This post (from
February 2020) was updated with additional tech podcasts (September
2021).
- The recommendations from February 2020:
L.A. has
the worst traffic in the world.
Since I'm spending most of my days on its
bumpy roads, I decided to turn this unpleasant experience into something
beneficial. This is how my tech podcasts addiction started.
They make the
traffic problem bearable and help me keep my finger on the pulse of the tech
industry. Win-Win. Now, I'm gladly sharing my recommendations with you.
- It is in NO particular order. I love them all.
Recode Decode
Description: Recode's Kara Swisher hosts candid interviews
with tech execs, politicians, celebrities, and more about their big ideas and
how they're changing our world.
Fascinating
episode: "Anna
Wiener: The dark side of the tech industry's seductive culture."
Warning
label: You'll
wonder how Kara manages to do so much in one day while you're just listening to
one of her trillion in-depth interviews.
* In
2019, Recode Decode won the "Adweek Podcast of the Year" Award. Well-deserved.
Queen Kara paved the way for all the others in the Vox kingdom and beyond.
Pivot
Description: With great power comes great scrutiny. Recode's Kara
Swisher and NYU Prof. Scott Galloway offer sharp,
unfiltered insights into the way technology is shaping business and culture
across media, advertising, politics, and more.
Fascinating
episode:
"Gloves off over privacy, from Apple to Microsoft to Grindr. PLUS Scott's big
2020 bets."
Warning
label: You'll
start describing actions as a "Gangsta move!"
Reset
Description: Every story is a tech story. We live in a world where
algorithms drive our interests, scientists are re-engineering our food supply,
and a robot may be your next boss.
Vox's Arielle Duhaime-Ross
explores why - and how - tech is changing everything.
Fascinating
episode: "The
Airbnb Scam." Interviews with Mike Isaac and Allie Conti.
Label
warning: You'll
start saying bye to friends using "Later, Nerds."
Land of the Giants
Description: In less than two decades, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos scaled an
online marketplace for books into the world's most valuable company. But at
what cost? The podcast addresses Amazon's rise to power with detailed,
thought-provoking, measured reporting from host Jason Del Rey.
This show offers never-before-told, behind-the-scenes stories for the
Amazon-obsessed.
* Season 2 would focus on Netflix - I can't wait.
Fascinating
episode: "Is Amazon
Too Big? We Ask Its Sellers."
Warning
label: You'll
feel less good about yourself the next time you order something using Amazon's
one-day delivery.
First Contact
Description: Laurie Segall hosts a weekly
podcast series that explores the people and technology that are changing what
it means to be human. First Contact brings listeners engaging and
thought-provoking interviews with some of the biggest names in tech in ways we
can all relate to.
Fascinating
episode: "Ex-Facebook
Security Chief Speaks Out on Russia & Spies in Silicon Valley." An
interview with Alex Stamos.
Warning
label: You'll
start thinking about your first contact with the people around you.
TechDirt
Description: The Techdirt Podcast, hosted by Mike
Masnick. Each episode begins with an essay, followed by a discussion,
covering topic areas that are less news-driven and instead more about larger ideas/concepts
that we think are worth discussing.
Fascinating
episode: "The
Past & Future of Section 230." An interview with Prof. Jeff Kosseff.
Warning
label: There
are ways to make tech dirt-free. You'll just need the right shovel.
The Information's 411
Description: A weekly podcast by The Information, a subscription tech news site doing deep dives and investigative looks at the tech and media industries. Each episode highlights some of the major happenings in the tech business world. Host: Tom Dotan.
Fascinating
episode: From
all of the serious episodes, I decided to choose the funniest one: "Finding
Humanity in (HBO's) Silicon Valley." An interview with Thomas Middleditch and
Zach Woods about the most hilarious (and sadly accurate) show about Silicon
Valley.
Warning
label: The
rest of the coverage from "The Information" requires a subscription. Their reporting
is always unique and important, but it's your choice, of course.
Bonus: Five more episodes
From Business
Casual: "All Nerds Not Welcome: Why Tech's Diversity Problem Matters." An
interview by Kinsey Grant (Morning Brew Newsletter) with Reshma Saujani (Girls Who
Code).
From This Week in
Google: "Our
Best of 2019." Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis &
Stacey Higginbotham debate while presenting opposite perspectives
on various tech stories.
From TED Talks
Technology: "What obligation do social media platforms have to the greater good? | Eli
Pariser.
From The Daily: "The End of Privacy as We Know
It?" An interview by Annie Brown with Kashmir Hill, the
technology reporter for The New York Times, about her Clearview-AI expose.
From Today
Explained: "Shaken like a polarized picture." An interview by Sean
Rameswaram with Ezra Klein. Most of this podcast's episodes are not
really into tech, but they are incredibly informative. What can I say? Vox
knows how to produce great podcasts.
- September 2021:
Big Technology Podcast
Description: The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes
in the tech world, featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside
agitators. Alex Kantrowitz, a Silicon Valley journalist who's
interviewed the world's top tech CEOs – from Mark Zuckerberg to Larry Ellison –
is the host.
Fascinating episode: "Does YouTube Radicalize? A Debate Between NYT's Kevin Roose and Software Engineer Mark Ledwich."
Warning label: In-depth conversations. Nothing extreme and includes nuances. So, those are the types of conversations that you are probably not used to but should.
Sway
Description: Power, unpacked. "Sway" is a new interview show hosted by Kara Swisher, "Silicon Valley's most feared and well-liked journalist." Now taking on Washington, Hollywood, and the world, Kara investigates power: who has it, who's been denied it, and who dares to defy it.
Fascinating episode: "Why Ashton Kutcher and Julie Cordua Are Defending Apple."
Warning label: The toughest questions possible. Brace yourself; Kara is coming.
Build For Tomorrow
Description: This is a show about the unexpected things that shape us and how we can shape the future. Hosted by Jason Feifer, this show was previously called Pessimists Archive.
Fascinating episode: "How To Live Like Ancient Royalty."
Warning label: Jason Feifer is probably the last tech-optimist standing. In an era of Techlash, it's fascinating.
Sudhir Breaks the Internet
Description: The Columbia University sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh is hosting a podcast about the digital revolution. In each episode, Venkatesh draws from his connections to interview the people who are building and running the digital world and those who are using it in a signal way, digging deep into their motivations and challenging their priorities.
Fascinating episode: "The Garbage Can Model of Decision Making."
Warning label: The last episode
was in May 2021. So… stopped altogether? I don't know. I hope it will return.
Give them a listen and thank me later.
If you have any additional recommendations, please do share.