Malcolm Gladwell’s Theories On Podcasting, America, & Joe Rogan

Video Description

Malcolm Gladwell is a man of many theories – he’s made a career of it through his books and podcasts through Pushkin Industries. This week, Ben and Max bring on the author and Revisionist History host to get his current theories about the state of podcasting, how that industry can extend your career, and why he’s betting on narrative shows when everyone else is running towards chat shows. They also discuss his take on Joe Rogan as a “tightly muscled possum,” and why he’s skeptical of the power of the internet and optimistic about America. Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media For more from Think with Google, check out ThinkwithGoogle.com. Find us on X: @semaforben, @maxwelltani If you have a tip or a comment, please email us [email protected] 0:00 The opposite of Joe Rogan? 4:46 Malcolm Gladwell joins Mixed Signals 6:07 The economic case for podcasting 8:19 Vanishing media jobs and disappearing in your 50s 9:27 Has his worldview darkened? 14:02 Why he's not too worried about America 21:08 Skepticism about the power of the internet 23:40 Why he doesn't care about negative reviews 26:50 Narrative podcasts in an age of chat shows 32:16 Getting into the true crime genre 37:22 The disinclination to differentiate 39:10 His thoughts on Joe Rogan 42:09 Why he's probably not getting invited back... 45:18 Moving toward an "oral culture" 49:00 "There's always more people who you're not reaching" 51:14 Ben & Max's takeaways