About Scott Phillips
Scott Phillips writes an eclectic mix of fiction and nonfiction. In fiction, he writes geopolitical and spy thrillers: The Prague Deception, The Climate Fixer, Phantom Beach, and The Billionaire Zoo (a sardonic sci-fi take on AI and the Techno-Optimist billionaires of Silicon Valley). Currently in the works is a novel on a fictional Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan. His nonfiction covers geopolitics, Grand Strategy, futures thinking, and technology (Space, AI, Robotics) as well as contemporary geopolitical conflicts.
Scott's first career was as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa. He later served at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. His second career was in Information Technology at Accenture (a Fortune 500 technology consulting firm) for over 20 years, working on Cloud and AI. He is married with two daughters and lives in Portland, Oregon.
Books by Scott Phillips
The Billionaire Zoo (Fiction — Oct 27, 2025)
A sardonic sci-fi take on the Singularity, AI, and the Techno-Optimist billionaires of Silicon Valley. When Kevin Shief, a legendary tech mogul, is revived from cryogenic suspension in 2137, he expects to be the richest man in history. Instead, he is a patient. A specimen. A subject in someone else's research project.
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2045: Saudi Arabia's Space Colony (Nonfiction — Sept 9, 2025)
A futures thinking scenario that shows how smaller countries may soon rival superpowers in space exploration and colonization. This nonfiction roadmap explores why countries beyond America, China, and Russia may soon build major projects in space.
Key ideas explored: Saudi Arabia as a "Vision State for Space" — possessing the leadership, national vision, financial resources, and growing technology capabilities to go further than any other nation. The possibility of building the first space station with artificial gravity, leveraging falling launch costs from SpaceX's Starship and commercial space station companies seeded by NASA. And the provocative thesis that Neom's The Line mega-project could serve as a large-scale "Biosphere-like" space habitat prototype designed to mimic the environment of a space habitat for 1,000-5,000+ inhabitants (a la Biosphere), becoming a unique global magnet for science and engineering investment at scale and for the development and testing of technology innovations needed to build humanity's future in space.
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The American Dream vs. Vladimir Putin (Nonfiction — Sept 12, 2024)
A Grand Strategy for defeating Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine. This book proposes a nonviolent strategy to increase political pressure on Putin by competing for what he fears losing most: Russia's population. It advocates for opening America to mass Russian emigration through 10 million+ American Freedom Visas.
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The New Frontier Playbook (Nonfiction — June 29, 2024)
A political economic plan for a future in space that delivers a vast payoff in public value. Minimum wage jobs paying $250/hour. Five-year contracts ending with $1M in savings. An economy in space operating at exponentially higher prices and wages than Earth.
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Phantom Beach (Fiction — June 27, 2024)
A US Navy officer uncovers a deadly conspiracy of piracy and mass murder in Southeast Asia. When a cargo ship disappears with all hands, Commander Nick Dwyer is sent to Bangkok to investigate, thrust into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse from Bangkok to London to Mumbai.
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TSMC: China's Golden Goose or Poison Pill? (Nonfiction — June 16, 2024)
A geopolitical strategy analysis on Taiwan's semiconductor champion and its impact on the risk of war in East Asia. The book explores two fundamental misunderstandings: (1) that China can seize control and operate TSMC's factories — they depend on a complex Western ecosystem of equipment, chemicals, materials, and skilled resources that would cease functioning in a conflict; the U.S. "Broken Nests" deterrence theory is a fundamental misread since China will not expect TSMC to continue operating if it attacks Taiwan; (2) that China cares more about the potential economic harm from invading Taiwan than the political goal of reunification — evidence suggests China has prepared through economic insulation, import substitution, and military buildup, and has actively chosen to prioritize political goals over economic ones.
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The Climate Fixer (Fiction — March 4, 2024)
A climate vigilante executes a plot to save the Amazon rainforest from climate change. A clandestine rebel, code-named Xavier, leads a global conspiracy to reverse climate change. Their first campaign: save Brazil's Amazon rainforest from an impending tipping point.
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University of America (Nonfiction — January 20, 2014)
A roadmap to reinventing higher education in America to reduce costs by 90% or more and increase students by 4X. A conceptual model that dramatically reduces barriers to entry for college education for adult Americans.
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The Moral Case on Outsourcing (Nonfiction — July 23, 2012)
A nuanced exploration of the business and ethics of the global outsourcing industry. Provides a comprehensive look at the social, political, and moral implications of outsourcing, directly confronting conventional wisdom on both sides.
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The Prague Deception (Fiction — March 12, 2010)
An agent races to stop a crime that could destroy the NATO Alliance. On the eve of a critical NATO Summit in Prague, Major Mitchell Crane has just five days to stop a conspiracy that will damage the Alliance at its most vulnerable moment.
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Projects
In Progress: Taiwan Blockade (Novel)
Scott is currently writing about the flashpoint that could start the next World War: China's goal of reunifying with Taiwan, by force if necessary. ETC: 2026.
Ideation: Kyiv:Resilience
Writing about the daily acts of bravery of the people of Kyiv carrying on while under a barbaric air assault and land war not seen in Europe since World War 2.
Deployed: The New Frontier Playbook (Interactive Site)
An interactive learning resource with a public survey and teaching materials. Visit: www.newfrontierplaybook.com
Deployed: Climate Future Institute
A project to envision the possibility of a bold new climate change institute in Portland's Washington Park. Visit: climatefutureinstitute.org
Deployed: AIReadMe.org
An experimental project to democratize AI safety and governance by collecting human narratives and stories. Visit: aireadme.org