

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

Aug 28, 2023 • 33min
Saving the Planet Five Times Faster: Simon Sharpe rethinks the science, economics and diplomacy of climate change
EPISODE 1682: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Simon Sharpe, author of FIVE TIMES FASTER, about how we need to rethink the science, economics and diplomacy of climate changeSimon Sharpe is Director of Economics for the Climate Champions Team and a Senior Fellow at the World Resources Institute. He has published influential reports and created ground-breaking international projects in climate change risk assessment, economics, and diplomacy. He played a leading role in the UK’s Presidency of the COP26 climate change talks in 2020-21, as Deputy Director of the UK government’s COP26 Unit, where he created global campaigns that led to significant international agreements on ending coal power, moving to zero emission vehicles, and protecting forests. His other roles in government included leading international climate change strategy, establishing low-carbon growth as a priority in the UK’s industrial strategy, and serving as head of private office to a Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change. He also served on diplomatic postings in China and India. In 2013-15, he created an international climate change risk assessment project, working with experts from the UK, USA, China, India, and other countries. In addition to influencing the understanding and assessment of climate change risk in its partner countries, its findings were extensively cited by the Scientific Advisory Board of the UN Secretary General. It also inspired new thinking in the academic community, with a lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change using it to argue that ‘climate science needs to take risk assessment much more seriously’. More recently, he has worked with partners in the UK, China, India and Brazil to create the world’s first government-backed project to apply complexity economics to climate change. His paper on economic tipping points, ‘Upward-scaling tipping cascades to meet climate goals: plausible grounds for hope’, was the most downloaded paper in Climate Policy journal in 2021.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Aug 28, 2023 • 35min
Exposing Beijing's Rotten Rules: Bethany Allen on how an authoritarian China is weaponizing its economy to confront the world
EPISDOE 1680: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Bethany Allen, author of BEIJING RULES, about how an illiberal China is weaponizing its economy to confront the worldBethany Allen is the China reporter at Axios, based in Taipei. She is the author of the weekly Axios China newsletter, and she covers China's role in the world. Her latest book is BEIJING RULES (2023)Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Aug 27, 2023 • 39min
Eighteen Days in October: Uri Kaufman on the Yom Kippur War and the how it created the modern Middle East
EPISODE 1681: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Uri Kaufman, author of EIGHTEEEN DAYS IN OCTOBER, about the 1973 Yom Kippur War and how it created the modern Middle EastAfter putting himself through CUNY’s Queens College at night, Uri Kaufman attended New York University School of Law and graduated with honors in 1989. Kaufman subsequently became a real estate developer, specializing in adaptively restoring historic buildings, winning awards at the national and state level. His Harmony Mills project appears on the homepage of the New York State Historic Preservation Office’s website, hailed by officials as perhaps the finest example of restoring New York’s rich architectural heritage. For over twenty years, Kaufman visited battlefields, interviewed veterans, and reviewed thousands of pages of declassified records. Kaufman is fluent in Hebrew and hired a team of researchers to translate Russian, Arabic and German records (to review Stasi files describing Syria). Eighteen Days in October is the first history of the Yom Kippur War to be released in almost twenty years, and the first to rely upon recently declassified information.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Aug 25, 2023 • 31min
SPACs, Scams and Hit Jobs: Keith Teare defends former SPAC king Chamath Palihapitiya from "hit job" accusations of scamming small investors
EPISODE 1679: In this regular weekly show with THAT WAS THE WEEK newsletter author Keith Teare, Keith defends SPAC king Chamath Palihapitiya from accusations of scamming small investors of their moneyKeith Teare is a Founder and CEO at SignalRank Corporation. Previously he was Executive Chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd - A UK based global investment company focused on startups at all stages. He was also previously founder at the Palo Alto incubator, Archimedes Labs. Archimedes was the original incubator for TechCrunch and since 2011has invested, accelerated or incubated many Silicon valley startups including InFarm, Miles, Quixey; M.dot (sold to GoDaddy); chat.center; Loop Surveys; DownTown and Sunshine. Teare has a track record as a serial entrepreneur with big ideas and has achieved significant returns for investors.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Aug 25, 2023 • 37min
Nine Noteworthy Novels: Bethanne Patrick on fast, furious and fun reads for the dying days of summer
EPISODE 1678: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Bethanne Patrick , the LATimes book critic, about nine noteworthy novels she recommends for the dying days of summerBethanne Patrick maintains a storied place in the publishing industry as a critic and as @TheBookMaven on Twitter, where she created the popular #FridayReads and regularly comments on books and literary ideas to over 200,000 followers. Her work appears frequently in the Los Angeles Times as well as in The Washington Post, NPR Books, and Literary Hub. She sits on the board of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and has served on the board of the National Book Critics Circle. She is the host of the Missing Pages podcast.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Aug 25, 2023 • 26min
TECHNOSLEEP: Sleep sociologist Katherine Conveney on the technological past, present and future of sleep
EPISODE 1677: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Catherine Coveney, co-author of TECHNOSLEEP, about the technological past, present and future of sleepDr Catherine Coveney is a medical sociologist with expertise in social and ethical aspects of medicine and health care. She has particular research interests in the sociology of sleep, medical technology, and disability. Catherine is the School of Social Sciences and Humanities Ethics Lead and Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy Lead Admissions officer. Catherine has been a senior lecturer in Sociology at Loughborough since 2018. She was co-convener of the British Sociological Association Medical Sociology Group (2019 – 2021). Before this she worked as a research fellow in the Centre for Reproduction Research at De Montfort University (2017-8), the Centre for Global Health Policy at the University of Sussex (2014-7), the Department of Sociology at the University of Warwick (2010-2014) and the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Physiotherapy at the University of Nottingham (2009 -2010).Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Aug 25, 2023 • 43min
Mr and Mrs Orwell's Invisible Lives: Anna Funder shines a light on Eileen O'Shaughnessy, George Orwell's homosexuality, and patriarchy as doublethink
EPISODE 1676: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Anna Funder, author of WIFEDOM, about George Orwell's "invisible wife" Eileen O'Shaughnessy, Orwell's homosexuality, and patriarchy as doublethinkANNA FUNDER is the author of Stasiland and All That I Am, and the novella The Girl with the Dogs. Stasiland, hailed as a ‘classic’, tells true stories of ordinary people who heroically resisted the communist dictatorship of East Germany, and of others who worked for the Stasi. In 2004 Stasiland won the UK’s premier award for non-fiction, the Samuel Johnson Prize, and was a finalist for many other awards. Anna’s novel All That I Am is an homage to four German anti-Hitler activists living bravely but precariously in exile in London in the 1930s. All That I Am won many literary awards including Australia’s most prestigious, the Miles Franklin Prize, and was a finalist for the International IMPAC Dublin Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize. It spent over a year on the bestseller lists, was BBC Book of the Week and Book at Bedtime, and The Times Book of the Month. Both books are international bestsellers, published in over twenty-four countries. Originally trained as an international human rights lawyer, Anna is a former DAAD Fellow in Berlin, Australia Council Fellow, and Rockefeller Foundation Fellow. She has lived in Paris, Berlin, and Brooklyn, and now lives in Sydney, Australia.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Aug 24, 2023 • 26min
How billionaires have colonized the New York City skyline: Katherine Clarke on the race to build the world's most exclusive skyscrapers
EPISODE 1675: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Katherine Clarke, author of BILLIONAIRES ROW, about the tycoons and high rollers and the epic race to build the world's most exclusive skyscrapers.Katherine Clarke is a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, where she covers the high-end real estate market across the United States. Previously, she wrote for the New York Daily News and The Real Deal.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Aug 24, 2023 • 37min
Say Everything Everywhere: Scott Rosenberg remembers the digital origins of bulletin boards, blogging and the social media revolution
EPISODE 1674: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Scott Rosenberg, author of SAY EVERYTHING, about his memories of the WELL, blogging and the social media revolutionScott Rosenberg has been writing about the Web since 1994,. He is currently at Axios where he is managing editor/tech. He co-founded Salon.com in 1995. He has written two books,:"Dreaming in Code" and "Say Everything."Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Aug 24, 2023 • 28min
This Is Wildfire: Nick Mott on how to protect ourselves, our homes and our communities in the age of heat
EPISODE 1673: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Nick Mott, author of THIS IS WILDFIRE, about how to protect ourselves, our homes and our communities in the age of heatNick Mott is producer at Threshold, a podcast and radio show. He's also worked as a reporter at Montana Public Radio, where his coverage has earned him accolades from the Associated Press. Through his audio reporting, he's found himself trapping grizzly bears, chasing sled dogs, and tracking lynx via snowmobile - with microphone in hand. His work in audio, photo, and writing has appeared in NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, Outside, PRI's The World, the Mountain West News Bureau, The Washington Post, Kaiser Health News, Alpinist, and more. He's also producer at MTPR's in-house podcast, Richest Hill. He holds an MA in environmental journalism from CU Boulder.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.


