Plain English with Derek Thompson

Latest Episodes:

Media Gossip Hour: Spotify's Joe Rogan Problem, Facebook's TikTok Crisis, and Crypto's Anonymity Conundrum Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

Kevin Roose of The New York Times returns to our pod, which is owned by Spotify, to talk about Joe Rogan’s podcast, which is exclusively licensed by Spotify. (That's transparency, folks.) Then we talk about Mark Zuckerberg’s big stock market wipeout, and Kevin explains the latest NFT controversy to Derek like he’s 5 years old.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Kevin Roose

Producer: Devon Manze

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This Guy Predicted the 2021 Economy. I Asked Him What's Next. Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

Jason Furman is a Harvard professor who served as a top economist for the Obama administration. More than just about anybody Derek spoke to last year, he nailed the rise in inflation. What did he see that others didn't? What's happening to inflation, the Great Resignation, labor shortages, and the Federal Reserve right now? And what will happen in 2022?

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Jason Furman

Producer: Devon Manze

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One Big Question For: Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Tesla, and Meta Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

They’re the six largest tech companies in the world. What’s the most interesting thing about each of them? Shira Ovide, author of the On Tech newsletter from The New York Times, joins Derek to talk about why Norway is a snapshot of Tesla’s future, why Microsoft is so underrated, and why Apple stands alone among the tech giants in more ways than one.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Shira Ovide

Producer: Devon Manze

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Should We Cancel Student Debt? Jan 28, 2022

Show notes

Americans owe $1.7 trillion in student loans, and some Democrats think the time has come to cancel this burden. Derek shares 10 big student-loan facts that shape the debate. Then Jordan Weissmann of Slate joins the podcast to talk about the proposal to cancel student debt, the best arguments for and against it, the modern history of student loans, and their economic and psychological burden.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Jordan Weissmann

Producer: Devon Manze

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Crypto Crashing, Pandemic Stocks Plunging: The Story Behind January’s Crazy Stock Market Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

Morgan Housel, the bestselling author of ‘The Psychology of Money’ and a partner at Collaborative Fund, is back to talk Bitcoin, Peloton, tech stocks, financial media myths, the psychology of stock market corrections, and the long view of investing.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Morgan Housel

Producer: Devon Manze

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2022 Is Off to a Terrible Start for Democrats Jan 21, 2022

Show notes

Legendary journalist James Fallows joins to discuss the filibuster wars, Democrats’ Voting Rights Act, the political outlook for Joe Biden and the Democrats, and the media’s negativity bias (as exemplified, one might argue, in the headline to this very episode).

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: James Fallows

Producer: Devon Manze

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The Biggest Losers of the Streaming Wars: ESPN, Movie Theaters, Peacock, and More Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

Do movie theaters have a future? What should Disney do with ESPN? And is anybody watching Peacock? Derek’s favorite entertainment-media analyst Rich Greenfield joins the pod to talk about the future of TV, movies, and live sports.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Rich Greenfield

Producer: Devon Manze

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Everybody Was Wrong About Inflation Jan 14, 2022

Show notes

Okay, almost everybody. The Biden administration was wrong. Many critics of the Biden administration were also wrong. The Federal Reserve was wrong. Investors were wrong. Banks were wrong. And Bitcoin investors weren't exactly right, either. How did everybody miss the most important economic story of the year? Derek breaks down the highest inflation rate in 40 years and welcomes back his economic roundtable guests, the finance podcasters Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guests: Michael Batnick & Ben Carlson

Producer: Devon Manze

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Omicron: Feelings vs. Facts Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

Derek talks about the rise of the "Vaxxed and Done" movement before reviewing the latest omicron data with John Burn-Murdoch, data superstar at the Financial Times.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: John Burn-Murdoch

Producer: Devon Manze

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The Biggest Inventions of the 2020s: Cancer Vaccines, Flying Cars, Space Travel, and More Jan 07, 2022

Show notes

Let’s kick off the new year with a bit of techno-optimism! After a miserable start to this decade, we can still have a Roaring Twenties. In this episode, ‘Plain English’ presents a tour of the frontier of science and technology with Derek’s favorite innovation writer, the economist Eli Dourado.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Eli Dourado

Producer: Devon Manze

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