Best Ed Zitron Podcasts (2025)

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Elon’s Extortion Play; All-In Goes MIA; LA Protests Flooded With Disinfo; ChatGPT Plays Therapist — NEWS ROUNDUP w/ Ed Zitron of Better Offline 1:13:51

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22d ago1:13:51

1:13:51

This week, Bridget is joined by very special guest Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast, to break down the tech stories you might have missed — from disappearing tech bros to billion-dollar AI fails. What Side Are the ‘All-In Pod’ Bros On? https://gizmodo.com/what-side-are-the-all-in-pod-bros-on-2000613146 Senators Demand Meta Answer For A…

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Kotaku Is So Back, Microsoft Not So Much 1:11:22

24h ago1:11:22

1:11:22

On this week’s episode, Nathan and Riley are joined by Ethan Gach of Kotaku dot com and Garrett Martin of the newly rechristened Endless Mode, two beneficiaries of the only good week for games media in the past century. The former finally managed to wriggle out from under G/O Media’s suffocating boot via a sale to the same seemingly benign company …

1
Princess Treatment is Going Viral on TikTok, But at What Cost!? (A rant) 33:09

1d ago33:09

33:09

TikTok’s “Princess Treatment” trend has gone viral, and so has Bridget's response. It started with creator Courtney Joelle, whose videos depict how she sits silently at restaurants while her husband orders for her, speaks for her, and calls it “being a princess.” Millions of views later, Bridget wonders: is this soft girl femininity… or something m…

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The Battle Over Public Broadcasting 49:59

2h ago49:59

49:59

President Trump is asking lawmakers to claw back over a billion dollars in federal funds for public broadcasting. On this week’s On the Media, the long history of efforts to save—and snuff out—public broadcasting. Plus, the role of public radio across the country, from keeping local governments in check to providing life-saving information during t…

1
Monologue: You Should Get Into Vinyl 11:00

1d ago11:00

11:00

In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron talks about why you should get into vinyl, and why analog music is so much fun in the digital age. U-Turn Audio: https://uturnaudio.com/pages/turntables Discogs: Discogs.com YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and use code FREE99 for free shipping on orders o…

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Katie Konans Made NASA’s Podcast Program, So You Can Make Something Awesome Too 56:53

2d ago56:53

56:53

How do you build a content program from scratch that’s ready for the world stage? Katie can help you with that. Katie Konans has revolutionized NASA's digital strategy through her work in audio communication. At NASA, she manages five active podcasts, including the flagship podcast "NASA's Curious Universe," which she launched. Since taking the lea…

1
Who Defends Your Digital Rights? Meet EFF's Cindy Cohn 1:09:51

3d ago1:09:51

1:09:51

Four years out of law school, and she's taking on the entire U.S. Department of Justice? Meet Cindy Cohn, the attorney who turned a Haight-Ashbury party connection into one of the most pivotal legal victories in internet history. As Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation—the world's leading digital rights organization—Cindy comman…

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

3d 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…

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How Country Music Became the Sound of U.S. Patriotism 30:45

3d ago30:45

30:45

Today's country music industry is deeply associated with a certain jingoistic ‘rally around the flag,' ‘support the troops’ spirit. In this week’s podcast, we're re-airing a conversation with Joseph M. Thompson, author of Cold War Country: How Nashville's Music Row and the Pentagon Created the Sound of American Patriotism. Micah and Joseph discuss …

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Radio Better Offline: Gare Davis, Victoria Song, Allison Morrow 1:14:53

3d ago1:14:53

1:14:53

Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York city. Ed Zitron is joined in studio by Allison Morrow of CNN, Victoria Song of The Verge and Gare Davis of It Could Happen Here to talk about the fairy tale of AGI, AI boosters’ religious attachment to the industry’s success, and how the tech in…

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#SkinnyTok Was Banned from TikTok. So Why Is It Still Everywhere? 46:09

4d ago46:09

46:09

Welcome to #SkinnyTok — a corner of TikTok where extreme thinness is framed as “discipline,” wellness becomes control, and disordered eating is dressed up as aesthetic. Even though TikTok banned the hashtag and popular creators like Liv Schmidt , the content hasn’t disappeared, it’s just gotten harder to spot. In this episode, journalist Kat Tenbar…

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AI Is Making You Dumber 21:52

5d 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!…

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Introducing: Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club 1:53

7d ago1:53

1:53

Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemaker…

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Jeff Bezos’ tacky wedding; RFK Jr. hawks wearables; Racist AI TikToks; Minnesota murderer's data brokers; AI bands on Spotify; BarbieGPT – NEWS ROUNDUP! 1:08:44

8d ago1:08:44

1:08:44

This week, Bridget is joined by Producer Mike to break down the tech stories you might have missed. Weird AI-generated videos depicting Black women in racist tropes and stereotypes are suddenly showing up in our feeds. Bridget provides an update on how the videos have rapidly evolved even since Tuesday's deep-dive episode on the topic: https://podc…

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Trump Tries and (Mostly) Fails to Control the Narrative on Iran. Plus, RFK Jr. is Bad for Our Health 51:33

8d ago51:33

51:33

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s revamped CDC vaccine advisory board stopped recommending certain flu vaccines this week. On this week’s On the Media, a scientist debunks the claims that RFK, Jr.’s appointees are making. Plus, how the media covered the U.S. bombing of Iran. [02:01] Host Micah Loewinger unspools the Trump administration’s attemp…

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Zohran Mamdani, Gamer Mayor 1:32:10

8d ago1:32:10

1:32:10

On this week’s episode, Nathan and Chris celebrate the NYC democratic mayoral primary victory of Zohran Mamdani by bringing on a whopping TWO guests: First, Max Rivlin-Nadler joins us to talk about how Hell Gate – a fellow worker-owned publication – punched well above its weight during this election, organizing a town hall that every candidate exce…

1
Monologue: Did OpenAI Steal Another Startup's Idea? 10:51

8d ago10:51

10:51

In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through the murky lawsuit between OpenAI’s soon-to-be-acquired hardware wing and Iyo, a company they met with multiple times that makes a similar-sounding product with a near-identical name. Sam Altman tweets: https://x.com/sama/status/1937606794362388674 Jason Rugolo tweets: https://x.com/jasonRugolo/s…

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Stevie Levine Knows How To Be Consistently Creative, So You Can Too 1:17:29

9d ago1:17:29

1:17:29

What do you do when you find yourself on the ground floor of a fledgling future YouTube empire? Stevie Levine can help you with that. Webby, Streamy, and Shorty Award-Winning Executive Producer, Stevie Wynne Levine, acts as Chief Creative Officer for Mythical Entertainment and spearheads all creative initiatives for Rhett & Link. Named one of Varie…

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Why Your Emotions Don't Have to Control You with Ethan Kross 48:11

10d ago48:11

48:11

What if the ancient practice of drilling holes in skulls was actually an early attempt at emotion regulation? In this fascinating episode, Guy Kawasaki sits down with psychologist and neuroscientist Ethan Kross to explore how we can master our inner voice and harness our emotions as powerful tools. Ethan directs the Emotion and Self-Control Laborat…

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

10d 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…

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The Final Unravelling of Bob Menendez 22:04

10d ago22:04

22:04

This week, On the Media shares the final episode of Dead End: The Rise and Fall of Gold Bar Bob Menendez. For WNYC, reporter and host Nancy Solomon describes how the FBI watched Menendez have a dinner with Egyptian spies, the moment they found gold bars in a closet, and more. As Menendez faces the trial of his life, Nancy asks: why would a man at t…

1
NVIDIA Vs. The Media ft. GamersNexus 47:13

10d ago47:13

47:13

In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by Steve Burke of GamersNexus to talk about NVIDIA’s approach to the media, AI pushing out real tech at Computex, and the weird world of consumer graphics. Follow GamersNexus: https://www.youtube.com/gamersnexus https://gamersnexus.net/ https://bsky.app/profile/gamersnexus.bsky.social https://x.com/GamersNexus Y…

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TikTok Minstrel Shows Are Mocking Black Women Using Digital Blackface 58:03

11d ago58:03

58:03

Have you seen this wave of racist over the top AI generated videos featuring Black women on TikTok? Since the release of Google’s VEO3 AI video generation platform in May, which allows users to create realistic videos from text prompts, there has been a wave of viral AI generated videos on TikTok depicting Black women using racist stereotypes and t…

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MAGA Divides Over Iran. Plus, Inside the Crackdown on Student Journalists 50:24

15d ago50:24

50:24

President Donald Trump says he’ll decide whether or not to attack Iran within the next two weeks. On this week’s On the Media, hear why the right is split on what the president should do. Plus, scrutiny on student journalists has intensified. [01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone on the recent narratives forming around the ‘No Kings’ protest and President …

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Live From New York, It’s Stream Big 1:30:28

15d ago1:30:28

1:30:28

We’re off this week because of Juneteenth, but back in February, Nathan released a book! About Twitch! As part of that, he hosted a launch event at Wonderville in Brooklyn, NY with a panel featuring Chris and Gita, as well Polygon’s Simone de Rochefort. It was basically a live episode of Aftermafh Hours, so here it is now, as an episode of Aftermat…

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How Dating Apps Are Failing Black Women | IRL: Online Life is Real Life 24:45

15d ago24:45

24:45

Dating apps aren’t broken; they’re working exactly as designed. And for Black women, that’s a problem. In this season premiere of IRL: Online Life is Real Life, host Bridget dives into how dating apps reinforce harmful beauty standards rooted in whiteness, automating what researcher Dr. Apryl Williams calls “sexual racism” into the user experience.…

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Monologue: OpenAI Vs. Microsoft 9:24

15d ago9:24

9:24

In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through OpenAI’s desperate attempts to lean on Microsoft to change the terms of their agreement, and how the entire AI bubble may rest on this negotiation. WSJ: OpenAI and Microsoft Tensions Are Reaching a Boiling Point https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/openai-and-microsoft-tensions-are-reaching-a-boiling-poi…

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Austin Walker Stays Flexible, And You Can Too! 1:13:04

16d ago1:13:04

1:13:04

When you’ve already done so many different things already, how do you pick what to do next? Austin can help you with that. Austin Walker is a media critic, writer, game designer, and podcaster. In addition to hosting the critically-acclaimed actual-play podcast Friends at the Table and the Star Wars podcast A More Civilized Age, Austin was formerly…

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What We Value: How Your Brain Really Chooses with Emily Falk 1:02:49

17d ago1:02:49

1:02:49

Ever wonder why you choose an orange over an apple, or why your grandmother's feedback hits differently than a stranger's opinion? Meet Emily Falk, pioneering neuroscientist and author of What We Value, who reveals how we can transform our relationship with daily decisions by thinking like scientists about our own minds. Emily breaks down three bra…

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Bob Menendez’s Disastrous Romance 23:48

17d ago23:48

23:48

In this week's midweek podcast, we share the next installment of WNYC's Dead End: The Rise and Fall of 'Gold Bar' Bob Menendez. Yesterday, the former senator began an 11-year prison sentence. In this episode, Nancy Solomon takes a look at a relationship that spanned a key chapter in Bob Menendez's political downfall. Nadine Arslanian was a stay at …

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

17d 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 …

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Radio Better Offline: Pablo Torre and David Roth 1:25:07

17d ago1:25:07

1:25:07

Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York city. Ed Zitron is joined in studio by Pablo Torre of Pablo Torre Finds Out and David Roth of Defector to talk about independent media, what makes a compelling show, and what it’s like raising a turtle. Pablo Torre Finds Out: https://www.youtube…

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MoviePass was his idea. HBO documented the chaos, but now he’s taking it back. 48:40

18d ago48:40

48:40

In the 2010s, MoviePass became a cultural phenomenon, but behind the viral success was Stacy Spikes, a Black entrepreneur and visionary who co-founded the company. Then, he was pushed out. But today, he’s back in charge. Stacy joins Bridget to talk about the rise and fall of MoviePass, the power of culture and human creativity, what it was like to …

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Trump Deploys Troops Against LA Protesters. Plus, Journalists Under 'Less Lethal' Fire. 50:15

22d ago50:15

50:15

A federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops in Los Angeles was illegal before an appeals court quickly overturned it. A legal battle is now underway. On this week’s On the Media, how President Trump has exaggerated crises to expand his presidential powers. Plus, a new documentary investigates who killed a Palestinian-Am…

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Summer Game Mess 1:42:01

22d ago1:42:01

1:42:01

On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Riley reflect on the latest installment of Geoff Keighley’s mid-year video game advertisement carnival, Summer Game Fest. It was a weird one! High-profile announcements were few and far between, leaving relative no-names shaped kinda like the industry’s heaviest hitters to fill in the gaps. But at least St…

1
The Era of the Business Idiot, Part 3 35:25

22d ago35:25

35:25

In part three of this week's three-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how the era of the Business Idiot has led to a dramatic deceleration in innovation - and how the tech media must fight back against their ridiculous narratives to save Silicon Valley. YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better…

1
Carla Lalli Music Reclaimed Her Value, And You Can Too 57:05

23d ago57:05

57:05

Platforms keeping the real profits and the real costs of creating content hidden from you? Carla can help you with that. Carla Lalli Music is the James Beard Award-winning author of Where Cooking Begins (a national bestseller) and the host of Carla’s Cooking Show. The former food director at Bon Appétit, Carla is known for anchoring the hit YouTube…

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The Era of the Business Idiot, Part 2 32:33

23d ago32:33

32:33

In part two of this week's three-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how Business Idiots demanded we all return to the office to hide their own lack of utility - and how this directly led to their desperation to adopt generative AI. YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and use code …

1
How Gold Bar Bob Menendez Got His Start 15:35

24d ago15:35

15:35

Bob Menendez will become the first Senator to go to prison in more than 40 years when he reports to federal penitentiary next week. Most of you will, no doubt, be aware of the broad strokes of his corruption and bribery case. You know, the gold bars and cash found in his suburban ranch house. But our home station, WNYC, has produced a podcast that …

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Acquired's Success Secret: Ben Gilbert's Quality Approach 54:58

24d ago54:58

54:58

What happens when two friends decide to learn about successful acquisitions and accidentally create one of the world's most popular business podcasts? Meet Ben Gilbert, co-founder and co-host of Acquired, the show that transforms company histories into captivating 4-hour audio experiences. With millions of listeners worldwide, Acquired has become t…

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

24d 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…

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The Era of the Business Idiot, Part 1 27:05

24d ago27:05

27:05

In part one of this week's three-part Better Offline, Ed Zitron walks you through how Business Idiots have captured our society, with middle management losers breeding out true meritocracy and value-creation in favor of symbolic growth and superficial intelligence. YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-o…