Maintenance: Stewart Brand on Long-Term Thinking, Musk and Bezos

Published: 26 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

Stewart Brand has spent decades thinking big, thinking long, and shaping perspectives on the future. His focus keyword is “maintenance,” a concept he now explores with the same intensity as space exploration and computing. The 87-year-old visionary first gained fame with the Whole Earth Catalog, which encouraged readers to think expansively about tools, ideas, and life itself. Brand’s work has spanned counterculture, technology, and environmentalism, bridging the 1960s San Francisco movement with today’s Silicon Valley innovators. He describes his philosophy as actively seeking solutions rather than passively accepting the way things unfold, a principle that continues to guide his projects.

Brand’s latest book, Maintenance: Of Everything, Part One, takes a concept that many consider mundane and reveals its underlying significance in society, industry, and technology. The book is the first of a projected thirteen volumes exploring literal and systemic maintenance. Brand sees maintenance as essential to everything: machines, communities, institutions, and even life itself. “Maintenance is what keeps everything going,” he explains from his library in Petaluma, California, not far from his houseboat in Sausalito. His curiosity spans continents and disciplines, a trait evident in the breadth of topics in his new book.

The first instalment focuses on tangible maintenance: machinery, infrastructure, and historical examples of human ingenuity. Brand explores vehicle production, round-the-world yacht racing, and even the refurbishment of the Statue of Liberty. His military service in the early 1960s informs his insight into maintenance’s strategic importance, highlighting how equipment reliability has determined the outcomes of conflicts. He contrasts the M16 rifle’s precision with the AK-47’s simplicity, demonstrating how ease of repair can influence lives during war. Brand also notes Russia’s initial struggles in Ukraine, attributing early failures in part to poorly maintained vehicles.

Brand admires Elon Musk’s approach to engineering and maintenance. He praises Tesla’s innovation, such as designing the Model Y’s underbody from just two cast aluminium pieces, reducing potential mechanical failures. Brand likens this to Henry Ford’s early automobile production, highlighting the transformative effects of simplifying and improving maintenance processes. He sees this as progress, arguing that technology evolves not only through functionality but also through resilience and reduced failure points. Fewer parts, simpler systems, and improved efficiency all contribute to longevity in machinery and society alike.

The modern expectation that objects should work flawlessly also fascinates Brand. Contemporary consumers rarely maintain products themselves, yet modern tools and online resources, like YouTube tutorials, empower individuals to repair items when needed. Brand sees this paradox as a sign of progress, demonstrating human adaptation to a maintenance-aware culture without requiring constant manual effort. He believes the availability of information and guidance allows society to maintain systems more effectively than ever before, even if hands-on involvement is optional.

Brand’s understanding of maintenance extends to institutions and societal systems. He discusses the recent Davos forum, observing the geopolitical tension surrounding Greenland and the apparent rupture in the global rules-based order. He compares institutional failures to consumer objects that no longer function as expected. Brand notes that while some structures may falter, others will adapt or evolve, suggesting that maintenance at a societal level involves observation, repair, and incremental improvement. He stresses that resilience requires awareness of both positive and negative potential outcomes and a willingness to act proactively.

The Long Now Foundation exemplifies Brand’s commitment to long-term thinking. Co-founded thirty years ago with Danny Hillis, the foundation encourages reflection on humanity’s past and future over millennia. The Clock of the Long Now, a mechanical timepiece designed to measure 10,000 years, represents this philosophy. Buried in a Texas mountaintop on land donated by Jeff Bezos, the clock merges engineering, art, and experience. Brand envisions it as an enduring institution, inspiring future generations to contemplate responsibility, ingenuity, and continuity over time.

Brand’s approach has always blended global scope with individual empowerment. The Whole Earth Catalog exemplified this ethos, providing tools, books, and resources to explore alternative lifestyles and ideas. Its famous opening line, “We are as gods and might as well get good at it,” captures the spirit of agency and responsibility that Brand has advocated for decades. The catalog facilitated personal creativity while fostering awareness of broader environmental and technological implications. Brand’s work encouraged readers to consider their capacity to influence systems, from the smallest projects to global initiatives.

The counterculture often contrasted technologists with environmentalists, yet Brand navigated both perspectives. He championed computing, space exploration, and psychedelics while recognizing ecological concerns. For example, he highlights the iconic NASA “Earthrise” image as a technological product that catalysed environmental awareness, showing how progress in one domain can positively influence another. This synthesis of seemingly contradictory interests defined Brand’s career and contributed to his enduring relevance.

Brand also embraced the early digital era, participating in landmark events like the 1968 “mother of all demos” and launching the Whole Earth ’Lectronic Link, a proto-social media platform. He foresaw the potential of online communities and information sharing, coining influential phrases like “information wants to be free.” Many of his collaborators later founded Wired magazine, shaping the modern technology landscape. Brand’s foresight demonstrates how long-term thinking, combined with adaptability, can create lasting cultural and technological impact.

Despite his association with Silicon Valley ideals, Brand has maintained a nuanced view of technology’s role. He recognises the benefits of personal computing, smartphones, and the internet, while acknowledging the potential drawbacks. He describes himself as ambivalent toward figures like Bezos and Musk, appreciating their achievements yet noting that progress is rarely purely beneficial. Brand’s perspective balances idealism with realism, highlighting both opportunities and responsibilities inherent in technological advancement.

Physical maintenance has been central to Brand’s personal life as well. A lifelong sailor and hiker, he began CrossFit in his seventies, building remarkable strength and resilience. Although now living with a progressive respiratory illness, he continues to exercise and maintain activity levels, reflecting his lifelong commitment to the principles he studies. Brand expresses gratitude for his life, acknowledging both its limitations and remarkable experiences, demonstrating an enduring optimism shaped by decades of long-term observation and experimentation.

Brand’s philosophy emphasizes incremental improvement and active participation in shaping the future. He encourages individuals to recognise undesirable trends, identify positive scenarios, and act toward the outcomes they value most. Through practical engagement and thoughtful foresight, Brand believes people and institutions can collectively negotiate a more desirable future. His approach combines meticulous observation, creativity, and perseverance, showing that even complex systems, from machinery to society, can be maintained and improved over time.

Stewart Brand’s life exemplifies curiosity, agency, and long-term thinking, revealing the connections between individual action and societal progress. By framing seemingly ordinary processes like maintenance in the context of global systems, he underscores the importance of observation, innovation, and responsibility. From the Whole Earth Catalog to the Long Now Foundation, Brand has consistently demonstrated that thoughtful intervention, careful planning, and continuous care can profoundly shape human experience. Even in later life, his optimism and dedication remind us that improvement, resilience, and creative problem-solving remain within reach.

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