Plain English with Derek Thompson

Longtime Atlantic tech, culture and political writer Derek Thompson cuts through all the noise surrounding the big questions and headlines that matter to you in his new podcast Plain English. Watch Derek and guests engage the news with clear viewpoints and memorable takeaways. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Friday, and if you've got a topic you want discussed, shoot us an email at plainenglish@spotify.com! Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@PlainEnglishwithDerekThompson

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Every guest on Plain English with Derek Thompson

219 guests, ranked by how many people never want them back.

1. —
   Darby Saxbe

   How Modern Fatherhood Is Changing Men’s Brains · 2 episodes

   0 votes

   Never again
2. —
   Daniel Lieberman

   What Evolutionary Biology Can Teach Us About Diet, Exercise, and Staying Alive · Apr 2024

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   Never again
3. —
   Robert Wright

   Why a No-Fly Zone Over Ukraine Could Be—Literally—the Worst Idea Ever · Mar 2022

   0 votes

   Never again
4. —
   David Epstein

   Why Too Much Freedom Is the Enemy of Success · May 2026

   0 votes

   Never again
5. —
   Ezra Klein

   ABUNDANCE! With Ezra Klein · Mar 2025

   0 votes

   Never again
6. —
   Richard Reeves

   America's Young Men Are Falling Behind—and Shifting Right · 2 episodes

   0 votes

   Never again
7. —
   Nir Eyal

   The Pill That Works Even When You Know It's Fake · Mar 2026

   0 votes

   Never again
8. —
   Cal Newport

   Will AI Usher In the End of Deep Thinking? · 2 episodes

   0 votes

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9. —
   Oliver Burkeman

   The Productivity Paradox: Why Less Is More With Oliver Burkeman · 3 episodes

   0 votes

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10. —
    Paul Eastwick
    0 votes

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11. —
    Morgan Housel

    Why American Happiness Just Fell Off a Cliff · 6 episodes

    0 votes

    Never again
12. —
    Ken Burns

    How the American Revolution Changed the World, With Ken Burns · Nov 2025

    0 votes

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13. —
    C. Thi Nguyen

    Why We're Addicted to ‘Sh*tty Flow’ · 2 episodes

    0 votes

    Never again
14. —
    Richard Rhodes

    Oppenheimer: The Genius, the Film, and the Project That Changed the World · Jul 2023

    0 votes

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15. —
    Tim Urban

    A Mind-Expanding Conversation About Human History and Happiness With Tim Urban · Mar 2023

    0 votes

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16. —
    Jonathan Haidt

    Why Are American Teenagers So Sad and Anxious? · Apr 2022

    0 votes

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17. —
    Jason Calacanis

    Market Meltdown: Why Tech and Crypto Are Crashing - and What Happens Next · May 2022

    0 votes

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18. —
    Sara Seager

    An Astrophysicist Explains the "Strongest Evidence Yet" of Alien Life · Apr 2025

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19. —
    Scott Galloway

    Scott Galloway on Why the Internet Is a Mess, Why the News Is So Angry, and Why American Men Are ‘Adrift’ · Sep 2022

    0 votes

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20. —
    Ethan Kross

    Why the Voice Inside Your Head Can Sound Like a Jerk · Sep 2022

    0 votes

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21. —
    Charles Duhigg

    How to Have the Hardest Conversations—in Marriage, Politics, and Life · Feb 2024

    0 votes

    Never again
22. —
    Sahil Bloom

    The 5 Types of Wealth · Feb 2025

    0 votes

    Never again
23. —
    Steve Magness

    Health Fads and Fictions: VO2 Max, Supplement Mania, Sunlight, and Immortality · Apr 2024

    0 votes

    Never again
24. —
    Adam Grant

    The Science of Achievement, With Adam Grant · Oct 2023

    0 votes

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25. —
    Nate Silver

    Nate Silver on Why This Midterm Election Could Be the Weirdest in Decades · Sep 2022

    0 votes

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26. —
    Jamil Zaki

    The Surprising Science of Cynicism (Plus: The Policy Paradox of the 2024 Election) · Sep 2024

    0 votes

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27. —
    Brian Klaas
    0 votes

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28. —
    Adam Mastroianni

    A Grand Unified Theory of Cultural Stagnation · Nov 2025

    0 votes

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29. —
    Helen Lewis

    The Men Who Think Toxic Feminism Destroyed America · May 2026

    0 votes

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30. —
    Brad Stulberg

    Fatherhood and What Americans Get Wrong About Major Life Changes · 2 episodes

    0 votes

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31. —
    James Nestor

    Breathing Is Easy. But We’re Doing It Wrong. · Jun 2024

    0 votes

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32. —
    Matthew Yglesias

    Why U.S. Population Growth Crashed to a Record Low · Apr 2022

    0 votes

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33. —
    Bill Gates

    Bill Gates on Progress, Food Technology, and the Battle Between Climate Change and Innovation · Sep 2022

    0 votes

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34. —
    Bill Simmons

    Bill Simmons on Aaron Judge, How Baseball Ruined Itself, and the Joy of Debating Sports Records · Oct 2022

    0 votes

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35. —
    Michael Lewis

    Michael Lewis on How the Global Financial Crisis Explains Trump, Crypto, and Everything Else · Oct 2025

    0 votes

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36. —
    Chuck Klosterman

    Why Does It Seem Like Everybody Hates Everything? · Aug 2022

    0 votes

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37. —
    Eric Topol

    The Year's Biggest Breakthroughs in Science and Tech (Feat.: OK, But Seriously, What Is Quantum Computing?) · Dec 2024

    0 votes

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38. —
    Lisa Damour

    Why the Cult of Achievement in Schools Is Making People Miserable · Mar 2023

    0 votes

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39. —
    Andrew Yang

    BONUS POD: The Future of Democracy, the Media, and the Economy With Andrew Yang · Dec 2021

    0 votes

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40. —
    Heather McGhee

    A New Way to Think About Racism in America · Aug 2022

    0 votes

    Never again