
Longtime Atlantic tech, culture and political writer Derek Thompson cuts through all the noise surrounding the big questions and headlines that matter to you in his new podcast Plain English. Watch Derek and guests engage the news with clear viewpoints and memorable takeaways. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Friday, and if you've got a topic you want discussed, shoot us an email at plainenglis... more
| Publishes | Twice weekly | Episodes | 354 | Founded | 4 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | News CommentaryNews | |||

The modern world swims in numbers: work metrics, fitness metrics, health metrics, social media metrics. Sometimes the quantification of life can make things better. But very often, I think they force us to play the games we can measure rather than th... more
The GLP-1 drug revolution has taken the medicine world by storm. I’ve done several episodes on the science of GLP-1s. But we’ve never done an episode like this before, where we talk to one of the most important people in charge of guiding the GLP-1 d... more
Donald Trump suffered a huge blow Friday when the Supreme Court struck down the centerpiece of his economic policy: his vast system of tariffs. So, what happens now? Harvard’s Jason Furman explains the implications for the U.S. economy, consumers, gl... more
In the mid-20th century, a group of media and communications scholars proposed that the shift from spoken to written language—from orality to literacy—transformed our politics, our media, our social relations, and even our sense of consciousness. Tod... more
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Here’s a cliche, folks going on any form of content they don’t side with politically and just automatically giving it one star. Anyone who does this is ridiculous. This is a great show no matter where you sit politically. Even if you like Trump you should be able to listen to someone who doesn’t, because he has a lot of interesting things to say about everything else in the world. Keep up the great work Derek !
Used to really like this podcast but feels like Derek never record anymore. Between the long time off to write his book and now two months of reruns, it’s just not a dependable pod.
Looks like Thompson is joining an ABUNDANCE of right wing boot lickers on Bari Weiss’ CBS! Unmasking himself as the mole for the billionaire thieving class he has always been. Congratulations on coming clean, Derek!
Great discussion
Derek, please don’t turn your show into T.V.! Sometimes it’s worth being part of a remnant. You have the best podcast going. It does not need video
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Spotify | #178 | |
Spotify | #32 | |
Apple Podcasts | #16 | |
Apple Podcasts | #70 | |
Spotify | #127 | |
Apple Podcasts | #8 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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This podcast engages with a diverse range of relevant topics spanning technology, culture, politics, and public health. With a focus on making complex subjects accessible, it often features discussions about current affairs, societal changes, and scientific advancements, all presented through a lens of clear analysis and thoughtful dialogue. Notably, the host frequently invites experts from various fields, ranging from economics to neuroscience, driving discussions that engage both the intellect and the public's curiosity. The ability to tackle hard-hitting questions while maintaining a conversational tone sets it apart, making it appealing for listeners who appreciate depth without the jargon.
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Plain English. 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 Plain English and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
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Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Plain English, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
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These podcasts share a similar audience with Plain English:
1. The Bill Simmons Podcast
2. The Press Box
3. The Rewatchables
4. The Zach Lowe Show
5. The Ezra Klein Show
Plain English launched 4 years ago and published 354 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Plain English from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Plain English. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
Recent guests on Plain English include:
1. David Ricks
2. Jason Furman
3. Joe Weisenthal
4. Josh Tyrangiel
5. Jim VandeHei
6. Kevin Hall
7. Julia Belluz
8. Sandra Weintraub
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.