Keen On America
Andrew Keen
Nobody asks sharper or more impertinent questions than Andrew Keen. In KEEN ON, Andrew cross-examines the world’s smartest people on politics, economics, history, the environment, and tech. If you want to make sense of our complex world, check out the daily questions and the answers on KEEN ON.
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best-known technology and politics broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running show How To Fix Democracy and the author of four critically acclaimed books about the future, including the international bestselling CULT OF THE AMATEUR.
Keen On is free to listen to and will remain so. If you want to stay up-to-date on new episodes and support the show, please subscribe to Andrew Keen’s Substack. Paid subscribers will soon be able to access exclusive content from our new series Keen On America – keenon.substack.com
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best-known technology and politics broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running show How To Fix Democracy and the author of four critically acclaimed books about the future, including the international bestselling CULT OF THE AMATEUR.
Keen On is free to listen to and will remain so. If you want to stay up-to-date on new episodes and support the show, please subscribe to Andrew Keen’s Substack. Paid subscribers will soon be able to access exclusive content from our new series Keen On America – keenon.substack.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 7, 2026 • 44min
An Anticapitalist Mutiny: Noam Scheiber on the Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class
Noam Scheiber, New York Times writer and author of Mutiny, argues that good white‑collar jobs have quietly disappeared, turning many college grads into a working‑class force. He explores rising distrust of managers, universities as extractive institutions, new forms of tech organizing, and the political consequences when educated radicals align with traditional labor.
Apr 6, 2026 • 48min
Truth is Dead: Steven Rosenbaum on AI as a Spectacularly Good Liar
Steven Rosenbaum, journalist, filmmaker, and co-founder of NYU’s Sustainable Media Center, discusses AI, truth, and media. He explores how AI can convincingly fabricate reality. He contrasts objective and subjective truth. He examines commercial incentives, deepfakes, emotional mirroring, legal risks, and two possible futures shaped by transparency and economic drivers.
Apr 5, 2026 • 48min
The Joe Biden Tragedy: Julian Zelizer on the Last New Deal President
Julian Zelizer, Princeton historian and editor of The Presidency of Joseph R. Biden, offers a concise reassessment of Biden’s place in modern American politics. He discusses Biden as possibly the last New Deal-style president. He highlights Biden’s legislative achievements, his failure to build a durable coalition, and comparisons to historical figures whose ideas outlived electoral defeats.
Apr 4, 2026 • 42min
We Shape Our AI, Thereafter It Shapes Us: How to Maintain Human Agency in Our Agentic Age
Keith Teare, serial entrepreneur, investor, and publisher of That Was The Week, weighs in on AI narratives and media power. He critiques an AI documentary, dissects OpenAI’s TBPN acquisition as a messaging play, and explores how personal AI agents reshape human agency. Short takes on leadership, markets, and practical agent workflows round out the conversation.
Apr 3, 2026 • 42min
Stop, Don't Do That: Peter Edelman on What Bobby Kennedy Can Still Teach America
Peter Edelman, law professor and longtime advocate for low-income Americans who once served as Robert F. Kennedy’s principal aide. He recalls Kennedy’s transformation after JFK’s death and the Mississippi trip that shaped his anti-poverty work. He tells the story of marrying Marian Wright, breaks with Clinton over welfare policy, and celebrates modern protest movements saying, “Stop, don’t do that.”
Apr 2, 2026 • 46min
That's My Story, But Not Where It Ends: Robert Polito on Bob Dylan's Second Act
Robert Polito, poet, critic, and biographer who directed creative writing at the New School, guides a tour through Bob Dylan's late-career reinventions. He explains his A-to-Z memory-palace approach. They explore Dylan's shift from spontaneity to deliberate craft, the archive of drafts, Rough and Rowdy Ways as a summit, and Dylan's weaving of history, literature, and American themes.
Apr 1, 2026 • 33min
Does God Love Haiti? Dimitry Elias Léger on the Haitian Scorer of the Greatest Goal in US History
Dimitry Elias Léger, Haitian-born novelist (author of Death of the Soccer God), explores football, faith, and Haitian history. He retells Joe Gaëtjens’ unlikely 1950 World Cup goal and reflects on Haiti’s place in global sport. Short, spirited conversations touch on faith’s questions, football’s poetic unpredictability, and how sport offers dignity and equality.
Mar 31, 2026 • 51min
One Life in Nine World Cups: Simon Kuper on Football Fever and Why the Beautiful Game Still Matters
Simon Kuper, veteran football journalist and author of World Cup Fever, reflects on nine tournaments that have marked his life. He recalls unforgettable moments from Italy 1990 to Qatar 2022. He weighs football’s beauty versus winning, ponders the World Cup’s changing scale and politics, and previews who might matter in 2026.
Mar 31, 2026 • 41min
What If It’s a Bunch of Shit? Margaret Rutherford on the Relentless Camouflage of a Perfect Life
Margaret Rutherford, clinical psychologist and author of Perfectly Hidden Depression, explores destructive perfectionism and the relentless camouflage people use to appear flawless. She discusses social media’s role in driving loneliness, her mother’s story as a case study, why private workbook work can help, and the pitfalls of AI praise versus real therapeutic challenge.
Mar 30, 2026 • 39min
Perfection Is the Devil: Daniel Smith on Boredom, Envy, and Why Our Darkest Emotions Aren’t So Dark
Daniel Smith, psychotherapist and writer of Monkey Mind and Hard Feelings, rescues boredom, envy, shame, and regret from moral shame. He argues repetition holds meaning, warns perfectionism stunts growth, and links social media to an envy economy. He also probes hearing voices, psychotherapy’s role, and why our darkest emotions aren’t as dark as they seem.
