Plain English with Derek Thompson
Episodes
How China's Economic Miracle Went Off the Rails
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This month, President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China (PRC) met in San Francisco amid trade wars and even the pro...
Inside the OpenAI Meltdown
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about whatever the hell just happened—is still happening—at OpenAI, where CEO Sam Altman has been fired, almost rehired, and ...
The Media is Missing Something Big in Biden’s Bad Polling Numbers
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about the question of the moment in politics: the meaning of Joe Biden’s terrible polling numbers. Today’s guest is Nate Cohn...
How ChatGPT Can Change the Future of Jobs—Starting With Your Own
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about thinking practically about the AI revolution. Yes, it may one day usher in some now unthinkable utopia or dystopia. But in ...
What Most People Get Wrong About Wealth, Fame, and Happiness
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Morgan Housel, the author of 'The Psychology of Money' and a partner at Collab Fund, talks about his new book, 'Same as Ever,' on the virtues of ancie...
The Fragile Hope for Peace in Israel-Palestine
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the last few weeks, our coverage of this conflict has tried very hard to see the problem from as many angles as possible. In our first episode, we ...
Could a Housing Recession Take Down the U.S. Economy?
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One year ago, it was a matter of conventional wisdom among experts that the U.S. was on the brink of a recession. They were wrong. The latest GDP repo...
Two Israel-Palestine Historians Explain: How Did We Get Here? And What Happens Next?
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The eminent Israeli historian Benny Morris walks us through the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, from antiquity to October 7. And the exce...
The Science of Achievement, With Adam Grant
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we’re taking a break from war to talk about the science of human potential and a new book on that subject from the psychologist and bestselli...
Israel Has No Good Options
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Two things seem true: First, Israel has a profound moral right to defend itself from terrorism. Second, its current strategy could kill thousands of c...
The Tragedy of Picking Sides in the Israel-Palestine Conflict
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is our second episode on the war between Israel and Hamas. Today’s guest is Peter Beinart. Peter Beinart is a professor at CUNY of journalism a...
Inside the Trial of Sam Bankman-Fried
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The former golden boy of crypto is on trial for one of the most lurid corporate fraud scandals of the century. What's happening at the trial? What are...
Israel at War: Why Did Hamas Attack?
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What motivated the Hamas terrorist attack? How did Israel fail to stop it? What role is Iran playing in this conflict? What should Americans know abou...
Disney’s Downfall: The Rise and Fall of an Entertainment Giant
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hollywood has been decimated by the rise of streaming. At Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, and Sony, profits on TV, film, and streaming went...
Why Americans are Losing Faith in College
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Twenty years ago, higher education was one of the most trusted institutions in America. Today, confidence in higher ed is falling among every demograp...
What’s So Great About Marriage?
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Since the 1970s, the General Social Survey has asked thousands of Americans the same question: “Taken all together, how would you say things are th...
Why Is It So Expensive to Build Stuff in America?
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're in the midst of a great affordability crisis. It's not just the inflation crisis. It's a greater cost crisis of the last few decades. Everything...
Fatherhood and What Americans Get Wrong About Major Life Changes
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Derek is back, and ... he's a new dad! After several weeks of parental leave, he talks about what's surprised him about new fatherhood. Brad Stulberg,...
Experts Predicted a Recession This Year. How Were They So Wrong?
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s show is about what I consider the biggest mystery of the U.S. economy. Last year, economic experts predicted a recession in 2023 with more c...
Why Elite College Admissions Are Biased Toward the Superrich
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Less than 1 percent of college students attend Ivy League colleges and equally selective schools, like Stanford and Duke. But these schools have an ou...
Oppenheimer: The Genius, the Film, and the Project That Changed the World
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Rhodes, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb,' discusses the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Proje...
How Hollywood Drove Its Business Model Off a Cliff
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The trouble brewing in the media and entertainment industry has become one of the most interesting—and truly perplexing—business stories in the wo...
Americans Think the Economy Is Terrible. The Data Tell Another Story.
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
By many measures, this is one of the best times to find a job in decades. And by many measures, Americans are locked in a state of extreme glumness ab...
How the Digital Workplace Broke Our Brains
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Calvin Newport is a computer science professor at Georgetown University and the author of, among other books, 'Deep Work' and 'A World Without Email.'...
What Just Happened in Russia This Weekend?
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
University of Chicago professor Paul Poast breaks down Yevgeny Prigozhin's rebellion, Vladimir Putin's weakness, Russia's military incompetence, and t...
The Science of Procrastination—and How to Really Get Stuff Done
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is the first in a new miniseries about getting stuff done. This episode in particular is about NOT getting stuff done. I consider my...
Why Fertility Rates Are Plunging—in the U.S., South Korea, and Everywhere Else
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last year, there were 3,661,220 babies born in the U.S. That sounds like a lot. But historically speaking, it’s really not. It’s actually 15 perce...
Why So Many Young Men Are Lonely, Sexless, and Extremely Online
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about the state of men in America. Last week, the non-profit institute Equimondo published a report on the state of men and boys ...
How Hollywood's Writers Strike Could Change the Future of TV and Movies
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In May of this year, the Writers Guild of America went on strike. For weeks, TV and film writers have been walking in picket lines in Los Angeles and ...
Why Youth Sports in America Are in Decline
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the last five years, high school sports participation has fallen for the first time on record. The number of boys playing high school sports today ...
The Future of War Is Here
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about how artificial intelligence will change the future of war. First, we have Brian Schimpf, the CEO of Anduril, a military tec...
A Diet Conspiracy: Is Ice Cream Secretly Good for You?
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about a narrow question and a broad question. The narrow question is: Is ice cream secretly good for you? The broader question is...
An Optimistic Guide to America’s Clean-Energy Future
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The world is engaged in a multitrillion-dollar project to decarbonize the economy to slow or reverse climate change. But what exactly does that mean? ...
The Most Important Thing Most Americans Misunderstand About Insomnia
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I am fascinated by sleep and also—perhaps, relatedly—not very good at it. Like tens of millions of Americans, I've had trouble falling asleep and ...
How American Cities Can Avoid the ‘Urban Doom Loop’
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about the future of the American city. Many downtowns are "wounded renditions of their once-robust selves." Offices are empty. C...
Americans Die Younger Than People in Any Other Rich Country. Why?
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about guns, drugs, cars, and a big question: Why do Americans die so much younger than people in any other rich country? Before t...
How Strong Is the Case Against Donald Trump?
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Derek talks to ‘Semafor’ political reporter Dave Weigel about how the Trump indictment could reshape the election—or turn out to be a big ole no...
Myth-Busting Wellness Hacks: Cold Plunges, Coffee, Alcohol, and Fitness Trackers
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we go wading in the murky waters of 2023 wellness trends. We’re talking cold plunges, fitness trackers, and recovery scores. And on the more ...
Eight Burning Questions About the Donald Trump Indictment
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump has been indicted. But what do we actually know about the case against him? What will the charges be? Is there any legal precedent for th...
Why the Cult of Achievement in Schools Is Making People Miserable
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about how we think about success—and how our high school and college systems might be teaching us the wrong lessons about achie...
A Mind-Expanding Conversation About Human History and Happiness With Tim Urban
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes on this show, we talk about the news. This episode is about the diametric opposite of the news. It’s about thinking deeply about human his...
The AI Revolution Could Be Bigger and Weirder Than We Can Imagine
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Derek unpacks his thoughts about GPT-4 and what it means to be, possibly, at the dawn of a sea change in technology. Then, he talks to Charlie Warzel,...
MAILBAG: Why Does the Internet Make Us Depressed? Where Does Good Writing Come From? Is College Worth It Anymore?
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Derek answers your burning questions in a special mailbag episode! If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at Pla...
The SVB Debacle: The Biggest Myths, the Out-of-Control Blame Game, and the Worst Takes
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Derek welcomes back the economic roundtable of Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson, cohosts of the 'Animal Spirits' podcast, to debate who killed Silicon ...
Silicon Valley Bank Collapse FAQ: Whose Fault Is It? How Can We Stop a Bank Panic? What Comes Next?
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
RIP, SVB. America's 16th-largest bank was just destroyed by the largest bank run in U.S. history. To talk about what happened and what happens next, w...
"Industrial Policy" Is the Hottest Idea in Economics. What Could Go Wrong?
10 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Under President Biden, the U.S. is pivoting toward what some people call “industrial policy”—that is, using the government to support key indust...
How the Media Failed Its COVID Test: The Truth Behind the Lab Leak and Masking Debates
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is a long one: It’s about the debate over media coverage of COVID. Three years after the fateful March of 2020, when it feels like...
Why Are American Teens So Unhappy? How Do We Solve This Crisis?
03 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is our second installment of happiness week on the Plain English podcast. On Tuesday, I spoke with the directors of the Harvard Study of Adult De...
Happiness in America, Part 1: The Secret to a 'Good Life,' According to an 80-Year Study
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Americans have never had more access to social technology. It’s easier to talk to friends and family members hundreds of miles away; easier to see t...
The Science of How Music Hits Have Changed in the Last 60 Years
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How does technology shape art? Why has songwriting become more of a visual skill in the 21st century? Why are today's hit songs shorter than songs fr...
Bing Chatbot Gone Wild and Why AI Could Be the Story of the Decade
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Large language models like ChatGPT and Bing’s chatbot can tell stories. They can analyze the effects of agricultural AI on American and Chinese farm...
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 States has shot down four objects over North America...
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 model said that the odds of a recession by the fal...
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 eating more animals. The share of Americans who call t...
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 U.S. Nobody died, unless we count the balloon itse...
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 York Times,’ joins us to break down the debt-ceili...
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 real problem isn’t our limited time. The real pr...
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 newsletter and podcast. "It seems clear to me that th...
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 companies collectively laying off more than 130,000 peo...
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 and exercise. We have not typically thought about w...
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 diet delusions. Our guest is Dr. David Ludwig, an...
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, Disney fired a CEOBob and replaced him with a CE...
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 universe and ourselves than we did in any other pe...
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 learned from the topsy-turvy 2022 economy and mak...
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’m off the last two weeks of the year but I wante...
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’m off the last two weeks, but I wanted to keep s...
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 discoveries of the year, from the AI toys that ev...
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 the U.S. or Europe or Asia. It seems to be happen...
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 900 workers that replaced the typical five-day wee...
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 Winning." And I think you could have made an argument th...
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 demographic—young and old, male and female, white and non-...
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 off with a big-picture theory for why everything i...
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 most important stories in the world. If you don’t...
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, Sam Bankman-Fried, before welcoming veteran finance ...
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 riding “Dobbs and democracy.” Trump lost, and ex...
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 already overseen a collapse in advertising revenu...
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 ourselves. The beating of Paul Pelosi—husband of th...
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 inflation rate in decades). Buyers and sellers are...
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, Europe was basically peaceful. That paradigm has gone...
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 and editor-in-chief. We offer a brief history of ...
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 fading fast. Two months ago, the story was that Dem...
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 of some calamitous legal defeat. Robert Mueller wa...
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 revolution is going, and how the weakened connection bet...
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 you who have listened. This has been a ton of work ...
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 ferocious debate that has a lot of people very worked ...
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 triggering a series of diabolical domino effects tha...
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') on his new book 'Adrift,' why being a pundit me...
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 fastest escalations of the benchmark rate in hist...
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 roughly 70 percent of drug overdose deaths and more th...
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 monologue can become toxic. Psychologist Ethan Kross j...
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 a painful reset. As the Federal Reserve raises int...
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 climate change by 2030. Seven years in, the world i...
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 the podcast to break down Ukraine's extraordinary c...
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 correspondent at The Economist, about the UK's poli...
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 nearly enough teachers to greet them. The Washington ...
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's approval rating was in the toilet, inflation wa...
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 $20,000 of student debt really the best way to hel...
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 wars, a come-to-Jesus moment for movie theaters, ...
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: What happened to the American Dream? In 1940, a child...
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 internet creates cults of fans and anti-fans, and how “...