Plain English with Derek Thompson

Alex Imas, an economist at the University of Chicago who studies behavioral economics and AI’s impact on labor. He questions the AI job apocalypse narrative. They explore why automation fears persist, how technology can create new roles, why relational work resists automation, and scenarios where cheaper AI expands demand and reshapes industries.

David Wallace-Wells, journalist who writes about climate and large‑scale risks, and Morgan Housel, bestselling financial writer focused on behavioral money matters, explore why Americans feel worse despite prosperity. They discuss the post‑COVID collapse in happiness, pandemic trauma, collapsing trust and social isolation, inflation’s psychological weight, and social media’s role in inflating expectations and comparisons.

Dr. Ajit Goenka, Mayo Clinic radiologist studying AI for earlier cancer detection, explores a possible turning point for pancreatic cancer. He gets into AI spotting warning signs on CT scans years early. They also cover KRAS-targeting drugs, personalized mRNA vaccines, who should actually be screened, and why medical breakthroughs need slow, careful validation.

David Epstein, bestselling author and journalist behind Range and Inside the Box, explores why limitless choice can fuel anxiety and paralysis. He gets into how constraints can sharpen creativity, why failed innovation often comes from trying to do everything, how deadlines and focus blocks improve work, and why obligations and good-enough rules can make life feel clearer and happier.

Ross Douthat, New York Times columnist and conservative commentator, explores why the Iran war may crack Trump’s coalition. They dig into the Iraq war’s long shadow, Israel as a fault line on the right, Christian conservatives backing a morally messy leader, AI fears among religious voters, and MAHA clashing with Republican business interests.

Sean Fennessey, film critic and Ringer content chief, dives into Hollywood’s three-way crunch: shrinking ticket sales, vanishing production jobs, and a creativity slump. He explores how franchises pushed out classic movie stardom, why Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney hint at a reset, how video games became the next IP gold rush, and why theaters still matter in an age of hyper-niche media.

Kevin Roose, New York Times columnist and Hard Fork co-host covering AI and tech, dives into Mythos, Anthropic’s withheld model with alarming cyber skills. He talks about zero-day hunting, deceptive behavior, and why this may mark a shift from shipping fast to holding back. They also get into China, export controls, AGI, and the scramble for compute as AI demand surges.

Nat Bullard, an energy analyst focused on global power systems, connects Iran, AI, and economics through the fight for energy. He gets into Hormuz and supply shocks. They talk renewables, electrification limits, and why local power matters. Also: AI’s scramble for chips and electricity, rising grid costs, and China’s growing lead in EVs.

Something weird is going on with the elevated unemployment rate for young people today, but no one knows what exactly it is. For the last year, as the unemployment rate for recent college graduates has crept up ominously, one of the questions I’ve reported more deeply than any other is: Is AI replacing young workers’ jobs? To make a long story short: I initially thought yes, then some economists convinced me the answer was no, then some other economists convinced me the answer was yes, then some other people convinced me the answer was no. Clear as mud. Today’s guest is Rogé Karma. He’s a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he writes about economics. We talk about the labor market for new hires, why young college graduates are so miserable, and why economic vibes are worth paying attention to, even if the official statistics are pointing in another direction. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@PlainEnglishwithDerekThompson If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Rogé Karma Producer: Devon Baroldi Links:https://www.theatlantic.com/category/work-progress/ https://www.theatlantic.com/economy/2026/04/job-market-artificial-intelligence/686659/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ryan Burge, a religion-data researcher and author of Graphs About Religion, digs into why America’s supposed youth faith comeback may be mostly a statistical mirage. He explores the rise of the nones, how politics widened the God gap, why non-denominational churches are growing, and how anti-institutional culture can fuel both secular life and new forms of belief.