DURKIN

Built
Different

Let's build the future we want to live in.

A Vision for Massachusetts 2035

Massachusetts: The Commonwealth of Common Sense for the Common Man

Our three goals are to build the most builder-friendly, family-friendly, and future-ready state in America.

  1. 1.Builder-Friendly

    Dream it. Build it. Here.

  2. 2.Family-Friendly

    Put down roots. Grow together.

  3. 3.Future-Ready

    Make tomorrow happen.

North Star Metric

Return Massachusetts to net positive migration and bring 1 million new residents to the Commonwealth by 2035.

From vision to action.

How we get there.

10 opportunities, 10 moonshots, 10 teams to build the future we want to live in

Massachusetts 2035

“The future should look like the future.”

Future Boston at street level with people, humanoid robots, new housing, Cybercabs, Robovans, passenger drones, and vehicle tunnels connecting five Massachusetts cities

Goals for our citizens

Our goal

You will have a sub-15-min commute

The moonshot

Build the 3D Transportation Grid

Top Three Key Initiatives
  1. Deploy autonomous vehicles everywhere

    Deploy autonomous cars, autonomous cyber cabs, and autonomous buses. Door-to-door pickup. Your own comfortable space. Lower fares. Test all three in 90 days.

  2. Build a statewide vehicle tunnel network

    Connect cities and towns with Boring-style vehicle tunnels, and experiment with Hyperloop technology.

  3. Launch drone passenger flights via local airports

    Connect local airports to door-to-door rides, measuring total trip time and total fare

The team

Announcing in 2028

  1. Team lead — to be announced in 2028

  2. Support team member 1 — to be announced in 2028

  3. Support team member 2 — to be announced in 2028

  4. Support team member 3 — to be announced in 2028

Our goal

You will buy a home for 1/2 of today's price

The moonshot

The Manhattan Project of Housing

Top Three Key Initiatives
  1. Go vertical and horizontal

    Build taller and expand horizontally with autonomous vehicles and Boring tunnels.

  2. Reinvent Main Street USA in every town

    Bring back downtown. People are craving real-life community with real people in real places. Put homes above shops, cafes, workplaces, and places to gather. Live amongst your neighbors again.

  3. Experiment from first principles

    Start from zero: scrap the existing zoning framework and rebuild the rules for housing from first principles. Make every restriction justify its place, like zero-based budgeting.

The team

Announcing in 2028

  1. Team lead — to be announced in 2028

  2. Support team member 1 — to be announced in 2028

  3. Support team member 2 — to be announced in 2028

  4. Support team member 3 — to be announced in 2028

Our goal

A meaningful, well-paying job

The moonshot

Build the World Capital of Atoms

Top Three Key Initiatives
  1. Grow biotech and healthcare industries

    Build medicines, devices, diagnostics, and careers here

  2. Grow robotics and hardware industries

    Turn local inventions into local production lines

  3. Grow energy and frontier industries (fusion, quantum)

    Target 25,000 residents retrained by 2029, with pathways tied to real employer demand

The team

Announcing in 2028

  1. Team lead — to be announced in 2028

  2. Support team member 1 — to be announced in 2028

  3. Support team member 2 — to be announced in 2028

  4. Support team member 3 — to be announced in 2028

Our goal

Your child will learn to build and make a living by age 18

The moonshot

Make Massachusetts the Launchpad State

Top Three Key Initiatives
  1. Reimagine K-12 with AI-personalized tutors

    Help students discover, build, and learn for life, with real projects, mentors, and paid work experience

  2. Reinvent college to be company launchpads, research centers, and social clubs

    Open labs, workshops, mentors, and communities that turn ideas into companies, discoveries, and friendships

  3. Embrace lifelong learning with AI

    Master new skills, explore new fields, and pivot throughout life without being locked into one role

The team

Announcing in 2028

  1. Team lead — to be announced in 2028

  2. Support team member 1 — to be announced in 2028

  3. Support team member 2 — to be announced in 2028

  4. Support team member 3 — to be announced in 2028

Our goal

You will live to be 150 years old

The moonshot

Cure Cancer

Top Three Key Initiatives
  1. Unite institutions around curing cancer

    Connect research, hospitals, manufacturing, and care

  2. Make trials faster and more accessible

    Bring more people into studies close to home

  3. Bring earlier diagnosis and effective care to everyone

    Find cancer sooner and connect patients with treatment

The team

Announcing in 2028

  1. Team lead — to be announced in 2028

  2. Support team member 1 — to be announced in 2028

  3. Support team member 2 — to be announced in 2028

  4. Support team member 3 — to be announced in 2028

Our goal

You will feel safe at any hour

The moonshot

Make Massachusetts the Safest Place to Live

Top Three Key Initiatives
  1. Deliver faster, better emergency response

    Target 50% faster call-answer-to-dispatch time in pilots, with accuracy and safety protected

  2. Provide a clear path from crisis to lasting recovery

    Connect treatment, housing, and work so people can recover and rebuild their lives

  3. Prevent and stop repeat violence

    Interrupt violence and protect the people at risk

The team

Announcing in 2028

  1. Team lead — to be announced in 2028

  2. Support team member 1 — to be announced in 2028

  3. Support team member 2 — to be announced in 2028

  4. Support team member 3 — to be announced in 2028

Our goal

You will have unlimited clean power

The moonshot

Be the Leader in Fusion

Top Three Key Initiatives
  1. Compete for commercial fusion here

    Build the workforce, supply chains, and future plants

  2. Build solar now and diversify clean power

    Expand rooftop and community solar with storage, alongside dependable power as fusion develops

  3. Build regional capacity and a stronger grid

    Connect new supply and improve reliability

The team

Announcing in 2028

  1. Team lead — to be announced in 2028

  2. Support team member 1 — to be announced in 2028

  3. Support team member 2 — to be announced in 2028

  4. Support team member 3 — to be announced in 2028

Our goal

You will have clean air, water, and food

The moonshot

Clean the Air and Water. Grow Food Here.

Top Three Key Initiatives
  1. Replace lead pipes and repair water systems

    Target lead service-line removal by 2032, with no replacement bill for participating homeowners

  2. Clean the air, schools, and local rivers

    Reduce pollution where people live and learn

  3. Grow food here year-round and expand access

    Connect local producers with schools and communities

The team

Announcing in 2028

  1. Team lead — to be announced in 2028

  2. Support team member 1 — to be announced in 2028

  3. Support team member 2 — to be announced in 2028

  4. Support team member 3 — to be announced in 2028

Our goal

Your voice and vote will matter

The moonshot

Build the Most Technologically Advanced Government

Top Three Key Initiatives
  1. Upgrade every system with AI-native technology

    Modernize every system with AI to reduce costs, expand access, and make state services easier to use

  2. Show where every dollar goes and what it achieves

    Connect budgets, contracts, and payments to measurable results people can see

  3. Turn residents’ voices and votes into action

    Bring more people into decisions, publish every response, and hold officials accountable for follow-through

The team

Announcing in 2028

  1. Team lead — to be announced in 2028

  2. Support team member 1 — to be announced in 2028

  3. Support team member 2 — to be announced in 2028

  4. Support team member 3 — to be announced in 2028

Our goal

You will live in the future

The moonshot

Build a Winning Culture in Every Community

Top Three Key Initiatives
  1. Connect the Commonwealth in places to build and learn

    Connect people statewide to shared workshops, campuses, libraries, and gathering places

  2. Bring music, art, fashion, and food to life

    Back musicians, artists, designers, chefs, and the local places that make culture happen

  3. Help everyone lead and explore the world and solar system

    Build a culture of leadership, curiosity, global exchange, and exploration beyond Earth

The team

Announcing in 2028

  1. Team lead — to be announced in 2028

  2. Support team member 1 — to be announced in 2028

  3. Support team member 2 — to be announced in 2028

  4. Support team member 3 — to be announced in 2028

The hard questions

Six hot topics.
Common sense in the middle.

Build the future. Be honest about the tradeoffs.

The left and right columns summarize common arguments, not everyone’s views. There is overlap. The highlighted middle is our proposed approach.

Data centers, climate & water

How do we power AI without handing communities the environmental bill?

What the left thinks

Protect the climate, water supplies, and nearby communities. Require enforceable environmental safeguards before approving more infrastructure.

Common sense

Build the capacity. Own the impact.

We need data centers to power an extraordinary tool. Their electricity demand, emissions, and water use are real tradeoffs. Build where the grid and watershed can support them. Require efficient cooling, additional clean power, public reporting, and drought protections. Make operators pay for the infrastructure their projects require, with enforceable protections for residents’ water and utility bills.

What the right thinks

Build the energy and data centers America needs to lead in AI. Cut permitting delays and prioritize reliable, affordable power.

The details & sources for Data centers, climate & water

Berkeley Lab estimated that all U.S. data centers—not AI alone—consumed about 66 billion liters of water directly in 2023, plus nearly 800 billion liters indirectly through electricity generation. National totals do not tell us whether a particular Massachusetts watershed can support a project; local supply and seasonal demand matter. Berkeley Lab: U.S. Data Center Energy Usage Report (2024), pp. 55–57 ↗

Cooling choices involve tradeoffs. Evaporative cooling consumes water; reducing that use can increase electricity demand. A recirculating loop does not by itself mean zero water use. Evaluate the entire cooling system, consider dry cooling and reclaimed water where appropriate, and report both water withdrawn and water consumed. U.S. Department of Energy: water and energy considerations ↗

The IEA’s 2026 central projection puts global data-center electricity use at roughly 950 TWh in 2030, up from 485 TWh in 2025. That is a forecast, not a certainty. Grid capacity, energy supply, and who pays for upgrades determine local price impacts. AI’s potential climate benefits do not automatically cancel its footprint. IEA: Key Questions on Energy and AI (2026) ↗

AI, job losses & opportunity

What happens to people when the work changes?

What the left thinks

Protect workers from displacement, give them a voice in workplace AI, and make sure they share in productivity gains.

Common sense

Make AI the great equalizer.

Put powerful tools in the hands of workers, small businesses, and founders. Grow America’s economic output and the markets we can serve, rather than relying only on cost-cutting. Help more people build companies, solve problems, and earn more. Pair that growth with fast retraining, pathways into new jobs, and temporary support for people whose jobs disappear.

What the right thinks

Use AI to raise productivity, create industries, and keep America competitive. Help workers gain the skills to move into new opportunities.

The details & sources for AI, job losses & opportunity

The ILO’s 2025 task-based analysis found that one in four workers worldwide is in an occupation with some exposure to generative AI. Exposure is not a layoff forecast: the report finds that transformation is more likely than complete replacement for most jobs. Displacement is still a real risk, and growth alone does not guarantee a smooth transition for each worker. ILO: Generative AI and jobs, 2025 update ↗

Our aim is to expand GDP—the value of what America produces—and our total addressable market: the customers and needs American businesses can serve. Measure new firms, wages, job transitions, and output alongside cost savings. This is a proposed growth strategy, not a guarantee that every displaced job will be replaced.

Housing, zoning & community

How do we make room for more people and better places to live?

What the left thinks

Make housing affordable, protect renters from displacement, and invest in homes people with ordinary incomes can afford.

Common sense

Build more homes. Bring back downtown.

Rebuild zoning from first principles. Make room for homes above shops, taller buildings where infrastructure supports them, and new communities connected by better transportation. Set simple rules and predictable approvals. Keep essential building-safety and environmental protections, and pair more housing supply with targeted help for neighbors at risk of displacement.

What the right thinks

Cut costly rules and permitting delays so builders can supply more homes. Expand ownership and respect property rights.

The details & sources for Housing, zoning & community

There is overlap here: both 2024 party platforms support increasing housing supply and reducing barriers, while putting different weight on public investment, tenant protections, taxes, and regulation. The proposed Massachusetts approach is to make building easier and keep existing residents part of the community. Compare the housing sections in the Democratic platform ↗

The Republican platform also calls for new construction and reducing regulations that raise housing costs. Neither party’s position is simply “build” or “don’t build,” and local disagreements cut across party lines. Republican platform: housing affordability ↗

AI in schools & human learning

How do we give every child better tools without outsourcing their thinking?

What the left thinks

Protect student privacy, support teachers, and make useful technology available to every child. Keep human relationships at the center of learning.

Common sense

Personalize learning. Keep it human.

Give every child access to age-appropriate AI tutoring, guided by great teachers. Use it to practice, get feedback, and learn at the right pace. Protect student data and require students to explain their own thinking. Make room for workshops, friendships, life skills, and real projects. Judge the tools by what children learn and can do.

What the right thinks

Give parents more choice, teach practical skills, and prepare students to compete in an AI economy without politicizing classroom tools.

The details & sources for AI in schools & human learning

The AFT’s guidance supports useful AI with teacher involvement, privacy protections, and hands-on learning. Its position is not a blanket rejection of classroom technology. Access, instructional value, and student safety should be evaluated together. AFT: guardrails for AI in classrooms ↗

The 2025 White House education order promotes AI literacy and educator training. Our proposal adds a practical test: independently measure learning and wellbeing before expanding a tool, with parents informed and educators responsible for its use. White House: advancing AI education (2025) ↗

Public safety & privacy

Can better technology make us safer without making everyone a suspect?

What the left thinks

Prevent discriminatory policing and invasive surveillance. Invest in prevention, accountability, and community trust alongside public safety.

Common sense

Protect people and their rights.

Use proven technology to improve emergency response and investigate serious crime. Require independent accuracy and bias testing, strict access controls, limited data retention, and public audits. Establish clear legal authorization and human accountability for consequential decisions. An AI match should be an investigative lead that needs corroboration, never an automatic verdict.

What the right thinks

Give law enforcement the tools and support to stop crime, enforce the law, and protect families and businesses.

The details & sources for Public safety & privacy

NIST’s face-recognition evaluations show that error rates vary with the algorithm, image quality, task, and demographic group. A promising average score is not enough to justify a particular deployment. Test the actual system in its intended setting and provide a way to challenge mistakes. NIST: demographic effects in face recognition ↗

Both parties support public safety, and privacy concerns span the political spectrum. These columns describe different emphases, not a choice between caring about safety and caring about rights.

AI rules, startups & competition

How do we protect people while letting the next great company get started?

What the left thinks

Require safety, privacy, and civil-rights protections. Hold powerful companies accountable when their systems harm people or entrench unfair advantages.

Common sense

Set clear rules. Let builders build.

Make safeguards proportional to risk. Keep a low barrier for ordinary tools and small experiments; require stronger testing and accountability for systems that affect health, livelihoods, or critical infrastructure. Enforce rules against fraud, discrimination, and privacy abuse. Keep compliance understandable and affordable, and leave room for startups and open models to compete.

What the right thinks

Remove barriers to American innovation. Avoid rules that slow deployment or leave only the biggest companies able to compete.

The details & sources for AI rules, startups & competition

The Democratic platform emphasizes safety, civil rights, workers, privacy, and competition. The White House’s 2025 AI plan emphasizes removing barriers, adoption, infrastructure, and open models. Both discuss innovation and workers; the disagreement is often about the scope and timing of safeguards. White House: America’s AI Action Plan (2025) ↗

Our proposed standard is straightforward: protect people from identifiable harms, explain what is required in advance, and test whether the rules improve outcomes without shutting out smaller builders.

About the left/right summaries

These are editorial summaries of recurring priorities, informed by the sources below. They are not quotations, a survey of voters, or a claim that either side has one position. The common-sense column sets out our proposals. Evidence reviewed October 16, 2026.

Read the full plan
The Work

My Portfolio

Where I've worked, the companies I've helped build, and what comes next.

Where I've worked

Founded/Co-founded

The Schools

I’m building these schools for my son Walter and my future children.

Purpose. Mission. Values.

The future is
ours to build.

Dream big. Do the work. Bring people with you. The things we build should make life better for the people around us.

My purpose

Build the future
we want to live in.

My mission

Help people become happier, healthier, wealthier, and useful. Help people live a long, beautiful, incredible life.

The values I live by.

Every day. In everything I build.

It starts with you

You can't help others til you help yourself. Take care of yourself.

Bostonian transparent

Say what others won't, with good intentions.

Move with urgency

Act now. Indecision kills companies.

#WORKETHIC

Put in the work. No apologies.

Get curious

Explore, reflect, debate, converse.

Self-awareness

Maximize strengths. Fill weaknesses.

Be a magnet for talent

Winners attract winners.

24/7/365 service

Always on for clients, partners, team.

Flourish in adversity

Hard times create strong people.

Take care of the team

Help your teammates win.

Let's build something that matters.

Say hi

Get in touch.

Direct only. No templates. Tell me who you are, what you're building, and what you need.

Ryan Durkin smiling against a yellow background

Before you reach out

  • If you're a founder pitching, highlight these five things.
  • If you're suggesting a time to talk, do it this way.
  • If you're interested in the Coalition, say so directly. I'll route you to the right task force.
"Respect is the ultimate currency." — Dalton Russell
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Durkin — Builder, Boston.