Better Offline
Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts
Better Offline is a weekly show exploring the tech industry’s influence and manipulation of society - and interrogating the growth-at-all-costs future that tech’s elite wants to build.
Combining narrative-form storytelling, one-on-one interviews and panel-based discussions, Better Offline cuts through the buzzwords and obfuscation of the tech industry, investigating and evaluating the schemes and scams of everyone from cryptocurrency scumbags to the greediest of the venture capital elite. Tech industry veteran Ed Zitron and a dynamic coterie of guests will help listeners understand the who, how and why of how tech’s most powerful players are changing the world - for better or for worse.
Combining narrative-form storytelling, one-on-one interviews and panel-based discussions, Better Offline cuts through the buzzwords and obfuscation of the tech industry, investigating and evaluating the schemes and scams of everyone from cryptocurrency scumbags to the greediest of the venture capital elite. Tech industry veteran Ed Zitron and a dynamic coterie of guests will help listeners understand the who, how and why of how tech’s most powerful players are changing the world - for better or for worse.
Episodes
Mentioned books
79 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 11min
Monologue: The AI Industry Is Lying To You
A sharp monologue exposing AI industry hype, from OpenAI’s Sora collapse to exaggerated data center claims. The conversation calls out vaporware, stalled construction, and rapid GPU obsolescence. It explores who profits from the frenzy and why massive data center spending may be wasted capital.
11 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 58min
NVIDIAdrome with Steve Burke of GamersNexus
Steve Burke, technology journalist and editor at GamersNexus, breaks down NVIDIA’s recent GTC theatrics and the DLSS5 controversy. He and Ed argue over AI pivots, game-art changes, and reassigned engineers. They also dig into datacenter build realities, media narratives, and the risks of corporate-driven AI hype.
54 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 12min
Monologue: LLM Code Is Already Breaking Big Tech
A rant about hyperscalers letting non-technical staff deploy LLM-generated code to production. Short reviews and 'vibe-coding' create opaque, unmaintainable code and tech debt. Real incidents at major firms show AI tools can trigger outages, security alerts, and unauthorized data access. The episode warns that shipping fast with LLMs sacrifices learning, accountability, and long-term system stability.
49 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 49min
Prediction Markets with Rebecca Ungarino and Nick Devor
Rebecca Ungarino, a Wall Street reporter covering banking and regulation, and Nick Devor, a reporter on gambling and markets, dive into prediction markets. They explain how event contracts work, compare crypto platforms with regulated U.S. venues, debate manipulation and ethical risks, and explore how banks and institutions are responding to this regulatory frontier.
90 snips
Mar 13, 2026 • 15min
Monologue: It's The Beginning Of History
A sharp monologue on the end of tech’s hypergrowth and why generative AI has not become a viable business model. It digs into a recent Anthropic controversy, financial revelations, and the ethical questions around AI in conflict. The conversation calls out hype-driven corporate decisions, software debt from leveraged buyouts, and argues for returning to economic fundamentals.
62 snips
Mar 11, 2026 • 59min
Hater Season: Henry Zebrowski
Henry Zebrowski, comedian and actor known for Last Podcast on the Left, rails against the metaverse, tech fads, and AI hype. He skewers virtual shows, corporate illusions of community, and Silicon Valley storytelling. Short, furious takes on why tech narratives outpace real human needs.
66 snips
Mar 4, 2026 • 47min
Hater Season: Corey Quinn
Corey Quinn, Chief Cloud Economist at Duckbill and sharp AWS critic, joins to argue about cloud complexity and AI infrastructure. Short takes cover runaway AWS bills, the chaos of instance choices, custom chips versus Nvidia, and whether hyperscalers’ AI capex will pay off. Quick, pointed conversations about cloud waste, hardware bets, and realistic AI impact.
73 snips
Feb 27, 2026 • 8min
Monologue: Analyslop And The Death of Critical Thinking
A sharp critique of “analyslop,” or glossy, speculative analysis dressed up as research. A breakdown of a panic-inducing 7,000-word AI scare piece and the vague claims that mislead readers. A look at how magical thinking about AI agents and code-generation fuels market hysteria. Commentary on media lapses and how the grifter economy erodes critical thinking.
49 snips
Feb 25, 2026 • 59min
Hater Season: Victoria Song & Alex Cranz
Victoria Song, Verge journalist who exposes wellness marketing and sketchy health tech, and Alex Cranz, writer critiquing fitness and AI coaching, spar over wearable claims, gray‑market peptides, and the limits of AI coaches. They call out dubious supplement studies, inconsistent device readings, privacy risks from datafied bodies, and the rush to quick fixes like GLP‑1s.
79 snips
Feb 20, 2026 • 8min
Monologue: AI Isn't Replacing Software Companies, Calm Down About Claude Code
A sharp takedown of fears that AI will let companies ditch software vendors. Clear scenes on the hidden costs and maintenance headaches of in-house builds. A critique of media hype and why subsidized AI tools are not sustainable. A close look at Claude Code’s limits and the long-term risks of fragile, undocumented AI-written code.
