Galaxy Brain
The Atlantic
The internet has warped public life: Politicians behave like influencers, the economy resembles a casino, and people can no longer agree upon a consensus reality. New conspiracy theories, memes, and main characters seem to pop up every day. A constant war is on for your attention, and it’s easy to feel lost. Each week, Galaxy Brain and its host Charlie Warzel invite you into conversations to make sense of the online fire hose. Is AI destroying our ability to think? Do your grandparents have a screen-time problem? Galaxy Brain looks beyond the algorithm and anchors you to the real—however strange it may be.
Episodes
Mentioned books
28 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 56min
What Is Twitter’s Legacy, 20 Years Later?
Jason Goldman, an early Twitter exec and former White House digital chief, reflects on the platform he helped shape. He revisits Twitter’s hackathon origins, emergent uses at live events, and how user-built features created unexpected abuse vectors. The conversation covers underinvestment in trust and safety, Twitter’s outsized political influence, and the tensions between attention capture and social responsibility.
6 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 38min
How AI Is Reshaping the Battlefield
Will Knight, Wired senior writer and AI newsletter author, explores how powerful AI is changing warfare. He traces Project Maven to modern autonomous and defensive systems. They discuss model trust, supply-chain disputes like Anthropic–DoD, and how governance, engineering safeguards, and industry values shape battlefield uses.
22 snips
Mar 13, 2026 • 36min
Why Is It So Hard to Make a Good Weather App?
Adam Grossman, physicist and co-creator of Dark Sky turned Acme Weather founder, explains how phone context reshaped forecasts. He recounts building minute-by-minute radar predictions, cleaning messy station data, and why owning the service matters. He also talks about designing UIs that show uncertainty and how ML and generative tools could change weather communication.
24 snips
Mar 6, 2026 • 42min
Did Netflix Ruin Movies?
David Sims, Atlantic film critic and Blank Check host, traces Netflix’s rise from DVD mailer to streaming giant. He explores binge culture, data-driven commissioning, and how algorithm-friendly shows shifted storytelling. They probe Netflix’s fraught relationship with theaters, its aborted studio bid, and whether streaming rewired our expectations for movies and TV.
33 snips
Feb 27, 2026 • 37min
What Do the People Building AI Believe?
Jasmine Sun, a writer who tracks Bay Area tech culture and AI, offers a ground-level look at San Francisco’s AI gold rush. She describes massive salaries, hype-fueled subcultures, and competing camps of doomers and accelerationists. They explore Silicon Valley’s rightward political shift, provocative marketing tactics, and AI’s jagged strengths and weaknesses.
71 snips
Feb 20, 2026 • 47min
The AI-Panic Cycle—And What’s Actually Different Now
Anil Dash, longtime technologist and commentator, offers a concise historical lens on AI’s latest surge. He and Charlie unpack why agentic coding tools feel different, how hype and venture incentives warp the story, and the real security and labor tradeoffs of agents that act autonomously on your systems.
22 snips
Feb 13, 2026 • 42min
King Gizzard, Spotify, and the Future of Music
Stu Mackenzie, frontman of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, is a prolific, genre-bending musician known for experimental releases. He talks about leaving Spotify and protecting creative energy. He describes embracing bootlegs and open releases to build community. He warns about algorithmic pressure and AI impersonation reshaping how music is discovered and made.
22 snips
Feb 6, 2026 • 48min
The Manosphere Breaks Containment
Aidan Walker, writer and internet-culture researcher who documents memes and online radicalization, joins to map how fringe livestreamers like Clavicular leap into mainstream feeds. He explains looksmaxing, algorithm-first attention tactics, and the fusion of shock performance with radical networks. The conversation traces generational shifts, staged transgressions, and where nihilistic, content-first influence can lead.
41 snips
Jan 30, 2026 • 47min
How to Be a Citizen in the Information War (And Stay Sane)
Amanda Litman, political digital strategist and co-founder of Run for Something, talks about civic engagement in the age of algorithmic chaos. She discusses whether sharing content changes anything. Short takes on how nonpolitical creators persuade, pairing online action with local organizing, avoiding burnout, and rebuilding civic muscle through small, social practices.
11 snips
Jan 23, 2026 • 49min
ICE Is Turning Real Conflict Into Viral Content
Join Ryan Broderick, a savvy reporter known for his sharp insights into online culture and political movements, as he shares firsthand views from Minneapolis following recent unrest. He discusses how viral videos can ignite real-world political violence and the unusual tactics employed by ICE amidst protests. Broderick also highlights the role of digital platforms in organizing dissent, the risks faced by journalists, and the concerning feedback loop creating division. This eye-opening conversation shows just how interconnected our online and offline realities have become.
