United States
Australia
Brazil
Canada
Germany
India
Ireland
Japan
Mexico
New Zealand
Philippines
South Africa
Apple News In Conversation
Also in News Commentary
News
Plain English with Derek Thompson
by The Ringer
Today: #34 in News on our combined chart.
Today: #80 in News, Canada on our combined chart.
Today: #125 in News, Australia on our combined chart.
Today: #132 in News, Mexico on our combined chart.
Today: #112 in News, New Zealand on our combined chart.
Today: #65 in News, India on our combined chart.
Today: #141 in News, Japan on our combined chart.
Today: #105 in News, Philippines on our combined chart.
Chart positions today · United Kingdom
Platform rankings
Individual platform positions in United Kingdom where this show has no current Combined ranking.
Not on the Germany charts we track today.
Not on the Brazil charts we track today.
Not on the Ireland charts we track today.
Not on the South Africa charts we track today.
If you like Plain English with Derek Thompson, try…
The Briefing Room
Also in News Commentary
Worldview with Suhasini Haidar
Also in News Commentary
The Michael Knowles Show
Also in News Commentary
Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words
Also in News Commentary
The Ben Shapiro Show
Also in News Commentary
Ranking history · United Kingdom
Latest daily rankings: Oct 21. New rankings will appear after the next update.
History builds daily. We started tracking this show on the News, United Kingdom chart recently, so the trend line appears after a second day of data.
View as table
| Date | Combined Rank | Apple Podcasts |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 21 | — | #199 |
Latest episodes
-
AI Is Smarter Than Ever. So Where’s the Revolution?
October 20, 2026 · 1 hr 8 minAI can analyze anything, write anything, solve almost any puzzle. But struggle strengthens our brains and sharpens our minds ... and removing it entirely may come with a dire cost. Derek Thompson explores the paradoxes of AI with Ethan…
-
How Abundance Has Failed and Succeeded
October 16, 2026 · 1 hr 3 minA year and a half after 'Abundance,' Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein’s book about why America has become so bad at building things, the time has come for reflection. Some commentators declare the abundance agenda dead. If you know where to…
-
America’s Crisis of Social Connection, With Adam Grant
October 13, 2026 · 1 hr 3 minAmericans spend more time alone than ever, as parties, nights out with friends, and dinner gatherings become less common. Cellphones, social media, TV, and the internet have made it easier than ever to fill our free time without other…
-
Russia’s Plague Mystery and the Coming Age of Bioweapons
October 9, 2026 · 1 hr 6 minAI apocalypse, recession fears, sky-high mortgage rates, and now, the plague? Last week, a researcher at a plague institute in Siberia died after developing severe pneumonia, sparking rumors of biowarfare and fears of a new epidemic. How…
-
The Bitter Rivalries Behind the Race to Build Superintelligence
October 6, 2026 · 1 hr 6 minSam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Demis Hassabis are three of the most important figures in AI superintelligence, but each of them have very different ideas about what this technology should become and what it could mean for the future. Kevin…
Show 7 more episodesShow fewer episodes
-
Why the Midterms Suddenly Look So Bad for Republicans
October 2, 2026 · 1 hr 1 minLast year, Republicans were the heavy favorites to hold the Senate in the following years midterms. Now, however, prediction markets and political forecasters see a very different race. Today, Nate Silver joins Derek to explain what’s…
-
Why Things Become Popular, with Chuck Klosterman
September 29, 2026 · 1 hr 29 minWhat makes a hit a hit? Why do some bands make it while others fade into obscurity? Chuck Klosterman’s new book imagines an alternate history of 20th century music and uses it to explore why some things become popular and just how much…
-
The Single Smartest Case Against AI Doom
September 25, 2026 · 1 hr 1 minWith new breakthroughs in math and biology alongside reports of AI agents escaping and hacking systems, suffice it to say AI has had an interesting few weeks. How worried should we be about it all? Derek talks with researchers Arvind…
-
The Truth About Mississippi's Education "Miracle"
September 18, 2026 · 57 minEducation outcomes have been getting worse across much of the world, with reading and math scores falling to historic lows. The U.S. has seen some of the steepest declines in decades. But, why does Mississippi look so…
-
Why Experts Keep Getting the Economy So Wrong
September 15, 2026 · 59 minExpert economists keep making predictions about America’s financial future, and those predictions keep being … wrong. Over the past few years, we’ve heard warnings about a recession, inflation, tariffs, wars, deficits, and an AI bubble…
-
What’s the Point of College?
September 11, 2026 · 57 minTrust in American higher education is near a historic low. Tuition has soared, and the payoff for a college degree is now in question as graduates face a weird and challenging job market. Simultaneously, AI is transforming everything…
-
The New Book That Scares Big Tech
September 8, 2026 · 59 minIn the late 19th century, a railroad boom fueled by easy money, speculative investment, and new technology helped kick off one of the worst financial crises in American history. Sound kind of familiar? In today’s episode, Derek talks with…
About the show
Longtime Atlantic tech, culture and political writer Derek Thompson cuts through all the noise surrounding the big questions and headlines that matter to you in his new podcast Plain English. Watch Derek and guests engage the news with clear viewpoints and memorable takeaways. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Friday, and if you've got a topic you want discussed, shoot us an email at plainenglish@spotify.com! Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@PlainEnglishwithDerekThompson