Podcasts 2024

According to Pocket Casts, I listened to 34 different shows and 578 episodes this year. It's noteworthy that my top 2 podcasts make me cringe, but nonetheless I share them with you all. I'm not sure whether that says I am embarrassed about my own taste or that I do a lot of hate-listening.

My top 5 podcasts by total time:

The Ezra Klein Show - It is interesting that the number one spot is a podcast that I do not pay for (free value!). I'm not a huge Ezra fan, though I guess this ranking suggests otherwise. I will admit, our guy had a year.

Ezra was the first mainstream voice to call for Biden to step down from reelection. It's interesting to imagine the world where that had happened when Ezra first called for it in February. Not every episode is a banger and I do not agree with every take, but overall I like the wonkery and the book recommendations.

Notable episodes:

• What Relationships Would You Want if You Believed They Were Possible?
• Democrats Have a Better Option Than Biden
• Cows Are Just an Environmental Disaster
• After the Debate, the Risk of Biden Is Clear
• Is Tim Walz the Midwestern Dad Democrats Need?
• What's Wrong With Donald Trump

Making Sense with Sam Harris - I don't like to admit it, but I pay for this one. Harris is good on a few issues and topics, and miserable on others. I like the episodes getting into the weeds of science and technology. I think very few people dunk as hard or compellingly on Trump as Harris does. I can only recommend this with a lot of caution and caveats. Notable episodes:

• Politics & Power
• AI Utopia
• Where Are the Grown-Ups?

Breaking Change - This is Justin Searls' new podcast this year. I do not know what it says about me that I need to have the neuroses of a Ruby-famous software engineer and entrepreneur piped into my brain for roughly three hours a week. This one is not for the feint of heart. Notable episodes:

1. Ghost Engineering
2. Feature Complete
3. Actual Intelligence
4. Inhumane AI
5. Pausing Doesn't Pause

Know Your Enemy - This is the first podcast on my top 5 that I can proudly recommend without qualification. I pay for the premium episodes because Matt Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell are worth supporting as they work to make the right more understandable. Notable episodes:

• What's Wrong with the Democrats?
• Kamala's Commanding Debate Performance
• What's Wrong with J.D. Vance?
• Joe's Gotta Go

If Books Could Kill - This is a new podcast for me this year that I decided to pay for. This one makes the list because I went through the entire back catalogue. Since each episode they dunk on a book, the older episodes hold up well.

1. What's Wrong with Eric Adams?

Other notable podcasts that are not in my "wrapped" top five:

5-4 Pod - I pay for this weekly podcast on how much the Supreme Court sucks. They had a 4 part miniseries to kick off the year on The Federalist Society, which I recommend.

Complex Systems - this is my favorite new podcast of the year. Patrick McKenzie (patio11) is my nerd king. Notable episodes:

• Fraud levels are a policy choice
• AI, poker, and mind games, with Max Chiswick
• The hundred-year-old telegram worth $5 million, with Jim McKenzie
• Bet on it: Zvi Mowshowitz on professional gambling, trading, and AI futures
• Betting on the future via prediction markets, with Stephen Grugett of Manifold
• How the Smart Money teaches trading with Ricki Heicklen

99% Invisible - I only listen to the Power Broker book club episodes because the Power Broker is goated. This is a strong recommendation and highlights include interviews with Conan O'Brien, A.O.C, Mayor Pete, and the king himself, Mr. Robert Caro.