Best Semafor Podcasts (2025)

1
Ezra Klein on Trump, Sanity, and Podcasting 48:28

4d ago48:28

48:28

Ezra Klein is on a book tour — you may have heard his voice on some of your other favorite podcasts talking about Abundance. Today, Ben and Max also talk to The New York Times columnist and host… but you won’t hear anything about the book (so you’ll just have to buy it). Instead, they ask Ezra what he’s learned about the media and podcasting throug…

1
Semafor's Rachel Oppenheim on stakeholder media 55:53

28d ago55:53

55:53

Stakeholder media is how a media company can stay influential and build a real business—especially now, when scaled ad models are in a full race to the bottom. Everyone wants to move from passive audiences to active communities. Stakeholder media is a variant. It’s defining features: Elite audiences operating in interconnected, complex ecosystems F…

1
Inside HubSpot's go-direct media playbook 50:56

10h ago50:56

50:56

Kyle Denhoff, head of audience development for HubSpot Media, joined me to talk about how HubSpot has built one of the most effective media operations inside a tech company. We discuss how HubSpot’s practical, non-ideological approach to inbound marketing evolved into a full-fledged media business spanning newsletters, podcasts, and creator partner…

1
Robert Reich on Fighting The Trump Autocracy 45:38

3d ago45:38

45:38

Every day we see this country inch closer to authoritarianism under Donald Trump. We're joined by Robert Reich, political economist, professor, author, and former Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton. We cover how Reich thinks Democrats should fight back against this era of oligarchy in America. He explains the power of protest and lays out the me…

1
The Ankler's Janice Min embraces more with less 1:04:00

7d ago1:04:00

1:04:00

Janice Min joins to talk about building The Ankler into a focused, profitable media brand—and why she believes the future belongs to lean operators, not her past life helming glossy franchises. We talk about her transition from the high-gloss days of The Hollywood Reporter to the scrappy Substack era, the limits of venture capital in media, and how…

1
BEST OF: Tim Alberta on Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism 59:35

10d ago59:35

59:35

In this Best Of episode, we revisit our conversation with Tim Alberta, the author of the profoundly disturbing book "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory,” which was released before the 2024 election. In this interview, he explains how evangelicals have been turned into a political tool for the Republican Party. Alberta grew up in the evangelical …

1
Zeitgeist Genius Tina Brown on Meghan Markle, Vanity Fair and Whether We Still Need Editors 47:10

12d ago47:10

47:10

Tina Brown has shaped the culture and captured the zeitgeist since she reinvented Vanity Fair and The New Yorker in the 1980s and 1990s. But now, she’s moved onto the digital media space with her Substack, Fresh Hell. This week, Ben and Max talk to the magazine icon about what she makes of the state of print media today, if we still need editors in…

1
Bringing resource efficient decarbonization to legacy buildings | Marshall Cox, CEO of Kelvin 25:48

13d ago25:48

25:48

In this episode, host Gil Jenkins speaks with Marshall Cox, co-founder and CEO of Kelvin, a national leader in intelligent HVAC solutions for legacy buildings in major cities. Marshall shares the origin story of Kelvin (formerly Radiator Labs) and discusses the company’s flagship product—the Cozy—an insulated radiator cover that maximizes efficienc…

1
How Dave Smith EXPOSED Douglas Murray's Hypocrisy - Deportations & Woke Right with Julian Dorey | The Sagnik Show 2:00:34

13d ago2:00:34

2:00:34

Julian Dorey is a friend and one of the best podcasters out there. We react to pompous Douglas Smith's debate with Dave Smith on JRE, we riffed on how the woke virus is crippling the Right because it has a spine made of glass, and a lot more. Enjoy! Subscribe and also go to Julian's channel and help him cross 1M subs. 0:00 - INTRO 0:51 - Julian Dor…

1
Spin's IP strategy 56:20

15d ago56:20

56:20

Once a music magazine that competed with Rolling Stone to define cool in the pre-internet era, Spin is no longer really a magazine. Yes, it has brought the magazine (and Bob Guccione Jr) back, but Spin is an IP company now. It puts on Spin Sessions events, sells t-shirts at Urban Outfitters, licenses its archive for streaming projects, and runs a r…

1
Atul Gawande on Musk’s Destruction of USAID 43:50

17d ago43:50

43:50

Elon Musk and DOGE have been taking a chainsaw to the federal government since Trump was re-elected. It could take us generations to fully recover from the damage inflicted by the careless and cruel nature of these cuts. We're joined by American surgeon, author, and public health advocate Atul Gawande to discuss just how devastating these actions a…

1
Will Trump's TARIFFS Help or Hurt America’s Path to ABUNDANCE? w/ Chris Barnard | The Sagnik Show 1:06:05

17d ago1:06:05

1:06:05

Chris Barnard is a friend and the President of the American Conservation Coalition (ACC). ACC’s mission is to build the conservative environmental movement. He also serves on the Youth Advisory Council for the Republican Party. We sat down to riff on the state of 'Abundance' and Trump's Tariffs. 0:00 Intro 0:17 Who owns 'Abundance'? 3:28 Why can't …

1
Can YouTube Debates Bring America Back Together? with Jubilee’s Jason Y. Lee 51:37

19d ago51:37

51:37

In a YouTube landscape filled with podcasts and talking heads, Jubilee Media’s wild debate videos stand apart: A doctor debates 20 anti-vaxxers, Ben Shapiro debates 25 liberals, Pete Buttigieg debates 25 conservatives. But are these viral videos bringing a divided America back together or are they just profiting off of polarization? This week, Ben …

1
The Daily Upside's niche strategy 45:56

21d ago45:56

45:56

Inn this episode, The Daily Upside's Patrick Trousdale explains how niche products like Advisor Upside and ETF Upside are helping the company move up the value chain. We also talk about paid growth, building a newsroom, and why journalism—not just distribution—is the long-term differentiator.By Brian Morrissey

1
Catherine Rampell on Trump’s Tariffs and DOGE 53:04

24d ago53:04

53:04

Despite widespread warnings about what economic havoc they could cause, Donald Trump announced his plan to put tariffs on nearly every nation in the world. Catherine Rampell, opinion columnist for The Washington Post and co-host of MSNBC’s The Weekend, gives her instant reaction to Trump's plan. If history (and the current stock market) is any indi…

1
Piers Morgan On Going Independent, Meghan Markle, and Why He Likes Pouring Gasoline On the Fire 49:19

26d ago49:19

49:19

Since the 80s, Piers Morgan has ridden massive changes in the media industry, jumping from print to cable to, more recently, YouTube. This week on Mixed Signals, the TV star joins Ben and (subbing in for Max) Semafor’s head of comms, Meera Pattni, to discuss how he’s building his Uncensored brand, what he likes about being a YouTuber, and if he mis…

1
Jessica Yellin on Our Anxiety Producing News Cycle 37:57

1M ago37:57

37:57

A potentially catastrophic breach of security within The White House has set off alarm bells for both Republicans and Democrats in D.C. Independent journalist Jessica Yellin joins us to discuss SignalGate. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz are both under fire after The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg was added t…

1
Nick Denton’s Surprising Return, Courtesy of Elon Musk, Denmark, and Chinese Cars 41:03

1M ago41:03

41:03

Nick Denton, the founder of Gawker, more or less disappeared from the Internet in 2017, after a public legal battle with Hulk Hogan (backed by Peter Thiel) resulted in the site being shut down… That is until earlier this month, when Denton suddenly reappeared on X, tweeting over 200 times over the course of days. In his first podcast appearance sin…

1
Inside Dude Perfect’s highly profitable business model 45:24

1M ago45:24

45:24

An enduring challenge of the media business is finding leverage in models. This used to be fairly straightforward. Newspapers had leverage as quasi-local monopolies, Magazines had leverage that allowed Vanity Fair to pay a writer nearly $500k for three articles a year – and still be nicely profitable. And so on. It’s increasingly hard to find that …

1
Why Modern Women Are Rejecting Feminist Hustle Culture? w/Mary Margaret Olohan | The Sagnik Show 1:08:55

1M ago1:08:55

1:08:55

Mary Margaret Olohan is a friend who I met years ago while working at the Daily Caller. Today, she’s the White House Correspondent at the Daily Wire. We recently caught up for a conversation on the state of conservative culture, why so many women are stepping back from the girlboss era and embracing tradwife aesthetics, and our shared love for Prid…

1
Norm Ornstein on Another Terrible Week in D.C. 34:31

1M ago34:31

34:31

It's been another chaotic week in Donald Trump's America, and we're thrilled to have our good friend, Norm Ornstein, back on the podcast. We talk about Trump's Executive Order TO dismantle the Department of Education and what that could mean to communities across the country. We also break down the divisions in the Democratic Party and why Leader C…

1
Secrets of YouTube with CEO Neal Mohan 44:07

1M ago44:07

44:07

YouTube is undeniably the dominant media platform of the moment, and it’s increasingly the go-to place for what used to be an audio-only medium: podcasts. Last month, the company announced that podcasts on YouTube rack up 1 billion viewers a month. This week, Ben and Max bring on CEO Neal Mohan to talk about how YouTube has become the epicenter of …

1
Accelerating EV deployments through grid optimization | Apoorv Bhargava, CEO of WeaveGrid 49:46

1M ago49:46

49:46

The automotive industry is undergoing a major transformation, with electric vehicles poised to dominate the future of transport. But this transition requires more than just building great EVs; it demands a comprehensive approach to ensure our electric grid can reliably support the demand from millions of new EVs. In this episode of Climate Positive…

1
How Long Will Elon Musk Last In MAGA, with Robby Soave | The Sagnik Show 1:11:06

1M ago1:11:06

1:11:06

0:00 Intro 0:51 Trump's Libertarian Rebirth 4:47Steve Bannon vs Elon Musk - Immigration 7:51 DOGE Draining The Swamp 12:12 MSM Firings, Populist disconnect 16:42 How Trump Won The Podcast Election 20:33 Growing Rising on YouTube 21:25 Robby's come-up in journalism 25:11 The Corruption Of White House Press 28:35 Corporate influence in journalism 32:…

1
Morning Brew's Robert Dippell on moving into B2B 50:10

1M ago50:10

50:10

Morning Brew CEO Robert Dippell joins me to break down the fundamental differences between consumer and B2B media, why so many publishers underestimate the challenge, and how Morning Brew has built a thriving B2B business alongside its flagship newsletter. We also discuss the role of events, the shift to creator-led media, and why some of Morning B…

1
BEST OF: Trae Crowder on Comedy and The Liberal Redneck 42:48

1M ago42:48

42:48

In this Best Of episode, we revisit our conversation with Trae Crowder, the viral comedian from Tennessee aka The Liberal Redneck. We talk about Trae's upbringing in a red state, why rednecks are Trumpies, and what happens to a community when the jobs leave. Listen to Trae’s take on Trump's appeal to voting rednecks, even though they might have see…

1
Does Mass Culture Still Matter? And How Snoop Dogg Mastered Commerce, with Frank Cooper 45:29

2M ago45:29

45:29

In this moment of media fragmentation and the rise of niche communities, are there still ways to reach mass audiences? This week, Ben and Max bring on legendary marketing executive, Frank Cooper, who’s always been at the center of big cultural shifts from his time at Def Jam in the 90s, AOL in the 2000s, and BuzzFeed in the 2010s. Throughout his ca…

1
How The KYLE RITTENHOUSE Trial Divided America - Race, Regrets, Riots with Richie McGinniss | The Sagnik Show 1:07:47

2M ago1:07:47

1:07:47

0:00 Intro 0:57 The night in Kenosha 4:30 Richie's testimony 8:22 Kyle Rittenhouse - hero or villain? 15:30 What led to the shooting 21:31 Similarities between Daniel Penny and Rittenhouse 24:35 Richie's politics 27:35 Covering January 6 31:12 End of the liberal world order - BLM, Lockdowns, Biden 38:54 Why Richie voted for Obama 42:56 Winston Chur…

1
Joy Reid FIRED! How Trump’s Comeback Crumbled Resistance Media, with Amber Duke | The Sagnik Show 1:10:57

2M ago1:10:57

1:10:57

0:00 Intro 1:08 Resistance Media in Trump 2016 vs 2024 3:51 Joy Reid Is Fired, Will MSM Learn Their Lessons? 6:41 Explaining elite journalists' disconnect from reality 9:21 How Amber got into journalism and conservative media 15:37 How Trump 2016 set the ground for Trump 2024 20:30 How The WHCA cartel gatekeeps media access 25:45 White House's New …

1
Adam Ryan on why newsletters are a channel, not a business model 53:32

2M ago53:32

53:32

Adam Ryan, CEO of Workweek, joined me this week to discuss his recent warning that the newsletter sector is overheated. Some points from the conversation: Newsletters are a commodity. The number of newsletters is growing faster than the number of readers. AI tools and cheap platforms like Beehiv have made launching one easy, but most newsletters la…

1
Mark Leibovich on the Week in Washington 39:45

2M ago39:45

39:45

We're joined by our friend Mark Leibovich of The Atlantic to break down a wild week in Washington D.C.! Donald Trump gave his address to Congress. It was the longest one ever and didn't seem to say much (except blame Joe Biden for all of the country's problems). We also take a look at America's deteriorating relationship with Ukraine and how Republ…

1
Inside the Independent Creator World, with Substack’s Hamish McKenzie – and Nayeema Raza 38:21

2M ago38:21

38:21

This week, we get an inside look at the independent creator model of media with a two-part conversation: First, Ben and Max interview Substack co-founder and chief writing officer, Hamish McKenzie, about the platform’s appeal for the resistance on the left, their move into video, and why they turned down Elon Musk’s offer to buy them a few years ag…

1
Scaling distributed solar, maximizing positive impact for communities | Tom Hunt and Bret Labadie, Pivot Energy 36:48

2M ago36:48

36:48

In this episode of Climate Positive, hosts Gil Jenkins and Daniela Shapiro sit down with Tom Hunt, CEO, and Bret Labadie, CFO, of Pivot Energy—a Colorado-based renewable energy provider and IPP that develops, finances, builds, owns, and manages solar and energy storage projects. As an ECP portfolio company and Certified B Corporation, Pivot Energy …

1
New York Times Editor Joe Kahn, Podcaster Megyn Kelly and More on the Collapse of Trust 40:26

2M ago40:26

40:26

Today, we have a special bonus episode: Ben and Max break down the most interesting moments from the Innovating to Restore Trust in News summit held last week in Washington, D.C. They discuss Gallup’s findings on the worsening trust in news media, New York Times executive editor Joe Kahn’s acknowledgment that Donald Trump is good for business, and …

1
War Correspondent Tim Mak on Russia and Ukraine 50:00

2M ago50:00

50:00

As Trump and his administration try to rewrite history and say that Ukraine started the war with Russia, we're joined by Tim Mak, war correspondent and founder of The Counteroffensive. Tim has been living in Kyiv since the beginning of Russia’s invasion and discusses the toll that the war has taken on the people of Ukraine. He examines what kind of…

1
Why Netflix Is “Obsessed” With Winning an Oscar, with Puck’s Matt Belloni 50:05

2M ago50:05

50:05

The 97th Academy Awards are this weekend, giving us a glimpse into the past and future of Hollywood and the entertainment industry. For an insider’s take on the state of the business and how the Academy works, Ben and Max bring on Matt Belloni, founding partner of Puck and host of The Town podcast. They talk about Netflix’s Oscars strategy with Emi…

1
How Donald Trump Beat The Media At Their Own Game - Shelby Talcott, White House Correspondent at Semafor | The Sagnik Show 50:33

2M ago50:33

50:33

Shelby Talcott is the White House Correspondent for Semafor. She spent the last year covering the Trump Campaign all across America. She also covered the BLM riots during her time at the Daily Caller, where we met. Show Notes: 0:00 Intro 1:00 Trump winning the 2024 election 2:36 Podcast Election: Trump team's media approach 10:46 Cable News: Declin…

1
B2B lessons for B2C 52:58

2M ago52:58

52:58

Sean Griffey, until recently the CEO of Industry Dive, joined me on The Rebooting Show to discuss the big things Industry Dive, and by extension a lot of B2B, got right. Sean was rarely mentioned in the collection of digital media CEOs of the recent decade. Yet Industry Dive achieved one of the standout exits of the category. He led the B2B publish…

1
Sarah Longwell on Voter Reactions to Trump's First Month 49:27

2M ago49:27

49:27

A month into Donald Trump's second term, how do voters feel about the job he's doing? We talk to Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark and host of The Focus Group podcast. We discuss how Trump is currently in the "honeymoon" period of his presidency and how plenty of voters are just happy that Trump is doing SOMETHING. Sarah also gives advice to…

1
Saagar Enjeti - How The RIGHT Won The Vibes Election | The Sagnik Show 1:13:34

2M ago1:13:34

1:13:34

Saagar Enjeti is a friend, mentor, and the host of Breaking Points. We sat down a week after the inauguration to do a vibe check on politics and media. Show Notes: 0:00 Intro 1:40 The Vibe Shift: What's different this time? 4:26 Bush Conservatism to Global Liberalism 8:36 The malaise of Biden-Kamala era 14:41 Thermostatic public opinon 18:22 Politi…

1
Emily Jashinsky - How The Right DOMINATED YouTube, Podcasts & Culture | The Sagnik Show 1:12:37

2M ago1:12:37

1:12:37

Emily Jashinsky is the host of Undercurrents by UnHerd and Counter Points on Breaking Points . I sat down with her to discuss her come-up in political journalism and how the Right won over the cultural reigns after decades of being bad at media. Show Notes: 0:00 Intro 1:22 Hosting Unheard and Breaking Points 5:30 Why Kamala lost the Podcast Electio…

1
Ro Khanna Reflects On The H-1B Visa Controversy, Immigration Chaos, and Patriotism | The Sagnik Show 13:57

2M ago13:57

13:57

I interviewed Congressman Ro Khanna about the H-1B visa controversy and the state of immigration in America. 0:00 Ro Khanna's wider immigration approach 0:48 How Silicon Valley became a talent magnet 2:46 The H-1B Visa Controversy 5:42 How Silicon Valley's politics changed 7:00 Immigration reform: Illegal Immigration & Border Security 9:42 Ro Khann…

1
NEW ERA: Anthony Pompliano Explains Trump's Return, Masculinity & America After Wokeness | The Sagnik Show 1:22:59

2M ago1:22:59

1:22:59

Anthony Pompliano is the Founder & CEO of Professional Capital Management, is an American entrepreneur, investor, and host of The Pomp Podcast. 0:00 Intro 1:04 Breakdown of institutions 9:32 Pete Hegseth - DEI in military? 13:54 Zuckerberg and the return to normalcy 17:18 The vibe shift 21:21 How to raise tough kids 23:18 Pomp's worldview 26:30 Rac…

1
BuzzFeed's Jonah Peretti on where social media went wrong 55:29

2M ago55:29

55:29

BuzzFeed has always been a company that plays with the boundaries of media, technology, and internet culture. From its early days mastering viral content to its ill-fated attempt to build a sustainable news division, the company has been in a constant state of reinvention. Now, CEO Jonah Peretti is making perhaps his boldest move yet: transforming …

1
SPECIAL: Al on SNL's 50th 1:03:20

2M ago1:03:20

1:03:20

We're celebrating the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live this week! This special episode changes things up a bit as Executive Producer Peter Ogburn asks Al about his history with the show. We pull the curtain back on what a typical week looks like building up to the live show on Saturday and learn about how Al and his writing partner, Tom Davi…

1
How Fox Is Embracing the Creator Economy, with Red Seat’s Chris Balfe 50:41

2M ago50:41

50:41

This week, a big story of media consolidation – and one that devoted Mixed Signals listeners would have seen coming: Fox announced that it has acquired Red Seat Ventures, the digital media company that produces and markets the podcasts of several big names in conservative media, including Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, and Bill O’Reilly. Ben and Max …

1
Molly O’Toole on Immigration 42:04

3M ago42:04

42:04

Donald Trump ran on a platform of mass deportations. Now that he's back in the White House, what does that look like? We're joined by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Molly O'Toole, whose upcoming book “The Route” details global migration through the Americas. Molly has spoken to hundreds of migrants making their way from war-torn countries to be …

1
Inside the Making of a Super Bowl Ad 40:12

3M ago40:12

40:12

The Super Bowl, the biggest single media event in the US, is upon us. And the Chiefs and the Eagles aren’t the only ones with a lot on the line: advertisers have staked their reputations – and for Instacart’s Laura Jones, her job – on 30 seconds of airtime this Sunday. This week, Ben and Max bring on the Instacart CMO to talk about what it takes to…

1
Ad tech comes to TV 45:19

3M ago45:19

45:19

The worlds of TV and internet publishing operated separately. The platforms, the dynamics and even the language used was completely different. Linear TV was brand focused and driven by scarcity dynamics while the internet quickly became a direct marketing machine. Those divisions have nearly erased, thanks in large part to the rise of streaming. On…

1
Peter Beinart on Israel and Gaza 37:13

3M ago37:13

37:13

With a confusing ceasefire deal underway in Gaza, we take a look at the path forward with Peter Beinart. Beinart serves as editor-at-large for Jewish Currents, is a frequent analyst on MSNBC, and has authored a new book, "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning." The book examines the history of Israel and how Jews have responded to…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Semafor Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen