Shows
Bad FaithThe Group Chats That Changed America (w/ Ben Smith)Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to instantly unlock our full premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast Semifor editor-in-chief and former EIC of Buzzfeed News Ben Smith joins Bad Faith to discuss his recent exposé on the private group chats in which tech billionaires like Marc Andreessen & Mark Cuban build consensus and debate ideas with handpicked "smart" men who are ideologically right-of-center -- all hidden from public eyes and public pushback. In theory, these chats were designed to be 'safe spaces' in which the Richard Hananias, Christopher Rufos, and even Thomas Chatterton Williamses could discuss ideas wi...2025-05-0157 min
jawbreaker.ioUnpacking the Influence of Marc Andreessen's Signal Chats on America's Tech RightToday, we're diving into how Marc Andreessen's Signal group chats have significantly influenced the rise of the tech right in America. A recent article by Ben Smith for Semafor reveals that these private, disappearing chats, initiated by Andreessen in 2018, have become a crucial network for powerful figures in Silicon Valley and the right-wing political sphere.
According to the report, although many of these conversations were internal and not easily accessible, some members have shared insights on podcasts. These diverse participants, including billionaire Mark Cuban and pundit Ben Shapiro, were drawn together by Andreessen's active engagement. As one...2025-04-2801 min
The H&H PodcastThe Two Faces of 리사This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.richardhanania.comRob joins me this week to talk about the first four episodes of Season 3 of The White Lotus. We start off by discussing the Ratliff family and whether the incest dynamics are actually there or that was kind of a head fake at the beginning of the season. Other topics addressed are whether Mook is too perfect, the relatively positive portrayal of age gap relationships, toxic female relationships, the horrors of aging, and much more. The conversation goes down a dark...2025-03-1027 min
From the New WorldBenjamin Teitelbaum: The Civil War For Trump's LegacyFind Ben:https://x.com/benteitel War for Eternity: The Return of Traditionalism and the Rise of the Populist Right https://www.amazon.com/War-Eternity-Return-Traditionalism-Populist/dp/0141992034 Mentioned in the episode:Ben’s article about Bannon:https://www.compactmag.com/article/steve-bannons-spiritual-exile/Peter Thiel Oxford Union Speech: Marc Andreessen Interview about Deadwood (with Richard Hanania and Rob Henderson):The Individualists:https://press.princeton.edu/ideas/matt-zwolinski-and-john-tomasi-on-the-individualists This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subsc...2024-11-112h 14
The H&H PodcastThe Whitewashing of Walter WhiteThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.richardhanania.comIn previous discussions on rewatching Breaking Bad, I’ve often talked about how our minds play tricks on us. Going over the final two seasons, I was shocked by how much I had whitewashed Walter White’s character. I remember him being a somewhat complex figure near the end, when in reality he was a kind of cartoon villain. I was most amazed to realize that I had misremembered how he killed Mike. I thought it was an accident! The fact that...2024-02-1614 min
The H&H PodcastBreaking Bad: A Love Story?Chris joins me to go over Breaking Bad, Season 3, and the first few episodes of Season 4. I had gotten to Episode 4 of Season 4, while he had only gotten to Episode 2 of that season, so there was some confusion on this point, for which we apologize. You can listen here or on your podcast app, or watch the video below. There are spoilers in the episode and the rest of these notes. Once again, I’m blown away by how little I remembered from originally watching the show. Often, it’s the emotional coloring of a storyline that stay...2024-01-071h 11
CSPI PodcastNo Need to Argue. Just Build | Niklas Anzinger & Richard HananiaNiklas Anzinger is the founder and General Partner of Infinita, the first Próspera-based VC fund, which invests in founders overcoming regulatory capture in crypto, biotech and hardware through network states and startup cities. He’s also one of the 100 or so residents of Próspera.This was quite an optimistic conversation. The title of the podcast comes from the last thing Niklas said, which was that you don’t actually need attention or to talk about grand projects, but just to show the world what you can do. Niklas is part of the charter city mov...2023-10-3057 min
The H&H PodcastThe Triumph of the Girlboss?Rob joins me to talk about Succession, through the penultimate episode of the series.There are spoilers below, and throughout our conversation.We discuss Ross Douthat’s recent piece on the series, and where I agree and disagree with him. We almost have inverse views on the lessons of the show, where Douthat says public opinion has been written out of it, while I think that the trend has been for mass sentiment and larger forces to intrude more on the personal struggles of the Roy family. Perhaps the point is that elites are in co...2023-05-231h 12
The H&H PodcastThe Nietzschean Nostalgia of Logan RoyRob joins me to discuss Succession, Season 4: Episode 1.Click here for our previous conversation about the first three seasons of the show. One thing I like about the show is how it straddles differences in class, aesthetics, and politics. The producers are really walking a tightrope, and it’s very easy to make a show like this too preachy and on-the-nose, or what the kids call “cringe.” The series fails in a few places, but overall it does a good job of navigating what are clearly some very treacherous waters. Topics we discuss includ...2023-03-291h 13
The H&H PodcastThe March of CivilizationRob Henderson and Marc Andreessen join me to discuss the Deadwood: The Movie (2019), along with our thoughts about the series more generally. We converge on the idea that the main protagonists of the show, that is, Swearengen, Bullock, and Hearst, represent three eras of civilization, with each of the first two leading to the next one. Marc sees the Hearst character, who apparently has little in common with his real-life namesake, as the hero of this universe. My view leans more towards the idea that he should be the hero, but the show and the movie reflect the liberalism...2023-03-231h 21
The H&H PodcastSam Bankman-Fried, Racial Politics, and Dirty CopsThis Christmas Eve, I’m giving my readers the gift of a very special podcast. Marc Andreessen and Rob Henderson join me to talk about The Shield, which ran on FX from 2002 to 2008. We debate whether we are supposed to root for the Strike Team or not, with Rob saying no, and Marc and me strongly disagreeing. Building on our discussions on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Marc gives his Nietzschean interpretation of the show. To me, this was the most right-wing show I’ve ever seen. The lesson is basically that white cops who...2022-12-241h 35
The H&H PodcastRedemption...or Not? Marc Andreessen and Chris Nicholson on Better Call SaulMarc Andreessen and Chis Nicholson join me to discuss the final episode of Better Call Saul and reflect on the Breaking Bad universe.In the course of our conversation, it becomes apparent that I had a unique and much darker take on the final episode than apparently anyone else who watched it. Marc and Chris wear me down a little bit, but I still want to believe in my theory. Looks like they were right though.We reflect on what made Walter White special. Marc mentions how the show takes him being a scientist extremely...2022-08-171h 31
The H&H PodcastBetter Call Saul: S6E12, WaterworksI talk to Chris Nicholson about the second-to-last episode of Better Call Saul. Much of our conversation centers around the way the show portrays “normies.” Chris thinks that the vision presented is most likely a negative one, while I argue that the show has a rare conservative realism that recognizes actual distinctions between individuals and groups. This involves a discussion regarding how criminals and upper class professionals are portrayed by way of contrast. Chris is happy that Better Call Saul still manages to pleasantly surprise us, as he sees a shift from its generally pessimistic outlook of human nature towa...2022-08-101h 30
The H&H PodcastBetter Call Saul: S6E11, Breaking BadI talk to Chris Nicholson about Better Call Saul: S6E11, Breaking Bad. We discuss the role of nostalgia in art, and I bring up a recent Freddie deBoer essay on the topic. While in the past we disagreed on where Saul was going, this week we find ourselves mostly in agreement on this question but differing in our judgments of the artistic merits of what the producers are doing. Unfortunately, there is no video this week, but you can still listen on YouTube. For previous conversations on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, see2022-08-051h 01
The H&H PodcastBetter Call Saul: S6E10, NippyI discuss Better Call Saul: S6E10, Nippy, with Chris Nicholson. We remain almost as puzzled as we were last week about where the series is going, and lay out three possible paths for the final three episodes: tying up loose ends, a brand new story arch, or artsy experimentation. For previous conversations on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, seeThe Breaking Bad UniverseBetter Call Saul: S6E7, Plan and ExecutionBetter Call Saul: S6E8, Point and ShootBetter Call Saul: S6E9, Fun and Games2022-07-2755 min
The H&H PodcastNietzschean or Christian? Marc Andreessen on Breaking Bad and SaulI talk to Marc Andreessen about the Breaking Bad universe. Marc explains why he thinks Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul have Nietzschean themes – or they at least give us the Nietzschean story we’re allowed to have – while I tend more towards the idea that these are Christian morality tales.Other topics discussed include what makes individuals likable or not, why we would watch a Gus Fring origin story, and the relative absence of sex as a motivating force among the men in the show. For previous conversations on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul...2022-07-241h 15
CSPI PodcastFlying X-Wings into the Death Star: On Investing and Tech | Marc Andreessen & Richard HananiaMarc Andreessen is a venture capitalist and the founder of Netscape. He joins the podcast to talk about what's the matter with science, the prerequisites for progress, and how tech has changed our lives and has the potential to disrupt stagnant institutions. Topics also include how the internet has changed dating, what venture capitalists actually do, and whether there is too much–or too little–money in politics.Sign up for CSPI’s Substack newsletter: https://cspi.substack.com.Follow CSPI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CSPICenterOrg.Subscribe to our YouTube for video podcasts: https://www.youtub...2021-08-161h 56