Lost Debate

The fallout from the Graham Platner scandal is exposing deeper problems inside the Democratic Party. Ravi examines how influential podcasts, political insiders, and media figures elevated flawed candidates while sidestepping accountability when they got it wrong. He introduces what he calls "slopulism"—a style of politics driven by viral messaging, impossible promises, and moral certainty—and asks...

Breaking news has upended one of the Democratic Party's highest-profile Senate campaigns. After reports of rape allegations against Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, Ravi Gupta explains why he publicly questioned Platner's credibility weeks ago—and why he believes this story is about much more than one candidate. Who elevated Platner? Why were the warning signs dismissed? And what respon...

Who really runs the Democratic Party today? Ravi sits down with Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, to discuss the rise of online influencers, ideological purity tests, and the fight over who the party's true "establishment" is. They explore whether the Democratic Party has drifted away from Barack Obama's vision of broad coalitions and respectful disagreement—and toward a more Trump-lik...

Why is it so hard to fire bad teachers and bad cops? Ravi sits down with Robert Gordon and Nick Bagley to discuss the problems with public sector unions—how they use political influence, protect ineffective workers, and make it difficult to reward excellence. They explore how a small number of poor performers can have an outsized impact on schools, policing, and public trust, and examine what stat...

Andrew Tate became one of the most influential figures on the internet by selling young men a vision of power, wealth, and masculinity. But behind the viral clips, luxury cars, and billions of views lies a disturbing trail of allegations, court cases, leaked messages, and accusations of abuse spanning multiple countries. In this conversation, New Yorker reporter Heidi Blake takes us inside her mon...

What happens when technology starts reshaping the human mind—and recording every moment of our lives? Ravi Gupta sits down with Atlantic staff writer Ross Andersen to explore two fascinating frontiers: the next generation of engineered psychedelics and the rise of AI-powered surveillance devices that can remember everything. They discuss whether scientists can design specific emotional states on d...

Britain was once one of the world’s economic success stories. Today, parts of the UK are no richer than Mississippi. Atlantic staff writer Idrees Kahloon joins Ravi Gupta to unpack Britain's stunning decline: 18 years of wage stagnation, the fallout from austerity and Brexit, crumbling public services, sky-high housing costs, and the rise of Nigel Farage's Reform Party. They also discuss whether s...

Why do constraints so often lead to better results? In this conversation, Ravi chats with bestselling author David Epstein, who explains how limitations can spark creativity, improve focus, strengthen decision-making, and drive innovation across writing, business, sports, and technology. Drawing on stories from Haruki Murakami, David Chang, Pixar, Amazon, and NASA, David argues that success comes...

Ravi sits down with financial writer and Animal Spirits co-host Ben Carlson to discuss investing, inflation, market psychology, and why long-term optimism still wins. From stock market crashes and recessions to AI, passive investing, retirement, and wealth building, Ben explains why trying to time the market often backfires—and what investors should do instead. They also explore today's biggest ec...

Ravi Gupta examines the growing scandals surrounding Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, from newly revealed sexting allegations to controversial past comments and mounting questions about his character and judgment. He explores whether Platner's supporters—and the Democratic influencers and leaders who helped elevate him—are overlooking serious warning signs. With control of the Senate potenti...

Dating apps promised to make finding love easier. Instead, many people feel more disconnected, discouraged, and lonely than ever. Ravi sits down with relationship coach, matchmaker, and founder of The Feels, Allie Hoffman, to explore why dating apps may be failing us, what we've lost by outsourcing connection to technology, and how real-world community can help us find our way back. Together, they...

What did you used to want to learn, make, or finish? Guitar. Spanish. Salsa. The novel you've been starting for a decade. We all carry an invisible list: the skills we wish we'd learned, the talents we wish we'd developed, and the dreams we meant to pursue. Most of us file that list away, telling ourselves we'll get back to it someday. Most of us never do. In this episode, Ravi Gupta shares the fr...

New York City spends over $40,000 per student — more than almost anywhere in America — yet its schools deliver painfully average results while enrollment continues to collapse. Ravi sits down with journalist Marc Novicoff to unpack the exploding costs, shrinking classrooms, special education loopholes, and political dysfunction driving the crisis. They explore how billion-dollar programs, empty sc...

Everything we think we know about dating, sex, love, and marriage may only be half true. In this episode, Dr. Justin Garcia, director of the Kinsey Institute and author of The Intimate Animal, joins Ravi to unpack the hidden forces shaping modern relationships — from dating apps and Gen Z’s “sex recession” to infidelity, pornography, monogamy, and why so many Americans are single. Drawing on decad...

How did Mississippi — long seen as one of the worst states in America for education — become one of the fastest-improving in the country? In this episode, education reformer Rachel Canter joins Ravi Gupta to unpack the “Mississippi Miracle” — the controversial policies, hard choices, and cultural shifts that transformed student outcomes against all odds. They explore why Mississippi’s success chal...

What if the Iran war never really ends—but instead settles into a dangerous, permanent limbo? In this episode, Ravi Gupta sits down with former Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer to unpack the confusing reality behind Trump’s Iran strategy, the collapse of diplomacy, and why the world may now be worse off than before the war began. Together, they revisit the Obama-era JCPOA nuclear deal, d...

Ravi Gupta sits down with Bradley Tusk to break down New York City’s mounting budget crisis, a $6B deficit, and the tough choices facing Mayor Mamdani. They dig into the city’s $40B education system—why it spends more than anywhere else yet delivers mediocre results—and what real reform could look like. The conversation spans everything from union power and government inefficiency to housing, publ...

What if everything you’ve been told about recessions is wrong? On this episode, Ravi Gupta sits down with economist Tyler Goodspeed to challenge the classic “boom and bust” narrative—arguing that downturns aren’t inevitable consequences of excess, but the result of unpredictable shocks like energy crises, policy mistakes, or global events. Drawing on data stretching back to the 1700s, Tyler makes...

Ravi sits down with legendary music biographer Bob Spitz, who pulls back the curtain on rock’s biggest icons and the forces that made them endure. From secret blues records on military bases to the calculated creation of the “anti-Beatles,” they unpack the hidden strategy behind the Rolling Stones’ rise. The conversation dives into chaos—addiction, ego, death, and disaster—and asks how the Stones...

When Ravi Gupta was a struggling high school student, he pulled Jon Lee Anderson’s biography of Che Guevara off his mom’s bookshelf—and it became the first book that truly grabbed him, shaping how he saw the world. That personal connection sparks a wide-ranging conversation about how Anderson’s globe-trotting childhood led him to report from the frontlines of history and build trust with everyone...

Ravi Gupta breaks down what he sees as a major U.S. loss in Iran, arguing that Trump’s threats and ceasefire ultimately left Iran with more power and America with less. He also shares clips of Hasan Piker’s commentary, arguing that Democratic candidates and media outlets should stop treating him as a credible political voice. The episode also covers early reactions to Mayor Mamdani’s first 100 day...

Ravi Gupta sits down with Alexander Hurst, author of Generation Desperation, to unpack his journey from $300 to over $1 million—and the identity he built around the life that money seemed to promise. As his portfolio surged during COVID, meme stocks, and the rise of online trading culture, so did a vision of becoming financially free, creatively unbound, and finally ahead. When the gains reversed...

What happens when Americans fear AI more than Trump, ICE, or either political party? In this provocative conversation, Catherine Bracy joins Ravi to unpack why voters are deeply skeptical of artificial intelligence — and why neither Democrats nor Republicans have seized the political opportunity. They explore the rising influence of tech billionaires, the possibility of regulating or even “nationa...

In this episode, Ravi Gupta talks with Time’s Andrew Chow about an unlikely coalition rising up against AI — from MAGA-aligned tech skeptics to democratic socialists pushing for data center moratoriums. They trace how local activism is already stalling major infrastructure projects, even as Big Tech prepares to flood elections with money to keep regulation at bay. The conversation zeroes in on the...

AI is shifting from something you prompt to something that can proactively work for you. Ravi Gupta sits down with technologist Michael Simon to unpack OpenClaw—an open-source, always-on AI agent that connects to your email, calendar, and other tools to function more like a chief of staff than a chatbot. They explore what this unlocks (from daily briefings to real automation), why it could be econ...