Freakonomics Radio

1. 692. What Will A.I. Do to (and for) Human Creativity?

   23.10.202659 Min.Folge 692

   Writers, designers, actors, coders, musicians, thinkers — they’re all worried about being replaced by machines. But what if the A.I.s are actually here to help? (Part one of a two-part series.) SOURCES:Sean …

   Shownotes

   Writers, designers, actors, coders, musicians, thinkers — they’re all worried about being replaced by machines. But what if the A.I.s are actually here to help? (Part one of a two-part series.)
    

   • SOURCES:
     • Sean Astin, actor, president of SAG-AFTRA.
     • Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired.
     • Ethan Mollick, associate professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
     • Eline Van der Velden, founder and C.E.O. of Particle6.

    

   • RESOURCES:
     • Co-Existence: The Next Phase of AI, by Ethan Mollick (2026).
     • "Apocalypse Now and Then," by Arundhati Roy (Equator, 2026).
     • "Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on Creativity and Diversity: An Empirical Study of Large Language Model-Generated Product Ideas," by Christian Terwiesch, Lennart Meincke, Karan Girotra, Ethan Mollick, Gideon Nave, and Karl Ulrich (Production and Operations Management, 2026).
     • "Quiet, My Exoself," by Kevin Kelly (KK, 2026).
     • Co-Intelligence: Living and Working With AI, by Ethan Mollick (2024).
     • "The O-Ring Theory of Economic Development," by Michael Kremer (Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1993).

    

   • EXTRAS:
     • "How to Poison the A.I. Machine," by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
     • "The Curious, Brilliant, Vanishing Mr. Feynman," series by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
     • "How to Think About A.I.," series by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
     • "103 Pieces of Advice That May or May Not Work," by Freakonomics Radio (2022).

   
   

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2. Are Private Equity Firms Plundering the U.S. Economy? (Update)

   21.10.202648 Min.Bonus

   They say they make companies more efficient through savvy management. Critics say they bend the rules to enrich themselves at the expense of consumers and employees. Can they both be right? (Probably not.) …

   Shownotes

   They say they make companies more efficient through savvy management. Critics say they bend the rules to enrich themselves at the expense of consumers and employees. Can they both be right? (Probably not.) 

    

   • SOURCES:
     • Brendan Ballou, C.E.O. of the Public Integrity Project.
     • Dan Glickberg, venture-capital investor.
     • Hannah Howard, food writer.
     • Sachin Khajuria, investor.

    

   • RESOURCES:
     • Plunder: Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America, by Brendan Ballou (2023).
     • Two and Twenty: How the Masters of Private Equity Always Win, by Sachin Khajuria (2022).
     • "Local Journalism under Private Equity Ownership," by Michael Ewens, Arpit Gupta, and Sabrina T. Howell (NBER Working Paper, 2022).
     • “Owner Incentives and Performance in Healthcare: Private Equity Investment in Nursing Homes,” by Atul Gupta, Sabrina T. Howell, Constantine Yannelis, and Abhinav Gupta (NBER Working Paper, 2021).
     • “Leveraged Buyouts and Financial Distress,” by Brian Ayash and Mahdi Rastad (Finance Research Letters, 2021).

    

   • EXTRAS:
     • "Is This What a 'Good Billionaire' Looks Like?" by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
     • "Is the Public Ready for Private Equity?" by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
     • "Should You Trust Private Equity to Take Care of Your Dog?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
     • "Do You Know Who Owns Your Vet?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
     • "The Secret Life of a C.E.O.," series by Freakonomics Radio (2018).

   
   

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3. 691. Is This What a “Good Billionaire” Looks Like?

   16.10.202643 Min.Folge 691

   David Rubenstein, a product of the old bipartisan D.C., made his fortune in private equity. He’s been spending it on “patriotic philanthropy” and institutions like the Kennedy Center, where Trump fired him as …

   Shownotes

   David Rubenstein, a product of the old bipartisan D.C., made his fortune in private equity. He’s been spending it on “patriotic philanthropy” and institutions like the Kennedy Center, where Trump fired him as chairman. Now he wonders if the center can hold.

    

   • SOURCES:
     • David Rubenstein, co-founder and co-chairman of the Carlyle Group, principal owner of the Baltimore Orioles.

    

   • RESOURCES:
     • Inside the Owner's Box: Conversations on Power and Leadership in Sports, by David M. Rubenstein (2026).
     • The American Experiment: Dialogues on a Dream, by David M. Rubenstein (2021).
     • The American Story: Conversations With Master Historians, by David M. Rubenstein (2019).
     • Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis (2003).

    

   • EXTRAS:
     • "The Merger You Never Knew You Wanted," by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
     • "The Secret Life of a C.E.O.," series by Freakonomics Radio (2018).
     • "Extra: David Rubenstein Full Interview," by Freakonomics Radio (2018).
     • "The Longest Long Shot," by Freakonomics Radio (2016).

   
   

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4. 690. It’s Show Business, Baby!

   09.10.20261 Std. 2 Min.Folge 690

   Podcasting started as a niche-nerd pursuit. Now it’s a $9 billion industry. Is that a lot? The strange economics of this thing we do. SOURCES:Jim Bankoff, chairman and C.E.O. of Vox Media.Ben Davis, head of …

   Shownotes

   Podcasting started as a niche-nerd pursuit. Now it’s a $9 billion industry. Is that a lot? The strange economics of this thing we do.

    

   • SOURCES:
     • Jim Bankoff, chairman and C.E.O. of Vox Media.
     • Ben Davis, head of digital at WME.
     • Will Page, former chief economist at Spotify and author of Pivot.
     • Jenna Weiss-Berman, head of Paper Kite Audio and executive producer of Good Hang with Amy Poehler.
     • Jeanine Wright, co-founder and C.E.O. of Liquid Studios (Inception Point AI).

    

   • RESOURCES:
     • "U.S. AI infrastructure buildout is surpassing every prior investment in American history," by Cris Tolomia (Quartz, 2026).
     • "The AMP Accords," (Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting, 2026).
     • "Owl & Co: Global Podcast Economy Grew 23% To $9.2 Billion In 2025." (Inside Radio, 2026).
     • "James Murdoch to Buy New York Magazine, Other Vox Assets for Around $300 Million," by Isabella Simonetti and Jessica Toonkel (The Wall Street Journal, 2026).
     • "Patreon Says Podcasters Earned $629 Million in 2025, Up 33%, as Platform's Biggest Content Category Keeps Growing," by Todd Spangler (Variety, 2026).

    

   • EXTRAS:
     • "How to Think About A.I.," series by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
     • "How Spotify Saved the Music Industry (But Not Necessarily Musicians)," by Freakonomics Radio (2019).
     • "Our 100th Episode!" by Freakonomics Radio (2012).

   
   

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5. 689. Here’s Why Your Hamburger Just Got So Pricey

   02.10.202649 Min.Folge 689

   An economist calls America’s beef industry a “miracle.” An antitrust scholar calls it “broken.” Maybe they’re both right? SOURCES:Austin Frerick, agriculture antitrust expert, fellow at Yale University, author …

   Shownotes

   An economist calls America’s beef industry a “miracle.” An antitrust scholar calls it “broken.” Maybe they’re both right?

    

   • SOURCES:
     • Austin Frerick, agriculture antitrust expert, fellow at Yale University, author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry.
     • Robert Hodgen, C.E.O. of King Ranch.
     • Roger Horowitz, food historian, director of the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society at the Hagley Museum and Library.
     • Derrell Peel, Charles Breedlove Professorship of Agribusiness in the department of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University.

    

   • RESOURCES:
     • "The hamburger story," by Derrell Peel (Beef, 2026).
     • "Trump is letting in 300,000 tons of beef duty-free. Don’t expect cheaper burgers," by Elisabeth Buchwald (CNN, 2026).
     • "DOJ Probes Soaring Beef Prices at Eight Major Stores Including Walmart," by Hugh Cameron (Newsweek, 2026).
     • "Takeaways from the Pause on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement," by Brendan Quigley, Bridget Moore, Kyle Clark, and Baker Botts (Harvard Law School, 2025).
     • "Tyson and Leviathan: USDA Rulemaking and the PSA Harm to Competition Requirement," by Spencer James Parts (University of Chicago Business Review, 2022).
     • "Average Price: All Uncooked Ground Beef (Cost per Pound/453.6 Grams) in U.S. City Average," (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis).

    

   • EXTRAS:
     • "An Economics Lesson from a Talking Pencil (Update)," by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
     • "The Future of Meat," by Freakonomics Radio (2019).

   
   

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6. 688. When Is a Bet Not a Bet?

   25.09.202651 Min.Folge 688

   That’s the question at the heart of a battle between Kalshi and state gambling regulators. As prediction markets boom, there are other questions, too — about insider trading, market manipulation, and whether …

   Shownotes

   That’s the question at the heart of a battle between Kalshi and state gambling regulators. As prediction markets boom, there are other questions, too — about insider trading, market manipulation, and whether the public has turned against them. (Part two of a two-part series.) 

    

   • SOURCES:
     • Gary Gensler, former chair of the S.E.C. and the C.F.T.C.
     • Robin Hanson, professor of economics at George Mason University.
     • Nicole Kagan, head of research at Kalshi.
     • Tarek Mansour, co-founder and C.E.O. of Kalshi.

    

   • RESOURCES:
     • "Shall We Vote on Values, But Bet on Beliefs?" by Robin Hanson (Journal of Political Philosophy, 2013).

    

   • EXTRAS:
     • "Are Prediction Markets the Best Forecasting Tool Ever — or Just Another Casino?" by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
     • "He Helped Clean Up the Last Crash. Does He See Another One Coming?" by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
     • "The Economics of Sports Gambling," by Freakonomics Radio (2019).

   
   

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7. 687. Are Prediction Markets the Best Forecasting Tool Ever — or Just Another Casino?

   18.09.202649 Min.Folge 687

   The promise is that they can beat the experts at predicting inflation, elections, and FDA approvals. But right now, roughly 90 percent of the action is sports. Is this a future we want to bet on? Stephen Dubner …

   Shownotes

   The promise is that they can beat the experts at predicting inflation, elections, and FDA approvals. But right now, roughly 90 percent of the action is sports. Is this a future we want to bet on? Stephen Dubner speaks with, among others, the C.E.O. of Kalshi. (Part one of a two-part series.)

    

   • SOURCES:
     • Robin Hanson, professor of economics at George Mason University.
     • Nicole Kagan, head of research at Kalshi.
     • Tarek Mansour, co-founder and C.E.O. of Kalshi.

    

   • RESOURCE:
     • "Kalshi and the Rise of Macro Markets," by Anthony Diercks, Jared Dean Katz, and Jonathan Wright (Federal Reserve Board, 2026).
     • "Slowly, Then All At Once: What Mamdani's Victory Tells Us About Information Aggregation," (Kalshi Research, 2026).
     • "Futarchy: Vote Values, But Bet Beliefs," by Robin Hanson (2000).
     • "The Use of Knowledge in Society," by Friedrich Hayek (American Economic Review, 1945).

    

   • EXTRAS:
     • "The Economics of Sports Gambling," by Freakonomics Radio (2019).
     • "How to Be Less Terrible at Predicting the Future," by Freakonomics Radio (2016).
     • "The Folly of Prediction," by Freakonomics Radio (2011).

   
   

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8. How to Be a Double Unicorn, with John Urschel | Better in Person

   16.09.202633 Min.Bonus

   He was thriving in the N.F.L., but then he decided to focus on mathematics — a subject he now teaches at M.I.T. John walks Stephen Dubner through the whole story, teaches him some blocking techniques, and …

   Shownotes

   He was thriving in the N.F.L., but then he decided to focus on mathematics — a subject he now teaches at M.I.T. John walks Stephen Dubner through the whole story, teaches him some blocking techniques, and explains why some infinities are bigger than others.

    

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9. 686. Why Is It So Hard to Find an NFL Quarterback?

   11.09.202658 Min.Folge 686

   For decades, teams have tried (and mostly failed) to predict which college quarterbacks will thrive in the pros. Is the science finally catching up? Stephen Dubner speaks with a scout, a psychologist, a data …

   Shownotes

   For decades, teams have tried (and mostly failed) to predict which college quarterbacks will thrive in the pros. Is the science finally catching up? Stephen Dubner speaks with a scout, a psychologist, a data warrior, and a Hall of Fame quarterback who nobody wanted.  
    

   • SOURCES:
     • Scott Goldman, sports psychologist, owner of the Athletic Intelligence Quotient.
     • Dan Hatman, director of scouting development at the Scouting Academy.
     • Stephen Smith, founder and C.E.O. of Kitman Labs.
     • Kurt Warner, Hall-of-Fame quarterback, N.F.L. Network analyst.

    

   • RESOURCES:
     • "Head in the game: the impact of cognitive abilities on performance of National Football League quarterbacks," by R. Thomas Boone, Nicholas Zambrotta, Andrew Manocchio, and James Bowman (Frontiers in Psychology, 2025).
     • "The Quarterback Prediction Problem: Forecasting the Performance of College Quarterbacks Selected in the NFL Draft," by Julian Wolfson, Vittorio Addona, Robert Schmicker (Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, 2011).

    

   • EXTRAS:
     • "The Merger You Never Knew You Wanted," by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
     • "The Rooney Rule," series by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

   
   

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10. Amazon Was Supposed to Kill the Bookstore. James Daunt Had Other Plans | Better in Person

    09.09.202632 Min.Bonus

    He started with one small shop in London. He has since resuscitated both Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. He tells Stephen Dubner exactly how he does it. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in …

    Shownotes

    He started with one small shop in London. He has since resuscitated both Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. He tells Stephen Dubner exactly how he does it.
     

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11. 685. How to Survive the A.I. Shock

    04.09.202658 Min.Folge 685

    Gina Raimondo, a former commerce secretary and governor, thinks A.I. will create plenty of jobs in the long run. She also thinks a poorly managed transition could tear the country apart. So she came up with a …

    Shownotes

    Gina Raimondo, a former commerce secretary and governor, thinks A.I. will create plenty of jobs in the long run. She also thinks a poorly managed transition could tear the country apart. So she came up with a plan.
     

    •  SOURCES:
      • Gina Raimondo, co-chair and C.E.O. of RAISE US.

     

    • RESOURCES:
      • "What Makes New Work Different from More Work?," by David Autor, Caroline Chin, Anna Salomons, and Bryan Seegmiller (NBER, 2026).
      • "$500 million AI jobs push launches with bipartisan backing," by Christine Mui (POLITICO, 2026).
      • "Gina Raimondo and Eric Holcomb Launch RAISE US, Uniting the Nation’s Leading Employers and Bipartisan Governors Behind American Workers," (RAISE US, 2026).
      • "Young Graduates Face the Grimmest Job Market in Years," (New York Times, 2026).
      • "Why AI Giants Are Investing $500 Million To Retrain American Workforce," by Jon Markman (Forbes, 2026).
      • "Wicker Praises Research, STEM Education Provisions in New CHIPS Act," (U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 2022).

     

    • EXTRAS:
      • "Can A.I. Save Your Life?," by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
      • "Will the Democrats 'Make America Great Again'?," by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
      • "How Do You Reopen a Country?," by Freakonomics Radio (2020).
      • "How to Be a Modern Democrat — and Win," by Freakonomics Radio (2018).

    
    

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12. How to Run an Institution in an Anti-Institution Era | Better in Person

    02.09.202638 Min.Bonus

    Anne Pasternak (Brooklyn Museum) and Michael Roth (Wesleyan University) tell Stephen Dubner how they keep the peace in the middle of a culture war. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person …

    Shownotes

    Anne Pasternak (Brooklyn Museum) and Michael Roth (Wesleyan University) tell Stephen Dubner how they keep the peace in the middle of a culture war.

     

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13. How to Return Stolen Art (Update)

    28.08.202651 Min.Folge 543

    Museums are purging their collections of looted treasures. Can they also get something in return? And what does it mean to be a museum in the 21st century? (Part 3 of an updated series originally published in …

    Shownotes

    Museums are purging their collections of looted treasures. Can they also get something in return? And what does it mean to be a museum in the 21st century? (Part 3 of an updated series originally published in 2023.)
     

    • SOURCES:
      • Patricia Allan, museum consultant, former curator of world cultures for the Glasgow Museums.
      • Andrea Bayer, deputy director for collections and administration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
      • Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
      • Victor Ehikhamenor, Nigerian writer and artist.
      • Patty Gerstenblith, professor emeritus of law at DePaul University College of Law.
      • Tom Wilkening, professor of economics at the University of Melbourne.

     

    • RESOURCES:
      • "After Seizures, the Met Sets a Plan to Scour Collections for Looted Art," by Robin Pogrebin and Graham Bowley (The New York Times, 2023).
      • "Nigeria Benin Bronzes: Buhari Declaration 'Blindsides' Museum Officials," by Barnaby Phillips (B.B.C., 2023).
      • "Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns Policy," by the Smithsonian Ethical Returns Working Group (2022).
      • "Protecting Antiquities: A Role for Long-Term Leases?" by Michael Kremer and Tom Wilkening (Working Paper, 2015).

     

    • EXTRAS:
      • “Stealing Art Is Easy. Giving It Back Is Hard,” series by Freakonomics Radio (2023).

    
    

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14. “I Trust Almost Anyone More Than Myself” | Better in Person

    26.08.202643 Min.Bonus

    The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jennifer Egan talks about confidence, luck, and why it takes 35 drafts to get to the finish line. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it …

    Shownotes

    The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jennifer Egan talks about confidence, luck, and why it takes 35 drafts to get to the finish line.

    If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

    
    

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15. Is a Museum Just a Trophy Case? (Update)

    21.08.202653 Min.Folge 542

    The world’s great museums are full of art and artifacts that were plundered during an era when plunder was the norm. Now there’s a push to return these works to their rightful owners. Sounds simple, right? It's …

    Shownotes

    The world’s great museums are full of art and artifacts that were plundered during an era when plunder was the norm. Now there’s a push to return these works to their rightful owners. Sounds simple, right? It's not. (Part 2 of an updated series originally published in 2023.)
    

    • SOURCES:
      • Matthew Bogdanos, assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit.
      • Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum.
      • Victor Ehikhamenor, Nigerian writer and artist.
      • David Frum, staff writer at The Atlantic.
      • Dan Hicks, professor of contemporary archaeology at the University of Oxford and curator of world archaeology at the Pitt Rivers Museum.
      • Bénédicte Savoy, professor of art history at the Technical University in Berlin.

    • RESOURCES:
      • "These Looted Treasures Are Home. What Now?," by Alex Marshall (New York Times, 2025).
      • "France's Long-Awaited Restitution Policy Is Finally Here," by Vincent Noce (The Art Newspaper, 2023).
      • Africa’s Struggle for Its Art: History of a Postcolonial Defeat, by Bénédicte Savoy (2022).
      • "Who Benefits When Western Museums Return Looted Art?" by David Frum (The Atlantic, 2022).
      • "Museums in England and Wales to Gain Powers to Dispose of Objects on Moral Grounds," by Dalya Alberge (The Guardian, 2022).
      • The Brutish Museums: The Benin Bronzes, Colonial Violence and Cultural Restitution, by Dan Hicks (2020).
      • "The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage. Toward a New Relational Ethics," by Bénédicte Savoy and Felwine Sarr (2018).

    • EXTRAS:
      • "Can a Museum Be the Conscience of a Nation?," by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
      • "The Hidden Side of the Art Market," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).

    
    

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16. Meet Warren Zanes, the Author and Rocker Behind the Springsteen Movie | Better in Person

    19.08.202651 Min.Bonus

    When he joined the Del Fuegos, his big brother’s band, all Warren knew how to play was a record player. Things went great for a while — and then it all fell apart. So how did he wind up writing definitive books …

    Shownotes

    When he joined the Del Fuegos, his big brother’s band, all Warren knew how to play was a record player. Things went great for a while — and then it all fell apart. So how did he wind up writing definitive books on Springsteen and Tom Petty?

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17. The Case of the $4 Million Gold Coffin (Update)

    14.08.202654 Min.Folge 541

    How did a freshly looted Egyptian antiquity end up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Why did it take Kim Kardashian to crack the case? And how much of what you see in any museum is stolen? (Part 1 of “Stealing …

    Shownotes

    How did a freshly looted Egyptian antiquity end up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Why did it take Kim Kardashian to crack the case? And how much of what you see in any museum is stolen? (Part 1 of “Stealing Art Is Easy. Giving It Back Is Hard,” first published in 2023.)
    

    • SOURCES:
      • Andrea Bayer, deputy director of collections and administration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
      • Matthew Bogdanos, assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit.
      • Patty Gerstenblith, professor emeritus of law at DePaul University College of Law.
      • Jim Marrone, staff data scientist at StubHub.
      • Victoria Reed, Bettina Burr chair for provenance at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

    • RESOURCES:
      • "Is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Displaying Objects That Belong to Native American Tribes?" by Kathleen Sharp (ProPublica, 2023).
      • "More Than 1,000 Artifacts in Metropolitan Museum of Art Catalog Linked to Alleged Looting and Trafficking Figures," by Spencer Woodman, Malia Politzer, Delphine Reuter, and Namrata Sharma (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, 2023).
      • "The Art Market 2022: An Art Basel & UBS Report," by Clare McAndrew (2022).
      • "The Tomb Raiders of the Upper East Side," by Ariel Sabar (The Atlantic, 2021).
      • "Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala Photo Helped Solve Looted Gold Egyptian Coffin Case," by Samantha Ibrahim (New York Post, 2021).
      • "Tracking and Disrupting the Illicit Antiquities Trade With Open-Source Data," by Matthew Sargent, James V. Marrone, Alexandra Evans, Bilyana Lilly, Erik Nemeth, and Stephen Dalzell (RAND Corporation, 2020).
      • "Provenience and Provenance Intersecting with International Law in the Market for Antiquities," by Patty G. Gerstenblith (North Carolina Journal of International Law, 2020).

    • EXTRAS:
      • "The Hidden Side of the Art Market," series by Freakonomics Radio (2021).

    
    

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18. What if Being a Stranger Is Actually Your Superpower? | Better in Person

    12.08.202634 Min.Bonus

    Angela Buchdahl was the first Asian American to be ordained as a rabbi, and now she is among the most influential rabbis in the world. She and Stephen Dubner talk about boundary-crossing, the aftermath of …

    Shownotes

    Angela Buchdahl was the first Asian American to be ordained as a rabbi, and now she is among the most influential rabbis in the world. She and Stephen Dubner talk about boundary-crossing, the aftermath of October 7, and whether you can be a good Jew without believing in God.

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19. 684. He Helped Clean Up the Last Crash. Does He See Another One Coming?

    07.08.20261 Std. 7 Min.Folge 684

    Former S.E.C. chair Gary Gensler has had a front-row seat to numerous financial booms and busts. How does he feel about America’s massive bet on A.I.? “Something has to give.” SOURCES: Gary Gensler, professor …

    Shownotes

    Former S.E.C. chair Gary Gensler has had a front-row seat to numerous financial booms and busts. How does he feel about America’s massive bet on A.I.? “Something has to give.”
    

    • SOURCES:
      • Gary Gensler, professor of the practice of global economics, management, and finance at M.I.T.

    • RESOURCES:
      • This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly, by Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff (2011).

    
    

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20. Does it Take a Twisted Mind to Write Twisted Stories? | Better In Person

    05.08.202645 Min.Bonus

    Harlan Coben doesn’t think so. The mega-best-selling author talks suburbia, impostor syndrome, and what he learned from his college friend David Foster Wallace. If you'd like to see the video version of Better …

    Shownotes

    Harlan Coben doesn’t think so. The mega-best-selling author talks suburbia, impostor syndrome, and what he learned from his college friend David Foster Wallace.

    If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

    
    

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21. 683. In the New Space Race, Who Makes the Rules?

    31.07.202656 Min.Folge 683

    Governments started the space age. Now, billionaires and private firms are reinventing it. Guest host Steve Levitt explores what the past can teach us about a high-stakes future. (Part two of a two-part …

    Shownotes

    Governments started the space age. Now, billionaires and private firms are reinventing it. Guest host Steve Levitt explores what the past can teach us about a high-stakes future. (Part two of a two-part series.)
    

    • SOURCES:
      • Blaise Agüera y Arcas, vice president and fellow at Google, C.T.O. of technology and society.
      • Rosanna Hoffman, head of space law, policy, and sustainability at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
      • Alex Macdonald, former first chief economist at NASA, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
      • Will Marshall, co-founder and C.E.O. of Planet Labs.

    • RESOURCES:
      • "The mission to create a searchable database of Earth's surface," by Will Marshall (TED, 2018).
      • The Long Space Age, by Alex Macdonald (2017).
      • Planet Labs A.I.

    • EXTRAS:
      • "Should A.I. Move to Space?," series by Freakonomics Radio (2026).

    
    

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22. How Gary Gulman Turned Depression Into Comedy Gold | Better in Person

    29.07.202647 Min.Bonus

    Gary and Stephen talk about creativity, recovery, getting fired, and holding grudges. They also get outside and play basketball, which is a big part of how Gary stays well. If you'd like to see the video …

    Shownotes

    Gary and Stephen talk about creativity, recovery, getting fired, and holding grudges. They also get outside and play basketball, which is a big part of how Gary stays well.

    If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

    
    

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23. 682. Should A.I. Move to Space?

    24.07.202648 Min.Folge 682

    At first it sounds ridiculous. But it might be inevitable. Guest host Steve Levitt talks to a team that hopes to push A.I. infrastructure off the planet. Part one of a two-part series.) SOURCES: Blaise Agüera y …

    Shownotes

    At first it sounds ridiculous. But it might be inevitable. Guest host Steve Levitt talks to a team that hopes to push A.I. infrastructure off the planet. Part one of a two-part series.)

    • SOURCES:
      • Blaise Agüera y Arcas, vice president and fellow at Google, C.T.O. of technology and society.
      • Travis Beals, senior director of product management at Google, Project Suncatcher lead.
      • Will Marshall, co-founder and C.E.O. of Planet Labs.

    • RESOURCES:
      • What Is Intelligence?, by Blaise Agüera y Arcas (2025).
      • "Towards a future space-based, highly scalable AI infrastructure system design," by Blaise Agüera y Arcas, Travis Beals, Maria Biggs, Jessica V. Bloom, Thomas Fischbacher, Konstantin Gromov, Urs Köster, Rishiraj Pravahan, and James Manyika (Google, 2025).
      • Reason, by Isaac Asimov (1941).

    • EXTRAS:
      • "Are Our Tools Becoming Part of Us?," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).

    
    

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24. Why Cooking is Caregiving, with Chef Hillary Sterling | Better in Person

    22.07.202643 Min.Bonus

    Hillary Sterling was a Brooklyn kid raised on cream cheese sandwiches and canned potatoes. So how did she become one of New York City's best chefs? The Ci Siamo executive chef explains on the second episode of …

    Shownotes

    Hillary Sterling was a Brooklyn kid raised on cream cheese sandwiches and canned potatoes. So how did she become one of New York City's best chefs? The Ci Siamo executive chef explains on the second episode of Better in Person.

    If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

    
    

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25. Are You Really Allergic to Penicillin? (Update)

    17.07.20261 Std. 5 Min.Folge 617

    Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why …

    Shownotes

    Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why hasn’t it been fixed? We find out in this update of a 2025 episode.
    

    • SOURCES:
      • Kimberly Blumenthal, allergist-immunologist and researcher at the Mayo Clinic.
      • Theresa MacPhail, associate professor of science and technology studies at Stevens Institute of Technology.
      • Thomas Platts-Mills, professor of medicine at the University of Virginia.
      • Elena Resnick, allergist and immunologist at Mount Sinai Hospital.

    • RESOURCES:
      • Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World, by Theresa MacPhail (2023).
      • "Evaluation and Management of Penicillin Allergy: A Review," by Erica S. Shenoy, Eric Macy, and Theresa Rowe (JAMA, 2019).
      • "The Allergy Epidemics: 1870–2010," by Thomas Platts-Mills (The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2016).
      • "Randomized Trial of Peanut Consumption in Infants at Risk for Peanut Allergy," by George Du Toit, Graham Roberts, et al. (The New England Journal of Medicine, 2015).

    • EXTRAS:
      • "The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better," series by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
      • "Doctors Know They Prescribe Too Many Antibiotics. Why Don’t They Stop?" by Freakonomics, M.D. (2022).

    
    

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26. How a Great Architect Thinks, with Bjarke Ingels | Better in Person

    14.07.202643 Min.Bonus

    Is the oxymoron really “the secret sauce to everything”? That’s the case Ingels makes in this debut episode of our new video show Better in Person, filmed in Stephen Dubner’s living room. If you'd like to see …

    Shownotes

    Is the oxymoron really “the secret sauce to everything”? That’s the case Ingels makes in this debut episode of our new video show Better in Person, filmed in Stephen Dubner’s living room.

    If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

    
    

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27. 681. How to Host a Talk Show, with Dick Cavett

    09.07.202643 Min.Folge 681

    Stephen Dubner had an idea for a new project. So he drove to Connecticut and knocked on the door of the master. Dubner’s new TV talk show Better in Person launches July 14 on the Freakonomics YouTube channel …

    Shownotes

    Stephen Dubner had an idea for a new project. So he drove to Connecticut and knocked on the door of the master. Dubner’s new TV talk show Better in Person launches July 14 on the Freakonomics YouTube channel.
    

    • SOURCES:
      • Dick Cavett, writer, former talk show host.

    • RESOURCES:
      • Eye on Cavett, by Dick Cavett and Christopher Porterfield (1983).
      • Cavett, by Dick Cavett and Christopher Porterfield (1974).
      • "The Dick Cavett Show" YouTube Channel.
      • "Better in Person" Trailer.

    
    

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28. 680. Can Universities Win Back Our Trust?

    03.07.202650 Min.Folge 680

    Dartmouth president Sian Beilock, a psychologist by training, made her name studying why people choke. Now she’s applying those insights to one of the most scrutinized jobs in America. No pressure! SOURCES …

    Shownotes

    Dartmouth president Sian Beilock, a psychologist by training, made her name studying why people choke. Now she’s applying those insights to one of the most scrutinized jobs in America. No pressure!
    

    • SOURCES:
      • Sian Beilock, president of Dartmouth College.

    • RESOURCES:
      • "Growing share of Americans say the U.S. higher education system is headed in the wrong direction," by Kim Parker (Pew Research Center, 2025).
      • "Standardized Test Scores and Academic Performance at Ivy-Plus Colleges," by John N. Friedman, Bruce Sacerdote, Douglas O. Staiger, and Michele Tine (NBER, 2025).
      • "Americans’ Trust in One Another," by Laura Silver, Scott Keeter, Stephanie Kramer, Jordan Lippert, Sofia Hernandez Ramones, Alan Cooperman, Chris Baronavski, and Bill Webster (Pew Research Center, 2025).
      • Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To, by Sian Beilock (2011)

    • EXTRAS:
      • "Why Does Vanderbilt Keep Winning?" by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
      • "'A Low Moment in Higher Education,'" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
      • "'If We’re All in It for Ourselves, Who Are We?'" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
      • "Why We Choke Under Pressure (and How Not To)," by Freakonomics Radio (2018).

    
    

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29. 679. Why Does Vanderbilt Keep Winning?

    26.06.20261 Std. 4 Min.Folge 679

    It’s a hard time to run a university: public trust is low, political pressure is high, and finances are fragile. But Daniel Diermeier, who trained as a political scientist, has Vanderbilt humming. How? He says …

    Shownotes

    It’s a hard time to run a university: public trust is low, political pressure is high, and finances are fragile. But Daniel Diermeier, who trained as a political scientist, has Vanderbilt humming. How? He says the key is choosing magnets over wedges.
    

    • SOURCES:
      • Daniel Diermeier, chancellor of Vanderbilt University.

    • RESOURCES:
      • "Higher Ed’s New Crisis Managers," by Lee Gardner (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2026).
      • "Professors Need to Diversify What They Teach," by Jon Shields, Yuval Avnur, and Stephanie Muravchik (Persuasion, 2025).
      • "A Call for Constructive Engagement," (American Association of Colleges and Universities, 2025).
      • "2020 Statement on Anthropology and Human Rights," (American Anthropological Association, 2020).
      • The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander (2010).
      • "Kalven Committee: Report on the University’s Role in Political and Social Action," (The University of Chicago, 1967).

    • EXTRAS:
      • Sign up here to pre-screen our new video show.
      • "'A Low Moment in Higher Education,'" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
      • "'If We’re All in It for Ourselves, Who Are We?'" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
      • "Do Boycotts Work?" by Freakonomics Radio (2016).

    
    

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30. The World Is (Still) Drowning in Sludge

    24.06.202655 Min.Folge 627

    Insurance forms that make no sense. Subscriptions that can’t be cancelled. A never-ending blizzard of automated notifications. In this update of a 2025 episode, Stephen Dubner discovers where all this sludge …

    Shownotes

    Insurance forms that make no sense. Subscriptions that can’t be cancelled. A never-ending blizzard of automated notifications. In this update of a 2025 episode, Stephen Dubner discovers where all this sludge comes from — and how much it’s costing us.

    • SOURCES:
      • Benjamin Handel, professor of economics at UC Berkeley.
      • Neale Mahoney, professor of economics at Stanford University.
      • Richard Thaler, professor of economics at The University of Chicago.

    • RESOURCES:
      • "Selling Subscriptions," by Liran Einav, Ben Klopack, and Neale Mahoney (Stanford University, 2023).
      • "The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok," by Cory Doctorow (WIRED, 2023).
      • "Dominated Options in Health Insurance Plans," by Chenyuan Liu and Justin Sydnor (American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2022).
      • Nudge: The Final Edition, by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein (2021).
      • "Frictions or Mental Gaps: What’s Behind the Information We (Don’t) Use and When Do We Care?" by Benjamin Handel and Joshua Schwartzstein (Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2018).
      • "Adverse Selection and Switching Costs in Health Insurance Markets: When Nudging Hurts," by Benjamin Handel (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2011).

    • EXTRAS:
      • "Sludge," series by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
      • "People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard. (Update)" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
      • "All You Need is Nudge," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
      • "How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
      • "Should We Really Behave Like Economists Say We Do?" by Freakonomics Radio (2015).

    
    

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