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Artwork for Galaxy Brain

Galaxy Brain

The Atlantic
Artificial Intelligence
Social Media
Conspiracy Theories
Openai
AI Coding Agents
The Internet
Chatgpt
Epstein Files
Jeffrey Epstein
Mental Health
Donald Trump
Algorithms
Sex Trafficking
Department Of Justice
Elon Musk
Labor Market Impact
Gambling
Public Discourse
Youtube
Ghislaine Maxwell

The internet has warped public life: Politicians behave like influencers, the economy resembles a casino, and people can no longer agree upon a consensus reality. New conspiracy theories, memes, and main characters seem to pop up every day. A constant war is on for your attention, and it’s easy to feel lost. Each week, Galaxy Brain and its host Charlie Warzel invite you into conversations to make ... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes42Founded8 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Technology

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Artwork for Galaxy Brain

Latest Episodes

A lot of people are getting tired of their phone—sick of the algorithms and overwhelmed by what can feel like a loss of control. The Atlantic staff writer Julie Beck was a part of a team that dug into why and how people are trying to renegotiate thei... more

Most people spend more time than you think agonizing over their social-media posts. Kathryn Jezer-Morton wanted to understand their thinking—and when she dug deeper, she learned that redemption and optimization narratives are what the algorithm rewar... more

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Tech companies like Google famously started with a culture and psychology centered on doing good and changing the world. But as Google expanded, it had to adapt to its growing money, power, and influence, and Claire Stapleton, who worked there during... more

Electronics are getting more expensive—and the culprit has a lot to do with generative AI. Amid all the talk of AI taking over people’s jobs, automating people’s workflows, and doing people’s homework, we’re learning that actually scaling this techno... more

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Recent Guests

Julie Beck
Staff writer at The Atlantic; guest discussing attention and How to Touch Grass
The Atlantic
Episode: Welcome to the Scrolling Backlash
Kathryn Jezer-Morton
Author of The Story of Your Life; writer
The Atlantic
Episode: How Social Media Makes Our Lives Smaller
Claire Stapleton
Former Google communications executive and YouTube marketer, author of Don't Be Evil
Google (former), Author
Episode: The Former ‘Voice of Google’ Speaks Out
Alex Reisner
Researcher, programmer, staff writer at The Atlantic
The Atlantic
Episode: Why AI Is Making Things More Expensive
Hana Kiros
Assistant editor at The Atlantic
The Atlantic
Episode: Why AI Is Making Things More Expensive
Roger Bennett
Founder and CEO of Men in Blazers Media Network
Men in Blazers Media Network
Episode: How the World Cup Finally Won Over America
Ian Bogost
Author, professor and administrator at Washington University in St. Louis; game designer
The Atlantic / Washington University in St. Louis
Episode: The Hidden Cost of Optimizing Everything
Quinn Slobodian
Professor of international history at Boston University
Boston University
Episode: What Do We Do About Elon Musk?
Ben Tarnoff
Technology writer and critic
Episode: What Do We Do About Elon Musk?

Host

Charlie Warzel
Host of Galaxy Brain; technology journalist and writer

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 1.6k ratings
  • Steve Buscemi

    Came to say thanks for the informative podcast and to suggest that Charlie and Steve Buscemi are voice doppelgängers (to my British ears). Once heard never unheard. Now I just relax into it: as far as I’m concerned this is Steve’s tech podcast and he’s doing a fantastic job.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    AndyF1983
    United Kingdom2 months ago
  • Had high hopes

    EDIT: I left the review below some months ago. I’ve revisited the show in recent weeks and have completely changed my mind! I really enjoy it now and thank you for interesting conversations. ********OLD REVIEW: I thought the premise of this show sounded interesting and I wanted to hear more. But the organization and actual narrative were really lacking. I couldn’t figure out where the host’s questions were trying to go and the number of “likes” and “ums” were extremely distracting. It came off... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ca from LA in Pa
    United States4 months ago
  • Wanted to like it

    Unfortunately, it’s not good. With more experience, I’m sure Charlie will improve as a host. After listening to several episodes, I’m giving up on it for now.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Po------
    United States7 months ago
  • So much moral outrage

    The amount of moral outrage on this podcast tires me out. Sincerely, a center left Democrat.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Nick Name 8989
    United States7 months ago
  • Political

    I’m not into politics. I personally hate it and over my life I have watched politicians from every party use issues in order to get people on board because if they really tell them what they want to do, they know the simple people would not vote for them. While this podcast is informative, and some of it is spot on, it’s very weighted politically. I would be willing to listen to anybody today who would post a podcast that had balance that said what political leaders have done right what they’r... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    NELLIESHINGLES
    United States7 months ago

Listeners Say

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

Listeners appreciate the depth and range of topics, especially AI and platform dynamics.
Some listeners critique pacing and organization of questions.
Many praise guest diversity and fresh perspectives on tech culture.

Chart Rankings

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

Spotify
#23
United States/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#28
United States/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#10
Canada/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#28
United Kingdom/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#22
Australia/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#23
Italy/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Former ‘Voice of Google’ Speaks Out
Q: What did the 2018 walkout reveal about internal culture and power dynamics?
The walkout exposed tensions around harassment, executive accountability, and the conflict between employee voice and corporate interests, leading to role shifts, a shift in governance, and legal scrutiny.
The Former ‘Voice of Google’ Speaks Out
Q: What was Google really like when you joined in 2007?
Stapleton describes a time of high hiring energy, a campus culture that felt whimsical and optimistic, with a strong sense of mission, which gradually grew into a more bureaucratic and performance-driven environment.
Why AI Is Making Things More Expensive
Q: Is there any way to reduce these costs or change the trajectory of AI hardware growth?
Some developers are exploring smaller, more efficient models that scale better, but so far none have replaced large language models; the industry faces a deep structural challenge in reducing exponential resource requirements.
Why AI Is Making Things More Expensive
Q: What are the nuts-and-bolts of the hardware side—storage, chips, and the intensity of hardware resources needed for these models?
The models are trained with high-speed memory and require many data centers; memory chip demand has surged as hyperscalers become the dominant buyers, pushing up prices and tightening supply for consumer electronics and enterprise devices alike.
Why AI Is Making Things More Expensive
Q: But Alex, walk us through how generative AI works and what these large language models require to operate.
Large language models need massive amounts of training data and memory; the more text they train on and the larger the model, the better they seem to perform, which in turn requires more data centers and high-bandwidth memory to support the computation.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Galaxy Brain

What is Galaxy Brain about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A sharp, tech-forward discussion show that layers analysis of AI, social media, policy, and online culture with cultural commentary on how platforms shape society. Recurring topics include the attention economy, the economics of hardware and AI, the politics of tech giants, and how digital life redefines work, media, and identity. Notable is the willingness to bring insider perspectives from tech, media, and academia, plus long-form conversations that connect complex systems to everyday experiences. The show often blends rigorous context with storytelling, making dense topics accessible while inviting debate about the future of technology and democracy.

Where can I find podcast stats for Galaxy Brain?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Galaxy Brain. 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 Galaxy Brain and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Galaxy Brain get?

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What are the audience demographics for Galaxy Brain?

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How many subscribers and views does Galaxy Brain have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Galaxy Brain 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 Galaxy Brain?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Galaxy Brain:

1. Radio Atlantic
2. The David Frum Show
3. The Ezra Klein Show
4. The Gray Area with Sean Illing
5. Hard Fork

How many episodes of Galaxy Brain are there?

Galaxy Brain launched 8 years ago and published 42 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 Galaxy Brain?

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 Galaxy Brain?

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

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What guests have appeared on Galaxy Brain?

Recent guests on Galaxy Brain include:

1. Julie Beck
2. Kathryn Jezer-Morton
3. Claire Stapleton
4. Alex Reisner
5. Hana Kiros
6. Roger Bennett
7. Ian Bogost
8. Quinn Slobodian

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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