iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

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ANNOUNCEMENT! The Plain English podcast is growing, and we're hiring. We're looking for a part-time Social Media Producer. 2-3 days a week, day rate of $500 Send your resume and info to PlainEnglish@Spotify.com with the subject [YOUR NAME] Resume - Plain English Social Producer

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

There is a lot of media about how and why the economy is about to implode. It was inflation, then it was interest rates, then gas prices, tariffs, war in Iran, then the AI bubble popping. But the economy keeps ... not imploding. So, what are we missing? www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4Pe...

Why Experts Keep Getting the Economy So Wrong | Plain English

Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

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The Chargers are supposed to be a fun, unserious team with a high-powered offense, and the Packers are supposed to be a serious, disciplined contender that doesn't do stupid shit at the end of every game. The league would make more sense if Matt LaFleur and Jim Harbaugh were forced to switch places.

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Weeks ago, Harvard's dean proposed, in an email to students, that the college embrace a policy of "AI encouragement." A lot of people really hated that. So I brought him onto the show to explain himself, what "encouragement" means, and how he would personally teach a writing-dominant class in 2027

What’s the Point of College? | Plain English

Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

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1. If the AI labs think they’re building something that could destroy the world, why are they building it? 2. Are their articulated fears justifiable, insane, or something in between? 3. What is “recursive self-improvement"? 4. What can we actually do? www.derekthompson.org/p/its-time-t...

AI Safety Is Having a Moment

Why are the AI labs building a technology that they say might destroy the world?

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

New pod/transcript: PANGRAM VS THE MACHINE An interview with Pangram founder and CEO Max Spero about why AI writing took over the Web, how Pangram works, why we should trust it, and what he sees as the fundamental differences between machine vs. human writing www.derekthompson.org/p/the-intern...

We Can't Let AI Writing Take Over the Internet

An interview with Pangram founder and CEO Max Spero on how AI writing has flooded the internet, why it matters, and why it’s worth cleaning up

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Conor Sen @conorsen.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

It was great being back on Plain English to talk with @dkthomp.bsky.social about how the government, AI companies, and households all competing for capital is making everything more expensive and keeping interest rates elevated: youtube.com/watch?v=fjjl...

Why Everything Is Going to Keep Getting More Expensive | Plain English

Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

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New pod: IT MAY BE TIME TO FREAK OUT ABOUT AI I asked Alex Stamos—former chief security officer at Meta, current AI security chief at Corridor—for the "case against dooming" about the next few years. Stamos: "I don't have much of a case." www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWva...

It May Be Time to Freak Out About AI | Plain English

Michael S. Pollard @sociologian.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

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Here's an interesting and engaging 67 minutes on a wide range of topics under this umbrella, not just for academics and policy wonks.

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

New pod: THE GREAT AI DATA CENTER REBELLION AI has become an enormous part of the US economy, driving as much as one-third of economic growth. But politically, AI has never been more unpopular And AI's builders are totally wrong about why Americans hate them. www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJga...

Why Americans Hate Data Centers | Plain English

Beau Kilmer @beaukilmer.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

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Frequent use is ⬇️ for alcohol and ⬆️ for cannabis. What’s going on? Had a great conversation about this with @dkthomp.bsky.social & Jon Caulkins on the Plain English pod www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn5I... For more on cannabis legalization & alcohol use check out @rand.org: www.rand.org/content/dam/...

Why America Is Switching From Booze to Weed | Plain English

Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

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New pod: America is switching from booze to weed www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn5I...

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Today's newsletter: The many-headed hydra of risks facing AI today The hyperscalers are taking on hundreds of billions of dollars of debt to build a profit-challenged product whose global competition could compress margins, while the political backlash grows www.derekthompson.org/p/the-four-h...

The Four Horsemen of the AI Bubble Apocalypse

The smartest reasons to worry about the state of AI in an age of intense volatility—and my best attempt to explain why each of those worries might be wrong.

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𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝙲. 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚗 @charlescmann.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

A side benefit of the fuss over the Odyssey movie is that people have been interviewing Homer translator Emily Wilson, who is unfailingly interesting on these matters. Her new talk with @dkthomp.bsky.social, who has the wit (all too rare among interviewers) to stay out of the way, is terrific.

What Is Lost When We Make 'The Odyssey' Modern

Christopher Nolan's 'Odyssey' is an extraordinary, modern epic. Homer's Odyssey is an even more extraordinarily strange one.

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Ben Saari @bwsaari.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

This discussion of Nolan's Odyssey with translator Emily Wilson / @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social and @dkthomp.bsky.social is a great read, and pretty much the last word I need to hear on all this "historical accuracy" nonsense

What Is Lost When We Make 'The Odyssey' Modern

Christopher Nolan's 'Odyssey' is an extraordinary, modern epic. Homer's Odyssey is an even more extraordinarily strange one.

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

New pod: The incredible @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social on: - the subtle art of translation - a review of Nolan's Odyssey - how Homer's Odysseus is a more heroic version of the Talented Mr. Ripley while Nolan's Odysseus is a more traumatized version of Jason Bourne www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywEJ...

What Translator Emily Wilson Thinks of Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey' | Plain English

Bosco @wboscoho.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

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@dkthomp.bsky.social w/ Prof. @agcallard.bsky.social interesting idea of unicontext. Personally, Wittgensteinian language game + Hegelian synthesis can equally explain whatever weirdness one may find when language games collide and coalesce podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...

podcasts.apple.com

A Philosopher’s One-Word Theory for Why the World Feels So Weird

Podcast Episode · Plain English with Derek Thompson · July 14 · 58m

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

The scientific case against moderate drinking has been massively oversold. No, alcohol is not a medicine. And no, there is not strong evidence that ~1 drink a day has a clear lifetime mortality risk. open.substack.com/pub/derektho...

open.substack.com

Is This the End of Booze?

The turn against moderate drinking has been sudden and sharp. But it's not often based in science.

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Building H @buildingh.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

The most viewed story from our newsletter last week, was @dkthomp.bsky.social's piece on the all too solitary nature of pursuing one's health: www.derekthompson.org/p/the-cult-o...

Why the Healthiest Generation Is the Loneliest

Americans have never been healthier, or more alone. These things might be related.

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

America, 1926: An absurdly deep dive into what America was like 100 years ago www.derekthompson.org/p/america-19...

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

New newsletter: The rise and rise of the solo act The data is in: Solo entrepreneurs and tiny startups are becoming much more common and much more profitable. This has huge implications for the future of firms, wealth, social life, and even US tax revenue. www.derekthompson.org/p/ai-isnt-co...

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

New pod: 4 TRILLION DOLLARS. 3 COMPANIES. 0 PROFITS. SpaceX, Anthropic, and maybe OpenAI could all IPO in the same 12 month window for more than $1 trillion apiece. None of them are profitable. The rise of the trillion-dollar, zero-profit firm is an economic omen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glj_...

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Tom Ziller @teamziller.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

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Interesting insights from Derek that probably apply to very few modern writers based on his pre-existing audience and niche (which is breadth).

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

One year ago, I quit The Atlantic to start a Substack. Today, I write about: - the state of the business - what I’ve learned - the difference between viral essays in The Atlantic vs the Substack ecosystem www.derekthompson.org/p/the-derek-...

The Derek Thompson Substack Birthday! An Overview of the Business and What’s Next

Plus: a one-time offer for free subscribers

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Happy Fathers Day to the best and most involved generation of dads in recorded history www.derekthompson.org/p/why-do-ric... www.derekthompson.org/p/why-do-ric...

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

New pod: THE TRUMP CORRUPTION SCANDAL DRAFT, with Isaac Saul This is the most corrupt administration in US history, with too many scandals to track. So Isaac and I ranked the worst of the absolute worst with a draft. Very fact-packed, very fun, very depressing. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7zW...

The Donald Trump Corruption Scandal Draft | Plain English

Matteo Wong @matteowong.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

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"Our fear of death motivates an all-consuming neuroticism about outrunning mortality, even when the price we pay is putting health optimization above everything else, including other people." One of many clear and insightful lines in a very clear and insightful essay

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

America's health craze isn't so healthy. Diet, exercise, and discipline are virtues. Longer lives are good. But today's craze of health-maximization has an antisocial streak. At its extremes, it verges on a cult of self enhancement, which pulls us into ourselves and away from other people.

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

THE CULT OF THE ENHANCED SELF The post-pandemic fitness craze, MAHA, the cultural rise of Nietzschean tech moguls, the dawn of GLP-1s & supplements, and fitness trackers have combined to create a new cultural norm that is (unhealthily) obsessed w/ health www.derekthompson.org/p/the-cult-o...

Why the Healthiest Generation Is the Loneliest

Americans have never been healthier, or more alone. These things might be related.

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Andrew Steele @statto.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Great piece by @dkthomp.bsky.social on the perils and opportunity cost of taking self-optimisation too far. What do we miss out on? In my view, the solution is to slow ageing with medicine: we can all be a bit less obsessive, have more fun, and live longer anyway…

Why the Healthiest Generation Is the Loneliest

Americans have never been healthier, or more alone. These things might be related.

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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

RIP Mark Rothko. You would have loved how the hydrogen peroxide bleach is only turning the Reflecting Pool blue around the perimeter

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

New pod: A MIRACLE MONTH IN MEDICINE A detailed, 60-minute primer on - retatrutide incredible results and the future of GLP1s - an unprecedented pancreatic cancer breakthrough - a successful experiment in one-and-done shots to wipe out vast swaths of heart disease www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwq6...

The Most Exciting Month of Medical Breakthroughs in Years | Plain English

Jake Janey @phlogiston1.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

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Wonderful and sobering podcast about the Geritocracy by @dkthomp.bsky.social The consolidation of jobs, power, and wealth by the elderly in American is stunning podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...

podcasts.apple.com

Old-igarchy: How the Elderly Conquered American Power

Podcast Episode · Plain English with Derek Thompson · June 12 · 1h 2m

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

"Boomers have so dominated American politics that we’ve had more presidents born in the summer of 1946 (three: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump) than in all the years after 1946 (one: Barack Obama, born 1961)." www.derekthompson.org/p/why-do-the...

Why Do the Best Leaders Fail at the Most Important Job?

What do Marcus Aurelius, Bob Iger, Bill Belichick, and William Shawn have in common? Succession failure.

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Today's newsletter is about ancient Roman emperors, modern gerontocracy, and a timeless question: Why do history's greatest leaders so frequently destroy their legacy by failing to find someone competent to replace them? www.derekthompson.org/p/why-do-the...

Why Do the Best Leaders Fail at the Most Important Job?

What do Marcus Aurelius, Bob Iger, Bill Belichick, and William Shawn have in common? Succession failure.

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Darby Saxbe @darbysaxbe.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Such a fun conversation with the super smart @dkthomp.bsky.social

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Derek Thompson @dkthomp.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

new pod: HOW FATHERHOOD CHANGES MEN'S BRAINS I talked to @darbysaxbe.bsky.social about: - how men tripled childcare time since 1960s - why women still dominate (ie: men don't do) "invisible labor" and "mental load" - the neuroscience of becoming dad www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDbB...

How Modern Fatherhood Is Changing Men’s Brains | Plain English