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Today, the Freakonomics Radio Network launches a new podcast, Sudhir Breaks the Internet, adding to its growing slate of hugely popular podcasts exploring “the hidden side of everything.” Hosted by Columbia sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh, the podcast offers an insider’s look at the problems and promises of our digital world.
Venkatesh, after dedicating most of his professional life to studying the urban underworld — gangs, sex workers, gun runners — took a detour into the hard-to access corridors of Silicon Valley. He spent three years at Facebook (2017-2019) leading a team combating bullying and misinformation and then two at Twitter (2019-2021) managing a team of researchers who were responsible for cleaning up the platform and providing a safe user experience. Sudhir Breaks the Internet will draw from Venkatesh’s experience and connections to interview the people who are building and running the digital world, digging deep into their motivations and challenging their priorities.
“There’s plenty of reporting about the tech industry and what people think it does well or does poorly, but there’s very little about ‘who,’ ‘how,’ and ‘why,’” Venkatesh says. “Why do things go wrong — or even, why do they go right? Who is building the tools and platforms we work with every day? How can these tech companies with seemingly infinite resources face so many challenges — and make so many mistakes?”
The first episode went live today across all podcast platforms. It kicks off a three-part miniseries exploring the role that tech companies played in the events surrounding the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, and where we are headed in the future. The subsequent episodes will drop April 19 and 26. Listen to Sudhir Breaks the Internet here and on all podcast platforms: https://freakonomics.com/sudhir-breaks-the-internet/
ABOUT FREAKONOMICS RADIO NETWORK
The Freakonomics Radio Network produces Freakonomics Radio, No Stupid Questions,People I (Mostly) Admire, and Sudhir Breaks the Internet. Freakonomics Radio is one of the most enduring and popular podcasts in the world, with an archive going back 11 years. No Stupid Questions launched in May of 2020, People I (Mostly) Admire launched in August of 2020, and Sudhir Breaks the Internet launched in April of 2021. In 2020, podcasts from the Freakonomics Radio Network had over 100 million downloads. The Freakonomics Radio Network will announce additional podcasts in spring 2021.
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