The Next Big Idea is a weekly series of in-depth interviews with the world’s leading thinkers. Join our host, Rufus Griscom —... more
In March, when Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of FTX, was sentenced to 25 years behind bars for stealing $8... more
Sturgeon caviar harvested in a lab. Skyscrapers made out of living materials that grow from the ground up. Computers that... more
What are some words you would use to describe a leader? Bold, driven, steadfast. How about … anxious? You may... more
Today, Nate Silver explains why most people should take bigger risks, reveals the big thing everyone misunderstands about Sam Bankman-Fried,... more
You probably know Nate Silver, the founder of FiveThirtyEight, as the statistician with an uncanny knack for predicting election results.... more
Effective altruism — the brand of philanthropy where you try to do the most good for the greatest number of... more
Today, social psychologist Devon Price makes the intriguing and ultimately hopeful case that laziness is a myth, a lie, a... more
Humans have been imbibing for thousands of years. What has drinking contributed to society? What is it doing to our... more
Over 2,000 years ago, Epicurus, a Greek philosopher, made a simple yet bold claim. The key to the good life,... more
Back in the 1700s, in a spa town outside of London, Thomas Bayes, a Presbyterian minister and amateur mathematician, invented... more
So you want to eat healthy. But how do you actually go about doing that? Today, Casey Means — Stanford-trained... more
Bad news: 93% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy. Their bodies struggle to convert food into the energy their cells need.... more
Publisher, scientist, humorist, diplomat — Benjamin Franklin was America's first polymath. Today, with help from Eric Weiner, we revisit Franklin's... more
Where is AI headed, and how quickly will it get there? Should we be early adopters or keep our distance?... more
Today, Adam Grant and Bob Sutton, two legends of organizational psychology, discuss Bob’s new book, “The Friction Project: How Smart... more
Steven Johnson returns! He's with us today to talk about his new book, "The Infernal Machine: A True Story of... more
Could embracing uncertainty be the key to thriving in our age of unpredictability? That's the premise of Maggie Jackson's new... more
AI is coming for education. According to our guest today, Sal Khan, that's a good thing. Sal is the founder of... more
On a June night several years ago, Sebastian Junger, bestselling author of "The Perfect Storm" and co-director of the Oscar-nominated... more
You may think the English language is static, solid, set in its ways. But the language of Shakespeare has changed... more
Erik Larson is probably the most successful popular historian working today. His books, which include “The Devil in the White... more
Scott Galloway is a podcaster, bestselling author, and professor of marketing at NYU. He's irreverent, cocky, brutally honest, and surprisingly... more
"The only things that are important in life," declared the French filmmaker Jean Renoir, "are the things you remember." But... more
What if doing less is the secret to achieving more? That's the counterintuitive argument at the heart of productivity guru... more
Raise your hand if you've ever belittled a stranger online, made a decision based on astrology, or, heaven forbid, fallen... more
In “Psych: The Story of the Human Mind,” Paul Bloom, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, lays... more
For a long time, Bianca Bosker was not on speaking terms with art. “Going to galleries and museums,” she says... more
Do you ever feel like your life has become a film loop of the familiar? Maybe you sympathize with the... more
Lots of things go viral on the internet: dumb memes, cat videos, one-pan meals, and celebrity gossip. Why not kindness?... more
Kara Swisher has been called “pioneering” (the New York Times), “Silicon Valley’s top pundit” (Wired), and “so shrill at this... more
According to Merriam-Webster, the word “conversation” has 36 synonyms, ranging from the alliterative (”confabulation”) to the arcane (”persiflage”). Why the... more
Growing old gets a bad rap, and it's not hard to see why. Your hair thins and your waist thickens.... more
Honesty may be the best policy, but that doesn’t make giving honest feedback any easier. That’s why Kim Scott, a... more
Seventy-two billion dollars. That, according to the Grifter Counter™, is the amount of money that's been swallowed up by crypto... more
When Rajiv Shah was in his late 20s and didn’t know what to do with his life, he got a... more
A few weeks ago, USA Today ran a story with the headline "It's over: 2023 was Earth's hottest year, experts... more
Do we have free will? Do we have a choice in what we do? Philosophers and theologians have debated these... more
Forming a new habit is tough. Sticking with it is even tougher. That’s probably why someone buys a copy of... more
What makes us happy? Researchers at Harvard have been trying to solve that riddle for 85 years. Now, they think... more
Do we have alcohol to thank for civilization? The answer, according to Edward Slingerland’s new book, “Drunk: How We Sipped,... more
Rory Stewart may be the most interesting person you’ve never heard of. He’s an adventurer, writer, politician, and nonprofit leader.... more
We may live in an ever-evolving world, but some things never change. The power of a good story. The miracle... more
The female body has been neglected in anthropological narratives, minimized in the archeological record, and excluded from modern-day clinical trials.... more
This week, journalist and podcaster Jessi Hempel joins us to discuss her recent memoir, “The Family Outing,” which tells the... more
A lot of us run away from tough conversations. Anna Sale runs toward them. For nearly a decade, as the... more
It's no secret that we live in a ferociously competitive world. But what is the drive to always be the... more
Failure is inevitable. How we respond to it makes all the difference. Today, Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson joins... more
For the past four years, New York Times columnist and acclaimed author David Brooks has been trying to learn the... more
We live in a world that worships talent, a world that cheers natural athletes, exalts child prodigies, and venerates virtuosos.... more
When tech journalist Kashmir Hill got a tip about a mysterious app, Clearview AI, that claimed it could identify anyone... more
Daniel Pink is going through an existential crisis. The culprit? A new book by Stanford professor Brian Lowery. --- If you want... more
Have you ever been brought to tears by a TV commercial? Do you relish rainy days? Are your favorite songs... more
Stuart Russell wrote the book on artificial intelligence. Literally. Today, he sits down with Rufus to discuss the promise —... more
When he was 26, Will Guidara took the helm of a middling brasserie in New York City called Eleven Madison... more
Two years ago, Walter Isaacson, the legendary biographer who has written books about Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and... more
We go through at least thirty-six major changes in the course of our adulthoods. And yet adapting to those changes... more
In the 1950s, Shaker Heights, Ohio, became a national model for housing integration. In the 1970s, it was known as... more
Increasing longevity and the explosion of technology are reshaping the world. What will it mean for your education, your career,... more
Ultra-processed food makes up 60 percent of the American diet. Though to call it food is a stretch. Because it... more
In “Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away,” cognitive scientist turned professional poker player turned bestselling author Annie... more
In “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence,” Dr. Anna Lembke says today’s superabundance of pleasurable stimuli makes... more
Henry David Thoreau was a philosopher, poet, and pencil-maker. He was a great resigner and, above all, a superb writer... more
Research has shown that how you spend your morning can have a significant impact on the rest of your day.... more
The two hottest topics in tech right now are the rise of generative AI and, with Apple’s recent push into... more
Are we all so busy doom-scrolling and binge-watching that we’ve forgotten how to have fun? Real fun. Tingly-all-over, natural-high, I-hope-this-never-ends... more
For decades, urban planners have blanketed our cities with the cheap and convenient car storage known as parking. They've swapped... more
Dr. Peter Attia, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller "Outlive," is back to share cutting-edge tips for improving... more
Peter Attia had a problem. It was 2006. He'd recently graduated from Stanford's medical school and was completing a prestigious... more
David Grann is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the acclaimed author of "The Lost City of Z"... more
A few years ago, Adam Gopnik, a longtime writer for The New Yorker and three-time winner of the National Magazine... more
Pay a visit to your local gym, observe the grimacing patrons as they pound the treadmill or march in place... more
"To be alive is to battle stuckness." So declares NYU professor Adam Alter in his new book, "Anatomy of a... more
Kevin Kelly has made a career out of looking to the future. He helped pioneer online social networking all the... more
You are not autonomous. You are not an island unto yourself. You, my friend, are a social construct. The “self”... more
What if you could live forever? Okay, maybe not forever, but for a long, long time — like to 150.... more
Last month, longtime New Yorker staff writer Michael Specter released a brand new audiobook with our friends at Pushkin. It’s... more
What if we told you that every day, in just a few minutes, you could get a master class in... more
What do your five senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch — have to do with happiness? According to... more
In his expansive new book, "Psych: The Story of the Human Mind," Paul Bloom, a professor of psychology at the... more
How did Oxford shirts, cashmere sweaters, and chinos become staples of American fashion? How did a style born on Ivy... more
How did Oxford shirts, cashmere sweaters, and chinos become staples of American fashion? How did a style born on Ivy League campuses... more