694. Does Democracy Really Need Elections? Stephen Dubner recently served on a criminal jury. Twelve strangers — selected randomly and barely paid — took the job ser […]

What Now? with Trevor Noah | Michael Che: The Unspoken Rules of Comedy SNL writer and Weekend Update anchor Michael Che joins Trevor and Eugene in this episode […]

693. What’s Our Job as Humans Anymore? It may just be being human. Stephen Dubner interviews A.I. performer Tilly Norwood to find out if we are as replaceable as we […]

692. What Will A.I. Do to (and for) Human Creativity?Writers, designers, actors, coders, musicians, thinkers — they’re all worried about being replaced by mac […]

Are Private Equity Firms Plundering the U.S. Economy? (Update)They say they make companies more efficient through savvy management. Critics say they bend the rules to […]

691. Is This What a “Good Billionaire” Looks Like?David Rubenstein, a product of the old bipartisan D.C., made his fortune in private equity. He’s been spending it o […]

690. It’s Show Business, Baby!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 d […]

689. Here’s Why Your Hamburger Just Got So PriceyAn economist calls America’s beef industry a “miracle.” An antitrust scholar calls it “broken.” Maybe they’re b […]

688. When Is a Bet Not a Bet?That’s the question at the heart of a battle between Kalshi and state gambling regulators. As prediction markets boom, there are o […]

687. Are Prediction Markets the Best Forecasting Tool Ever — or Just Another Casino?The promise is that they can beat the experts at predicting inflation, elections, […]

How to Be a Double Unicorn, with John Urschel | Better in PersonHe was thriving in the N.F.L., but then he decided to focus on mathematics — a subject he now t […]

686. Why Is It So Hard to Find an NFL Quarterback?For decades, teams have tried (and mostly failed) to predict which college quarterbacks will thrive in the pros. […]

“I Trust Almost Anyone More Than Myself” | Better in PersonThe Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jennifer Egan talks about confidence, luck, and why it takes 35 drafts […]

Is a Museum Just a Trophy Case? (Update)The world’s great museums are full of art and artifacts that were plundered during an era when plunder was the norm. Now t […]

Meet Warren Zanes, the Author and Rocker Behind the Springsteen Movie | Better in PersonWhen he joined the Del Fuegos, his big brother’s band, all Warren knew how t […]

The Case of the $4 Million Gold Coffin (Update)How did a freshly looted Egyptian antiquity end up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Why did it take Kim Kardashian […]

What if Being a Stranger Is Actually Your Superpower? | Better in PersonAngela Buchdahl was the first Asian American to be ordained as a rabbi, and now she is among […]

684. He Helped Clean Up the Last Crash. Does He See Another One Coming?Former S.E.C. chair Gary Gensler has had a front-row seat to numerous financial booms and […]

Does it Take a Twisted Mind to Write Twisted Stories? | Better In PersonHarlan Coben doesn’t think so. The mega-best-selling author talks suburbia, impostor s […]

683. In the New Space Race, Who Makes the Rules?Governments started the space age. Now, billionaires and private firms are reinventing it. Guest host Steve Levitt […]