Tyler Reinhard

Podcast Recommendations

I listen to a lot of podcasts. I began listening to them in 2004. In those days, you had to download an MP3 file via RSS, load it onto an iPod via iTunes, plug in corded headphones, listen to 1x playback, rinse and repeat — in other words, “uphill both ways”. These days, podcasts are far more accessible.

I crunched the numbers and found that I’ve listened to over 10,400 hours of audio-only longform podcast content in my lifetime as of 2025, which I suppose is a kind of expertise.

Over the years, I’ve added and subtracted many programs from my regular rotation. Through that process I’ve arrived at a consistently informative set that cover my interests from a diversity of well-qualified perspectives.

I’ve also recognized that I look for podcasts that curate guest interviews well. It just kind of turned out that way over time. I’m happy with this, though, as it gives me exposure to as many real people with real thoughts, feelings, and subject matter expertise as possible.

When people learn how much time I spend listening to podcasts, they often ask me which shows I listen to. Here they are:

• a16z Podcast: discussions with founders and investors about the cutting edge of technology companies.
• ChinaPower: the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) explores the scale and influence of China’s global rise with sharp, data-driven analysis.
• Conversations with Tyler: a recent addition of provoking interviews with and for deep thinkers.
• Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History: vivid retellings of military history from every era of civilization.
• The Omnibus: episodic time capsules of obscure trivia and cultural analysis.
• Goldman Sachs Exchanges: straightforward insights into the forces shaping global industries, markets, and economies.
• The Hotshot Wake Up: an authentic peek into the world of wildland firefighting and the people who do it.
• Into Africa: a CSIS program on the geopolitics of the African continent.
• Lex Fridman Podcast: accessible interviews with public intellectuals, technologists, scientists, and politicians.
• Main Engine Cutoff: an insider breakdown of news in the emerging space industry.
• Marketplace: a daily dose of economic news, trends, and stories.
• Ologies: conversations with scientists of niche and esoteric subjects.
• On the Media: liberal editorializing on the state of journalism and the media industry.
• Polar Geopolitics: interviews with experts and news on Arctic and Antarctic power dynamics and their global implications.
• Red Scare: a raw and unapologetic critique of contemporary culture and politics from second generation immigrant millenials.
• Russian Roulette: the last CSIS geopolitics program in my rotation covers Russia’s internal politics and role on the global stage.
• The Talk Show: a long running interview show by indie technology reporter John Gruber.
• Twenty Thousand Hertz: cool stories about the people and science behind the sounds that shape our lives.
• This Week in Virology: a Covid-era addition to my podcast regime, covering the science of viruses and how they impact us.

These are not all of the podcasts I subscribe to, and with the exception of Lex Fridman, you’ll maybe note that I haven’t included any of the popular Youtube-style podcasts such as Joe Rogan, Theo Von, Call Her Daddy, and all the rest — I do listen to those shows as well, but find them somewhat pointless to recommend.

Likewise, I listen to others that are so embarassing and eccentric that it’s not even worth explaining why I listen to them in the first place.

You might wonder, “How could someone possibly have time to listen to all these podcasts?” I don’t have a great answer for that — except perhaps a counterpoint: nearly one-third of U.S. adults watch about 10 hours of reality television per week. Beyond that, I can only recommend Marco Arment’s fantastic iOS podcast client Overcast, which uses a sophisticated algorithm to trim milliseconds of recorded silence between words without distorting voices. This tool has saved me hundreds of hours over the past decade.

List last updated January 9, 2025