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How Hollywood’s Hit Formula Flopped—and What Could Come Next
The past 18 months have seen a major change in the film industry: The old franchise models have lost their luster, and original films are dominating at the box office. Lucas Shaw joins to explain!
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What Many Economists (and I) Got Wrong About This Economy
Derek talks with economist Judd Cramer about his new paper, which posits that our inflation data doesn’t properly account for skyrocketing interest rates
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Why the “Need for Chaos” Is Eating American Politics
Many Americans today seem to embrace conspiracy theories and nihilistic burn-it-all-down messages, not because they are partisans of the left or right, but because they’ve become cynical about all elite and all major institutions of power
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Why Americans Stopped Hanging Out—and Why It Matters
Sociologist Eric Klinenberg joins Derek to examine the dramatic decline in face-to-face socialization in the U.S.
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“We’re Seeing a Fundamental Reorganization of Work in America”
Real wages have been growing, but many Americans still don’t buy the idea that things are getting better for the economy. What is the real significance of real wages?
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How to Have the Hardest Conversations—in Marriage, Politics, and Life
Charles Duhigg joins Derek to talk about the topic of his new book, ‘Supercommunicators’: the art of having difficult discussions
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Would You Buy a Drug to Extend Your Dog’s Life?
The CEO and founder of Loyal, a company developing drugs to help dogs live longer, joins Derek to explain how they’re slowing down the aging process
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The Dark Side of the Internet’s Obsession With Anxiety
Clinical psychologist Darby Saxbe joins the show to dive into the way we talk about anxiety on the internet and what good mental health conversations might look like
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Can Solar Power and Battery Tech Save the World From Climate Change?
Climate researcher Nat Bullard joins Derek to talk about some of the most promising technologies for clean energy generation
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The Gender War Within Gen Z
In the past few years, young women have been shifting to the left, while young men have been shifting to the right. What’s behind this schism? Alice Evans joins to discuss.
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What’s the Best Diet for Planet Earth?
Data scientist Hannah Ritchie joins Derek to discuss why some food choices, such as eating local and eating organic, aren’t as ecologically beneficial as people may think
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Why Did Stanley Water Bottles Suddenly Become a Cultural Phenomenon?
What can the Stanley cup craze tell us about marketing trends, social media tastes, and the role of randomness in the economy? Derek consults the experts to find out.
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Why the U.S. Media Industry Is in Meltdown
Between the layoffs at Sports Illustrated, Pitchfork’s absorption into GQ, and many other hits to major news organizations, the U.S. news industry is in a dire situation
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World on Fire, Part 3: How Did America’s Border Crisis Get So Bad?
Dara Lind of the American Immigration Council joins Derek to explain why the border crisis has become so severe in recent years
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World on Fire, Part 2: Global Conflict Has Surged to an 80-Year High. Why?
This might be the most violent period of the 21st century, with more total conflicts than any year since World War II
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World on Fire, Part 1: The Houthis, Israel’s Impossible War, and Worsening Middle East Chaos
Natan Sachs, director of the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings, joins Dereks to talk about the current state of the Middle East
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The Dark Side of the Obsession With Focus
Oliver Burkeman joins Derek to explain what we get wrong when trying to eliminate all distractions and interruptions while working
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Four Megatrends for 2024 in Tech, Economics, Media, and Weird Science
Derek shares what he considers the most important narratives of the moment, including the return of normalcy in economics, a big shift in sports media, Big Tech’s 1890 moment, and ... aliens
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The Biggest Breakthroughs in Science Happening Right Now
It’s our breakthroughs of the year episode, covering 2023’s biggest achievements in science and tech, including space technology, life extension, fusion, gene editing, vaccines, and, of course, GLP-1s
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The Truth About Ketamine: Depression Cure, Health Fad, or Placebo?
Boris Heifets, an anesthesiology professor and the author of a fascinating study on ketamine, joins Derek to explain how and why the controversial drug works
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The Year in Media and Entertainment: What’s Broken (News), What’s Surging (Netflix), and What’s Next
The year 2023, from the miracle of Barbenheimer to the superhero drought, from Netflix’s show of strength to Taylor Swift’s invincibility, from the podcast purge to so much more
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How Weight-Loss Drugs Could Impact U.S. Health Care and Food
Today’s episode is our second in a series on the weight-loss drug revolution of the last two years
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The Weight-Loss Drug Revolution, Part 1: Why These Drugs Work So Well
Beverly Tchang, an endocrinologist at Weill Cornell, joins the show to explain the impacts of this new generation of weight-loss drugs
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Why It’s So Hard to Buy a House Right Now—and Why It Might Get Better Soon
U.S. housing prices are at near-record highs. Is the market forecast to face an impending drop or a continued rise? Mark Zandi joins the show to answer our questions.
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How Henry Kissinger’s Catastrophes and Triumphs Changed the World
Derek and Atlantic writer George Packer discuss the many ways in which Henry Kissinger shaped the world we live in today
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Elon Musk’s Meltdown, the Death of Twitter, and the Chaotic Future of Social Media
Derek is joined by The Atlantic’s Charlie Warzel to go over Musk’s recent comments at the DealBook Summit and discuss the social media landscape as a whole
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How China’s Economic Miracle Went Off the Rails
Writer Dan Wang joins Derek to discuss why the Chinese economy has slowed down after decades of growth and the implications of that decline
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Inside the OpenAI Meltdown
Discussing what the hell is happening at OpenAI, where the most famous startup in artificial intelligence is self-immolating for reasons that the company refuses to explain
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The Media Is Missing Something Big in Biden’s Bad Polling Numbers
Nate Cohn, chief political analyst at The New York Times, joins the show to talk about the meaning of Joe Biden’s terrible polling numbers
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How ChatGPT Can Change the Future of Jobs—Starting With Your Own
Derek and tech columnist Kevin Roose talk about AI’s current practical applications and how it is already affecting multiple professions
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What Most People Get Wrong About Wealth, Fame, and Happiness
Author Morgan Housel joins Derek to talk about the value of focusing on what stays the same in an ever-changing world
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The Fragile Hope for Peace in Israel-Palestine
Sally Abed, an activist with the group Standing Together, joins Derek to discuss what it’s like being Palestinian in Israel, how to build a coalition for peace, and more