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Search Engine

Hosted by PJ Vogt

Episodes

148

Latest episode

Nov 2026

Language

EN

About the show

We try to make sense of the world, one question at a time. No question too big, no question too small.Hosted by PJ Vogt, edited by Sruthi Pinnamaneni. Named one of the best podcasts of all time by Time Magazine

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60 recent
November 6, 202643 min

What would it mean for the Democrats to not screw this up?

The Democrats won a landslide victory in the midterms. How could they actually wield power effectively during Trump’s final two years. Or: how could they Charlie Brown another football? We take our questions this week to Search Engine’s chief political correspondent Ezra Klein. 🚨 Become an Incognito Mode member!

October 29, 20261 hr 9 min

What it’s like when Elizabeth Holmes decides to destroy your life

Elizabeth Holmes is the unlikely star of the year’s most talked-about movie, You Can See Everything. The Holmes we meet onscreen is enigmatic, enough so that some viewers have even begun to root for her. To Tyler Shultz, though, she’s still his former boss who tried to take apart his life and his family. What it was like working at Theranos, and what it’s been like watching the internet react to the new Elizabeth Holmes. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou Alex Gibney’s documentary The Inventor Sign up to become an Incognito Mode member!

October 23, 202646 min

Is your new co-worker secretly North Korean?

A new scam – aided by AI and remote work – is letting one of the most sanctioned regimes on Earth sneak tech workers into the American job market. How it works, what they’re like as co-workers, and the stories of the Americans swept up in the scheme. Inside North Korea’s Operation to Conquer the American Job Market Send us your questions for our upcoming AMA! Sign up to become an Incognito Mode member!

October 16, 202657 min

One man could slow down AI. He won’t. Why?

Jensen Huang is CEO of the most valuable company in human history, NVIDIA. He is arguably the one person who could slow down the AI race. But he’s made a massive bet that AI is safe. Is that conviction, insulation, salesmanship, or something else? We find answers in his very unusual life story. The Thinking Machine by Stephen Witt Sign up for Incognito Mode

October 9, 202650 min

Unreliable Narrator

An interview with a writer, Meghan O’Gieblyn, who started lying to herself about her relationship to alcohol and God. And afterwards wondered: when did it start? Why did it happen? How do you make peace with the part of yourself that wants something that could destroy you? Meghan O’Gieblyn, Will and Attention Sign up for Incognito Mode

October 2, 202637 min

Vladimir Putin's Forkiverse

Nine months ago, three podcasters attempted to build a better internet. Today -- they confront foreign adversaries on a digital battlefield. Watch the Machine Gods trailer . Instructions for moving your Forkiverse account to a different server. Become a premium member!

September 29, 202643 min

Search Engine x Better in Person

Search Engine has some exciting news about the moving image to announce, and we’re sharing an interview we loved with an unusual architect. Check out the video version on Freakonomics' YouTube page.

September 18, 20261 hr 5 min

Bollywood Dreams

An email hits our inbox with the subject line: “My Dad is making a Bollywood Movie… is he being scammed?” We investigate. Become a premium subscriber.

September 11, 202650 min

Why’s everybody going to Japan?

A Japanese listener gets so many houseguests she starts a spreadsheet to try to figure out what's going on. Why has American tourism to Japan gotten so out of control? The story of a government plot. Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S. by Roland Kelts Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style by W. David Marx Become a premium subscriber!

August 28, 202649 min

The Killing of the Gaza Chef

Mahmud Almadhoun ran a soup kitchen in the north of the Gaza Strip. In November 2024, he was killed. A reporter tries to answer a big question. Was Mahmud intentionally targeted? And if so, what does that mean about the future of war? Listen to The Gaza Chef . Become a premium member!

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