Introducing Our First Podcast

When I left the New York Times in July, I didn’t have a plan. (Advice to readers: When you leave a job, it’s a good idea to know what you’re doing next.) 

But a few months ago, I started writing here. And I’ve never looked back. 

I’m proud of what we’ve been building. We’ve covered a range of subjects including big tech, the pandemic, cryptocurrency, and critical race theory. Some of those stories have been brought to you by the independent journalists I most admire.

I’m especially proud that we’ve consistently broken news about stories that are either overlooked or lied about in the legacy press. 

Since we launched, more than 70,000 of you have joined this emergent community. Some 12,000 of you already pay to support our work. I cannot thank you enough. That support has allowed me to hire a small band of misfits who are working hard to build this into something much bigger.

Starting now.

This week, we’re launching a podcast.

I know. Just what the world needs. Another podcast! 

But this one is going to be worth your time. 

Whether you live in red America or blue America, you may have noticed that people have a hard time freely exchanging ideas and saying what they really think. It feels like we are living through an epidemic of self-silencing. It’s not that people don’t have strong views — it’s that the most authentic conversations happen behind closed doors. Meantime, in public, too many of us say what we think others want to hear.

How has this become a normal feature of American life? What are we losing by living like this? 

More than we realize, I think. 

So this podcast asks: What the hell is really going on? In our politics, our families, our schools, our relationships, online and in our culture at large. And what do Americans honestly think about all of it?

Coming down the pike to an RSS feed near you: your favorite tech titan, your least favorite Karen, a Malcolm X-obsessed conservative, and a successful sex worker with doubts about the legacy of feminism. Plus: a lot more that my producer will kill me if I share before we’ve cut the tape.

If you asked me a year ago if it was possible to do real journalism without the backing of an institution, I would have been skeptical. Now, I’m not only sure it’s possible. I know it’s necessary. 

This independent work relies on your support. The way we keep ourselves uncancelleable and unowned — the way we can make a promise to be free and fearless — is with your support. 

So, click here to subscribe on Apple. Or click here if you prefer Spotify. 

Listen to the trailer. And consider giving us a good rating.

I can’t wait for you to hear our pilot episode, dropping Wednesday morning.

P.S. If you know Elon Musk, put in a good word. :)