Keen On

EPISODE 1686: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Mustafa Suleyman, author of THE COMING WAVE, about how to strengthen the nation-state in the coming wave of radical technological disruptionMustafa Suleyman is the co-founder and CEO of Inflection AI. Previously he co-founded DeepMind, one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies. After a decade at DeepMind, Suleyman became vice president of AI product management and AI policy at Google. When he was an undergraduate at Oxford, Suleyman dropped out to help start a non-profit telephone counseling service. He lives in Palo Alto, California.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew liv

EPISODE 1685: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Jonathan Taplin, author of THE END OF REALITY, on how 4 tech billionaires  - Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen - are selling us a fantasy future of the metaverse, Mars, and cryptoJonathan Taplin began his entertainment career in 1969 as Tour Manager for Bob Dylan and The Band. In 1973 he produced Martin Scorsese's first feature film, Mean Streets, which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival. Between 1974 and 1996, Taplin produced 26 hours of television documentaries (including The Prize and Cadillac Desert for PBS) and 12 feature films including The Last Waltz, Until The End of the World, Under Fire and To Die For. His films were nominated for Oscar and Golden Globe awards and chosen for The Cannes Film Festival five times. In 1984 Taplin acted as the investment advisor to the Bass Brothers in their successful attempt to save Walt Disney Studios from a corporate raid. This experience brought him to Merrill Lynch, where he served

EPISODE 1684: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to  Michael G. Long, the editor of BAYARD RUSTIN: A LEGACY OF PROTEST AND PROTEST, the political and personal bravery of Bayard Ruskin on the 60th anniversary of the March on WashingtonMichael G. Long (longmg4242@gmail.com) has a Ph.D. from Emory University and is the author or editor of numerous books on nonviolent protest, civil rights, LGBTQIA rights, politics, and religion.Mike's first YA nonfiction biography—a coauthored book titled Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington (City Lights Books)—earned starred reviews in Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and the School Library Journal. The Bank Street Center, Kirkus, and SLJ selected Troublemaker as a best book of the year. Mike has also written on civil rights and protest for the Los Angeles Times, The Undefeated (ESPN), the Progressive, the Chicago Tribune, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the New York Daily News, the Afro, USA Today, the Pittsburgh Post-Gaze

EPISODE 1683: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Avi Loeb, author of INTERSTELLAR, about our search for extraterrestrial life and our future in the starsAbraham (Avi) Loeb is the Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science at Harvard University, longest-serving chair of Harvard’s Department of Astronomy, founding director of Harvard’s Black Hole Initiative, and current director of the Institute for Theory and Computation (ITC) within the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. He also heads the Galileo Project, chairs the Advisory Committee for the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative, and is former chair of the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies. Author of eight books and over a thousand scientific papers, Loeb is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the International Academy of Astronautics. In 2012, Time selected Loeb as one of the twenty-five most influential people in space. He lives near Boston, Massachusetts

EPISODE 1682: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Simon Sharpe, author of FIVE TIMES FASTER, about how we need to rethink the science, economics and diplomacy of climate changeSimon Sharpe is Director of Economics for the Climate Champions Team and a Senior Fellow at the World Resources Institute. He has published influential reports and created ground-breaking international projects in climate change risk assessment, economics, and diplomacy. He played a leading role in the UK’s Presidency of the COP26 climate change talks in 2020-21, as Deputy Director of the UK government’s COP26 Unit, where he created global campaigns that led to significant international agreements on ending coal power, moving to zero emission vehicles, and protecting forests. His other roles in government included leading international climate change strategy, establishing low-carbon growth as a priority in the UK’s industrial strategy, and serving as head of private office to a Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change. He also

EPISDOE 1680: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Bethany Allen, author of BEIJING RULES, about how an illiberal China is weaponizing its economy to confront the worldBethany Allen is the China reporter at Axios, based in Taipei. She is the author of the weekly Axios China newsletter, and she covers China's role in the world. Her latest book is BEIJING RULES (2023)Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

EPISODE 1681: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Uri Kaufman, author of EIGHTEEEN DAYS IN OCTOBER, about the 1973 Yom Kippur War and how it created the modern Middle EastAfter putting himself through CUNY’s Queens College at night, Uri Kaufman attended New York University School of Law and graduated with honors in 1989. Kaufman subsequently became a real estate developer, specializing in adaptively restoring historic buildings, winning awards at the national and state level. His Harmony Mills project appears on the homepage of the New York State Historic Preservation Office’s website, hailed by officials as perhaps the finest example of restoring New York’s rich architectural heritage. For over twenty years, Kaufman visited battlefields, interviewed veterans, and reviewed thousands of pages of declassified records. Kaufman is fluent in Hebrew and hired a team of researchers to translate Russian, Arabic and German records (to review Stasi files describing Syria). Eighteen Days in October is the first histor

EPISODE 1679: In this regular weekly show with THAT WAS THE WEEK newsletter author Keith Teare, Keith defends SPAC king Chamath Palihapitiya from accusations of scamming small investors of their moneyKeith Teare is a Founder and CEO at SignalRank Corporation. Previously he was Executive Chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd - A UK based global investment company focused on startups at all stages. He was also previously founder at the Palo Alto incubator, Archimedes Labs. Archimedes was the original incubator for TechCrunch and since 2011has invested, accelerated or incubated many Silicon valley startups including InFarm, Miles, Quixey; M.dot (sold to GoDaddy); chat.center; Loop Surveys; DownTown and Sunshine. Teare has a track record as a serial entrepreneur with big ideas and has achieved significant returns for investors.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the

EPISODE 1678: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Bethanne Patrick , the LATimes book critic, about nine noteworthy novels she recommends for the dying days of summerBethanne Patrick maintains a storied place in the publishing industry as a critic and as @TheBookMaven on Twitter, where she created the popular #FridayReads and regularly comments on books and literary ideas to over 200,000 followers. Her work appears frequently in the Los Angeles Times as well as in The Washington Post, NPR Books, and Literary Hub. She sits on the board of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and has served on the board of the National Book Critics Circle. She is the host of the Missing Pages podcast.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERT

EPISODE 1677: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Catherine Coveney, co-author of TECHNOSLEEP, about the technological past, present and future of sleepDr Catherine Coveney is a medical sociologist with expertise in social and ethical aspects of medicine and health care. She has particular research interests in the sociology of sleep, medical technology, and disability. Catherine is the School of Social Sciences and Humanities Ethics Lead and Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy Lead Admissions officer. Catherine has been a senior lecturer in Sociology at Loughborough since 2018. She was co-convener of the British Sociological Association Medical Sociology Group (2019 – 2021). Before this she worked as a research fellow in the Centre for Reproduction Research at De Montfort University (2017-8), the Centre for Global Health Policy at the University of Sussex (2014-7), the Department of Sociology at the University of Warwick (2010-2014) and the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Physiotherapy at the Univers

EPISODE 1676: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Anna Funder, author of WIFEDOM, about George Orwell's "invisible wife" Eileen O'Shaughnessy, Orwell's homosexuality, and patriarchy as doublethinkANNA FUNDER is the author of Stasiland and All That I Am, and the novella The Girl with the Dogs. Stasiland, hailed as a ‘classic’, tells true stories of ordinary people who heroically resisted the communist dictatorship of East Germany, and of others who worked for the Stasi. In 2004 Stasiland won the UK’s premier award for non-fiction, the Samuel Johnson Prize, and was a finalist for many other awards. Anna’s novel All That I Am is an homage to four German anti-Hitler activists living bravely but precariously in exile in London in the 1930s. All That I Am won many literary awards including Australia’s most prestigious, the Miles Franklin Prize, and was a finalist for the International IMPAC Dublin Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize. It spent over a year on the bestseller lists, was BBC Book of the Week and

EPISODE 1675: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Katherine Clarke, author of BILLIONAIRES ROW, about the tycoons and high rollers and the epic race to build the world's most exclusive skyscrapers.Katherine Clarke is a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, where she covers the high-end real estate market across the United States. Previously, she wrote for the New York Daily News and The Real Deal.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get

EPISODE 1674: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Scott Rosenberg, author of SAY EVERYTHING, about his memories of the WELL, blogging and the social media revolutionScott Rosenberg has been writing about the Web since 1994,. He is currently at Axios where he is managing editor/tech. He co-founded Salon.com in 1995. He has written two books,:"Dreaming in Code" and "Say Everything."Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus

EPISODE 1673: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Nick Mott, author of THIS IS WILDFIRE, about how to protect ourselves, our homes and our communities in the age of heatNick Mott is producer at Threshold, a podcast and radio show. He's also worked as a reporter at Montana Public Radio, where his coverage has earned him accolades from the Associated Press. Through his audio reporting, he's found himself trapping grizzly bears, chasing sled dogs, and tracking lynx via snowmobile - with microphone in hand. His work in audio, photo, and writing has appeared in NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, Outside, PRI's The World, the Mountain West News Bureau, The Washington Post, Kaiser Health News, Alpinist, and more. He's also producer at MTPR's in-house podcast, Richest Hill. He holds an MA in environmental journalism from CU Boulder.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON

EPISODE 1672: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Umut Ozkirimli the author of CANCELLED, about  his personal history of social media from the 2013 Gezi Park uprising to his own cancellation in 2020Umut Özkırımlı is a Senior Research Fellow at IBEI. He is also a Professor at Blanquerna (Universitat Ramon Llull) and a Senior Research Associate at CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs). Before relocating to Barcelona, he was a Professor at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES), Lund University. He is the author of Theories of Nationalism: A Critical Introduction (Palgrave Macmillan, 2000; second revised and extended edition 2010. Translated into Turkish, Greek, Arabic, Persian, Albanian); Contemporary Debates on Nationalism: A Critical Engagement (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Translated into Turkish and Chinese); Tormented by History: Nationalism in Greece and Turkey (with Spyros A. Sofos, Hurst & Co. and Oxford University Press, 2008. Translated into Turkish and Greek). His latest books a

EPISODE 1671: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the award winning Turkish writer and political commentator Ece Temelkuran about social media's failure to change the worldEce Temelkuran is a Turkish journalist and political commentator, and author of How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

EPISODE 1670: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Siddharth Kara, author of COBALT RED, about the appalling human cost of mining cobalt in the CongoSiddharth Kara is an author, researcher, screenwriter, and activist on modern slavery. He an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a Visiting Scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health. Kara has authored three books on modern slavery: Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery (2009); Bonded Labor: Tackling the System of Slavery in South Asia (2012); and Modern Slavery: A Global Perspective (2017), each with Columbia University Press. Kara adapted Sex Trafficking into a Hollywood film, Trafficked, which held its world premiere at the United Nations in New York. Sex Trafficking also won the prestigious Frederick Douglass book prize at Yale University for the best non-fiction book on slavery. Kara has also authored the reports: Tainted Carpets: Slavery and Child Labor in India's Hand-Made Carpet Sector (Harvard, 2014),

EPISODE 1669: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Rafael Yuste, author of LECTURES IN NEUROSCIENCE,  about how today's advances in neuroscience will eventually lead to a new Renaissance in understanding who we are as a speciesRafael Yuste is Professor of Biological Sciences at Columbia University. He studies the function and pathology of the cerebral cortex. Yuste obtained his M.D. in Madrid. After working in Brenner’s laboratory in Cambridge, he was a Ph.D. student with Katz in Wiesel’s laboratory at Rockefeller University, and postdoctoral student of Tank at Bell Laboratories. He joined Columbia in 1996 and is director of its Neurotechnology Center and co-director of its Kavli Institute for Brain CircuitsIn 2011 Yuste led a group of researchers who proposed the US BRAIN Initiative, and in 2016 he helped coordinate the International BRAIN Initiative. He is involved in ethical guidelines for Neurotechnology (“NeuroRights”).Yuste is a member of Spain’s Royal Academies of Medicine and of Science and has obtai

EPISODE 1668: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Bruce Dorsey, author of MURDER IN A MILL TOWN, about the first true crime that captivated AmericaBruce Dorsey is a Professor of History at Swarthmore College. He is the author of the award-winning Reforming Men and Women: Gender in the Antebellum City. He lives in New York City and Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. His latest book is MURDER IN A MILL TOWN: Sex, Faith, and the Crime that Captivated a Nation (2023)Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode.

EPISODE 1667: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Anya Kamenetz, author of THE STOLEN YEAR, about the environmental, psychological, epidemiological, economic and political crises of our ageAnya Kamenetz is a journalist focused on generational justice. Her current projects include a kids’ climate podcast for Noggin (Nickelodeon's educational brand) and work with K12 Climate Action to include climate in children’s storytelling. Anya has previously worked as an education correspondent for NPR and a staff writer for Fast Company magazine. She's contributed to the New York Times, Washington Post, New York Magazine, and Slate, and has won multiple awards for her reporting on education, technology, and innovation. She is the author of four books: Generation Debt, DIY U, The Test, and The Art of Screen Time. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON,