does The Atlas Society match up with other Objectivist accounts on social media?

Fig. 1 and 2 illustrate the snapshot in time last year where we overtook the other org. on Twitter as well as LinkedIn.

While growth in audience size can be a meaningful metric, it can also be deceiving. Organizations that pour resources into advertising for “likes,” while neglecting to develop a meaningful content strategy invariably result in the paradox of massive audiences with minimal engagement.

A far more meaningful metric is Average Per Post Engagement (or APPE), that represents how many people comment, share and like EACH PIECE of content we post to our social media accounts. By spring of 2023, our APPE had grown to 40K.

In other words, EACH of the roughly 50 pieces of content (graphics, quotes, videos) prompts on average tens of thousands comments, shares and likes–on our page and the pages to which our content is shared. That translates into MILLIONS of engagements a week—and that’s just on Facebook, one of the eight platforms we manage.

What accounts for this phenomenal engagement? It’s not just provocative, inspiring and often funny graphics and posts. It’s the fact that in our content community—the conversations, debates, and back and forth that follow in the comment sections—our followers come for the posts, but they stay for the lively discussions they spark.

HIGHEST PERFORMING CONTENT!

The Atlas Society Now on Substack!

We’re always looking for creative ways to reach new audiences, which is why The Atlas Society is now LIVE on Substack—the increasingly goto platform for independent journalism. Whether it is our weekly newsletter, Zoom webinars, or podcast content, this all-in-one place will make sure that you never miss what The Atlas Society has to offer.

We hope you will follow us on Substack and help us to introduce new audiences to Objectivism and Ayn Rand. Subscribe Today!

Engagements refer to the number of comments, likes, shares and reactions across our social media platforms.

Over the last few years we have received a significant number of requests from donors to be connected with other Objectivists in their area. In response we launched our regional chapter program this year!

The 3 inaugural chapters included:

• Greater Philadelphia

• Greater Boston

• Southern California

We anticipate the number of Chapters to grow quickly across the United States! Sign up here to be added to an existing chapter or to be notified when a Chapter begins near you.

THE ATLAS SOCIETY GALA 2022 & 2023

The Atlas Society’s annual gala continues to be our largest fundraising event of the year and the perfect opportunity to bring our members together to celebrate the ideas of Ayn Rand—and our work in spreading them. It’s also the most effective means of attracting new donors to support The Atlas Society as honorees and other speakers to help promote our work to their audiences. For example, after our 2022 honoree, Michael Saylor, shared our video of his gala acceptance speech, it attracted 150K+ views on YouTube in a matter of hours.

It was our pleasure to have our 2020 honoree, Peter Diamandis, present the Lifetime Achievement award to Michael Saylor, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Microstrategy, at our 6th annual gala in Malibu, California.

Additionally, for the first time ever, we included daytime programming prior to the gala for all of the event attendees. This seminar featured panels with all of our scholars and Saylor himself—discussing everything from Objectivism to Bitcoin, technology, and politics. During the panel about Bitcoin, Saylor observed:

“Satoshi essentially said: We know we can’t win as long as we hold the currency of a corrupt government. Both he and John Galt are heroic figures who said: You’re in a no-win situation as long as you stay in a corrupt system. You need to depart the system. One of them gives a solution of Galt’s Gulch and the strike, and the other one gives a solution to shift your money to cyberspace.”

This year’s gala promises to be our most spectacular yet, with an international lineup of speakers, entertainment, and networking on the Miami waterfront.

The 2023 theme is James Bond—fitting for our *007th* gala—and we are honoring Ricardo Salinas, renowned Mexican entrepreneur and philanthropist. As founder and chairman of Grupo Salinas, his business empire extends across multiple industries, including media, telecommunications, retail, and financial services.

Michael Saylor will present the award to Mr. Salinas on October 5th, 2023, at The Frost Science in Miami Florida. We hope you will consider joining us for this special event.

Email atlasgala@atlassociety.org with any questions about the event.

LEGACY DONOR HIGHLIGHT BOB POOLE & LOU VILLADSEN

Bob Poole is widely recognized as “the father of the privatization movement” in the United States and abroad. An MIT-trained engineer, he has advised administrations both domestic and international on privatization and transportation policy.

His interest in transportation began early, recalling the Lionel trains that took up half of his small bedroom, and childhood days building plastic model airplanes and ships. His father’s job with Eastern Airlines allowed the family to take frequent plane trips for free back when air travel was very expensive. When regulations prevented Eastern Airlines from getting the route from Miami to Los Angeles (preventing him and his family from visiting newly opened Disneyland) he began taking an interest in government regulation.

At MIT, the course “Modern Western Ideas and Values” introduced him to Enlightenment thinkers such as David Hume, John Locke, Adam Smith, and John Stuart Mill. “That course was a breakthrough…and really prepared my way for reading Ayn Rand.”

His libertarian-leaning classmates were shocked he’d yet to read Atlas Shrugged, an omission he remedied on summer vacation back home in Miami.

“I carried around the paperback book on my summer job with the telephone company…and wow! It inspired me to dream about someday working with ideas and making this a freer country.”

After graduation, while working in engineering at Sikorsky Aircraft, he came across the fledgling Reason magazine, and got to know its founder Lanny Friedlander. He wrote a cover story on airline deregulation that attracted serious attention, launching Bob on a path which would later

culminate in key advisory work with federal agencies and members of Congress aimed at major changes in US aviation policy.  Meanwhile, Bob and Objectivist scholar Tibor Machan hatched a plan to take Reason magazine to the next level.

“We rounded up our wives…a libertarian lawyer named Manny Klausner in LA, and my former MIT roommate, raised a few thousand dollars from friends…and somehow had enough naive good luck that we built the magazine’s circulation from 400 to 10,000 in 7 years.” In 1978, Bob co-founded the Reason Foundation and became its president for 22 years.

Bob appeared on a recent episode of The Atlas Society Asks webinar series, where he reflected on transportation, supply chain challenges, the unfortunate politicization of US infrastructure policy, and the personal inspiration he’s drawn from the writings of both Ayn Rand and Robert Heinlein.

A longtime friend and supporter of The Atlas Society, we are honored to have been included in his legacy plans.

David Kelley, Ph.D., reflects that when he founded The Atlas Society, he sought advice and partnership: “Bob Poole was on the top of my list…I was grateful for his warm welcome. He has been important to TAS in many ways: as a contributor; as a friend I could turn to for advice on programs and personnel; and as a member of our Board of Trustees (2006-12).”

Bob and his brilliant wife Lou Villadsen enjoy attending Atlas Society events, when Lou isn’t cutting and fashioning her own historical costumes for attending medieval reenactment events of the Society for Creative Anachronism.

Bob particularly applauds the growth of our faculty: “It’s exciting to see this cadre of scholars deciding to affiliate with The Atlas Society.”

You can help to ensure future generations learn about the values that foster a free and prosperous society by donating to The Atlas Society through your estate plans.

To increase your philanthropic impact by making a revocable gift—which doesn’t require any upfront commitment of cash or other assets—consider an estate gift through your will, living trust or other beneficiary accounts. Learn more by visiting atlassociety.org/legacy.

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THE ATLAS SOCIETY

By supporting our work, you are actively introducing young minds to the ideas of Ayn Rand, many who are hearing of her literature and philosophy for the first time.

You’re imparting the conviction that ideas matter, knowledge matters, and truth matters.

We profoundly appreciate your contributions, big or small. They enable us to cultivate a society that embraces reason, individuality, freedom, and achievement.

Our board of trustees have a unique, and generous match in place that applies to ALL of our donors.

New Donors = Support is Matched

Lapsed Donors = Support is Matched

Current Donors = Increased Support is Matched

The Atlas Society saw a 64% increase in donations from NEW donors in 2022!

Make a donation today to support the work at The Atlas Society, and join the ranks of the men and women around the world who make all of the progress in this report possible.

GiftsMatching = Your Donation x2!GiftsMatching = Your Donation x2!

GROWTH YEAR OVER YEAR

Mission

The Atlas Society’s mission is to inspire people to embrace reason, achievement, benevolence, and ethical self-interest as the moral foundation for political liberty, personal happiness, and a flourishing society.

We build on Ayn Rand’s works and ideas, and use artistic and other creative means to reach and inspire new audiences.

We promote an open and empowering brand of Objectivism; we welcome engagement with all who honestly seek to understand the philosophy, and we use reason, facts, and open debate in the search for truth above all else; we do not appeal to authority or conflate personalities with ideas.

We resist moral judgment without adequate facts, and believe disagreement does not necessarily imply evasion.

Board of Trustees

James M. “Jay” Lapeyre, Jr.

David Kelley, Ph.D.

John Aglialoro

Clifford S. Asness, Ph.D.

Peter P. Copses

Franklin Brooks, AIA