Lost Debate

4.6 (606)
Politics
Updated Weekly

Lost Debate is a weekly podcast from The Branch that brings you news, ideas, and arguments from around the political spectrum. We engage in the good-faith discussions that too much of our society and media miss. It's hosted by Ravi Gupta, a former Obama staffer turned school principal.

4d ago

Will AI Lead to Socialism?

As AI becomes capable of doing more of the work once reserved for highly educated people, could it push society toward socialism? Labor lawyer and policy thinker Matt Bruenig joins Ravi to imagine a future in which human intelligence no longer carries the same economic value, traditional careers disappear, and education must be reinvented. They examine how people might earn a living and find purpose in a world with far less human labor—and whether AI will reduce inequality or concentrate even more wealth among today’s billionaires. Ultimately, they debate who should benefit from the prosperity AI creates and whether the government can be trusted to distribute it fairly. –––––––– Matt Bruenig’s Work ◾Blog: https://mattbruenig.com/ ◾Think Tank: https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/ ◾Labor Law Newsletter: https://www.nlrbedge.com/ Pre-order Ravi’s new book, The Invisible List - https://readinvisiblelist.com/ ◾Join the Invisible Posse - https://readinvisiblelist.com/posse ◾See upcoming book events - https://readinvisiblelist.com/events ◾Interested in hosting Ravi for an Invisible List event in your city? Email alexis@orangeboatmedia.com Find Lost Debate ◾Subscribe to our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@LostDebate ◾Get show notes and email updates - https://thelostdebate.substack.com/ ◾Follow us - @thebranchmedia Find Ravi Gupta ◾Read Ravi’s Substack - https://realravigupta.substack.com ◾Follow Ravi- https://www.instagram.com/ravimgupta/
Sep 8

Did Al-Qaeda lose?

Who was Osama bin Laden—and what did he believe attacking America would accomplish? Journalist Graeme Wood explores how the son of a wealthy Saudi construction magnate became the world’s most notorious terrorist, the fatal miscalculations behind 9/11, and how Al-Qaeda evolved into a powerful global network. He explains where Al-Qaeda remains strongest, whether it still threatens the United States, and how modern surveillance has transformed the fight against terrorism. Graeme Wood’s The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State ––––––––– Find Lost Debate ◾Subscribe to our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@LostDebate ◾Get show notes and email updates - https://thelostdebate.substack.com/ ◾Follow us - @thebranchmedia Find Ravi Gupta ◾Pre-order Ravi’s new book, The Invisible List:https://readinvisiblelist.com/◾Read Ravi’s Substack - https://realravigupta.substack.com ◾Follow Ravi- https://www.instagram.com/ravimgupta/
Sep 2

Negative Immigration, Trump on Data Centers, Alpha Schools

Ravi examines the economic consequences of Trump’s immigration crackdown as net migration turns negative and labor shortages ripple across the country. He also unpacks Trump’s full-throated support for data centers—even as opposition grows among Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike. Then, educator Dan Meyer joins the show to scrutinize Alpha School, the buzzy AI-powered model promising students twice the learning in just two hours a day. Is Alpha reinventing education—or making bold claims its results can’t yet support? –––––––––– For show notes: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/ Pre-order Ravi’s new book, The Invisible List:https://readinvisiblelist.com/ ◾ Join the Invisible Posse:https://readinvisiblelist.com/posse ◾ Find upcoming book events:https://readinvisiblelist.com/events ◾ Interested in hosting Ravi for an Invisible List event in your city? Email alexis@orangeboatmedia.com. Find Lost Debate and Ravi Gupta ◾ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LostDebate ◾ Follow the show- https://www.instagram.com/thebranchmedia/ ◾ Read Ravi’s Substack: https://realravigupta.substack.com ◾ Follow Ravi- https://www.instagram.com/ravimgupta/
Aug 28

The Future of AI and Education (with Reed Hastings)

Who can best help children learn—AI or humans? In this special episode shared on behalf of Bellwether, a nonprofit transforming education for young people, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings argues that AI could move education beyond the one-size-fits-all classroom toward individualized learning. Education entrepreneur Mike Goldstein pushes back, asking whether technology can overcome students’ lack of motivation—or replace the human relationships and social connection that help them learn. First, Ravi Gupta empties his notebook on the political stories shaping the midterms, from Trump’s economic troubles to the Senate races that could shift the balance of power. Special thanks to Bellwether for sharing this conversation, featuring Reed Hastings and Michael Goldstein and moderated by Andrew Rotherham. -Pre-order Ravi’s new book, The Invisible List:https://readinvisiblelist.com/ -Join the Invisible Posse:https://readinvisiblelist.com/posse -See upcoming book events:https://readinvisiblelist.com/events -Interested in hosting Ravi for an Invisible List event in your city? Email alexis@orangeboatmedia.com. Find Lost Debate and Ravi Gupta -Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LostDebate -Get show notes and email updates: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/ -Read Ravi’s Substack: https://realravigupta.substack.com
Aug 19

Primary Takeaways + Free Speech & Boycotts

Ravi Gupta unpacks a volatile primary season, where ideological insurgents are gaining ground, independents are being sidelined, and both parties’ youngest voters appear increasingly drawn to political extremes. He also examines Alaska’s surprising electoral possibilities and a radically reshaped Democratic presidential calendar designed to test candidates across a broader coalition. Then, acclaimed novelist and former PEN America president Dinaw Mengestu explains why he resigned over the organization’s approach to Israel, Gaza, and the boycott movement. Their probing conversation confronts a defining free-speech question: When does a boycott constitute legitimate political expression—and when does it become discrimination? –––––––– Show Notes - ⁠https://thelostdebate.substack.com/⁠ Find Lost Debate ◾Subscribe to our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@LostDebate ◾Follow us - @thebranchmedia Find Ravi Gupta ◾Pre-Order Ravi’s new book The Invisible List - https://readinvisiblelist.com/ ◾Ravi’s Substack - https://realravigupta.substack.com ◾Follow Ravi- https://www.instagram.com/ravimgupta/
Aug 12

What We Did in the Shadows

Nightlife gave us jazz, disco, techno, and entire cultural revolutions. From the courtesan districts of 17th-century Japan to the ruins of postwar Berlin, historian Imogen Willetts takes us through the history of nightlife, uncovering how outsiders transformed forgotten spaces into engines of art and rebellion. She explains why the best scenes thrive in moments of upheaval, why popularity often destroys them, and how smartphones have shattered the anonymity that once made the night feel free. Where will the next great youth movement take shape—or have modern culture and technology made one impossible? Imogen Willetts ◾ Buy Up All Night: A World History of Night Life ◾ Follow Imogen ◾ Learn more about Imogen Find Lost Debate ◾Subscribe to our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@LostDebate ◾Get show notes and email updates - https://thelostdebate.substack.com/ ◾Follow us - @thebranchmedia More on Ravi Gupta ◾Pre-Order Ravi’s new book The Invisible List - https://readinvisiblelist.com/ ◾Join the Invisible Posse - https://readinvisiblelist.com/posse ◾Read Ravi’s Substack - https://realravigupta.substack.com ◾Follow Ravi- https://www.instagram.com/ravimgupta/
Aug 6

Are Dems Serious About Winning?

One ruptured bicep, two heartbreaking losses, and a week of political madness leave Ravi reflecting on health, grief, and what it really means to help people. He channels that grief into a new community project, "The Book of Ordinary Lives,” honoring everyday people with the kind of thoughtful obituaries usually reserved for the famous. Then he digs into the “Democratic establishment” that calls itself insurgent while promoting candidates wildly out of step with working-class voters—and dodging accountability when they fail. Republicans don’t get a pass either, especially when their leaders preach about protecting women and children while standing by members facing terrible allegations of abuse. ––––––––––– Find show notes - ⁠https://thelostdebate.substack.com/⁠ Find Lost Debate ◾Subscribe to our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@LostDebate ◾Get email updates - https://thelostdebate.substack.com/ ◾Follow us - @thebranchmedia Find Ravi Gupta ◾Pre-Order Ravi’s new book, The Invisible List - https://readinvisiblelist.com/ ◾Join the Invisible Posse - https://readinvisiblelist.com/posse ◾Read Ravi’s Substack - https://realravigupta.substack.com ◾Follow Ravi- https://www.instagram.com/ravimgupta/
Jul 29

Humanoid Robots Are Coming

The robot you imagined as a kid is now something you can actually own. On today’s episode, New Yorker writer Stephen Witt reveals that the humanoid robots of childhood cartoons and science fiction are real—and already for sale. He takes Ravi inside the race to build machines that can walk, learn, fold laundry, and potentially transform the global workforce. But their bodies are advancing faster than their brains, and teaching them basic human skills requires staggering amounts of data. Could putting more robots into the world make them all smarter—and are we ready to welcome them into our homes? ––––––– Stephen Witt’s book The Thinking Machine Find Lost Debate ◾Subscribe to our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@LostDebate ◾Get show notes and email updates - https://thelostdebate.substack.com/ ◾Follow us - @thebranchmedia Find Ravi Gupta ◾Pre-Order Ravi’s new book The Invisible List - https://readinvisiblelist.com/ ◾Join the Invisible Posse - https://readinvisiblelist.com/posse ◾Read Ravi’s Substack - https://realravigupta.substack.com ◾Follow Ravi- https://www.instagram.com/ravimgupta/

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Trailer

Introducing: The Lost Debate

Lost Debate is a non-profit media company founded to tell the stories of those misunderstood, overlooked, or just plain threatening to those with privilege and power. We’re ethically contrarian, which means we challenge conventional wisdom —not to be different or provocative —but to tell stories and highlight issues we believe are valid and underrepresented. Through originally produced podcasts, long and short-form videos, written commentary, and investigative journalism, we’ll build fresh narratives.

Ravi Gupta

Host
Rikki Schlott

Host

4.6

out of 5

606 Ratings

Well done

Jul 7

Will T Gunner

I am a long time listener. I don’t write reviews for things, but I am genuinely impressed with your integrity. I am not a democrat. That being said, I’m proud of you and the way you carry yourself. Well done.
Been Listening

Feb 12

alw61299

on and off for awhile and it was refreshing to listen to two old friends talk about their families, histories, choices, and moving forward tonight. And not just two old friends, but two gentlemen with everything awful going on around us right now. Thanks, guys. 👏🏼
Loved the episode on the economic state but one question

08/16/2025

Stilik

Been listening to this show for a year or 2 now and its really my favorite when it comes to politics. I just recently listen to the episode on the economic state of the US and I have one question, what use outside of currency does cryptocurrency have that gold does not? Btw when are you getting a new co-host? I do miss Rikki but she been gone long enough. Time to get a new right leaning co-host. Anyways, keep up the good work!!
Parroting Trump's line

Feb 5

El Phantsmo

Apparently the release of the Epstein files will be damaging.. To who'm I wonder. What a hack.

Lost Debate is a weekly podcast from The Branch that brings you news, ideas, and arguments from around the political spectrum. We engage in the good-faith discussions that too much of our society and media miss. It's hosted by Ravi Gupta, a former Obama staffer turned school principal.