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. —
   Rob Lee

   Five Reasons Putin’s War Was Doomed From the Start · Mar 2022

   0 votes

   Never again
2. —
   Robin Wigglesworth
   0 votes

   Never again
3. —
   Robinson Meyer

   The L.A. Fires: How They Happened, Climate Change’s Role, and What the City Must Do Now · 3 episodes

   0 votes

   Never again
4. —
   Rogé Karma

   ‘The Job Market for Young People Is Brutal’ · Apr 2026

   0 votes

   Never again
5. —
   Rose Horowitch

   "The End of Reading Is Here" · Jul 2026

   0 votes

   Never again
6. —
   Ryan Burge

   America's Religious Revival Is a Mirage · Apr 2026

   0 votes

   Never again
7. —
   S. Jay Olshansky

   Is Radical Human Life Extension Possible? · Oct 2024

   0 votes

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8. —
   Sandra Weintraub

   The Healthiest "Super-Agers" Have One Thing in Common, According to a 25-Year Study · Aug 2025

   0 votes

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9. —
   Scott Lincicome

   The Mystery of America's Missing Baby Formula · May 2022

   0 votes

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10. —
    Sean Illing

    How the Logic of Cults Is Taking Over Modern Life · May 2024

    0 votes

    Never again
11. —
    Shira Ovide

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

    0 votes

    Never again
12. —
    Skanda Amarnath

    Why Gas Prices Are Skyrocketing—and an Ingenious Plan to Bring Them Down · Jun 2022

    0 votes

    Never again
13. —
    Steven Johnson

    The Future of AI Is Thrilling, Terrifying, Confusing, and Fascinating · May 2022

    0 votes

    Never again
14. —
    Tracy Alloway

    How the U.S. Housing Market Became Such a Dumpster Fire · Nov 2022

    0 votes

    Never again
15. —
    Tyler Austin Harper

    Higher Education’s Age of ‘Insufferable Hypocrisy’ · Aug 2026

    0 votes

    Never again
16. —
    Zachary Foster
    0 votes

    Never again
17. —
    Robert Waldinger

    Happiness in America, Part 1: The Secret to a 'Good Life,' According to an 80-Year Study · Feb 2023

    0 votes

    Never again
18. —
    Daniel Pink

    The Meaning of Life and the Power of Regret · Feb 2022

    0 votes

    Never again
19. —
    David A. Kessler

    Plain English BEST OF: A Grand, Unified Theory of Why Americans Are So Unhealthy · Dec 2025

    0 votes

    Never again