Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
UFOs and Aliens and Drones and Balloons: Understanding the U.S. Sky Wars
17 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Since a big white Chinese spy balloon floated across the ocean and into U.S. airspace, the United St...
Why Everybody Is Wrong About a Recession and Housing’s Great Comeback
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last fall, three-quarters of voters told CNN that the U.S. was in a recession. A Bloomberg economic ...
The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Fake Meat in America
10 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For the past 50 years, Americans have basically responded to the case against eating animals by eati...
China’s Spy Balloon Is Down. Cold War 2.0 Risks Are Rising.
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If we’re being honest, the whole thing is kind of funny. A Chinese spy balloon floated across the ...
Econ Megapod: The Debt Ceiling Is Dumb, and the Inflation “Crisis” Might Be Over
03 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve got a double-barrelled podcast for you. Jeanna Smialek, economics reporter for the ‘New Yo...
The Dark Side of Being Obsessed With Productivity
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Productivity is a trap. Nobody in the history of humanity has ever achieved work-life balance. The ...
How AI Could Change Apple and Google, Writing and Music, and Everything Else
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“The story of 2022 was the emergence of AI," wrote Ben Thompson, the author of the Stratechery new...
Why Big Tech's Jobs Bubble Burst. Plus, SBF's Scandal Deepens.
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Derek breaks down the biggest economic mystery of the moment: Why are the most successful tech compa...
America Isn’t Ready for the Weight-Loss-Drug Revolution That’s Coming
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have historically thought about weight as the mere outcome of our deliberate choices about diet a...
How Americans Got Everything About Food—Fat, Sugar, and Obesity—‘Entirely Backwards’
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about what Americans don’t get about food—and the historical origins of our...
True or False: 10 Controversial Predictions About the Future of Streaming, Tech, and Media
13 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last year was a bloodbath for media of all stripes. Netflix crashed, the advertising market cratered...
Why There Is So Much Bullsh*t in Science
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We should be living in a golden age of creativity in science and technology. We know more about the ...
The 2023 Economy FAQ: Is Recession Inevitable? Will Housing Crash? Can Tech Recover?
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson of Ritholtz Wealth Management rejoin the pod to talk about what they...
PE Greatest Hits: Thompson and Klosterman Debate Why Society Got So Negative
27 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This has been an amazing year for the show, and I’m so grateful for everybody who has listened. I’...
PE Greatest Hits: Derek and Ryen Debate the Most Impressive Sports Statistic of All Time
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This has been an amazing year for the show, and I’m so grateful for everybody who has listened. I’...
ChatGPT, Obesity Drugs, Exoplanet Images, and Medical Miracles: The Most Amazing Breakthroughs of 2022
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Derek talks to economist and writer Eli Dourado about the most exciting scientific and technological...
Sperm Counts Are Falling All Over the World—Why?
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the last 50 years, average sperm counts have fallen by 50 percent. This isn’t just happening in...
Who's Afraid of a Four-Day Work Week?
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
4 Day Week Global is a nonprofit organization that recently conducted a trial with 33 companies and ...
Why the Bad Guys—in China, Russia, Iran, and the U.S.—Are Having a Terrible Winter
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One year ago, we had Anne Applebaum on the podcast to talk about her essay, "The Bad Guys Are Winnin...
Why America is Suffering a 'Friendship Recession'
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Americans have never spent so much time alone. And alone time is rising sharply for every demographi...
Thanksgiving Mega-Pod: Bob Iger’s Power Grab, SBF’s Scandal, and Elon Musk’s Omnishambles
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is a Thanksgiving feast of corporate scandal and media gossip. Derek kicks things ...
If China Invades Taiwan, Is It World War III?
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about China’s turn toward authoritarianism—and why it might be one of the m...
A Crypto Catastrophe: The Stunning Fall of FTX—and What Comes Next
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Derek shares his thoughts on the meltdown of crypto exchange FTX and the disgrace of its founder, Sa...
Instant Reaction Pod: Midterm Election Winners, Losers, Surprises, and Takeaways
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The polls were right; the vibes were wrong. Democrats seem to have blocked the Republican wave by ri...
Elon Musk's Reign of Chaos and Mark Zuckerberg's Metaverse Madness
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Musk regime is off to a chaotic start at Twitter. In barely a week or two of ownership, Elon has...
America in the Age of Conspiracy: Q-Anon, JFK, Aliens, and More
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Americans are unusually conspiratorial as a nation. But in the last week, we have really outdone our...
How the U.S. Housing Market Became Such a Dumpster Fire
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Skyrocketing mortgage rates. Rent prices falling by their fastest pace in years (from their highest ...
How to Invest and Be Happy When It Feels Like the World Is Falling Apart
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We’re in a moment in world history where a lot of big global paradigms are dying. For decades, Eur...
Ben Smith on the Future of News, How to Start a Media Company, and Why TikTok Is a Time Bomb
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
About a week ago, a new global news organization launched called Semafor. Ben Smith is its cofounder...
Midterm Election FAQ: Can We Trust the Polls? Are Democrats Doomed?
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We’re coming down to the wire, and Democrats' hopes of holding onto the Senate and the House are f...
The Case for Indicting Donald Trump
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For years, liberals have deluded themselves into thinking that Donald Trump was always on the verge ...
Is Hybrid Work Doomed?
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Stanford University professor Nicholas Bloom joins the show to talk about how the hybrid work revolu...
Why the Future of AI Should Terrify and Thrill You
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the 100th episode of Plain English! I don’t know how that’s possible. Thanks to all of y...
Bill Simmons on Aaron Judge, How Baseball Ruined Itself, and the Joy of Debating Sports Records
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the Yankees' Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run of the season, and it’s triggered a fero...
Could the Fed Break the World Economy?
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What if, in trying to fix the hangover of domestic inflation, the Federal Reserve is accidentally tr...
Scott Galloway on Why the Internet Is a Mess, Why the News Is So Angry, and Why American Men Are ‘Adrift’
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A wide-ranging conversation with speaker and star podcaster Scott Galloway ('The Prof G Pod,' 'Pivot...
Is the Federal Reserve Making a Huge Mistake?
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last week the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.75 percentage points, continuing one of the...
Why America Has a Crisis of Masculinity
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
American men have a problem. They account for less than 40 percent of new college graduates but roug...
Why the Voice Inside Your Head Can Sound Like a Jerk
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about the science of self-talk—and how our relationship to our own inner mono...
The Housing Recession Is Coming
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While the broader economy is almost certainly not in a recession, the U.S. housing market is facing ...
Bill Gates on Progress, Food Technology, and the Battle Between Climate Change and Innovation
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 ambitious goals to end poverty, fight inequality, and stop c...
How Ukraine’s New Offensive Could Win the War Against Russia
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're in a new phase of the Ukraine-Russia war. Paul Poast of the University of Chicago returns to t...
The UK Is in Trouble: Economic Crises, Energy Shocks, and the Queen’s Death
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hours before the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Derek talked to Duncan Weldon, the Britain economics c...
America’s National Teacher Shortage: Looming Crisis or Media Myth?
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Students are going back to school this month. But according to many news sources, there won't be nea...
Nate Silver on Why This Midterm Election Could Be the Weirdest in Decades
02 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this year, it appeared that Democrats were going to get destroyed in the midterms. Joe Biden...
The Messy Debate Over Student Loan Forgiveness
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The level of student debt in this country represents a massive policy error. But is forgiving up to ...
Burning Questions on Media: Streaming’s Summer of Hell, Movie Theater Woes, and CNN’s Risky Pivot
26 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about the entertainment and media industry’s tumultuous summer, the streaming...
What’s the Secret of Success in America? This Economist Has Answers.
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The economist Raj Chetty has spent much of the last decade trying to answer a very big question: Wha...
Why Does It Seem Like Everybody Hates Everything?
19 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bestselling author Chuck Klosterman talks to Derek about the death of the monoculture, how the inter...
Donald Trump vs. the FBI: Everything We Know About the Investigation So Far
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I've never before recorded an episode specifically about Donald Trump. I guess I’ve been holding o...
A New Way to Think About Racism in America
12 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Several years ago, the writer, researcher, and policy advocate Heather McGhee traveled around the co...
Carbon Removal Might Be the World’s Most Important Technology. How Does It Work?
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last year, somebody explained the problem of climate change to me with a metaphor that I’ve never ...
Curiosity Corner: Monkeypox Myths, Millennial Facts, and Overpopulation Fears
05 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In our second "Curiosity Corner" mailbag, Derek takes your burning questions. He breaks down the myt...
Is Old Music Killing New Music?
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Why does it seem like the old is eating the new in pop culture? This year, the song of the summer is...
How the Democrats' New Climate Bill Could Change the World
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
“Every few years, American politics astonishes you.” That’s how The Atlantic journalist Robins...
Why the Question "Are We in a Recession?" Is Impossible to Answer
29 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On Thursday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis announced that GDP dropped for the second consecutive q...
Crypto Crash, Part II: A Debate About the Future of Web3
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today is the second half of our special two-parter on the state of crypto. Yesterday’s theme was t...
Crypto Crash Part I: The Case Against Crypto
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we have the first in a two-part series on lessons from the crypto crash. Crypto, also known a...
Why It Seems Like So Many Countries Are Falling Apart
22 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The world is kind of a mess right now. There is a big, bloody, awful war between Russia and Ukraine,...
The World Is on Fire. Here’s a Realistic Plan to Save Humanity.
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The world is on fire. In southern Europe, wildfires are streaking from Portugal to Greece. In the U....
Three Ways the Elon Musk–Twitter Showdown Could End
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Well, that escalated quickly. Let's review, shall we? In January, Elon Musk started buying a bunch o...
Burning Questions About the Future of Media: Netflix vs. Disney, TikTok vs. Everyone, and the Metaverse
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Will Netflix be the king of streaming in five years? What's the biggest threat to dethrone it: Apple...
Musk Meltdown: Elon’s Breakup With Twitter Is Going to Be Very Messy
10 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Derek has so many thoughts on Elon Musk's bizarre attempted breakup with Twitter—and what comes ne...
The Biggest Economic Question of the Moment: Is This Peak Inflation?
08 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The question everybody's asking on cable news right now is whether we're in a recession. I think the...
Why Are the Police So Bad at Solving Murders?
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about the story of the moment—gun violence. There’s been a surge of violent...
Abortion Pills Are a Game Changer, Plus Our Next Big Culture War
01 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In last week's instant reaction pod, Derek said he thought abortion pills were one of the most fasci...
Five Reasons Everybody Is Wrong About a U.S. Recession—Including Me
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I feel like the theme of this podcast recently has been that everything is going off the rails: the ...
The End of Roe v. Wade Changes Everything
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We react to the landmark Supreme Court decision and explain how it could affect the future of the co...
Why Air Travel Is a Hot Mess Right Now
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lately, it feels like we’re surrounded by systems and industries that aren’t working the way the...
Why Gas Prices Are Skyrocketing—and an Ingenious Plan to Bring Them Down
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Expensive energy is an economic, psychological, and political scourge. Nominally, gas prices are at ...
The Big Winners and Losers From the Remote Work Revolution
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most news is all about the immediate present. For instance, everything that is happening in the econ...
The End of the Everything Boom (Plus: The Federal Reserve's Risky Move)
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is a huge week for economic and finance news. On Wednesday afternoon, the Federal Reserve raise...
The Big Inflation FAQ: Why It’s So High, How Everyone Got It Wrong, and What's Next
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Inflation is the story that everybody keeps missing. In 2020, many people didn't expect inflation to...
California’s Elections Sent an Important Message. What Is It?
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about two California elections and the message they sent to the rest of the cou...
Curiosity Corner: America’s Gun Dilemma, the Future of Corporate Politics, Relationship Advice, and More!
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Curiosity Corner! In our first ever all-mailbag episode, Derek answers a Republican’s q...
America’s Gun Problem Is Impossible
26 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Texas school shooting is part of a grisly ritual in American life. A tragedy, followed by mourni...
What's Going on With the U.S. Housing Market?
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's our first Curiosity Corner podcast! We asked you to tell us what questions you wanted us to ans...
Why Does the Internet Hate Amber Heard?
20 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's the trial of the century—kind of. The legal showdown between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has ...
The Mystery of America's Missing Baby Formula
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
America's infant formula shortage is very strange and very embarrassing. Nationwide, more than 40 pe...
Why the U.S. Could Be Headed For the "Weirdest Recession Ever"
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Crypto crashes, rate hikes, recession, fears, and inflation prints: The U.S. economy is in a very bi...
Market Meltdown: Why Tech and Crypto Are Crashing - and What Happens Next
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The stock market is absolutely gross right now. Everything is down, except (as loyal listeners know)...
The Future of AI Is Thrilling, Terrifying, Confusing, and Fascinating
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This might sound like a hot take but it's not: In 50 years, when historians look back on the crazy 2...
The 300-Year History of Abortion in America—in 30 Minutes
06 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes, people ask “why study history?” How about this: American history is the weapon being ...
How Would the End of Roe v. Wade Change America?
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Supreme Court is poised to end the era of Roe. In a leaked draft of a majority opinion, Supreme ...
Economic Mystery Hour: How Low Will Stocks Go? Is a Recession Inevitable?
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Morgan Housel, author of 'The Psychology of Money' and a partner at Collaborative Fund, joins the sh...
Why Is It So Hard to Predict the Next Great Quarterback?
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week we have the NFL draft, which is an annual exercise in failure. Every year, some NFL team m...
The End of the Golden Age of Streaming
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What can save Netflix? Who killed CNN+? What the hell is going on between Disney and Florida Governo...
Instant Reaction Pod! Elon Musk Buys Twitter. So, What Happens Next?
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Charlie Warzel, author of the Galaxy Brain newsletter at The Atlantic, joins to talk about what Elon...
Why Are American Teenagers So Sad and Anxious?
22 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The United States is experiencing an extreme teenage mental-health crisis. It is one of the most tro...
How Joe Biden Lost Millennials
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The White House has a big youth problem. Since the day of his inauguration, Joe Biden’s approval h...
The News About Shanghai’s COVID Lockdown Is Shocking. The Reality Might Be Worse.
15 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What’s happening in China’s largest and richest city right now is quite unbelievable. Shanghai i...
Instant Reaction Pod! Elon Musk Offers to Buy 100 Percent of Twitter.
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Well, that escalated quickly. Days after Elon Musk become the single largest individual shareholder ...
When Will the Ukraine War End? (Plus: 10 Good Minutes on What the Hell Elon Musk Is Doing With Twitter)
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On today's show, we start with Ten Good Minutes on the extremely funny and very chaotic saga of Elon...
It's Not Just You: America's Epidemic of Bad Behavior
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There is an epidemic of bad behavior sweeping the country. In 2020, homicides increased by a record-...
Why U.S. Population Growth Crashed to a Record Low
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
America has never grown at a slower pace than right now. Not only have deaths soared in the pandemic...
Should You Be Afraid of TikTok?
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the Washington Post reported that Facebook’s parent company Meta has been paying a Repu...
What Is the “Don’t Say Gay” Law Really About? (Plus: The Big Disney vs. DeSantis Showdown in Florida.)
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation that prohibits much classroom instructio...
How Ukraine Wins
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Derek talks to The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum about Zelensky’s global appeal, the roots of Putin'...
Could Putin’s War Crash the U.S. Economy?
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Economic crises are piling up. U.S. inflation was surging before Russia invaded Ukraine. Since the w...
Five Reasons Putin’s War Was Doomed From the Start
14 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Russia’s military isn’t just a little bit bigger than Ukraine's—it has three times more armore...