Plain English with Derek Thompson
The RingerLongtime 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 | 409 | Founded | 5 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | News CommentaryNews | |||
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Latest Episodes
AI apocalypse, recession fears, sky-high mortgage rates, and now, the plague? Last week, a researcher at a plague institute in Siberia died after developing severe pneumonia, sparking rumors of biowarfare and fears of a new epidemic. How much of the ... more
Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Demis Hassabis are three of the most important figures in AI superintelligence, but each of them have very different ideas about what this technology should become and what it could mean for the future.
Kevin Roose, aut... more
Last year, Republicans were the heavy favorites to hold the Senate in the following years midterms. Now, however, prediction markets and political forecasters see a very different race. Today, Nate Silver joins Derek to explain what’s behind Donald T... more
What makes a hit a hit? Why do some bands make it while others fade into obscurity? Chuck Klosterman’s new book imagines an alternate history of 20th century music and uses it to explore why some things become popular and just how much culture depend... more
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- Love the pod just feedback
For the episode on using AI at universities - defence of dissertation absolutely disadvantages those who have challenges with oral expression but may be brilliant writers. As a psychologist this is not uncommon.
Apple Podcasts1MattandJ
Australiaa month ago - good but…
this is normally a very enjoyable and informative podcast, but it fell far short with the most recent episode featuring Liaquat Ahamed for several reasons, the most jarring of which was when he referred to the winners of the 1870-71 war with France as Germany, when in fact, Germany did not exist at that time. The conflict in question war was fought between France and Prussia. He also referred to the reparations exacted by Germany as starting in 1870 when the war did not finish for another year. ... more
Apple Podcasts4lairdofoceanpark
United Statesa month ago - Blowhard
He thinks he’s the smartest person in every room, but interrupting people constantly doesn’t scream competence. Very annoying to hear the host rambling constantly.
Apple Podcasts1nbsfmcUnited Statesa month ago - Yuck
Stop talking over your guests. Very telling with how much it happens with women guests. Should have known better than to listen when I saw “a Spotify podcast” 🤢
Apple Podcasts1svnchezUnited States2 months ago Covers interesting topics, but the show is more interested in the headline than the truth. After hearing a couple of episodes on topics I know about, I feel that they don't push back on interviewers enough and are trying too hard to twist the facts into an interesting narrative.
Podcast Addict22 months agomegalodon
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Chart Rankings
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Spotify | #146 | United States/Top Podcasts |
Spotify | #26 | United States/News |
Apple Podcasts | #12 | United States/News/News Commentary |
Apple Podcasts | #65 | United States/News |
Apple Podcasts | #11 |  Canada/News/News Commentary |
Apple Podcasts | #26 |  United Kingdom/News/News Commentary |
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Frequently Asked Questions About Plain English
What is Plain English about and what kind of topics does it cover?
Thoughtful, data-driven conversations across politics, technology, culture, and history drive current events with nuance. Episodes frequently feature researchers, academics, policy experts, and journalists who unpack complex topics—ranging from cannabis policy and literacy trends to AI, drones, foreign policy, and aging—with clear takeaways and practical implications for readers, listeners, and decision-makers. The show stands out for its rigorous guest selection, ability to connect deep scholarship with timely public discourse, and a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom while staying accessible to a broad audience.
Where can I find podcast stats for Plain English?
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.
How many listeners does Plain English get?
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What are the audience demographics for Plain English?
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.
How many subscribers and views does Plain English have?
To see how many followers or subscribers Plain English 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 Plain English?
These podcasts share a similar audience with Plain English:
1. The Bill Simmons Podcast
2. The Ezra Klein Show
3. The Press Box
4. The Zach Lowe Show
5. The Rewatchables
How many episodes of Plain English are there?
Plain English launched 5 years ago and published 409 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 Plain English?
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 Plain English?
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.
How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Plain English?
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.
What guests have appeared on Plain English?
Recent guests on Plain English include:
1. Nate Silver
2. Chuck Klosterman
3. Arvind Narayanan
4. Sayash Kapoor
5. Rachel Canter
6. Liaquat Ahamed
7. Mark Spero
8. Tyler Austin Harper
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.