Inside the Anti-Social Century — with Derek Thompson
In a conversation recorded live on Substack, Scott Galloway and Derek Thompson discuss the rise of the “antisocial century” — and what our growing isolation is doing to our happiness, relationships, and politics.
They also explore the optimization of everyday life, young men’s retreat into the digital world, AI’s economic bubble, and whether moderate drinking has been unfairly caught in the wellness backlash. Plus, Derek explains the rise of democratic socialism and offers three simple rules for dating in the antisocial century.
Subscribe to Prof G+ to join our next livestream at profgmedia.com. And if you're not already reading Derek’s work, check out his Substack.
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Why America Feels So Unhappy — with Derek Thompson
Journalist Derek Thompson joins Scott Galloway to examine why Americans feel increasingly unhappy — even as many measures of health, safety, and quality of life improve.
They discuss how media incentives and negativity bias distort our perception of reality, why outrage dominates online discourse, and how social comparison and screen-based life erode well-being. Derek also explores the impact of AI on inequality, the promise and limits of GLP-1 drugs, and why progress in technology and health hasn’t translated into greater happiness or connection.
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EP 143: Debunking Healthcare's Biggest Myths with Zach Weinberg and Derek Thompson
In this episode, Logan is joined by Zach Weinberg (Co-Founder/CEO @ Curie.Bio) and Derek Thompson (writer at The Atlantic) for a candid discussion on the state of U.S. healthcare and scientific progress. They unpack what went right, and wrong, with COVID vaccine policy, the public backlash against mRNA technology, and the ripple effects on trust in science.
The conversation also dives into the real reasons behind NIH budget cuts, the economics of drug discovery, and the business incentives in medical R&D. It’s a sharp, thought-provoking look at the intersection of policy, innovation, and public perception.
(00:00) Introduction to Drug Pricing in the US
(00:23) Broad Healthcare Topics and Open-Ended Discussion
(02:37) COVID-19 Vaccines: Successes and Public Perception
(06:21) The Evolution of COVID-19 and Vaccine Efficacy
(07:59) Public Policy and Vaccine Mandates
(13:10) Impact of School Closures and Public Sentiment
(19:23) NIH Funding and the Importance of Basic Research
(25:04) Challenges in Science Funding and Public Perception
(35:19) Government vs. Private Investment in Science
(36:40) Operation Warp Speed: A Case Study
(39:07) Antibiotic Resistance Crisis
(43:22) The Drug Pricing Debate
(44:05) Challenges in Drug Discovery
(54:06) Regulatory Hurdles in Medical R&D
(58:06) The Future of Drug Development
(01:04:19) Concluding Thoughts
Executive Producer: Rashad Assir
Producer: Leah Clapper
Mixing and editing: Justin Hrabovsky
Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA
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About the Show
Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.
EP 138: Derek Thompson (Writer, The Atlantic) and Zach Weinberg (Co-founder & CEO, Curie.Bio) Discuss the Tariff Withdrawal and America’s Future
In this episode, Derek Thompson (Writer, The Atlantic) delves into the tumultuous nature of Trump’s trade policies, especially regarding tariffs, and how they impact American manufacturing and global markets. They discuss the constant changes in policy, the resulting uncertainty for industries like automotive and aerospace, and the mismatch between Trump’s ‘madman strategy’ and effective industrial policy. The conversation also explores the broader economic consequences, including stock market volatility, housing affordability issues, and the role of government in promoting economic growth and innovation.
(00:00) Intro
(00:20) Trump's Trade Policy and Its Implications
(01:30) The Uncertainty of Tariff Policies
(02:12) Impact on American Manufacturing
(05:15) Stock Market Reactions
(07:00) Debating the Effectiveness of Tariffs
(10:02) Wall Street vs. Main Street
(18:44) Housing and Healthcare Challenges
(34:53) Historical Context of Housing Regulations
(41:48) The Reality of Construction Jobs
(42:35) The American Dream and Housing Costs
(42:57) The 30-Year Mortgage and Its Impact
(43:48) Comparing Home Ownership to Stock Market Investments
(45:14) Political Reception of the Book 'Abundance'
(46:17) Pro-Business Democrats and Government's Role
(48:38) The Need for Aggressive Democratic Leaders
(51:18) The Importance of Economic Growth
(01:01:26) Debating Government's Role in Industrial Policy
(01:03:34) Challenges in the Semiconductor Industry
(01:13:19) The Housing Problem in New York City
(01:15:26) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Executive Producer: Rashad Assir
Producer: Leah Clapper
Mixing and editing: Justin Hrabovsky
Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA
🎙 Listen to the show
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-logan-bartlett-show/id1606770839
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WqBqDb4br3LlyVrdqOYYb?si=3076e6c1b5c94d63&nd=1
🎥 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugS0jD5IAdoqzjaNYzns7w?sub_confirmation=1
Follow on Socials
📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theloganbartlettshow
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/loganbartshow
🎬 Clips on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theloganbartlettshow
About the Show
Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.
Abundance Is the Key to Fixing America — with Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
This episode features a conversation with Ezra Klein, New York Times columnist and host of The Ezra Klein Show, and Derek Thompson, Atlantic staff writer, author, and host of the Plain English podcast.
Scott discusses with Ezra and Derek their new book, “Abundance,” which is all about how America learned to fail at abundance — and how the left can fix it by embracing growth, progress, and the messy trade-offs of governing.
Follow Ezra, @ezraklein.
Follow Derek, @DKThomp.
Scott opens with his thoughts on the pros and cons of living in the UK.
Algebra of Happiness: action absorbs anxiety.
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Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson: Less Obstruction, More Government
Scarcity is a policy choice — one liberals need to reject and replace with abundance, according to journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson in their new book, Abundance. They say that by building a wall of bureaucracy in front of growth, Democrats have created an affordability crisis, hindering their own progressive goals and leading voters to flee blue cities and states. Kara talks to Klein and Thompson about concerns around equity and access; the tech industry’s culpability in all of this; which Dems are best positioned to pursue an abundance agenda; and how pursuing abundance can help fight the Trump-Musk agenda of cruelty.
Klein hosts the popular New York Times podcast The Ezra Klein Show and writes an accompanying column on the intersection of politics, policy and society. Thompson is a staff writer at The Atlantic, writes the weekly Work in Progress Newsletter, and hosts the Plain English podcast.
Correction: Ezra Klein was a founder of Vox.com, a news site created in 2014. He was not a co-founder of Vox Media, the company that publishes On With Kara Swisher.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Instagram and TikTok @onwithkaraswisher
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America’s Progress Has Stalled — with Derek Thompson
Derek Thompson, a staff writer at The Atlantic and host of the Plain English podcast, joins Scott to discuss why he believes America is at a standstill when it comes to progress, including the lack of trust in institutions and a need for an abundance agenda. Follow Derek on Twitter, @DKThomp.
Scott opens by discussing potential business opportunities for WhatsApp. He then shares his thoughts on Buzzfeed’s decision to use OpenAi to create content.
Algebra of Happiness: understanding the purpose of profanity.
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Shopify Board proposes share restructuring + The Atlantic's Derek Thompson, Why American Teens Are So Sad | E1433
First we discuss Shopify planning 10-to-1 stock split & increasing CEO/Founder Tobi Luke’s control from 34% to 40% (1:42). Then, the Atlantic's Derek Thompson joins to discuss his piece “Why American Teens Are So Sad” (25:59), including the impacts of new-parenting styles (33:38), social media (44:10) and infinite news.
Check out Derek's piece: https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/04/american-teens-sadness-depression-anxiety/629524/
FOLLOW Derek: https://twitter.com/DKThomp
(00:00) Jason and Molly tee up today’s show
(01:42) Shopify planning 10-to-1 stock split & increasing CEO/Founder Tobi Luke’s control from 34% to 40%
(14:31) Rocket - Go to http://getrocket.com/twist and use promo code TWIST for 20% off your first placement.
(15:44) Is Tobi Luke pressing his advantage?
(24:45) Vanta - Get $1,000 off automating your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist
(25:59) Talking to The Atlantic's Derek Thompson about his piece “Why American Teens Are So Sad”
(32:14) Dell For Startups - Apply and get up to 45% off at http://dell.com/twist
(33:38) How does parenting or over-parenting play into increased teenage sadness?
(44:10) Should social media be regulated for kids similar to alcohol?
FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis
FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood
a16z Podcast: Addiction vs Popularity in the Age of Virality
In the age of virality, what does it actually mean to be popular? When does popularity -- or good product design, for that matter -- cross over from desire and engagement... to addiction? Journalist and editor Derek Thompson, author of Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction -- and NYU professor Adam Alter, author of Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked -- share their thoughts on these topics with Hanne Tidnam in this episode of the a16z Podcast.
The discussion covers everything from the relationship between novelty and familiarity (we like what we know we like! and want more of it!) to what makes a hit. And what's going on when we suddenly fall in love with something "new" and can't get enough of it -- like playing a new video game or binge-watching a TV show.
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Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.
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