Shell Game podcast

Shell Game

A podcast about things that are not what they seem, hosted by journalist Evan Ratliff. Season 2 tells the story of enterprise and entrepreneurship in the AI age. Or: how Evan tried to build a real startup, run by fake people. This season, Evan confronts head-on the assertion from tech entrepreneurs and VCs that we’re on the precipice of AI remaking the workforce. That we should expect not just AI colleagues working alongside us, but also — by Sam Altman’s telling, at least — the dawn of a billion-dollar company with only one human involved. Evan learns what it would take to create such a company … by doing it: Launching a real startup with five AI employees. Over the course of eight episodes, he explores what AI agents tell us about the work we do, the meaning we find in it, and the world that their makers say we’ll all be living in soon enough. Shell Game was named one of the best podcasts of 2024 by Apple, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Vulture, The Information, and The Economist. It's "riveting," says The New Yorker, "awesome" says The Verge, and "slightly terrifying," says The Globe and Mail. New episodes are published on Wednesdays. [www.shellgame.co] (https://www.shellgame.co?utm_medium=podcast)

A podcast about things that are not what they seem, hosted by journalist Evan Ratliff. Season 2 tells the story of enterprise and entrepreneurship in the AI age. Or: how Evan tried to build a real startup, run by fake people. This season, Evan confronts head-on the assertion from tech entrepreneurs and VCs that we’re on the precipice of AI remaking the workforce. That we should expect not just AI colleagues working alongside us, but also — by Sam Altman’s telling, at least — the dawn of a billion-dollar company with only one human involved. Evan learns what it would take to create such a company … by doing it: Launching a real startup with five AI employees. Over the course of eight episodes, he explores what AI agents tell us about the work we do, the meaning we find in it, and the world that their makers say we’ll all be living in soon enough. Shell Game was named one of the best podcasts of 2024 by Apple, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Vulture, The Information, and The Economist. It's "riveting," says The New Yorker, "awesome" says The Verge, and "slightly terrifying," says The Globe and Mail. New episodes are published on Wednesdays. [www.shellgame.co] (https://www.shellgame.co?utm_medium=podcast)

 

#14

Episode 5: Winners Win

On this week’s episode, we enter the sensitive realm of intra-office politics and in... more

10 Dec 2025

41 MINS

41:09

10 Dec 2025


#13

Episode 4: The Startup Chronicles

Evan decides it’s time to give his AI agents a little more ... agency. After all, to... more

03 Dec 2025

40 MINS

40:47

03 Dec 2025


#12

Episode 3: This is Law

As Kyle, Megan, and the gang get to work ideating on the perfect product, Evan is left gra... more

26 Nov 2025

40 MINS

40:11

26 Nov 2025


#11

Episode 2: Outdoor Debugging

As Evan gets Hurumo’s employees up and running as fully-functioning colleagues (with... more

19 Nov 2025

37 MINS

37:03

19 Nov 2025


#10

Episode 1: Minimum Viable Company

In Season 2 of Shell Game, journalist Evan Ratliff tells a story of entrepreneurship in th... more

12 Nov 2025

32 MINS

32:57

12 Nov 2025


#9

The One-Human Unicorn

As AI agents infiltrate the workforce, some tech entrepreneurs are imagining a not-so-dist... more

05 Nov 2025

02 MINS

02:02

05 Nov 2025


#8

Season 2 Is Coming!

The next season of Shell Game arrives November 12. See [omnystudio.com/listener] (https://... more

10 Oct 2025

02 MINS

02:48

10 Oct 2025


#7

Episode 6: The Future Isn't Real

Evan pushes the experiment one step further, sending his AI voice agent to talk to his clo... more

13 Aug 2024

53 MINS

53:07

13 Aug 2024


#6

Episode 5: My Digital Twin

Will AI bots replace humans in the workforce? Could one replace Evan… right now? That’s wh... more

06 Aug 2024

43 MINS

43:21

06 Aug 2024


#5

Episode 4: Take a Deep Breath

Evan looks into the depths of his AI-powered voice agent by sending it on a new mission: g... more

30 Jul 2024

40 MINS

40:45

30 Jul 2024


#4

Episode 3: Conversations With Myself

Evan takes his experiment in a new direction by having his AI-powered voice agent converse... more

23 Jul 2024

33 MINS

33:47

23 Jul 2024


#3

Episode 2: Me and My Scammer

Evan turns his AI-powered voice agent loose on the people who are always at the forefront ... more

16 Jul 2024

37 MINS

37:24

16 Jul 2024


#2

Episode 1: Quality Assurance

This is the story of what happens when Evan Ratliff, a longtime tech journalist, makes a d... more

09 Jul 2024

32 MINS

32:43

09 Jul 2024


#1

Introducing Shell Game, a Strange and Immersive AI Experiment

What would happen if you created a digital copy of yourself, powered by AI, and set it loo... more

02 Jul 2024

02 MINS

02:52

02 Jul 2024