Plain English with Derek Thompson

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 “...

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 out for the chaos that typically swirls around him ...

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 country to report on how racism in America holds us ...

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 been able to forget. They said: Imagine a bathtub....

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 myths around how monkeypox spreads, and blasts public...

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 arguably Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”...

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 Robinson Meyer began his report on the Democrats' new cl...

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 quarter, fueling fears that the economy is in a rec...

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 the case against. Today we debate the case for. In ...

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 as Web3, also known as blockchain-based technologie...

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, which has hugely disrupted global trade, especial...

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.K., airport runways melted as temperatures exceede...

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 of Twitter stock. In February, he kept buying. In M...

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, Disney, or HBO? Are movie theaters back for real...

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 next—that he has to enumerate them. In this episod...

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 there's an even more important question to ask: Are w...

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 shootings, mass shootings, and gun-related murder...

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 fascinating and important aspects of the end of the era...

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 Supreme Court, inflation, oil prices, air travel s...

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 court, national politics, fertility and family plann...

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 they should. There's an oil shortage, and a baby form...

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 a record high. Adjusted for inflation, they could ...

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 economy right now could be a historical anecdote in fi...

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 raised interest rates by 0.75 percentage points, its bi...

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 rise. Wrong. In 2021, many expected 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 country. In San Francisco, progressive district attor...

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 question about gun control, explains how American c...

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 mourning, followed by inaction, followed by several mont...

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 answer, and a lot of you had the same thought on your...

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 captivated the country, and Derek is a bit confuse...

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 percent of formula is out of stock, and in many stat...

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 bizarre place right now, and Derek needs help explai...

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 CATAN portfolio. Crypto has cratered, growth ...

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 2020s, they might point to advances in artificial i...

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 used to strike down Roe Vs Wade. In the leaked dra...

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 Court Justice Samuel Alito struck down Roe v. Wade...

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 show to play stock doctor and diagnose what's killin...

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 makes a disastrous quarterback decision but also ov...

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 Governor Ron DeSantis? It's a big media hellscape roundup...

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 Musk will do to Twitter and how his acquisition c...