Rephonic
Artwork for Better Offline
Openai
Generative AI
Artificial Intelligence
NVIDIA
Microsoft
Google
Tech Industry
Venture Capital
Consumer Electronics Show
Chatgpt
Anthropic
Data Centers
Meta
Softbank
Sam Altman
Robotics
Silicon Valley
Technology
CES 2025
Las Vegas

Better Offline is a weekly show exploring the tech industry’s influence and manipulation of society - and interrogating the growth-at-all-costs future that tech’s elite wants to build.

Combining narrative-form storytelling, one-on-one interviews and panel-based discussions, Better Offline cuts through the buzzwords and obfuscation of the tech industry, investigating and evaluating the schemes an... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes232Founded2 years ago
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Technology

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Artwork for Better Offline

Latest Episodes

In this week’s Better Offline, Ed is joined by computer science professor and writer Cal Newport to talk about the Claude Mythos marketing scam, the lies around AI job loss, and why LLMs shouldn’t talk like they’re people.

Please support me by subsc... more

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In this week's Better Offline monologue, Ed Zitron discusses how AI labs’ dangerous rhetoric around AI capabilities and job loss are antagonizing and terrifying people that are already on edge, and that de-escalation starts with Altman and Amodei tal... more

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In this week’s Better Offline, Ed Zitron is joined by journalist and astrophysicist Adam Becker to talk about introspection-free venture capital, the Pee-Wee’s Playhouse effect of LLMs, and trying to find a better future to focus on.

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In a special episode of Better Offline, Ed Zitron is joined by writers Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz of the New Yorker to talk about their massive investigation into Sam Altman, his ouster from OpenAI, and the consequences of trusting Silicon Valle... more

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Recent Guests

Ronan Farrow
Correspondent from The New Yorker who co-authored a major piece on Sam Altman
The New Yorker
Episode: Investigating Altman With Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz
Andrew Marantz
Writer for The New Yorker with background on tech and big tech reporting
The New Yorker
Episode: Investigating Altman With Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz
Paul Kedrosky
Economist
Independent economist
Episode: The Reality of AI Economics With Paul Kedrosky
Rebecca Ungarino
Barron's reporter on gambling and Wall Street
Barron's
Episode: Prediction Markets with Rebecca Ungarino and Nick Devor
Nick Devor
Barron's reporter on gambling industry and Wall Street
Barron's
Episode: Prediction Markets with Rebecca Ungarino and Nick Devor
Henry Zebrowski
Guest, Last Podcast on the Left
Last Podcast on the Left
Episode: Hater Season: Henry Zebrowski
Corey Quinn
Chief Cloud Economist at Duckbill
Duckbill
Episode: Hater Season: Corey Quinn
Matt Rosoff
Editor-in-Chief of The Register
The Register
Episode: Working In The Dot Com Bubble ft. Matt Rosoff
Steve Burke
Tech YouTuber and founder of GamersNexus, focusing on hardware reviews and industry commentary.
GamersNexus
Episode: The Anti-Consumer Electronics Show with Steve Burke

Host

Ed Zitron
Host of Better Offline; tech industry commentator and communications professional.

Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars from 2.6k ratings
  • Yeah, the monologues are painful

    Better to ask experts to talk

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Refined Taster
    United States14 days ago
  • So far so good

    I’ve listened to only one pod so far, topic was gtc, nvidia, Jensen (who I actually know) and ai.

    Fun, thoughtful and knowledgeable discussion to listen in on!

    And great break from politics.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    rollamichael
    United Statesa month ago
  • Information and Cathartic

    I really enjoy the Better Offline podcast. Since I have no direct relationship to the tech industry in work or otherwise, I rely on this podcast to keep me informed and up to date with what is going on. I trust Ed’s reporting and admire all the work he puts in to find out the truth about AI, especially on the financial side. Ed has great guests, posts regularly, his accent is fun, and, having a sailor’s mouth myself, I dig all the passionate swearing!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Storm33jms
    United Statesa month ago
  • Going to bat for corporations since the inception of the podcast.

    Disgusting bug man runs interference for technocratic and corporate entities at the cost of humanity of our culture. Truly unforgivable shilling disguised as passionate concern.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    C0gnicide
    United Statesa month ago
  • Love this podcast.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    Mebaba
    2 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Balanced, data-driven critique with sharp delivery; injects humor without losing rigor.
Ads-heavy episodes are a recurring critique impacting listening experience.
Frequently seen as a strong counterpoint to mainstream AI hype; trusted by skeptical listeners.
Polarizing but insightful; fans appreciate the candor and practical takeaways.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Reality of AI Economics With Paul Kedrosky
Q: So your recent work on AI, particularly the data center and economic side, what actual economic effects have you seen from AI?
There isn't a clean productivity lift yet; what you see is a shift in non-residential fixed investment toward data centers and GPUs, with Nvidia playing a central hub role. The broader economy shows mixed signals, and the real macro effect may come from investment patterns and debt structures rather than straightforward productivity gains.
Investigating Altman With Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz
Q: Why did you decide to cover Sam Altman and OpenAI in this way?
We wanted to place all relevant facts in one place, examine the trajectory from nonprofit beginnings to profit-oriented actions, and show how different stakeholders received and interpreted the same events.
Working In The Dot Com Bubble ft. Matt Rosoff
Q: What was the aftermath like post .com bubble?
The burst had significant effects, with many losing their jobs and retail traders being wiped out.
Working In The Dot Com Bubble ft. Matt Rosoff
Q: Was there any kind of AI dissent?
Yes, there were concerns about fraud and regulation, but not much outright skepticism that the internet would take off.
Working In The Dot Com Bubble ft. Matt Rosoff
Q: What were you doing in the .com Bubble era?
I moved to San Francisco in 1992 and started at a small startup called CNET as an editorial assistant.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Better Offline

What is Better Offline about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A provocative tech-leaning show that challenges the industry's money-first mindset and its effect on society. Listeners are likely drawn to sharp, data-driven critiques of cloud infrastructure, AI hype, venture capital dynamics, and media coverage, delivered with a mix of reporting, analysis, and candid ranting. The program stands out for its fearless, skeptical stance, willingness to debunk buzzwords with numbers, and frequent, topic-spanning dives into platform monopolies, governance, and the economics of scale. It's probably attractive to tech professionals and business audiences who want hard-earned takes on whether tech's growth-at-all-costs trajectory pays off for enterprises and society alike.

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Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Better Offline. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Better Offline and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Better Offline get?

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How many subscribers and views does Better Offline have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Better Offline has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Better Offline?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Better Offline:

1. It Could Happen Here
2. Tech Won't Save Us
3. Weird Little Guys
4. Kill The Computer
5. Behind the Bastards

How many episodes of Better Offline are there?

Better Offline launched 2 years ago and published 232 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Better Offline?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Better Offline?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Better Offline from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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What guests have appeared on Better Offline?

Recent guests on Better Offline include:

1. Ronan Farrow
2. Andrew Marantz
3. Paul Kedrosky
4. Rebecca Ungarino
5. Nick Devor
6. Henry Zebrowski
7. Corey Quinn
8. Matt Rosoff

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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