Best Ethan Robins Podcasts (2026)

1
An AI Expert Challenges an AI Skeptic, with Ethan Mollick 1:29:29

Play Pause

6d ago1:29:29

1:29:29

Even if the AI bubble bursts, the technology won’t just disappear. We’re going to live alongside some version of AI, so we have to ask: what does our future with AI look like? This week, Adam invites Ethan Mollick, AI expert and professor at Wharton School of Business, to challenge his skeptical view on AI and look at how it might impact our daily …

1
An AI Safety Expert Explains the Dangers of AI with Steven Adler 1:34:31

13d ago1:34:31

1:34:31

Why should we assume that AI is safe? As the technology has grown at an alarming rate, companies like OpenAI have seen wrongful death lawsuits begin to stack up as their product drives users to suicide. With the mental health risks, the societal risks, and the unknown risks, we have to ask, can AI ever really be safe? This week, Adam speaks with St…

1
Exploring the Depths of Wikipedia with Annie Rauwerda 1:27:07

20d ago1:27:07

1:27:07

While it feels like the very concept of an accepted collective reality has crumbled around us, Wikipedia has gradually revealed itself to be our accepted arbiter of truth. How did this social project, built on the backs of countless volunteers, come to be the one site on the internet that we all pretty much agree to be “true”? Or mostly true, at le…

1
Plastic Pollution is Killing Us with Judith Enck 1:04:59

28d ago1:04:59

1:04:59

Plastic is everywhere. Over the past century, we’ve stuffed our landfills, lined the bottom of the ocean floor, and even managed to get microscopic particles floating through our blood and bodies. Topping things off, the industry is only growing. Plastics simply do not go away, and neither will this problem unless we do something about it. This wee…

1
Philosophers Explain How a Single Person Can Make a Difference with Alex Madva and Michael Brownstein 1:39:56

1M ago1:39:56

1:39:56

The rumors are true: our world is a dumpster fire, and it feels like it’s growing hotter and stinkier by the day. If it feels hopeless, like it’s useless for one person to even try, perhaps it’s a change in perspective. This week, Adam sits with two philosophers to explain why change is ALWAYS possible. Alex Madva is a professor of philosophy at Ca…

1
We All Feel Like the World's Ending Because It Is (Kind Of) with Lizzie Wade 1:16:23

1M ago1:16:23

1:16:23

Do you have the not-so-creeping feeling that the world is ending? You might be right. The world’s ended before, and the world will end again—just not in the way we see in TV and movies. Lizzie Wade’s new book, Apocalypse: How Catastrophe Transformed Our World and Can Forge New Futures, explores how events like the colonial extermination of indigeno…

1
America’s Secret Technofacist Overlord, with Max Chafkin 1:18:03

2M ago1:18:03

1:18:03

You’ve almost certainly heard Peter Thiel’s name. You very likely even have an opinion about him. But how much do you actually know about him? One of the most powerful people in America is also one of the most secretive, because that lack of public visibility gives him much more room to exercise a scary amount of control over our country. This week…

1
Let’s Replace Our Elderly Politicians, with Amanda Litman 1:11:57

2M ago1:11:57

1:11:57

Our politicians are too f*#&ing old. We’ve covered the state of our dismal, sleepy, cranky gerontocracy before—but how do we actually get power into the hands of people who are not Boomers? Waiting for a mass die-off isn’t an option. This week, Adam speaks with Amanda Litman, co-founder and president of Run For Something, a PAC that recruits young …

1
Why Porn Bans Will Destroy the Internet with Siri Dahl and Noelle Perdue 1:48:20

2M ago1:48:20

1:48:20

Half the states in the US have passed age verification laws that put pornography under threat. Not only does this compromise a vital industry, it puts all of free speech in danger as well. Today, Adam is joined by Siri Dahl, an adult performer and outspoken critic of age verification laws, and Noelle Purdue, a writer and internet porn historian. To…

1
Everyone Can Screw Us Now Thanks to Trump, with Julie Morgan 1:09:13

2M ago1:09:13

1:09:13

Everyone in their right mind already knows the gift: Trump ran on helping working people, then immediately threw working Americans to the wolves in favor of helping the ultra-wealthy. But it’s not just Trump who is screwing us; he’s made it easier for businesses to exploit the average American as well. He recently eviscerated the Consumer Financial…

1
America is Addicted to Cars, with Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon 1:31:18

3M ago1:31:18

1:31:18

While we think of automobiles as an integral part of American life, the fact is that they’re just objectively a bad form of transportation. They’re costly, they don’t scale well, and they’re a leading cause of death in the country. The oil and automobile lobbies have done a lot of work to make it feel like there’s no way we could live without cars,…

1
Stand Up Comedy with Tourette's with Benny Feldman 1:40:19

3M ago1:40:19

1:40:19

Benny Feldman is one of the funniest new comics working today. He also has Tourette Syndrome, a neurological condition characterized by involuntary vocalizations and tics. Not only does this give Benny a unique rhythm to his performances, it also has helped him develop a fascinating personal understanding of how humor even works. This week, Adam ta…

1
The Ensh*ttification of Everything with Cory Doctorow 1:45:55

3M ago1:45:55

1:45:55

1
The Labor Movement Refuses to Be Destroyed By Trump with Julie Su 1:20:27

3M ago1:20:27

1:20:27

Trump despises the average worker and has spent the past several months doing everything he can to demolish the labor protections that Americans of previous generations fought and died to win. We’re at an inflection point for the future of American labor, with our very livelihoods in the balance. Julie Su has been a civil rights attorney, Californi…

1
Will A.I. Slop Replace the Internet? with Jason Koebler 1:27:21

3M ago1:27:21

1:27:21

A.I. slop is competing for space all across the web, and it’s starting to edge out actual human creators. The internet, once rife with possibility, is rapidly turning into a depressing wasteland of mind numbing garbage. Despite the massive volume of brain-waste being sludged out every day, there are still some brilliant human minds trying to turn t…

1
Being Funny in Deeply Unfunny Times with Gianmarco Soresi 1:53:11

4M ago1:53:11

1:53:11

Comedy has changed as an art form. On top of social media fundamentally reconfiguring the expectations of the audience for what the role of a comedian is meant to be, we live in deeply unfunny times. Despite these challenges, we still all need to laugh. This week, Adam talks with comedian Gianmarco Soresi about how to adapt to the times without com…

1
What Labubus Say About Our F-d Up Economy 12:56

4M ago12:56

12:56

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

1
Genocide Scholar: I Know It When I See It, with Omer Bartov 1:33:26

4M ago1:33:26

1:33:26

The Palestinian people are being killed en masse, they are being starved, and many are dying of preventable disease. More and more people are beginning to understand that it’s Israel’s intention to eliminate the entire Palestinian population of Gaza. Yet as untold thousands are dying, there are still people who insist that this is not “genocide” de…

1
Why Strength Training Kicks Dieting’s Ass with Casey Johnston 1:19:10

4M ago1:19:10

1:19:10

Being in “good shape” doesn’t just mean changing your diet in pursuit of unrealistic standards of thinness; it means challenging your body to be more capable today than it was yesterday. In recent years, weight lifting has been catching on as a primary exercise focus for both men and women who are trying to live healthier lifestyles. This week, Ada…

1
How The Naked Gun Saved Comedy 1:34:15

4M ago1:34:15

1:34:15

The world is getting less funny. Not just out there in the geopolitical hellscape of every day life, but at the movie theater as well. While comedy films once dominated the box office, in recent years there’s been a sharp drop-off in theatrical comedies. The communal experience of sitting in a room with people and sharing one of the most fundamenta…

1
Vivian Wilson Bullies Adam Conover for 74 Minutes 1:10:03

5M ago1:10:03

1:10:03

One of Elon Musk’s most insightful critics is his own daughter. Vivian Wilson came into the limelight last year after her father deadnamed her in an interview with Jordan Peterson, and she responded by systematically dismantling Musk in a now infamous post. Having publicly rejected her father, Wilson suddenly found herself as an icon of trans visib…

1
Everything in America is a Pyramid Scheme Now with Bridget Read 1:26:21

5M ago1:26:21

1:26:21

Pyramid schemes have been a comedic punchline for ages now, but they’ve never been more relevant. Not only is there still a thriving culture of multi-level exploitation in this country, but the dark spirit of pyramid schemes has wormed its way into countless aspects of American life. This week, Adam speaks with Bridget Read, writer at New York Maga…

1
What’s Wrong with Capitalism? with John Cassidy 1:16:21

5M ago1:16:21

1:16:21

While we’re certainly in a uniquely bad time for our capitalist society, we’re definitely not the first people to be having the thought, “what if things weren’t quite so terrible for 99% of people?” From the beginning, capitalism has justifiably had critics. Today Adam is joined by John Cassidy, New Yorker writer and author of Capitalism and Its Cr…

1
Zohran Is Teaching the Left How to Win 17:21

5M ago17:21

17:21

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

1
Spotify Is Even Worse Than You Think with Liz Pelly 1:24:00

5M ago1:24:00

1:24:00

It’s no secret that Spotify pays artists extremely poorly, but it turns out they don’t treat their customers much better. Author and journalist Liz Pelly’s new book, Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist, investigates how Spotify has accelerated the collapse of the music industry, along with their shady practices s…

1
We’re not ready for what’s coming. 19:04

6M ago19:04

19:04

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

1
The Secret Agent Organizer of the Starbucks Union with Jaz Brisack 1:24:57

6M ago1:24:57

1:24:57

Companies are infamous for their union busting tactics, but that doesn’t mean union organizers don’t have their own strategies. This week, Adam speaks with Jaz Brisack, an undercover organizer, or union “salt”, who took a job as a barista in a Starbucks in Buffalo, NY with the explicit intention of organizing Starbucks employees. Thanks to the effo…

1
Is Pride Dead? 20:23

6M ago20:23

20:23

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

1
Lina Khan: How to Fight Corporate Power Under Trump 1:19:42

6M ago1:19:42

1:19:42

Until recently, Lina Khan was the chair of the Federal Trade Commission. Under her leadership, the FTC went after the anti-competitive tactics of tech giants, finalized rules to ban non-compete clauses, enforced the right to repair, and even took on ever-loathsome junk fees. Despite the limit resources of her department, Chair Khan made such undeni…

1
RFK is Shortening Our Lifespans, with Dr. Eric Topol 1:15:34

6M ago1:15:34

1:15:34

When it comes to medical science, there’s never been a better time to be alive than now… other than maybe a few months ago before the new Trump administration. Americans today are living longer than ever before, and that’s owed in no small part to the National Institutes of Health—a government organization that has been responsible for some of the …

1
How Zohran Humiliated the Democrats with David Roth 1:21:09

6M ago1:21:09

1:21:09

Last week, Zohran Mamdani shattered the notion that a New York City mayor has to be some craggy-faced, man-shaped stack of disappointments who’d sooner die than be seen on the subway. The young, energetic Democratic Socialist ran on a platform of making New York City a more livable place for average residents, which—surprise!—went over well with av…

1
AI Is Making You Dumber 21:52

6M ago21:52

21:52

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

1
The Right is Wrong About Latin America with Greg Grandin 1:14:42

7M ago1:14:42

1:14:42

Trump has long expressed racism and vitriol toward immigrants, particularly those from Latin America. As he deploys the National Guard to Los Angeles to quash pro-immigrant protesters, it’s important to remember that Latin America is still part of the Americas. To understand how we arrived at a moment where the right holds such a bitter and hateful…

1
America Has No Left Wing with Vivek Chibber 1:30:24

7M ago1:30:24

1:30:24

At the No Kings protests this past weekend, millions of Americans demonstrated against the fascist right wing. Despite the staggering number of people willing to take to the streets, why does it still seem like the left is powerless to stop the right on a political level? This week, Adam sits with NYU professor Vivek Chibber to discuss how America …

1
How D&D Took Over Sports Arenas with Brennan Lee Mulligan 1:26:38

7M ago1:26:38

1:26:38

In the past several years, the tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons has firmly made the leap from subculture to pop culture. Massively popular “actual play” shows like Dimension 20 now sell out arenas like Madison Square Garden, a feat which would have been unheard of not so long ago. This week, Adam speaks with Dimension 20 creator and gam…

1
Leylines Presents: Alpha 8 16:50

7M ago16:50

16:50

Hello Travelers, We're getting our writers together for the next season of Leylines, but in the meantime we wanted to share something we've been listening to. We've been fans of this show for a while so it's great we're able to share it with you. Alpha 8 can be found at alpha8audio.com or anywhere you listen to podcasts. This is episode 101 - The A…

1
The End of Women's Rights with Mary Ziegler 1:10:18

7M ago1:10:18

1:10:18

The Dobbs Decision is one of the biggest blows to human rights in our lifetimes, and it’s just the beginning. Ending access to abortion is only the first step in the pro-life movement’s war on bodily autonomy. This week Adam sits with Mary Ziegler, law professor and author of Personhood: The New Civil War over Reproduction, to discuss the devastati…

1
Did Elon Tell Grok to Promote “White Genocide”? 15:07

7M ago15:07

15:07

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

1
A.I. Companies Believe They're Making God with Karen Hao 1:10:13

7M ago1:10:13

1:10:13

EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/adamconover Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! Silicon Valley has started treating AI like a religion. Literally. This week, Adam sits down with Karen Hao, author of EMPIRE OF AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI to talk about what it means for all of us when tech bros w…

1
Trump and Elon Want to Force You to Have Babies 19:05

7M ago19:05

19:05

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

1
The Philosophy of Fatness with Kate Manne 1:26:18

8M ago1:26:18

1:26:18

Download Cash App Today: https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/2vjj5nrh #CashAppPod *Referral Reward Disclaimer: As a Cash App partner, I may earn a commission when you sign up for a Cash App account. Science increasingly shows that we have far less control over our weight and body shape than society wants us to believe. Yet people labeled as “overweight” a…

1
5 Star Reviews Are Ruining Your Life 21:21

8M ago21:21

21:21

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

1
Homeless and Employed in America with Brian Goldstone 1:08:52

8M ago1:08:52

1:08:52

Having a full-time job doesn’t guarantee a roof over your head. While many Americans still equate homelessness with unemployment, the reality is that 40 to 60 percent of unhoused people in this country are working. This week, Adam sits down with anthropologist Brian Goldstone—author of There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America—to ex…

1
Group Chats are Destroying MAGA 17:44

8M ago17:44

17:44

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

1
Why America Can’t Build (Yet) with Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson 1:27:04

8M ago1:27:04

1:27:04

Could many of America’s biggest problems be solved by simply building more? The theory of abundance suggests that from the housing crisis to the climate crisis, we could make real progress—if only we had the will and the systems to build boldly and swiftly. In their new book Abundance, Ezra Klein of The New York Times and Derek Thompson of The Atla…

1
The End of American Supremacy with Mark Blyth 1:21:39

8M ago1:21:39

1:21:39

For over 75 years we’ve lived in a world DEFINED by American economic supremacy. With the chaos of Trump’s tariffs and the rise of China it’s worth asking, is this era coming to a close? Today Adam is joined by Mark Blyth, a professor of international economics at Brown, and coauthor, along with Nicolo Fraccaroli of Inflation: A Guide for Users and…

1
You are not safe. 15:00

9M ago15:00

15:00

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

1
Quit Your Useless Job with Rutger Bregman 1:13:53

9M ago1:13:53

1:13:53

Why does it so often feel like the more society claims to value a job, the slimier it is? Why are so many brilliant minds funneled into the tech industry, only to spend their days optimizing ad clicks instead of solving real societal problems? What if jobs were desirable not because of how much money they pull in, but because they made the world be…

1
The tariffs are just so stupid. 21:47

9M ago21:47

21:47

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!…

1
The New Red Scare with Corey Robin 1:28:23

9M ago1:28:23

1:28:23

Just months into Trump’s second term, we’re already witnessing the rapid erosion of fundamental American rights. Legal residents are being detained and deported simply for expressing support for Palestinians. Political expression in the U.S. hasn’t felt this dangerous since the Red Scare—and all signs point to things getting even worse. To help mak…