Better Offline
Episodes
Part Three: NVIDIA Isn't Enron - So What Is It?
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part three of this week's three-part NVIDIA series, Ed Zitron walks you through why there are millions of Blackwell GPUs sitting in warehouses, and...
Part Two: NVIDIA Isn't Enron - So What Is It?
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of this week's three-part NVIDIA series, Ed Zitron walks you through the history of Enron, why it differs from NVIDIA, and why growth-desp...
Part One: NVIDIA Isn't Enron - So What Is It?
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part one of this week's three-part NVIDIA series, Ed Zitron walks you through why NVIDIA is specifically nothing like Enron, WorldCom or Lucent, an...
Monologue: The Questions I'm Asking
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's Better Offline monologue, Ed Zitron lists the questions he’s asking - and the things he’s looking for - that he believes wi...
The State of Consumer Tech with Lisa Eadicicco
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York City. Ed is joined in-studio by CNN Tech...
The State of the Games Industry with Nathan Grayson
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by Nathan Grayson of worker-owned games site Aftermath to talk about building an independent media outlet and the...
Monologue: AI Isn't Getting A Bailout
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's Better Offline monologue, Ed Zitron breaks down how economically irrelevant AI is, and how no bailout is coming to save the Large Langu...
Is Valve Taking On Microsoft? With Steve Burke
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by Steve Burke of GamersNexus to talk about Valve’s new console-like Steam Machine and Vision Pro-like Stea...
A Thanksgiving Monologue
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's monologue, Ed Zitron thanks you for being such wonderful listeners. If you ever have a tip, reach out on ezitron.76. Want to support me...
CZM Rewind: The Truth About Software Development with Carl Brown
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by Carl Brown, a veteran software developer and host of The Internet of Bugs, to talk about the realities of soft...
What People Actually Use ChatGPT For With Gerrit De Vynck
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by Gerrit De Vynck of The Washington Post to discuss what an analysis of 47,000 ChatGPT conversations can tell us...
Exclusive: Here's How Much OpenAI Spends On Inference And Its MSFT Revenue Share
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a Better Offline exclusive, Ed Zitron reveals how much OpenAI spent on inference in 2024 and 2025, as well as how much it paid Microsoft as part of...
Cory Doctorow and Ed Zitron on Enshittification and the Rot Economy
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s Better Offline is a recording of a panel held by Clarion West in Seattle earlier this year with Cory Doctorow and Ed Zitron, discuss...
Monologue: AI's Desperation Era
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's Better Offline monologue, Ed Zitron talks about OpenAI hinting they’d want a federal backstop for data center loans, NVIDIA&rsquo...
Vibe Coding is BS w/ Charlie Meyer
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York City. Ed is joined in-studio by founder ...
Monologue: Dealing With The Weight Of History
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's Better Offline monologue, Ed Zitron takes a moment to discuss the current state of the bubble, and the way we’re all feeling at t...
The Internet Is The World's Worst Pharmacy w/ Paris Martineau & Ashwin Rodrigues
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York City. Ed is joined in-studio by Paris Martine...
Monologue: Don't Be Scared Of Sora
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's Better Offline monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through why nobody should be afraid of generative video, and how it’s impossible, i...
Exclusive: Here's How Much Anthropic Spends on AWS
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a Better Offline exclusive, Ed Zitron reveals how much Anthropic spent on Amazon Web Services in 2024 and 2025, and how the costs of running their ...
Monologue: ChatGPT's Growth Is Collapsing In Europe
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s Better Offline monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through data from Deutsche Bank that shows ChatGPT’s growth is flatlining in ...
The Interview: Steve Burke of GamersNexus
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode of Better Offline, Ed flies out to North Carolina for a deep interview with Steve Burke of Gamersnexus about the state of...
The World of AI Regulation with Brian Merchant
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by writer Brian Merchant to talk about US AI regulation, and how governments never seem to make the effort to und...
Radio Better Offline: Victoria Song and David Roth
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York City. Ed Zitron is joined in studio by The Ve...
The Case Against Generative AI (Part 4)
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part four of this week’s four-part case against generative AI, Ed Zitron walks you through how there’s literally not enough money in th...
The Case Against Generative AI (Part 3)
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part three of this week’s four-part case against generative AI, Ed Zitron walks you through how “AI replacing software engineers”...
The Case Against Generative AI (Part 2)
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of this week’s four-part case against generative AI, Ed Zitron walks you through how NVIDIA funds and pumps money into unprofitable,...
The Case Against Generative AI (Part 1)
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part one of this week’s four-part case against generative AI, Ed Zitron walks you through how generative AI is sold through a complete misund...
Monologue: OpenAI and NVIDIA's Deal Is BS
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s Better Offline monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through NVIDIA and OpenAI’s nonsense deal, and how OpenAI now needs $600 bill...
Radio Better Offline: Adam Becker
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York city.Ed Zitron is joined in studio by astroph...
AI Isn't Making Engineers 10x As Productive with Colton Voege
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by software engineer Colt Voege to talk about how AI isn’t 10xing the productivity of software engineering,...
Radio Better Offline: Edward Ongweso Jr. & Allison Morrow
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York City. Ed Zitron is joined in studio by A...
How To Argue With An AI Booster, Part Three
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the final part of this week's three-part Better Offline Guide To Arguing With AI Boosters, Ed Zitron walks you through why generative AI is nothing...
How To Argue With An AI Booster, Part Two
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of this week's three-part Better Offline Guide To Arguing With AI Boosters, Ed Zitron walks you through why the AI bubble is nothing like ...
How To Argue With An AI Booster, Part One
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part one of this week's three-part Better Offline Guide To Arguing With AI Boosters, Ed Zitron walks you through why AI is nothing like the early d...
Monologue: Tech Skepticism Is Going Mainstream
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s Better Offline monologue, Ed walks you through how tech and business skepticism has begun to go mainstream, and how it can be the...
The Black Market for AI GPUs with Steve Burke
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by Steve Burke of GamersNexus to talk about the black market for AI GPUs in China - and how Bloomberg suspiciousl...
Monologue: What If I'm Right?
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s Better Offline monologue, Ed considers what would happen if he’s right about the AI bubble bursting - and the consequences ...
Radio Better Offline: Kyle Barr, Alex Cranz & Michael Fisher
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of one of iHeartRadio's satellite studios in New York city. Ed is joined by ...
Exclusive: How GPT-5 Actually Works
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a bonus third episode, Ed Zitron reports exclusively on how OpenAI’s new "router-based" ChatGPT-5 makes it impossible for the company to cach...
The AI Money Trap, Part Two
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of this week's two-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how America’s economic growth has become dependent on Amazon, Go...
The AI Money Trap, Part One
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part one of this week's two-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how AI startups’ overstuffed valuations make them impossible tar...
Monologue: The Agony Of GPT-5
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks through the rough launch of GPT-5, and how ChatGPT’s fandom-like following has become a huge pro...
CZM Rewind: The Academics That Think ChatGPT Is BS
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a paper released earlier this year, three academics from the University of Glasgow classified ChatGPT's outputs not as "lies," but as "BS" - as def...
Monologue: The Anker Nebula X1 Is The Best Projector I've Ever Used
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s Better Offline monologue, Ed talks about Anker’s Nebula X1, an expensive, excellent-looking and adaptable projector that ca...
Building A Newspaper Out of the Internet with Molly White
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed is joined by writer and critic Molly White to talk about how RSS can purify your news experience, the challenge of the newsletter ...
Monologue: Annualized Revenues Are BS
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through how and why OpenAI and Anthropic use “annualized revenues” to hide that they&r...
Radio Better Offline: Mia Sato & Dave Lee
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York City.Ed Zitron is joined in studio by Mia Sat...
The Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble, Pt. 3
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part three of this week's three-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how AI agents don’t really exist, how deceitful AI marketing...
The Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble, Pt, 2
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of this week's three-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how little money there is in generative AI, how Anthropic and OpenAI...
The Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble, Pt. 1
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part one of this week's three-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how the US stock market rests on the back of GPU sales, and how a la...
Monologue: The Updated Pale Horses of the AIpocalypse
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through the pale horses of the AIpocalypse - and how the AI bubble’s deepest weakness is tha...
Radio Better Offline: Brian Koppelman, Cherlynn Low & Mike Drucker
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York City. Ed Zitron is joined in studio by actor,...
Make Fun Of Them, Pt. 2
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of this week's two-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron makes a plea to the tech media - to stop automatically accepting what the tech executive...
Monologue: Is Anthropic Killing Cursor?
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through how Anthropic jacked up prices on its largest customer Cursor - and how it’s a sign ...
Make Fun Of Them, Pt. 1
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part one of this week's two-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through a radical new idea: make fun of CEOs, tear down their legacies and pus...
Monologue: You Should Get Into Vinyl
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron talks about why you should get into vinyl, and why analog music is so much fun in the digital age. U-Turn Au...
Radio Better Offline: Gare Davis, Victoria Song, Allison Morrow
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York city.Ed Zitron is joined in studio by Allison...
Monologue: Did OpenAI Steal Another Startup's Idea?
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through the murky lawsuit between OpenAI’s soon-to-be-acquired hardware wing and Iyo, a comp...
NVIDIA Vs. The Media ft. GamersNexus
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by Steve Burke of GamersNexus to talk about NVIDIA’s approach to the media, AI pushing out real tech at Com...
Monologue: OpenAI Vs. Microsoft
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through OpenAI’s desperate attempts to lean on Microsoft to change the terms of their agreem...
Radio Better Offline: Pablo Torre and David Roth
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York city.Ed Zitron is joined in studio by Pablo T...
The Era of the Business Idiot, Part 3
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part three of this week's three-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how the era of the Business Idiot has led to a dramatic decelerati...
The Era of the Business Idiot, Part 2
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of this week's three-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how Business Idiots demanded we all return to the office to hide the...
The Era of the Business Idiot, Part 1
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part one of this week's three-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how Business Idiots have captured our society, with middle managemen...
Monologue: The AI Job Loss Con
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through how the media is misleading you about AI job loss as a form of propaganda for OpenAI and A...
The Truth About Software Development with Carl Brown
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by Carl Brown, a veteran software developer and host of The Internet of Bugs, to talk about the realities of soft...
Monologue: Don't Buy A Switch 2, Get A Handheld Gaming PC
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through the awesome world of handheld gaming PCs - and why you should pick one up over a Nintendo ...
The Better Offline Mailbag
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by producer Sophie Lichterman to answer questions about life, technology, and Better Offline itself. YOU CAN NOW ...
Monologue: Jony Ive and OpenAI's New BS Machine
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron walks you through the ridiculousness of OpenAI acquiring Jony Ive’s pre-product hardware startup for $6.5bn in stock ...
Saving Games Journalism With Giant Bomb
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by Dan Ryckert, Jeff Bakalar and Jeff Grubb, the new owners of gaming website Giant Bomb, to talk about the hopef...
Monologue: How Better Offline Saved Me
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through the story of how writing The Man That Destroyed Google Search saved his life. The Man That Destr...
Empires of AI With Karen Hao
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ed Zitron is joined by Karen Hao, author of the book Empire of AI, to talk about the confusing world of OpenAI and the associated mind-poison of artif...
Monologue: Sam Altman's BS Eye Scanning Startup
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through World, Sam Altman’s meaningless new “World” startup that trades you cryp...
Tariffs and The End Of Affordable Computing w/ Steve Burke
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by Steve Burke of GamersNexus to talk about how tariffs are throwing the PC gaming industry into disarray, and ho...
I'm Mad As Hell, And I'm Not Gonna Take It Anymore
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron walks you through all the signs that the bubble is bursting, and how hysterical boosters continue to desperately keep it fr...
Monologue: Why We Need Tech Criticism More Than Ever
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through why better tech criticism will lead to a better tech industry - and a better society at la...
The BS Bubble
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron walks you through why it’s so harmful that the media keeps taking OpenAI at its word - and responds to the most commo...
Monologue: The Tech I Actually Like
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through the tech he actually likes, and how digital connections give him hope in the darkest times...
How Big Tech Is Losing Their Antitrust Trials feat. Jason Kint
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ed Zitron is joined by Jason Kint, CEO of DCN, to talk about Google's recent antitrust trial losses, Meta's FTC case, and why it should give you hope ...
OpenAI Is A Systemic Risk To The Tech Industry
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the second part of this week’s two-part episode, Ed Zitron walks you through how OpenAI has become a systemic risk, one that may destroy Core...
Monologue: How The Media Keeps Inflating Bubbles
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through how the media's lackluster approach to critiquing the powerful led to the needless, unsustainabl...
OpenAI Cannot Survive
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the first part of this week's two-part episode, Ed Zitron walks you through how impossible it will be for OpenAI to stay alive - and how SoftBank&r...
Monologue: OpenAI's Non-Profit Problem
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through the precarious nature of OpenAI's non-profit status - and how a petition to the California Attor...
Radio Better Offline: Allison Morrow, Paris Martineau & Ed Ongweso Jr.
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York city.Ed Zitron is joined in studio by Allison...
Monologue: OpenAI's Albatross
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through how OpenAI's new image generator has become a massive burden on the company, and how OpenAI&rsqu...
Radio Better Offline: David "Shingy" Shing
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York City.In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by ...
Monologue: High Noon for CoreWeave & AI
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through the wretched vibes surrounding CoreWeave's IPO and OpenAI's new funding, and the brittle state o...
Radio Better Offline: Andy Richter
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in Los Angeles. In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by c...
Monologue: We Need To Talk About CoreWeave
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through CoreWeave, the first IPO of the AI bubble, and how its terrible finances, burdensome loans and q...
Radio Better Offline: Cherlynn Low, Alex Cranz & Victoria Song
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York city. In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by...
SoftBank and OpenAI's Dangerous Game
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the second of this week's two-part series, Ed Zitron walks you through how SoftBank is mortgaging its future to keep OpenAI alive - and the dangero...
Monologue: How Does This End?
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's monologue, Ed Zitron walks through how reckless members of the media continue to inflate the AI bubble - and the detailed notes he's be...
Microsoft Cuts The Power To AI
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the first of this week's two-part series, Ed Zitron walks you through how Microsoft pulling back from over a gigawatt of compute capacity is a dark...
Monologue: OpenAI Is Getting Desperate
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's monologue, Ed Zitron goes through the underwhelming release of OpenAI's GPT-4.5 - and how OpenAI's rumored new pricing structure sugges...
How Growth Is Killing Video Games
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by Gita Jackson and Nathan Grayson of worker-owned games site Aftermath to talk about how the growth-at-all-costs...
Generative AI Is Not A Real Industry
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the second of this week's two-part episode, Ed Zitron walks you through the dark truth of the generative AI industry - that consumer adoption of Cl...
Monologue: What Bursts A Bubble?
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through what's making everybody worried about the bubble bursting - and what other signs might tell you ...
OpenAI Is Not A Real Company
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode (the first of a two-parter), Ed Zitron walks you through how OpenAI isn’t a real company, but a venture-backed welfare recipient...
What We're Fighting For
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ed Zitron walks you through the how the tech media misses the stories that hurt billions of people every day - and how deep down, mos...
Monologue: OpenAI Was Never A Non-Profit
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through the early days of OpenAI - and the simmering war between Elon Musk and Sam Altman over its non-p...