Theo Baker - click that link. If you do, you'll be taken to Baker's "Author Website." Baker is a young person who has not yet graduated from college, but he is slated to do so soon (or maybe he will have already done so by the time you read this). Also coming soon (or probably already here, by the time you read this) is Baker's book, published by Penguin Random House. Baker has titled his book, How To Rule The World.
How To Rule The World is subtitled as follows: "An Education In Power At Stanford University." If you have already read, Palo Alto: A History Of California, Capitalism, And The World, you will be well-prepared, I think, for what Theo Baker has to say about Stanford.
You can also prepare yourself for Baker's book by reading his opinion column, published in the Sunday, May 17, 2026, edition of The New York Times. To make that easy for you, I am providing a link to Baker's opinion piece, which is an engaging exploration of the following topic: "What A.I. Did To My College Class." Among other things, A.I. turned 49% of Baker's fellow students at Stanford into persons who have self-confessed their willingness to engage in whatever academic cheating might be necessary to make sure that they don't ever fail a test. Baker reports that Stanford University has essentially tossed out its long term, and much-admired, "Honor Code," indicating that the University is, quite clearly, nothing if not realistic about who they're now dealing with.
Since I am a graduate of Stanford University myself (B.A. in History, 1965, with Honors In Social Thought and Institutions), I am particularly interested in the latest news about Stanford. It's not heartening, particularly the reports from Baker on the university's current focus on making money as the main reason to show up and attend (until you get a better offer, that is).
My out-of-county relatives have been contacting me, recently, telling me that they hear that I'm "depressed." They want to cheer me up!
Well, I like to think that I'm not really "depressed," but news like the news I am reporting here isn't exactly encouraging or uplifting. Do I have some prescription that could cure the disease that Baker is reporting on, with reference to my old alma mater?
I keep thinking that I might. Maybe I should write a book, I keep thinking. Maybe, "How To Rule The World"? Well, probably not - and that's been done, anyway, as now you know. What about this for a title: "How To Change The World"? I have some ideas about that, and cheating will not be required!
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