The Atlantic Launches New Weekly Video Podcast, Galaxy Brain With Charlie Warzel
Today, The Atlantic is excited to announce the launch of *Galaxy Brain*, a thought-provoking video podcast hosted by staff writer Charlie Warzel. This series aims to navigate the complexities of our current information ecosystem, which often feels overwhelming and chaotic. Each week, Warzel will engage in deep conversations with a diverse range of guests, tackling significant questions about online culture and its impact on human behavior. The inaugural episode features the well-known YouTuber Hank Green, who shares insights from his 26-year journey navigating the digital landscape. Together, they explore critical themes such as the internet’s transformation into a “misery machine,” the erosion of trust in institutions, and the pervasive manipulation by algorithms that many users experience daily.
In his introduction to *Galaxy Brain*, Warzel articulates the core mission of the podcast: to provide a grounding force in a world where social media distorts our perceptions and artificial intelligence reshapes our realities. He emphasizes the necessity for meaningful dialogue that cuts through the noise of misinformation and digital chaos. With a commitment to delivering “no slop, bots, or spam,” Warzel aims to create a space for honest conversations that resonate with the audience’s lived experiences online. This initiative builds on Warzel’s previous acclaimed reporting at The Atlantic, which has examined the intersection of digital culture and real-world implications, including his notable articles on topics ranging from the Epstein scandal to the impact of AI on creativity.
*Galaxy Brain* is The Atlantic’s second video podcast, following the successful launch of *The David Frum Show* earlier this year. With episodes released every Friday, viewers can subscribe to watch on The Atlantic’s platform or listen via their preferred podcast services. This new venture reflects The Atlantic’s ongoing commitment to exploring the nuances of contemporary life, providing audiences with the tools to better understand and engage with the rapidly evolving digital landscape. For those interested in a deeper understanding of how online interactions shape our realities, *Galaxy Brain* promises to be an enlightening and essential listen.
Today
The Atlantic
is launching
Galaxy Brain
, a new video podcast hosted by staff writer
Charlie Warzel
about making sense of the online fire hose of our information ecosystem. In new episodes released every Friday, Charlie will be joined by a different guest each week to ask big questions about the intersection of online culture and human behavior. The first episode,
which is now available
, features the YouTuber Hank Green on what it means to survive online for 26 years. In their conversation, Charlie and Hank look at where the internet stands today—how it became a misery machine, how institutions lost trust, and how they might begin to win it back. The pair discusses the universal frustration of being online and knowing you’re being manipulated by algorithms—and what, if anything, we can do to push back.
In an
introduction
to the show, Charlie writes: “People everywhere are ensconced in their own, algorithmically tailored realities. Social media is warping our perception of the world, while artificial intelligence threatens to remake it entirely. It all feels ridiculous and unmooring.” He continues, “
Galaxy Brain
will aim to be a grounding force—a space for conversations, explanations, and tangents that anchor you to reality, however strange it may be. No slop, bots, or spam.”
The podcast builds upon Charlie’s acclaimed
reporting
for
The Atlantic
, which orients people to a fast-changing digital culture and examines how online life is shaping and warping offline behaviors. He has recently written the articles “
The Dumb Truth at the Heart of the Epstein Scandal
,” on how the newly released documents are a skeleton key for understanding the dynamics of Donald Trump’s America; “
The Opposite of Slop Politics
,” about the success of Zohran Mamdani’s online campaign; “
A Tool That Crushes Creativity
,” looking at how it feels to live in the golden age of AI slop; and “
I’m Running Out of Ways to Explain How Bad This Is (Again)
.”
Galaxy Brain
is
The Atlantic
’s second video podcast, following the launch of
The David Frum Show
this past spring. Earlier this year,
The Atlantic
launched the second season of
Autocracy in America
and the eighth season of its
How To
franchise,
How to Age Up
, and this summer it published
No Easy Fix
, a three-part podcast series from
Radio Atlantic
.
Episodes of
Galaxy Brain
will be released each Friday; viewers can subscribe to watch
here
, or listen wherever they get podcasts. Please reach out with any questions or requests.
Press Contacts:
Paul Jackson and Quinn O’Brien |
The Atlantic
press@theatlantic.com
