Podcast Episodes

Chris Dixon on Blockchains, AI, and the Future of the Internet

Episode 240

Chris Dixon believes we're at a pivotal inflection point in the internet's evolution. As a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and author of Read Write Own, Chris believes the current internet, do…

Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Ian Leslie on McCartney, Lennon, and the Greatest Creative Partnership of All Time

Episode 239

It's Beatles day! In this deep dive into one of music's most legendary partnerships, Ian Leslie and Tyler unpack the complex relationship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Leslie, whose book …

Published on 6 months, 3 weeks ago

Jennifer Pahlka on Reforming Government

Episode 238

Jennifer Pahlka believes America's bureaucratic dysfunction is deeply rooted in outdated processes and misaligned incentives. As the founder of Code for America and co-founder of the United States Di…

Published on 7 months ago

Sheilagh Ogilvie on Epidemics, Guilds, and the Persistence of Bad Institutions

Episode 237

Sheilagh Ogilvie has spent decades examining the institutional structures that shaped European economic history, challenging conventional wisdom about everything from guilds to marriage patterns. In …

Published on 7 months, 1 week ago

Ezra Klein on the Abundance Agenda

Episode 236

What happens when a liberal thinker shifts his attention from polarization to economic abundance? Ezra Klein's new book with Derek Thompson, Abundance, argues for an agenda of increased housing, inf…

Published on 7 months, 3 weeks ago

Carl Zimmer on the Hidden Life in the Air We Breathe

Episode 235

Carl Zimmer is one of the finest science communicators of our time, having spent decades writing about biology, evolution, and heredity. His latest (and 16th) book, Air-Borne: The Hidden History of …

Published on 8 months, 1 week ago

Gregory Clark on Social Mobility, Migration, and Assortative Mating (Live at Mercatus)

Episode 234

How much of your life's trajectory was set in motion centuries ago? Gregory Clark has spent decades studying social mobility, and his findings suggest that where you land in society is far more pred…

Published on 8 months, 3 weeks ago

Ross Douthat on Why Religion Makes More Sense Than You Think

Episode 233

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For Ross Douthat, phenomena like UFO sightings and the simulation hypothesis don't challenge religious belief—they demonstrate how difficult it is to escape r…

Published on 9 months, 1 week ago

Joe Boyd on the Birth of Rock, World Music, and Being There for Everything

Episode 232

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Joe Boyd was there when Dylan went electric, when Pink Floyd was born, and when Paul Simon brought Graceland to the world. But far from being just another mus…

Published on 9 months, 3 weeks ago

Scott Sumner on Monetary Rules, Blooming Late, and the Death of Cinema

Episode 231

Scott Sumner didn't follow the typical path to economic influence. He nearly lost his teaching job before tenure, did his best research after most academics slow down, and found his largest audience …

Published on 10 months ago