The End of Big Tech as We Know It

Meta has called an emergency arbitration hearing over a tell-all memoir by Facebook's former Director of Global Public Policy. The author, Sarah Wynn Williams, has had to cancel all her book promotion…including coming on Offline this week. Jon and Max protest Sarah’s gag order by delving into her book, Careless People, and platforming her allegations of sexual harassment, the company’s role in Myanmar's genocide, and its supplicant relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. Then, the guys discuss whether humans have passed peak brain power, and why Sam Seder’s appearance in a Jubilee video has everything Gavin Newsom’s podcast is missing. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

20 Mars 1h 3min

A new Facebook whistleblower has come forward with shocking allegations—seems like company execs have been trying to cozy up to everyone from the Chinese Communist Party to their own employees. Max and Jon break down the drama, check in on Trump's TikTok sale, and discuss how this week’s viral J.D. Vance memes reflect the war for dominance between Democrats and Republicans. Then, audio journalist Zack Mack joins Offline to talk about his latest project, "Alternate Realities," for NPR’s Embedded podcast. Last year, Zach made a $10,000 bet with his dad, hoping it would pull him out of a right-wing conspiracy rabbit hole. He shares how he found ways to empathize with his father, and the painful lessons he learned about persuasion. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

13 Mars 1h 8min

Not too long ago, Donald Trump, Joe Rogan, and Dana White—Offline’s favorite power brokers—identified UFC as a pathway for reshaping culture and politics around their idea of masculinity. Rolling Stone Magazine’s Jack Crosbie joins the pod to explain the parallel rise of MAGA and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and break down why the sport is so appealing to young men. But first! Jon and Max run through some very Offline moments in Trump's joint congressional address, starting with the President comparing himself to victims of deepfake pornography. Then, they dive into Jon and Elon’s storied past, and what led Favs to intercede on peanut butter gate—a loss for the Focus Challenge, but a win for ending child hunger. Finally, they take a look at the economic blackout, whose slogan “don’t buy stuff" took off on social media this week.  For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

6 Mars 1h 38min

Twenty-one DOGE staffers resigned this week, citing the agency’s meddling in the federal government. Meanwhile, top DOGE Elon Musk was brandishing a chainsaw onstage at CPAC. And closer to home, a new armed-driver app purports to be “Uber with guns.” Jon and Max sift through it all, translate Musk’s claim that, “I am become meme,” and debate whether he intends to train Grok on the private data he’s stolen. But it’s not all bad news! AI is warpspeeding disease research, and has even discovered an antibiotic that seems to be effective against drug-resistant bacteria. And LA Public schools are doing their own version of the Offline Challenge, with a new cellphone ban being rolled out in classrooms across the district. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

27 Feb 1h 9min

Special Government Employee Elon Musk has attempted to access our most personal data. Meanwhile, Billionaire Tech Mogul Elon Musk attempted to take over one of the biggest artificial intelligence companies in the world. Coincidence? In other news, Edgelord Elon Musk and his band of misfit fanboys are trying to uncover massive fraud and corruption, reading the data wrong, and making up stories that feels right to them. Jon and Max walk through it all, with stops along the way for TikTok’s triumph over app stores and the UK’s move to confiscate encrypted content. Then, the guys debrief on this week’s Offline Focus Challenge and Max gets some words of wisdom from Dr. Gloria Mark, author of the book Attention Span.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

20 Feb 1h 20min

U.S. democracy is likely to break down during this second Trump presidency, but what lies ahead isn’t a traditional dictatorship. Dr. Steven Levitsky joins Offline to explain competitive authoritarianism—what it looks like, how Trump and his cronies are enacting it already, and why it’s more popular than the fascism of yore. But first! Max and Jon discuss how the MAGA regime is silencing critics, including with two frivolous media lawsuits against ABC and CBS. Then they dive into rumors that Elon Musk is trying to use DOGE to replace federal workers with robots, and share updates on the ultra competitive, ultra scientific Offline Challenge. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

16 Feb 1h 24min

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes joins Offline to discuss how our society’s commodification of attention has made us miserable while empowering authoritarians like Donald Trump. Chris’s new book, The Sirens’ Call, explains how humans mistake online engagement for social connection, why the media is beholden to flashy headlines, and why no one can bear being alone with their thoughts. He and Jon discuss how Democrats need to operate in this frenetic environment and examine whether fascism offers a reprieve to people tired of engaging. But first! It’s time for a new edition of the Offline Challenge. Over the next few weeks, Jon and Max will be fortifying their attention spans through a series of focus-building exercises. The goal: stay sane, grounded and committed to what matters most throughout Donald Trump’s second term. Follow along as they put down their phones, touch grass and reclaim control of their attention. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

9 Feb 1h 14min

Senator Chris Murphy joins Offline with a warning for his fellow Democrats: the longer we take to counter Trump’s horrifying shock and awe strategy, the harder it will be to get up off the mat.  The Connecticut Senator shares how the pardoning of January 6th protestors has impacted his personal security, what the Republican party is getting right about helping people find purpose, and why the handover of power to tech overlords is such a bad, bad idea. But first! Jon and Max dive into DeepSeek to unravel whether it’s the Sputnik of AI, debate if Republican influencers are using a new playbook, and unpack Elon Musk’s recent comments at a German far right rally. Then, they bid farewell to the Gulf of Mexico and offer some context on why Google is bending to Trump’s whims. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

2 Feb 1h 22min