Search Engine podcast

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Search Engine

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  PJ Vogt  

We try to make sense of the world, one question at a time. No question too big, no question too small.Hosted by PJ Vogt, edited by Sruthi Pinnamaneni. Named one of the best podcasts of all time by Time Magazine

We try to make sense of the world, one question at a time. No question too big, no question too small.Hosted by PJ Vogt, edited by Sruthi Pinnamaneni. Named one of the best podcasts of all time by Time Magazine

 

#145

Search Engine x Better in Person

Search Engine has some exciting news about the moving image to announce, and we’re sharing... more

29 Sep 2026

43 MINS

43:03

29 Sep 2026


#144

Bollywood Dreams

An email hits our inbox with the subject line: “My Dad is making a Bollywood Movie… is he ... more

18 Sep 2026

1 HR 05 MINS

1:05:05

18 Sep 2026


#143

Why’s everybody going to Japan?

A Japanese listener gets so many houseguests she starts a spreadsheet to try to figure out... more

11 Sep 2026

50 MINS

50:40

11 Sep 2026


#142

The Killing of the Gaza Chef

Mahmud Almadhoun ran a soup kitchen in the north of the Gaza Strip. In November 2024, he w... more

28 Aug 2026

49 MINS

49:20

28 Aug 2026


#141

The Chosen One

A listener asks: whose penis gets the top spot on the Wikipedia page for penis? Our quest ... more

21 Aug 2026

47 MINS

47:46

21 Aug 2026


#140

A road trip through the data center debate

The midterms are approaching, and as the discourse heats up, one of the big new villains i... more

11 Aug 2026

39 MINS

39:20

11 Aug 2026


#139

The machines are learning… to do crimes?

For the first time, an AI model has autonomously hacked a company. This week, an evolving ... more

06 Aug 2026

37 MINS

37:58

06 Aug 2026


#138

What’s in your cocaine and the questions Search Engine CAN’T answer

An interview with a cocaine salesman about cocaine adulterants, plus – questions Search En... more

24 Jul 2026

1 HR 01 MINS

1:01:14

24 Jul 2026


#137

How to pursue excellence … in noodles (unlocked bonus)

The world right now, seems tilted towards the good enough. The AI-written wedding toast, t... more

17 Jul 2026

47 MINS

47:55

17 Jul 2026


#136

Why didn’t Chris and Dan get into Berghain? Pt. 2 (classic)

We travel to Germany to trace techno’s history from Detroit to Berlin. The story of how, a... more

10 Jul 2026

1 HR 10 MINS

1:10:34

10 Jul 2026


#135

Why didn’t Chris and Dan get into Berghain? Pt. 1 (classic)

Two Americans embark on a quest: fly across an ocean to try to get into the most exclusive... more

03 Jul 2026

52 MINS

52:40

03 Jul 2026


#134

A Strange Voyage

This month, SpaceX had the largest IPO in all of human history. In a mission to understand... more

25 Jun 2026

1 HR 00 MINS

1:00:38

25 Jun 2026


#133

Why doesn’t anybody come to my parties?

Claire Haber-Harris has a question. When she sends out an invitation, why does she get a t... more

15 Jun 2026

47 MINS

47:22

15 Jun 2026


#132

Why is the pool at Buckingham Palace a secret? (classic)

An investigation into a mysterious room. A room that the most famous family in England app... more

05 Jun 2026

1 HR 08 MINS

1:08:20

05 Jun 2026


#131

Why do we have to pay into the new Anti-Weaponization Fund?

The President has created a 1.776 billion dollar fund of taxpayer money he can direct to w... more

29 May 2026

40 MINS

40:25

29 May 2026


#130

The many lives of Taiwan

We go deep into the story of Taiwan. How a tiny island escaped demise, chartered a course ... more

22 May 2026

1 HR 06 MINS

1:06:56

22 May 2026


#129

Why are people excited about nuclear power again?

Nuclear energy was a taboo for decades, but it’s coming back, it’ll power AI data centers ... more

08 May 2026

49 MINS

49:36

08 May 2026


#128

What if the cemetery goes out of business? (classic)

We're supposed to be buried there forever, right? Right?? Answers this week from writer Da... more

01 May 2026

49 MINS

49:32

01 May 2026


#127

Where’s the best free restaurant bread in America?

An enterprising reporter goes on a quest to find the restaurant serving the absolute best ... more

24 Apr 2026

38 MINS

38:54

24 Apr 2026


#126

The Cost of War

The United States has begun a conflict with Iran that two thirds of the American public do... more

17 Apr 2026

48 MINS

48:39

17 Apr 2026


#125

What we got wrong about GLP-1s

Search Engine is breaking its cowardly three-year silence on GLP-1s. We have been curious ... more

10 Apr 2026

46 MINS

46:02

10 Apr 2026


#124

The Trial of the Driverless Car

In blue cities throughout the country, unions and politicians are fighting to ban driverle... more

26 Mar 2026

1 HR 03 MINS

1:03:40

26 Mar 2026


#123

Are you a good driver?

The story of how a secret project at Google led to driverless cars on American roads. And,... more

23 Mar 2026

1 HR 06 MINS

1:06:47

23 Mar 2026


#122

Mysteries of Claude

Anthropic hired philosophers to teach its AI to be good. In their tests, the AI blackmaile... more

27 Feb 2026

48 MINS

48:54

27 Feb 2026


#121

Why don’t we eat people? (classic)

A question from a four-year-old tips us into an investigation of one of our most fundament... more

20 Feb 2026

57 MINS

57:32

20 Feb 2026