PRESS PLAY
Smart people talking about politics, policy, culture and other stuff
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A sharp map of how chip controls can turn a trade fight into a wider spiral.
Robert Wright and Paul Triolo track a fresh escalation in the U.S.-China trade fight and make clear why semiconductors sit at the center of it. They explain how export controls actually work, from the entities list to licensing and the new 50% Chinese-stake trigger.
A pointed look at Trump, rules, and the habits of power.
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov use Trump's boast about killing cartel traffickers to open a larger argument about what changes when a president stops pretending to respect the rules.
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss Nikita's grand unified theory of MAGA that aims to make sense of Trump's political movement and the current chaotic world situation.
Robert Wright and Paul Bloom discuss whether figures like Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and Nick Fuentes are genuinely bad people or just trolls, exploring the psychology behind their behavior and its impact on society.
Robert Wright and Kaiser Kuo discuss the importance of cognitive and strategic empathy in understanding China's geopolitics and international relations.
Robert Wright and Paul Bloom discuss psychology topics including AI's impact on higher education and Elon Musk's psychology in this podcast episode.
This episode discusses the influence of Israel on American foreign policy, particularly in the context of a war, with insights from experts Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner.
Robert Wright interviews Andrea Miotti about her nonprofit Control AI's efforts to address the existential threat of superintelligent AI takeover and develop preventive measures.
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss the connection between the Iran war and AI's transformative impact on the world, exploring deeper implications beyond surface-level applications.
Robert Wright interviews Ron Kampeas about the Iran war and its impact on U.S.-Israeli relations, drawing on Kampeas' extensive experience as a journalist covering Middle East affairs.
Robert Wright interviews Liron Shapira about the allure and dangers of agentic AI, exploring AI risk perspectives and the 'doomer' label within the AI safety movement.
Robert Wright interviews Daniel Levy, president of the U.S.
Robert Wright interviews Hooman Majd about Iran's role in shaping a new Middle East order, focusing on the structure of the Iranian state and regime dynamics amid recent conflicts involving Israel and the U.S.
Robert Wright and Peter Beinart discuss the potential for the Iran war to increase antisemitism in America and its connection to Israeli-Palestinian issues.
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss the potential for the Iran war to spiral out of control, comparing U.S.
Robert Wright interviews Holly Elmore about her controversial Twitter comments regarding Anthropic AI and philosopher Amanda Askell, exploring AI ethics and insider discourse.
This crossover podcast episode features a discussion between Robert Wright, Andrew Day, and Curt Mills about Trump's strategic approaches to Iran, China, and artificial intelligence.
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss Nikita's expanded grand unified theory of MAGA, which now incorporates metaphysical questions about human agency and artificial intelligence.
Robert Wright and Timothy B.
Robert Wright and Paul Bloom discuss their unexpected mention in the Epstein files before planning to talk about Moltbook.
Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner discuss Trump's foreign policy and debate socialist ideology in academia, touching on historical political education.
This episode explores the concept of AI succession, where artificial intelligence might take over as the dominant intelligence governing the planet, discussing various scenarios and perspectives on this potential future.
Robert Wright interviews veteran podcaster Mike Pesca about his career and the evolution of digital media.
Robert Wright interviews Middle East scholar Joshua Landis about the potential U.S.
Robert Wright interviews Cameron Berg about experiments with large language models to investigate whether AI has consciousness or subjective experience.
Robert Wright interviews Joel Achenbach about his extensive article on NASA's future plans for the Moon and Mars, highlighting the depth of the writing and the choice of guest over alternatives like Elon Musk.
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss their respective newsletters and podcasting activities, including Nikita's irregular publishing schedule and new streaming regularity with Boris.
Robert Wright hosts a discussion with former colleagues Andrew Day and Connor Echols about Trump's foreign policy, touching on Ukraine and their current roles at conservative and foreign policy publications.
This episode features a collaboration between Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner discussing foreign policy, political labels, and Trump's actions regarding Venezuela and China.
Robert Wright and Nathan Labenz discuss using artificial intelligence to supplement doctors' expertise and empower patients when confronting cancer, based on their personal experiences.
Robert Wright and Paul Bloom discuss elite malefactors like Larry Summers and Jeffrey Epstein, while also touching on Paul's recent trip to Doha, Qatar.
Robert Wright interviews Alex Komoroske about his career journey from Google to Stripe to founding Common Tools, focusing on his impact in product management.
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss Wright's trip to Doha for an AI debate/conversation, his jet lag, changes in the city, and geopolitical tensions.
Robert Wright interviews Shadi Hamid about his new book 'The Case for American Power', discussing the argument for maintaining U.S.
Robert Wright and Paul Bloom discuss the gatekeeper question raised by Nick Fuentes' controversial appearance on Tucker Carlson's show, alongside other topics like sports and current events.
Robert Wright and Paul Bloom host a festive New Year's episode where they plan to summarize the year and make predictions, despite their humorous lack of preparation.
Robert Wright and Mickey Kaus reminisce about starting their online conversation series Bloggingheads 20 years ago this week.
This episode features a conversation between Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner discussing international diplomatic developments like the Trump-Xi truce and Gaza ceasefire while humorously addressing their podcast awards.
Robert Wright and psychologist Paul Bloom debate whether an AI apocalypse is imminent, with Wright expressing concern about rapid AI development and lack of preparedness.
Robert Wright interviews Emily Bender and Alex Hanna about their book 'The AI Con' and their skeptical perspective on artificial intelligence hype from Big Tech.
Robert Wright interviews Nikita Petrov, a Russia expert, to discuss hard-to-find insights about Russia's perspective and pressures on Putin regarding the Ukraine situation and prospects for peace.
Robert Wright interviews Sam Tanenhaus about his epic biography of William F.
This episode commemorates the 20th anniversary of Bloggingheads TV, featuring a conversation between Robert Wright and Aryeh Cohen-Wade reflecting on its history and evolution into the NonZero podcast.
Robert Wright interviews China tech expert Paul Triolo about the escalating tit-for-tat export controls between the US and China, focusing on recent restrictions around rare earth metals and semiconductors.
Bob introduces a conversation from the Buddhist Geeks podcast with Vincent Horn, exploring the Israel-Palestine conflict through mindfulness and Buddhist philosophy.
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov analyze the Trump Doctrine, focusing on his approach to foreign policy, such as potential military action in Venezuela and disregard for international law.
Robert Wright hosts a crossover episode discussing war, peace, and AI with Derek Davison and Daniel Bessner.
Robert Wright and Nikita Petrov discuss a world-saving idea that intersects AI and war, touching on recent alarming news about Iran and Anthropix.
Robert Wright discusses the need for international AI governance with Shaquille Hashim, referencing Anthropic's Mythos model that can find software vulnerabilities.
Robert Wright and Eli Lake debate whether the U.S.
Robert Wright hosts a crossover episode with editors from the American Conservative, discussing political overlap between left and right.