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The Fediverse Experiment Jan 09, 2026

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Our present version of the internet is arguably the worst it’s ever been. Which means – any shot at changing things, even an unlikely one – is worth trying out. Three podcasters who’ve spent years critiquing social media companies try to build their own small alternative social media.

A collaboration with Hard Fork’s Kevin Roose and Casey Newton: join ⁠The Forkiverse⁠ here.

A Perfectly Average Anomaly Dec 19, 2025

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A man walks into an airport body scanner, and with eerie consistency, the machine flags the exact same part of his body. What could be going on? Search Engine investigates a Bermuda Triangle.

Incognito Mode⁠, our ad-free, no-rerun, bonus episode feed.

Unlocked: The State of Search Engine 2025 Dec 12, 2025

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As a special, one-time holiday treat, we're sharing something we only usually offer on our premium feed, Incognito Mode. Our annual board meeting! We talk about what shopping a podcast has been like in this environment, our internal stats, and… Yes, Yes, No.

Incognito Mode, our ad-free, no-rerun, bonus episode feed.

What's the best phone to do crimes on? (classic) Dec 05, 2025

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For years, the must-have phone for the discerning drug trafficker or hitman was a brand you may not have heard of: AN0M. Reporter Joseph Cox tells us the story of the AN0M phone, its sudden rise and shocking fall, and the shadowy group behind its invention.

Joseph's new book: Dark Wire.

Incognito Mode, our ad-free, no-rerun, bonus episode feed.

How to talk (or not talk) politics at family holidays Nov 27, 2025

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This week, in honor of the holiday season — can you, should you change your family’s politics through holiday conversation. If so, how? A conversation with Ezra Klein.

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Colossus 2 Nov 21, 2025

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In part two of our story about Elon Musk’s growing data center empire, we visit the battle between people in Memphis and xAI. And we try to understand a strange, untested assumption at the heart of the AI financing boom.

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Colossus 1 Nov 21, 2025

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Tech billionaires have made an enormous bet on AI, the biggest bet that tech has made on anything in a very long time. Reporter Sruthi Pinnamaneni goes on a journey – from Data Center Alley to the shadow of Colossus – to see what the money’s being spent on, and to learn what happens if things go wrong.

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An Anthropology of Gooners Nov 12, 2025

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A reporter spends a year diving into a subculture of young men online who unite around their extreme commitment to constant, unadulterated porn consumption. Why are they doing this, what is it doing to them, and what does their existence tell us about the internet we’re all stuck on?

The Goon Squad by Daniel Kolitz for Harper’s Magazine

Daniel’s Twitter

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America vs. China Oct 31, 2025

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People review everything, but they almost never review what it’s like to live in another country. Until now.

We interview a writer who’s lived in China, covered China, and has had to choose between life here and there. What are the big misconceptions Americans have about China? How could America learn to build trains and bridges as fast as China does? And how should the two countries actually be copying each other?

Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang

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The Rage in the Cage Oct 17, 2025

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Can you tickle your way to victory in an MMA fight? An investigation into a sports scandal with journalist Pablo Torre.

See videos mentioned in this episode.

Check out Pablo Torre Finds Out on Youtube or Spotify.

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