Plain English with Derek Thompson

Ten years after Donald Trump stunned the world by winning the 2016 election, his political movement may be approaching its end. Tuesday’s midterms delivered a historic rebuke to the Republican Party, with Democrats making astonishing gains in states Trump carried comfortably just two years ago. So … how did we get here? And is the Trump era really over for good?

Today, in conversation with New York Times chief political analyst Nate Cohn, Derek goes over the six biggest lessons from the midterms: the pendulum swings of the youth vote, the death of the Trump coalition, the revival of the swing voter, the identity death of the Republican Party, the limits of money in politics, and, finally, the historical analogies over the last 100 years that should shape our understanding of what happens next.

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If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Nate Cohn

Producer: Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Ben Glicksman
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Well, it’s midterm day in America, and on my mind are three huge questions for tonight. Number 1: How much water is in the blue wave? Number 2: Everyone’s talking about the cost of living, inflation, and affordability, but who actually wants to do something about it? And number 3: Will this election finally be the beginning of the end of Boomer politics?

To answer these questions and more, Derek joins forces with political journalist and podcaster Saagar Enjeti. Together they break down potential midterm outcomes, the state of the GOP, ethics in Washington, and the future of millennial politics in America.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/@PlainEnglishwithDerekThompson

If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Saagar Enjeti

Producer: Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Ben Glicksman

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This episode is brought to you by Jira by Atlassian.
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No matter how you look at it, Netflix is having a pretty bad year. Stock is down, growth has slowed, the company recently laid off roughly 1,000 people, and it dismissed its chief content officer and its head of film. After a decade of explosive growth and dominance over traditional entertainment, the company’s biggest challenge now may have less to do with its competitors in Hollywood than with TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Derek Thompson welcomes Matt Belloni onto the show to discuss Netflix's shortcomings. The break down what’s eating Netflix, why every form of media seems to be converging on short-form video, and what Netflix’s struggles reveal about the future of entertainment.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/@PlainEnglishwithDerekThompson

If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Matt Belloni

Producer: Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Ben Glicksman

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What exactly is effective altruism? Beginning in the early 2010s as a nerdy way to rethink the most cost-effective charity, the movement has since grown into a broader philosophy for thinking about just about everything in our lives, from the careers we choose to the technologies we build.

Today, Derek Thompson talks with Will MacAskill, one of the movement’s founders, about the origins and ideas behind effective altruism, its blind spots and controversies, the downfall of major funder Sam Bankman-Fried, and what it can tell us about this moment in history.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/@PlainEnglishwithDerekThompson

If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Will MacAskill

Producer: Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Ben Glicksman

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The answer to whether AI is a bubble comes down to supply and demand. Is there enough demand to justify the enormous investment in chips and data centers? If businesses keep paying more for AI every year, the debt is manageable and the buildout will look visionary. If they don't, today's AI chips could be like trains built to serve towns that never materialized.

In a follow-up to Tuesday's episode, Derek Thompson talks with economist Ara Kharazian about who's actually paying for AI, why spending may be slowing, and what that could mean for the broader economy.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/@PlainEnglishwithDerekThompson

If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com.

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Ara Kharazian

Producer: Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Ben Glicksman

Comcast Business. Get AI-powered threat detection for small business.
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