Plain English with Derek Thompson

Derek Thompson interviews Rose Horowitz about the sharp decline in American reading habits and its impact on deep thinking.

Derek Thompson interviews classicist Emily Wilson about translating Homer’s Odyssey and Christopher Nolan’s new film adaptation.

Host Derek Thompson and classics scholar Karen Nivola discuss Homer’s The Odyssey, using Christopher Nolan’s new film as a springboard.

Derek Thompson interviews philosopher Agnes Callard about her "uni-context" theory, which argues that global norms have replaced local ones, forcing everyone into a single moral framework.

Derek Thompson interviews Peter Beinart about the rise of DSA-backed candidates in Democratic primaries, driven by anti-establishment sentiment,…

To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, Derek Thompson hosts historians Richard White, H.

Derek Thompson interviews MIT professor Eric Lynn Greenberg about how drones are reshaping modern warfare.

Derek Thompson hosts Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson to discuss the rise of trillion-dollar, unprofitable tech IPOs like SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic.

Derek Thompson and guest Karim Sajadpur analyze the US-Iran war’s conclusion, arguing that the Trump administration’s surprise attacks failed to achieve regime change or strategic goals.

Derek Thompson hosts Isaac Saul of Tangle to draft the most egregious examples of Trump administration corruption.

Derek Thompson and Stat News writer Matthew Herper discuss a recent surge in medical breakthroughs, including Eli Lilly’s potent triple-agonist weight-loss drug retitrutide.

Derek Thompson interviews Samuel Moyn about his book *Gerontocracy in America*, which argues that older Americans are hoarding wealth and power across politics, academia, and housing.

Derek Thompson interviews USC researcher Darby Saxby, author of *Dad Brain*, about the evolving science and sociology of fatherhood.

Derek Thompson interviews neuroscientist Adam Green about how AI is reshaping creativity, particularly in college essays.

Derek Thompson and Yale professor Lori Santos discuss the decline of adult friendships, particularly among men, attributing it to cultural norms and the "antisocial century.

Derek Thompson interviews Tim Alberta about the NBA’s current "vibes crisis," exploring why fans are increasingly frustrated despite the league's record financial success.

Derek Thompson interviews Helen Lewis about "masculinism," an ideology she argues unites the MAGA coalition by reacting against perceived feminist overreach.

Derek Thompson and economist Justin Wolfers discuss the growing U.

Derek Thompson interviews economist Jesus Fernandez-Villaverde about the historic global drop in fertility, which fell below replacement levels in 2023.

Derek Thompson and economist Alex Imas argue that the predicted AI jobs apocalypse is unlikely, citing the lump of labor fallacy and Jevons Paradox.

Derek Thompson explores the unprecedented decline in American happiness since 2020 with guests David Wallace-Wells and Morgan Housel.

Derek Thompson discusses recent breakthroughs in pancreatic cancer treatment, including new KRAS-targeting drugs and personalized mRNA vaccines.

Derek Thompson interviews author David Epstein about his new book, *Inside the Box*, which argues that constraints, rather than unlimited freedom, drive creativity and success.

Derek Thompson interviews Ross Douthat about the fracturing of the Trump coalition, driven by three internal conflicts: isolationist backlash against…

Derek Thompson and Sean Fennessey analyze Hollywood’s triple crisis of declining ticket sales, job losses, and a reliance on aging IP and stars.

Derek Thompson and Kevin Roose discuss Anthropic’s unreleased Mythos model, which is so powerful at finding cyber vulnerabilities that it was withheld from the public.

Derek Thompson and energy analyst Nat Ballard argue that the Iran war and the AI boom are fundamentally energy crises.