Yudkowsky's AI Risk Book Returns to NYT Bestseller List as He Defends Nonprofit Motives

On September 24, MIRI founder Eliezer Yudkowsky announced that his AI risk book 'If Anyone Builds it, Everyone Dies' (IABIED) had returned to the New York Times bestseller list. In a series of posts he disclosed the royalty arrangements, rebutted accusations of profit motives, and expressed mixed feelings about the public 'awakening' amid approaching recursive self-improvement (RSI). The book's sustained sales show that AI existential risk remains a topic of strong public interest.

Confirmed

• IABIED returned to the NYT bestseller list; Yudkowsky posted about it repeatedly on September 24.
• Royalties: the first $1M or $2M (he could not recall the exact figure) go to MIRI; he and co-author Nate Soares have received no personal income from the book to date.
• Publisher Hachette said the book sold unusually persistently over the past year (though not always at NYT-list levels); Yudkowsky recalled several countries selling out and multiple reprints.
• Yudkowsky said congratulations on the book feel complicated: it was written under unusually grim circumstances and he would rather be congratulated for HPMOR; the 'public awakening' behind rising sales is worth celebrating, but the facts driving that awakening are grim.

Why it matters

• Against online claims that AI safety work is money-driven, Yudkowsky argued that if he did not genuinely predict humanity dying soon from AI, he could have made far more money riding the AI boom — an argument corroborated by his disclosure of no personal royalties, and a core motivation for the post series.
• The book's continued strong sales show sustained public attention to AI existential risk, and Yudkowsky's pessimistic view of RSI has re-entered public discourse alongside the sales milestone.

2026-09-24 ~ 2026-09-24 · 7 related posts

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• Yudkowsky: book sales rise reflects public waking up to grim facts — ESYudkowsky · 2026-09-24
• [source] Yudkowsky: first $1M-$2M of IABIED royalties go to MIRI, authors earn nothing yet — ESYudkowsky · 2026-09-24
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• Yudkowsky: We didn't cash out on the AI boom because we truly predicted doom — ESYudkowsky · 2026-09-24
• Hachette: IABIED saw unusually sustained year-long sales, multiple printings abroad — ESYudkowsky · 2026-09-24