Keen On America

Andrew Keen
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  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED DAILY

Nobody asks sharper or more impertinent questions than Andrew Keen. In KEEN ON, Andrew cross-examines the world’s smartest people on politics, economics, history, the environment, and tech. If you want to make sense of our complex world, check out the daily questions and the answers on KEEN ON. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best-known technology and politics broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running show How To Fix Democracy and the author of four critically acclaimed books about the future, including the international bestselling CULT OF THE AMATEUR. Keen On is free to listen to and will remain so. If you want to stay up-to-date on new episodes and support the show, please subscribe to Andrew Keen’s Substack. Paid subscribers will soon be able to access exclusive content from our new series Keen On America – keenon.substack.com

  1. Can Billionaire Backlash Save Democracy? Pepper Culpepper on our Age of Corporate Scandal

    59M AGO

    Can Billionaire Backlash Save Democracy? Pepper Culpepper on our Age of Corporate Scandal

    "I will say that QAnon was right and I was wrong." — Pepper Culpepper From Bannon and Trump to Summers, Gates, Blavatnik and Chomsky, the Epstein scandal has revealed elites of all ideological stripes behaving shamefully together. The Oxford political scientist Pepper Culpepper argues this is exactly the kind of corporate scandal that can save democracy—not despite its ugliness, but because of it. His new co-authored book, Billionaire Backlash, shows how scandals activate "latent opinion," bringing long-simmering public concerns to the surface and triggering society-wide demand for regulation. We discuss why Cambridge Analytica led to California privacy law, how Samsung's bribery scandal sparked Korea's Candlelight Protests, and why China's authoritarian approach to corporate malfeasance actually undermines trust. Culpepper, himself the Blavatnik Professor of Government at Oxford's Blavatnik School, acknowledges an uncomfortable truth. "I would say that QAnon was right," he admits, "and I was wrong." The specifics might have been fantasy, but the underlying suspicion about elite corruption was justified. And policy entrepreneurs—obsessive individuals who channel public outrage into actual legislation—matter more than we think. For Culpepper, billionaire backlash isn't a threat to democracy—it might actually be what saves it.   About the Guest Pepper Culpepper is Vice Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. He is the co-author, with Taeku Lee of Harvard, of Billionaire Backlash: The Age of Corporate Scandal and How It Could Save Democracy (2026). References Scandals discussed: ●      The Epstein scandal revealed that elites across politics, finance, and academia were connected to Jeffrey Epstein's network of abuse—vindicating populist suspicions that "the system is broken." ●      Cambridge Analytica (2018) exposed how Facebook leaked data on 90 million users, leading to the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act in the EU, and California's privacy regulations. ●      The Samsung bribery scandal in South Korea led to the Candlelight Protests and President Park Geun-hye's resignation, demonstrating how corporate scandals can strengthen civil society. ●      The 2008 Chinese milk scandal killed six infants due to melamine contamination; the government's cover-up during the Beijing Olympics destroyed public trust in domestic food safety. ●      Volkswagen's Dieselgate scandal showed how companies cheat on regulations, bringing latent concerns about corporate behavior to the surface. Policy entrepreneurs mentioned: ●      Carl Levin was a US Senator from Michigan who shepherded the Goldman Sachs hearings and contributed to the Dodd-Frank Act. ●      Margrethe Vestager served as EU Competition Commissioner and pushed for the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act. ●      Max Schrems is an Austrian privacy activist who, as a student, discovered Facebook retained his deleted messages and eventually brought down the US-EU data transfer agreement. ●      Alastair Mactaggart is a California property developer who pushed through the state's privacy regulations when federal action proved impossible. ●      Zhao Lianhai was a Chinese activist who tried to organize parents after the 2008 milk scandal; the government arrested and imprisoned him. Concepts discussed: ●      Latent opinion refers to concerns people hold in the back of their minds that aren't front-of-mind until a scandal brings them to the surface. ●      The Thermidor reference is to the French Revolutionary period when the radical Jacobins were overthrown—Culpepper suggests a controlled version might benefit democracy. ●      The muckrakers were Progressive Era journalists whose exposés led to reforms like the Food and Drug Administration. Also mentioned: ●      Michael Sandel is a Harvard political philosopher known for arguing that "there shouldn't be a price on everything." ●      Patrick Radden Keefe wrote Empire of Pain, the definitive account of the Sackler family and the opioid epidemic. ●      Lee Jae-yong is the heir apparent to Samsung, implicated in the bribery scandal. ●      Parasite, Squid Game, and No Other Choice are Korean cultural works that critique the country's relationship with its conglomerates. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States—hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,800 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting. Website Substack YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify   Chapters: (00:00) - (00:22) - The Epstein opportunity (01:21) - Elite overreach exposed (03:12) - Scandals without partisan charge (05:04) - The Vice Dean's credibility problem (06:21) - Latent opinion explained (09:39) - Is there anything wrong with being a billionaire? (11:47) - American vs. European scandals (14:48) - Saving democracy vs. saving capitalism (17:05) - Corporate scandals and economic vitality (18:33) - Policy entrepreneurs: Carl Levin and Margret...

    43 min
  2. Yes, It's Fascism: Jon Rauch on Trump and the F Word

    1D AGO

    Yes, It's Fascism: Jon Rauch on Trump and the F Word

    "You either need to call it fascism or you need to invent a new word with more or less the same meaning." — Jonathan Rauch Jonathan Rauch's viral Atlantic essay has reignited the debate over what to call the Trump administration. Having previously settled on "semi-fascist," Rauch now argues that Trump ticks all 18 boxes on his checklist of fascist characteristics — from the glorification of violence and territorial ambitions to Carl Schmitt's philosophy of "enemies, not adversaries." We spar over whether the term obscures more than it reveals: Is this really fascism, or just authoritarianism with American characteristics? The conversation sharpens around Minneapolis, where citizens were shot face down, and the government initially denied it happened. You don't do that to win votes, Rauch argues — you do it because you believe that's how the social contract should work. He predicts Trump will fail to turn America into a fascist country but warns that institutions like the newly expanded ICE will outlast this administration.   About the Guest Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing writer for The Atlantic. He is the author of nine books, including The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth (2021), Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy (2025), and Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought (1993). He received the 2005 National Magazine Award. References Thinkers discussed: ·      Carl Schmitt was a Nazi political theorist whose "friend-enemy distinction" argued that politics is fundamentally about identifying and crushing enemies, not managing disagreements with adversaries. ·      George Orwell wrote in his 1946 essay "Politics and the English Language" that "the word 'fascism' has now no meaning except insofar as it signifies something not desirable." ·      Hannah Arendt was a German-American political theorist and refugee from Nazi Germany whose book The Origins of Totalitarianism examined both Nazism and Stalinism, preferring "totalitarianism" to "fascism" as the more encompassing term. Historical figures: ·      Benito Mussolini invented the term "fascism" (from the Latin fasces, a bundle of rods symbolizing collective strength) and ruled Italy as dictator from 1922 to 1943. ·      Francisco Franco ruled Spain from 1939 to 1975. Whether he was truly a fascist or merely an authoritarian remains debated; he never got along well with Hitler and outlasted the fascist era by three decades. ·      Viktor Orbán is the prime minister of Hungary whose systematic capture of media, courts, and civil society has become known as the "Orbán playbook" — a template Rauch argues the Trump administration is following. Contemporary figures mentioned: ·      Stephen Miller is a senior advisor to Trump who declared that "force is the iron law of the world" and told progressives "you are nothing" at a memorial service where the widow of the deceased had just offered Christian forgiveness to an assassin. ·      Russell Vought is the director of the Office of Management and Budget, identified by Rauch as one of the younger ideologues building Trumpism into something more like a coherent ideology. ·      Chris Rufo is a conservative activist and culture war strategist who has employed what Rauch calls "revolutionary language" in his campaigns against universities and public institutions. Essays and books mentioned: ·      "Politics and the English Language" (1946) is Orwell's essay arguing that the corruption of language enables the corruption of politics, and that vague or meaningless words like "fascism" make clear thinking impossible. ·      The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951) is Hannah Arendt's study of Nazism and Stalinism as parallel forms of total domination, examining how mass movements, propaganda, and terror enable regimes to control entire societies. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States—hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,800 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting. Website Substack YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify   Chapters: (00:00) - (00:13) - The viral essay (02:10) - Why Rauch changed his mind (03:41) - Fascism vs. authoritarianism (05:54) - Carl Schmitt and "enemies not adversaries" (06:14) - Orwell on the word "fascism" (09:12) - Can old people be fascists? (11:51) - Blood and soil nationalism (14:14) - Minneapolis (17:51) - Kristallnacht comparisons (20:07) - The postmodern right (26:34) - Following the money (32:05) - ICE as paramilitary force

    41 min
  3. Californian True Crime: A Killing in Cannabis

    1D AGO

    Californian True Crime: A Killing in Cannabis

    "The black market exists only because we decided that this form of trade should be illegal." — Scott Eden In October 2019, tech executive Tushar Atre was abducted from his oceanfront home in Santa Cruz and found murdered on his own property in the redwoods — shot execution-style, hands bound. He had spent barely three years in the cannabis business. Scott Eden's new book traces how a charismatic Silicon Valley entrepreneur, seeking to "disrupt" the newly legal weed industry, found himself entangled with an array of colorful and dangerous characters — hippie do-gooders, black-market operators, and stone-cold killers. We discuss the permeable divide between legal and illegal cannabis, why the industry has been an economic disaster for most founders, and whether America's half-pregnant approach to legalization created the conditions for Tushar's death. A California story about ambition, love, and the darker edges of the American dream. About the Guest Scott Eden is an award-winning investigative journalist whose work has appeared in ESPN The Magazine, GQ, Wired, Inc., and The Atavist. His story "The Prosecution of Thabo Sefolosha" won a 2017 New York Press Club Award and a National Association of Black Journalists award for investigative reporting. He is the author of Touchdown Jesus (Simon & Schuster, 2005) and the new A Killing in Cannabis. References: People discussed: Tushar Atre — tech executive and cannabis entrepreneur; murdered October 1, 2019Rachael Lynch — cannabis grower from the Emerald Triangle; Atre's business partner and loverKen Kesey — author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; Merry Pranksters; La Honda cabin in the Santa Cruz MountainsSean Parker — Napster founder, early Facebook investor; bankrolled Proposition 64Travis Kalanick — Uber founder; comparison to Atre's brash, edge-seeking styleTony Hsieh — Zappos founder; tragic death; Silicon Valley hipster executive archetypePlaces: Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz — oceanfront neighborhood; famous surf break; Atre's homeEmerald Triangle — Humboldt, Mendocino, Trinity counties; America's cannabis heartlandLegal and historical: Proposition 64 (2016) — California ballot initiative legalizing recreational cannabisProposition 215 (1996) — earlier medical marijuana law; the "215 era"About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States—hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,800 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting. Website Substack YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Chapters: (00:13) - America's war on drugs (02:03) - The victim: Tushar Atre (05:27) - Prop 64 and the gold rush (08:15) - The counterculture connection (11:13) - The permeable divide (14:43) - Tech bros living on the edge (17:10) - Steve Jobs, Burning Man, and weed money (18:07) - The murder (20:06) - Rachael Lynch (22:39) - Economic collapse (25:31) - Half-pregnant prohibition (31:45) - The paranoia problem

    37 min
  4. Rage in the American Republic

    2D AGO

    Rage in the American Republic

    "We all love Thomas Paine. We just wish we liked him." — Jonathan Turley Jonathan Turley's new book asks a deceptively simple question: why did the American Revolution become the longest-running successful democracy while the French Revolution devoured itself? The answer, he argues, lies in Madison's "auxiliary precautions" — constitutional safeguards designed not to eliminate rage but to channel it. Turley draws a direct line from Robespierre to today's calls to pack the Supreme Court and abolish the Senate, warning that removing those precautions invites the same mobocracy that sent the Jacobins to the guillotine. But the real provocation comes in the book's second half: with AI and robotics threatening mass unemployment, America may soon face a "kept population" — citizens subsidized by the state who lose their vital relationship to productivity and self-governance. We discuss Thomas Paine (brilliant about humanity, clueless about humans), why rage itself isn't the enemy, and whether the republic built to handle the 18th century can survive the 21st. About the Guest Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University Law School. A legal analyst for CBS, NBC, BBC, and Fox News over three decades, he is the author of The Indispensable Right (a bestseller) and the new Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution. Chapters: 00:01:14 The uniqueness of the American RevolutionTwo revolutions, two outcomes; Thomas Paine and James Madison as the twin geniuses 00:03:53 Paine vs. Madison on democracyPaine wanted direct democracy; it nearly got him guillotined in France 00:05:54 Robespierre's transformationThe ACLU lawyer who came to believe "terror is virtue" 00:09:01 Thomas Paine: the penman of the revolutionFrom complete failure to revolutionary genius in two years 00:11:46 Slavery and the revolution's contradictionsWhy people preferred Jefferson to Paine 00:15:43 Franklin's greatest achievementSeeing something in "that heap of human wreckage" 00:18:07 What was unique about American rageNot the rage itself, but the system designed to handle it 00:25:08 The "New Jacobins"Calls to pack the Supreme Court and abolish the Senate 00:26:40 Rage on both sides"Your rage is righteous, their rage is dangerous" 00:30:47 AI and the "kept population"Mass unemployment and the citizen's relationship to the state 00:39:26 "Gynan" jobsHomocentric industries like psychiatry and education that AI can't replace 00:45:00 Why the American Republic is still the best modelDecentralization over EU-style centralization References Figures discussed: Thomas Paine — arrived in America "barely alive," became the penman of the revolution in two yearsJames Madison — designed the "auxiliary precautions" that prevented American democracy from devouring itselfBenjamin Franklin — paid for Paine's passage to America, saw genius in "that heap of human wreckage"Maximilien Robespierre — began as an advocate for due process, ended declaring "terror is virtue"Jean-Paul Marat — radical journalist, killed by Corday in his bathtub (he bathed constantly due to a skin disease)Charlotte Corday — Republican who assassinated Marat; Robespierre and Danton watched her executionGeorges Danton — joined the moderate Girondin wing; executed by the revolution he helped create Art: The Death of Marat (1793) — Jacques-Louis David's painting of Marat's assassination; David was himself a Jacobin Historical events: The Battle of Fort Wilson (1779) — Philadelphia mob attacked founder James Wilson's home; several killedThe Reign of Terror (1793–94) — nearly all Jacobin leaders guillotined, including Danton and Robespierre Books mentioned: The Wealth of Nations (1776) — Adam Smith; embraced by the founders as "the perfect companion to their political theory"The Federalist Papers (1787–88) — Hamilton, Madison, and JayAbout Keen On America Nobody asks more impertinent questions than the Anglo-American writer, filmmaker and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Andrew Keen. In Keen On America , Andrew brings his sharp Transatlantic wit to the forces reshaping the United States — hosting daily interviews with leading thinkers and writers about American history, politics, technology, culture, and business. With nearly 2,800 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting. Website Substack YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify

    47 min
  5. Documenting America: How to See Beyond the Algorithm

    4D AGO

    Documenting America: How to See Beyond the Algorithm

    "It may not be Mister Right YouTube, but it is Mister Right Now." — Erika Dilday On Super Bowl Sunday — with America celebrating its 250th anniversary — Erika Dilday joins to discuss the power of documentary film to cut through algorithmic noise and show us who we really are. As executive producer of POV, the longest-running documentary program on American television (now entering its 39th season), Dilday has spent her career championing first-person storytelling that platforms won't surface. She's also co-directing an upcoming series with Ken Burns, Emancipation to Exodus, exploring the period from the Civil War to the Great Migration. We discuss why algorithms limit discovery, whether AI can replicate human nuance, and what she learned from screening films at San Quentin. About the Guest Erika Dilday is the Executive Producer of POV, America's longest-running documentary series, now in its 39th season on PBS. She is co-directing Emancipation to Exodus with Ken Burns, a documentary series about the period from the end of the Civil War to the Great Migration, scheduled for PBS in 2027. Her father was the first Black television station manager in the United States. Chapters: 00:00:01 OpeningSuper Bowl Sunday, America's 250th, and Erika's prediction ("all Patriots all the way") 00:02:28 Emancipation to ExodusHer collaboration with Ken Burns on the period from Civil War to Great Migration (PBS, 2027) 00:05:09 Her father's legacyThe first Black TV station manager in the United States; "Those who want change don't have the luxury of being comfortable" 00:06:23 Documentary as truth and artWhat distinguishes film from news; Hoop Dreams and the power of immersive storytelling 00:08:21 POV's mission39 seasons, Tongues Untied, and stories that wouldn't be told elsewhere 00:11:27 PBS and the culture warsPressures on public broadcasting, the need for alternative distribution 00:15:47 YouTube: Mister Right NowNot the ideal platform, but the only one for democratic distribution 00:17:38 San Quentin Film FestivalIncarcerated audiences engaging deeply with documentary 00:20:06 Media consolidationTime Warner, Netflix, Paramount; indie platforms like Mubi and Ovid 00:21:49 Algorithms and discoveryPlatforms suggest what they think you want, not what might stretch your thinking 00:24:47 AI vs. human nuance"It can be imitated, but it's not going to be replicated" 00:27:26 Oscar picksThe Perfect Neighbor (2025) (Netflix) and Cutting Through Rocks (2025) (the sleeper) References: POVHoop Dreams (1994) — documentary about two Chicago high school students dreaming of NBA careersTongues Untied (1989) — Marlon Riggs' documentary on Black gay identity in America (POV Season 4)Salesman (1968) — Maysles Brothers documentary following door-to-door Bible salesmenThe Perfect Neighbor (2025) — Geeta Gandbhir's documentary about a killing in Florida, told through body cam footage (Netflix)Cutting Through Rocks (2025) — Sara Khaki and Mohammad Reza Eyni's documentary about a female elected official and motorcycle rider in IranSan Quentin Film Festival — the first film festival ever held inside a U.S. prison, celebrating incarcerated and formerly incarcerated filmmakersIndependent platforms mentioned: Mubi, Ovid, Jolt About Keen On America Keen On America is a daily podcast hosted by Andrew Keen, the Anglo-American writer and Silicon Valley insider. Every day, Andrew brings his uniquely transatlantic and eclectic eye to the forces reshaping the United States — interviewing leading thinkers and writers about American politics, technology, culture, and democracy. With nearly 2,800 episodes, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in podcasting history. Website: KeenOn.TV Substack: keenon.substack.com YouTube: youtube.com/@KeenOnShow Apple Podcasts: Keen On America Spotify: Keen On America

    33 min
  6. Whoosh! That Really Was a Week in Tech: Winner-Take-All AI and the $1 Trillion Selloff

    4D AGO

    Whoosh! That Really Was a Week in Tech: Winner-Take-All AI and the $1 Trillion Selloff

    "I didn't use my own software this week because the OpenAI agents were better. And that's me retiring my own software." — Keith Teare Something broke this week. Both Anthropic and OpenAI launched multi-agent systems—"agent swarms"—that don't just assist with tasks but replace custom-built software entirely. The market noticed: Adobe, Salesforce, Workday, and other legacy SaaS companies saw their stocks collapse in what some are calling a trillion-dollar selloff. Keith Teare joins Andrew Keen on Super Bowl weekend to unpack what may be the most consequential week in AI since ChatGPT launched. The conversation ranges from the Anthropic-OpenAI advertising spat (Dario Amodei's Super Bowl ad vs. Sam Altman's "online tantrum") to the deeper structural shifts: Microsoft and Amazon becoming utilities, Google betting $185 billion on an AI-first pivot, and Elon Musk merging SpaceX with xAI to put data centers in space. Along the way, Teare and Keen debate whether the AI race is a myth or a wacky race, whether venture capital is in crisis, and what happens to human labor when agents do the work. About the Guest Keith Teare is a British-American entrepreneur, investor, and technology analyst. He co-founded RealNames Corporation, a pioneering internet company, and later served as Executive Chairman of TechCrunch. He is the founder of That Was The Week and SignalRank, and publishes a widely-read weekly newsletter on technology, venture capital, and the business of innovation. He brings four decades of experience in Silicon Valley to his analysis of the AI revolution. Chapters:00:00 Super Bowl and the Anthropic ad The spat between Dario Amodei and Sam Altman 01:09 "Fundamentally dishonest" Keith's take on the ad war and who's really Dick Dastardly 05:47 Anthropic's breakout week Claude Opus 4.6 and the agent swarm launch 06:48 OpenAI Codex Multiple agents collaborating on tasks in 10-15 minutes 07:42 "It replaces software" Keith retires his own custom-built tools 08:16 The trillion-dollar selloff Adobe, Salesforce, Workday, PayPal collapse 11:02 Infrastructure vs. innovation Microsoft and Amazon become "utilities" 11:45 Google's $185 billion bet Pivoting from hybrid to AI-first 13:15 The SpaceX/xAI merger Musk's plan for space-based data centers 15:18 The AI wacky race Kimi, OpenAI, Anthropic leapfrog Google 17:03 Does AI make us smarter? Leverage tools, not intelligence 18:53 AI growing up, CEOs not The adolescence of the industry 21:06 US job openings hit five-year low The coming labor crisis 22:44 The VC crisis Five funds sucking the air out of the room 25:04 Palantir and Anduril The winners in defense AI 25:42 Facebook as laggard Huge revenues, no AI momentum 26:41 The Washington Post crisis "Boogeyman journalism" and partisan media 29:23 Ads in AI Paid links vs. enshittification 31:26 Spotify's innovation Physical book + audiobook bundle 32:32 Startup of the week Cursor for CRM, $20M from Sequoia 33:45 Om Malik on the end of software distribution From CDs to app stores to self-made 35:41 Super Bowl prediction Seattle vs. New England 36:02 Closing "That really was the week in tech" Links & References Mentioned in this episode: That Was The Week newsletter by Keith Teare Anthropic's Super Bowl ad and ad-free pledge (CNBC) Sam Altman's response to Anthropic ads (TechCrunch) SpaceX acquires xAI in $1.25 trillion merger (CNBC) The Washington Post layoffs and crisis (Poynter) Om Malik on the evolution of software distribution OpenAI Codex app launch (OpenAI) About Keen On America Nobody asks more impertinent questions than the Anglo-American writer, filmmaker and SiliconValley entrepreneur Andrew Keen. In Keen On America , Andrew brings his sharp Transatlanticwit to the forces reshaping the United States — hosting daily interviews with leading thinkersand writers about American history, politics, technology, culture, and business. With nearly2,800 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the mostprolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting.Website | Substack | YouTube

    37 min
  7. Catching More Than Passes From Bobby: Stephen Schlesinger on what RFK Can Still Teach America

    5D AGO

    Catching More Than Passes From Bobby: Stephen Schlesinger on what RFK Can Still Teach America

    What kind of leadership can hold a fractured democracy together? About the Guest Stephen Schlesinger is an American historian, author, and foreign policy analyst. The son of Arthur Schlesinger Jr.—Pulitzer Prize–winning historian and special assistant to President John F. Kennedy—and grandson of Arthur Schlesinger Sr., he grew up at the centre of one of America's most distinguished intellectual families. Schlesinger is the author of Act of Creation: The Founding of the United Nations, and has written widely on American foreign policy and international institutions. He knew both John and Robert Kennedy personally, and brings a rare insider perspective to the history of American liberalism. About This Episode "He went around the table asking us, 'Do you still believe in God?' — this was 1967, he was already being considered for the presidency. Why would a man of this intensity and ambition be talking about these issues?" - Stephen Schlesinger After two days exploring the surveillance state and the ethics of unmasking—with Andrew Guthrie Ferguson on how your data will be used against you and Christopher Mathias on the fight to expose the radical right—Andrew Keen steps back to ask a larger question: What kind of leadership can hold a fractured democracy together? Stephen Schlesinger joins the show from the Upper West Side of New York to offer a historian's perspective—and a personal one. From his father's role in Camelot to his own memories of playing touch football with Bobby Kennedy at Hickory Hill, Schlesinger reflects on what made the Kennedy brothers effective leaders in a divided country, and what lessons their example holds for progressives today. The conversation moves from the founding of the republic (one-third pro-British) through the Civil War to the present fracture, and asks whether elections remain democracy's "great solver"—or whether something has fundamentally changed. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction On the road in New York, beside Columbia University 01:10 What Has Happened to America? Schlesinger’s 250-year view of national fracture 03:40 The One-Third Fracture Why a leader with minority support cannot impose ideology on 330 million 05:15 Elections as the Great Solver Except for the Civil War, the ballot box has resolved every American crisis 07:30 An Intellectual Aristocracy Harvard, the Schlesinger legacy, and the view from inside the American elite 10:45 The Romance of Camelot Meeting JFK, the magnetism of youth, and the television presidency 14:20 Bobby’s Vulnerability The dinner where RFK asked, “Do you still believe in God?” 17:45 Touch Football at Hickory Hill Bobby’s toughness and the bullet pass Schlesinger had to catch 20:30 Jackie vs. Hickory Hill Two styles of Kennedy parenting 22:15 Composed Jack, Emotional Bobby Arthur Schlesinger Jr.’s perspective on the two brothers 24:40 The Assassinations The White House, Lyndon Johnson’s motorcade, and the bar exam Schlesinger failed 28:15 Could Bobby Have Won? Humphrey, the nomination, and what might have been 30:30 The Kennedys and Internationalism From Joe Kennedy’s isolationism to JFK’s UN vision and RFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis 34:00 Chris Matthews and the Bobby Kennedy CenentaryLessons for Today 36:30 The Perpetual Civic Duty Why each generation must defend constitutional freedoms anew 38:45 Closing Advice to grandchildren and the enduring fight for democracy Links & References Mentioned in this episode: Act of Creation: The Founding of the United Nations by Stephen SchlesingerA Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House by Arthur Schlesinger Jr.Robert Kennedy: His Life by Evan ThomasBobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit by Chris MatthewsThe Power and the Glory by Graham Greene — the novel Bobby Kennedy mentioned reading at a 1967 dinner Schlesinger attendedWhy England Slept by John F. Kennedy (1940)Previous episode: Andrew Guthrie Ferguson on Your Data Will Be Used Against You (Episode 2794)About Keen On America Nobody asks more impertinent questions than the Anglo-American writer, filmmaker and SiliconValley entrepreneur Andrew Keen. In Keen On America , Andrew brings his sharp Transatlanticwit to the forces reshaping the United States — hosting daily interviews with leading thinkersand writers about American history, politics, technology, culture, and business. With nearly2,800 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the mostprolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting.Website | Substack | YouTube

    49 min
  8. Your Data Will Be Used Against You: Andrew Guthrie Ferguson on Policing in the Age of Self-Surveillance

    6D AGO

    Your Data Will Be Used Against You: Andrew Guthrie Ferguson on Policing in the Age of Self-Surveillance

    A man was convicted by his own heartbeat — and that's just the beginning of our digital dystopia. About the Guest Andrew Guthrie Ferguson is Professor of Law at George Washington University Law School and a national expert on surveillance technologies, policing, and criminal justice. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and the author of the PROSE Award–winning The Rise of Big Data Policing. His new book, Your Data Will Be Used Against You: Policing in the Age of Self-Surveillance (NYU Press, March 2026), examines how smart devices and digital surveillance are transforming criminal prosecution — and what the law must do to catch up. About This Episode Following yesterday’s conversation with Christopher Mathias about doxxing and the ethics of unmasking, Andrew Keen turns to the legal side of the same question: what happens when the data we generate about ourselves becomes evidence? Andrew Guthrie Ferguson joins the show from Washington, D.C. to discuss his new book — a deeply researched investigation into how pacemakers, smartphones, smart cars, and doorbell cameras are being used to convict people in court, and why the law has almost nothing to say about it. The conversation moves from a man convicted by his own heartbeat to AI-powered real-time crime centres, from Eric Schmidt’s infamous privacy defence to masked ICE agents in Minneapolis, and from Bentham’s panopticon to Ferguson’s proposed “tyrant test” — a framework for designing data protections by imagining the worst leader with access to your most intimate information. Chapters:00:00 Introduction: Digital privacy and unmasking The theme of digital privacy and what it means to be unmasked in a data-driven world 01:25 Meet Andrew Guthrie Ferguson Introducing the guest and his new book on privacy, surveillance, and the law 02:10 The Dual-Edged Sword of Digital Devices How our everyday devices expose everyone and the complicated trade-offs that creates 03:40 From “Don’t Be Ashamed” to Privacy Nuance The shift from early Silicon Valley privacy optimism to a more complex reality 04:45 Regulating Government, Not Google Ferguson’s focus on keeping personal data out of court rather than off corporate servers 05:55 The Pacemaker Data Court Case How personal medical device data was used as evidence in a criminal trial 07:30 Convicted by His Own Heartbeat An arson and insurance fraud case where heart-rate data contradicted the suspect’s story 09:40 Google’s Three-Part Warrant System How tech companies helped shape rules for law enforcement access to location data 11:15 The Fourth Amendment Digital Gap What reasonable expectations of privacy mean in the modern digital environment 12:45 Digital Privileges and Intimate Data Whether certain types of personal data should be legally protected like confidential relationships 14:20 Surveillance Battles on the Ground Protests, law enforcement, and the evolving intelligence dynamic in Minneapolis 16:05 “Just Doing Our Job” and State Surveillance The common defence of surveillance practices and why it remains controversial 18:10 The Texas Drone Fleet Drones as first responders and the expansion of aerial policing technology 20:45 Real-Time Crime Centers and Mass Cameras Integrated camera networks, data fusion, and the lack of clear oversight 22:50 The Tyrant Test for Privacy Laws Designing privacy protections assuming the worst possible leader has access to the data 25:15 AI Supercharges Surveillance How artificial intelligence turns ordinary cameras into powerful tracking tools 27:30 AI-Assisted Police Reports Using body-camera audio and AI tools to generate reports and the implications for justice 29:10 No Turning Back From Technology Why abandoning digital tools isn’t realistic and why new laws may be needed instead 31:15 Closing: Every Smart Device Is Surveillance The idea that modern connected devices inherently function as surveillance tools Links & References Mentioned in this episode: Your Data Will Be Used Against You — NYU PressAndrew Guthrie Ferguson — GW Law School faculty pagePerplexity for Public Safety — free AI tool for law enforcementPrevious episode: Christopher Mathias on To Catch a Fascist (Episode 2793)Carpenter v. United States (2018) — Supreme Court ruling on cell-site location data and the Fourth Amendment About Keen On America Nobody asks more impertinent questions than the Anglo-American writer, filmmaker and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Andrew Keen. In Keen On America , Andrew brings his sharp Transatlantic wit to the forces reshaping the United States — hosting daily interviews with leading thinkersand writers about American history, politics, technology, culture, and business. With nearly 2,800 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting.Website | Substack | YouTube

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About

Nobody asks sharper or more impertinent questions than Andrew Keen. In KEEN ON, Andrew cross-examines the world’s smartest people on politics, economics, history, the environment, and tech. If you want to make sense of our complex world, check out the daily questions and the answers on KEEN ON. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best-known technology and politics broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running show How To Fix Democracy and the author of four critically acclaimed books about the future, including the international bestselling CULT OF THE AMATEUR. Keen On is free to listen to and will remain so. If you want to stay up-to-date on new episodes and support the show, please subscribe to Andrew Keen’s Substack. Paid subscribers will soon be able to access exclusive content from our new series Keen On America – keenon.substack.com

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  • Creator
    Andrew Keen
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Andrew Keen
  • Show Website
    Keen On America

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