• Elon Kills the Block Button, AI Comes for Podcasts, and The Good Liar's Guide to Talking to Trump Voters
    Oct 27 2024

    The Good Liars, a MAGA trolling comedy duo, join Offline to share what it’s like on the ground at Trump rallies this close to the election. Davram Stiefler and Jason Selvig have been churning out political satire since they occupied Occupy Wall Street, and they talk to Jon about finding the humor and holes in the Trump camp’s rhetoric. But first! This week the app formerly known as Twitter announced a major change to the block function: it’s gone. Max and Jon discuss whether the ensuing X-odus will finally make Bluesky relevant, and why Jon doesn’t like to give his haters the satisfaction of being blocked. Then, it’s bros vs. brobots as the guys face down their own obsolescence and listen to an AI-generated podcast from NotebookLM. The platform is trained on whatever data–or book about saving democracy–you upload, and can synthesize the material into a jokey conversation between two hosts with a good rapport…sound familiar?

    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.

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    51 mins
  • Biden’s Weather Machine, Leaked TikTok Docs, Elon’s MAGA Ground Game, and Big Porn to the Rescue?
    Oct 20 2024

    Why are FEMA workers being threatened for trying to help clean up after Hurricane Helene? Jon and Max break down the misinformation spreading on social media, including the now infamous girl-with-puppy AI image. Then, they discuss the leaked documents that show TikTok knows exactly how harmful their app is, and check in on Elon Musk. The Tesla CEO is going all out to help Trump’s campaign, but fortunately the porn industry is lending a hand to beat it back.

    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.

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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Hasan Piker on the Bro Vote, Kamala Harris, and the 2024 Election
    Oct 13 2024

    Hasan Piker, Gen Z’s favorite left wing political commentator and Twitch streamer, joins Offline to talk about the Trump campaign’s bro-first election strategy, the right wing’s dominance of the digital media landscape, and why, 25 days until the election, he’s feeling mostly…tired. Jon and Hasan debate the Biden-Harris policy agenda, particularly with regard to immigration and Israel-Palestine, and Hasan shares how he avoids burnout while talking politics live for 50 hours a 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.

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    1 hr and 22 mins
  • Silicon Valley’s Newest Bad Idea, Vigilantes Infiltrate the Far Right, and Should We Buy Infowars?
    Oct 6 2024

    Alex Jones’ conspiracy media network, InfoWars, is up for sale, as is the at-home genetic testing service 23andMe…and potentially the DNA of 15 million people who used it. Meanwhile, TikTok grifters are using AI to fake defecting to North Korea, and it’s for a dumber reason than you could possibly imagine. But first! Silicon Valley thinks it’s finally figured out how to make smart glasses that someone will actually want to buy. Max and guest host Jane Coaston (What A Day) break it all down. Then, Max interviews New Yorker correspondent David Kirkpatrick about the rise of left-wing. internet vigilantes who are infiltrating white nationalist groups.

    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.

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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • Trump Truths vs. Trump Tweets, Chappell Roan's Non-Endorsement, and Behind the Scenes at Elon's Twitter
    Sep 29 2024

    New York Times tech reporter Kate Conger joins Offline to discuss Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter, a new book she coauthored with Ryan Mac. It’s the best coverage out there of Elon’s takeover and the subsequent deterioration of the platform, with behind-the-scenes reporting on how and why he bought the company, and the decisions he’s made since. But first! Jon and Max discuss whether the danger of Donald Trump has become more abstract since his forced migration to Truth Social. Then they unpack Chappell Roan’s decision to support but not endorse Kamala Harris, and John Mulaney’s hilarious takedown of Salesforce at the company’s own conference.

    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.

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    1 hr
  • Why "Blade Runner" Still Defines How We See Tech
    Sep 26 2024

    Critic Emily St. James and Crooked’s Halle Kiefer join Max to discuss “Blade Runner,” the 1982 classic that asks the question: could an AI chatbot become so hot that it would be unethical to delete it? Perhaps no other movie has had as big an impact on sci-fi or the aesthetic of futurism as Ridley Scott’s film. Is this Harrison Ford’s peak hotness? Which Silicon Valley Overlord is our Tyrell? If life imitates art, does tech imitate sci-fi? Listen to the final installment of Offline Movie Club to find out.

    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.

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    56 mins
  • GOP's "Black Nazi" Porn Posting, Instagram's New Rules, and Tristan Harris's Guide to Humane Technology
    Sep 22 2024

    Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology and ex-design ethicist at Google, joins Offline to chat about the attention economy, why tech execs don’t let their own kids on the apps, and how our AI arms race is one giant game of Jenga. But first! Jon and Max break down Instagram’s new sweeping changes for teen users—do they address child safety concerns? Why now? Will kids be able to outsmart the new rules? Then they turn to pet-obsessed Springfield, Ohio, which has been suffering through some of the most pestilent (and catchy) misinformation of this election cycle. To close it out, the guys break down North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson’s slew of scandals, and how Republicans are shamelessly endorsing him nonetheless.

    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.

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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • How “Fight Club” Created a Generation of Sh*tposters
    Sep 19 2024

    Since “Fight Club” hit theaters in 1999, the movie has become both a cinematic cult classic and a building block of how people (mostly men) express themselves online. Film critic Emily St. James and Crooked’s Erin Ryan join Offline Movie Club to talk about whether David Fincher’s opus deserves its top tier rankings, how the movie has been misappropriated by disillusioned Gen Xers and online chauvinists alike, and whether there are any feminist messages to be found. In essence, it’s Edward Norton playing a bored shitposter with Brad Pitt as his edgelord sock puppet account—what’s not to love?

    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.

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    1 hr and 24 mins