In a special episode of Better Offline, Ed Zitron is joined by writers Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz of the New Yorker to talk about their massive investigation into Sam Altman, his ouster from OpenAI, and the consequences of trusting Silicon Valley with the future.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/13/sam-altman-may-control-our-future-can-he-be-trusted 

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---

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Email Me: ez@betteroffline.com

In a special episode of Better Offline, Ed Zitron is joined by writers Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz of the New Yorker to talk about their massive investigation into Sam Altman, his ouster from OpenAI, and the consequences of trusting Silicon Valley with the future. <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/13/sam-altman-may-control-our-future-can-he-be-trusted">https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/13/sam-altman-may-control-our-future-can-he-be-trusted</a>&nbsp; Save $10 off a year of my premium newsletter: <a href="https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/gzqwkv54e1">https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/gzqwkv54e1</a>&nbsp;- I&rsquo;d be so grateful!
YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to&nbsp;<a href="https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline">https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline</a> and use code&nbsp;FREE99 for free shipping on orders of $99 or more.&nbsp;Buy our new &ldquo;FUCK DATA CENTERS&rdquo; shirts today!
---
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Better Offline is a weekly show exploring the tech industry’s influence and manipulation of society - and interrogating the growth-at-all-costs future that tech’s elite wants to build. 

Combining narrative-form storytelling, one-on-one interviews and panel-based discussions, Better Offline cuts through the buzzwords and obfuscation of the tech industry, investigating and evaluating the schemes and scams of everyone from cryptocurrency scumbags to the greediest of the venture capital elite. Tech industry veteran Ed Zitron and a dynamic coterie of guests will help listeners understand the who, how and why of how tech’s most powerful players are changing the world - for better or for worse.

Better Offline is a weekly show exploring the tech industry’s influence and manipulation of society - and interrogating the growth-at-all-costs future that tech’s elite wants to build. 
Combining narrative-form storytelling, one-on-one interviews and panel-based discussions, Better Offline cuts through the buzzwords and obfuscation of the tech industry, investigating and evaluating the schemes and scams of everyone from cryptocurrency scumbags to the greediest of the venture capital elite. Tech industry veteran Ed Zitron and a dynamic coterie of guests will help listeners understand the who, how and why of how tech’s most powerful players are changing the world - for better or for worse.

Better Offline

Better Offline is a weekly show exploring the tech industry’s influence and manipulation of society - and interrogating the growth-at-all-costs future that tech’s elite wants to build.



Combining narrative-form storytelling, one-on-one interviews and panel-based discussions, Better Offline cuts through the buzzwords and obfuscation of the tech industry, investigating and evaluating the schemes and scams of everyone from cryptocurrency scumbags to the greediest of the venture capital elite. Tech industry veteran Ed Zitron and a dynamic coterie of guests will help listeners understand the who, how and why of how tech’s most powerful players are changing the world - for better or for worse.

Better Offline is a weekly show exploring the tech industry’s influence and manipulation of society - and interrogating the growth-at-all-costs future that tech’s elite wants to build.
 
Combining narrative-form storytelling, one-on-one interviews and panel-based discussions, Better Offline cuts through the buzzwords and obfuscation of the tech industry, investigating and evaluating the schemes and scams of everyone from cryptocurrency scumbags to the greediest of the venture capital elite. Tech industry veteran Ed Zitron and a dynamic coterie of guests will help listeners understand the who, how and why of how tech’s most powerful players are changing the world - for better or for worse.

Investigating Altman With Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0ddab879-1ff9-42ef-8994-b426001e1383/transcript

On this week’s Better Offline, Ed Zitron digs into Palantir’s 22-point manifesto with Caleb and June from Kill The Computer.

The Manifesto: https://x.com/PalantirTech/status/2045574398573453312 

Caleb and June
https://bsky.app/profile/birdrespecter.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/killthecomputer.com

https://bsky.app/profile/junlper.beer

https://x.com/canteverdie

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YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and use code FREE99 for free shipping on orders of $99 or more.

---

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Email Me: ez@betteroffline.com

On this week&rsquo;s Better Offline, Ed Zitron digs into Palantir&rsquo;s 22-point manifesto with Caleb and June from Kill The Computer. The Manifesto: <a href="https://x.com/PalantirTech/status/2045574398573453312">https://x.com/PalantirTech/status/2045574398573453312</a>&nbsp; Caleb and June <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/birdrespecter.bsky.social">https://bsky.app/profile/birdrespecter.bsky.social</a>
<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/killthecomputer.com">https://bsky.app/profile/killthecomputer.com</a>
<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/junlper.beer">https://bsky.app/profile/junlper.beer</a>
<a href="https://x.com/canteverdie">https://x.com/canteverdie</a>
Please support me by subscribing to my premium newsletter - here&rsquo;s $10 off your first year of annual&nbsp;<a href="https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/84rt762qen">https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/84rt762qen</a>&nbsp;
YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to&nbsp;<a href="https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline">https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline</a> and use code&nbsp;FREE99 for free shipping on orders of $99 or more.
---
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Email Me: <a href="mailto:ez@betteroffline.com">ez@betteroffline.com</a>

Palantir's Manifesto with June and Caleb from KTC

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d0b49030-54f9-4bc5-934f-b43a013cc9e3/transcript

In this week's Better Offline monologue, Ed Zitron runs through how OpenAI must grow its revenue by 1000% in the next three years and raise at least another $200 billion for it to be able to pay its compute deals with Oracle and other providers, and how Oracle dies if OpenAI fails to pay its bills.

This week’s free newsletter: https://www.wheresyoured.at/four-horsemen-of-the-aipocalypse/ 

Premium newsletter out later today - How OpenAI Kills Oracle - save $10 off a year of my premium newsletter: https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/gzqwkv54e1

YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and use code FREE99 for free shipping on orders of $99 or more.

---

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Email Me: ez@betteroffline.com

In this week's Better Offline monologue, Ed Zitron runs through how OpenAI must grow its revenue by 1000% in the next three years and raise at least another $200 billion for it to be able to pay its compute deals with Oracle and other providers, and how Oracle dies if OpenAI fails to pay its bills. This week&rsquo;s free newsletter: <a href="https://www.wheresyoured.at/four-horsemen-of-the-aipocalypse/">https://www.wheresyoured.at/four-horsemen-of-the-aipocalypse/</a>&nbsp; Premium newsletter out later today - How OpenAI Kills Oracle - save $10 off a year of my premium newsletter: <a href="https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/gzqwkv54e1">https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/gzqwkv54e1</a>
YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to&nbsp;<a href="https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline">https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline</a> and use code&nbsp;FREE99 for free shipping on orders of $99 or more.
---
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Monologue: How OpenAI Kills Oracle

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a6fe2a7c-d70e-4315-b8c5-b4350132f051/transcript

In this week’s Better Offline, Ed is joined by computer science professor and writer Cal Newport to talk about the Claude Mythos marketing scam, the lies around AI job loss, and why LLMs shouldn’t talk like they’re people.

Please support me by subscribing to my premium newsletter - here’s $10 off your first year of annual https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/84rt762qen 

Podcast & Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@CalNewportMedia/

Newsletter: https://calnewport.com

New Yorker archive: https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/cal-newport

YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and use code FREE99 for free shipping on orders of $99 or more. Buy our new “FUCK DATA CENTERS” shirts today!

---

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Email Me: ez@betteroffline.com

In this week&rsquo;s Better Offline, Ed is joined by computer science professor and writer Cal Newport to talk about the Claude Mythos marketing scam, the lies around AI job loss, and why LLMs shouldn&rsquo;t talk like they&rsquo;re people. Please support me by subscribing to my premium newsletter - here&rsquo;s $10 off your first year of annual <a href="https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/84rt762qen">https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/84rt762qen</a>&nbsp; Podcast &amp; Videos:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@CalNewportMedia/">https://www.youtube.com/@CalNewportMedia/</a>
Newsletter: <a href="https://calnewport.com">https://calnewport.com</a>
New Yorker archive: <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/cal-newport">https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/cal-newport</a>
YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to&nbsp;<a href="https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline">https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline</a> and use code&nbsp;FREE99 for free shipping on orders of $99 or more.&nbsp;Buy our new &ldquo;FUCK DATA CENTERS&rdquo; shirts today!
---
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Cal Newport on Mythos and Anthropomorphization

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b715c797-bdc2-435b-90a9-b4330138b387/transcript

Investigating Altman With Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz

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