In Part 1 of a two-part podcast, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Kevin O’Connor to discuss Jaylen Brown’s changing role on the Boston Celtics (2:06), before talking with Derek Thompson about OpenAI’s decision to fire CEO Sam Altman, the fallout, how rapidly AI is developing, predictions for the following weeks, as well as a check-in on Elon Musk during the troughs of his lawsuit with Media Matters, and more (32:44). Finally, Austin Gayle stops by for another segment of NFL Nerd Out, where they run through some surprising advanced statistics on C.J. Stroud, Zach Wilson, the Panthers offense, Chargers HC Brandon Staley, USC QB Caleb Williams, and more (1:27:55).

Host: Bill Simmons
Guests: Kevin O’Connor, Derek Thompson, and Austin Gayle
Producer: Kyle Crichton

In Part 2 of a two-part podcast, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Rob Mahoney to discuss the success of the inaugural NBA in-season tournament and check in on some aging NBA superstars, including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry (1:42). Then, Bill talks with Danny Kelly and Steven Ruiz about the lackluster NFL MVP race (50:58) before Bill and Danny run through NFL Week 12 games and make the Million-Dollar Picks (1:21:23).

Host: Bill Simmons
Guests: Rob Mahoney, Steven Ruiz, and Danny Kelly
Producer: Kyle Crichton

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Bill Simmons

Bill Simmons is the founder and managing director of The Ringer, which he launched in 2016. He hosts ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast’ and ‘The Rewatchables,’ and also serves as head of podcast innovation and monetization for Spotify.

Austin Gayle

Steven Ruiz

Steven Ruiz has been an NFL analyst and QB ranker at The Ringer since 2021. He’s a D.C. native who roots for all the local teams except for the Commanders. As a child, he knew enough ball to not pick the team owned by Dan Snyder—but not enough to avoid choosing the Panthers.

Kevin O’Connor

Derek Thompson

Derek Thompson is the host of the ‘Plain English’ podcast. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of several books, including ‘Hit Makers’ and the forthcoming ‘Abundance,’ coauthored with Ezra Klein. He lives in North Carolina, with his wife and daughter.

Danny Kelly

Danny has been covering the NFL since 2011. He cohosts ‘The Ringer Fantasy Football Show’ and ‘The Ringer NFL Draft Show,’ contributes to The Ringer’s Fantasy Football Rankings, and writes scouting reports for The Ringer’s NFL Draft Guide.

Rob Mahoney

Rob covers the NBA and pop culture for The Ringer. He previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated.