35. David Epstein Knows Something About Almost Everything

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1. 

   E40 · 19 Sep 2026 · 46 min

   40. Harold Pollack on Why Managing Your Money is as Easy as Taking Out the Garbage

   He argues that personal finance is so simple all you need to know can fit on an index card. How will he deal with Steve’s suggestion that Harold’s nine rules for managing money are overly complicated? Harold and Steve also talk about gun violence — a topic Harold researches as a public-policy professor at the University of Chicago — and they propose some radical ideas for reducing it. This episode originally aired on August 13th, 2021.

2. 

   E39 · 12 Sep 2026 · 49 min

   39. Aicha Evans Wants You to Take Your Eyes Off the Road

   She’s the C.E.O. of Zoox, an autonomous vehicle company. Steve asks Aicha about the big promises the A.V. industry hasn’t yet delivered — and the radical bet Zoox is making on a driverless future. Plus, Steve wants to know how she’s maintained her spark. This episode originally aired on August 6th, 2021.

3. 

   E38 · 5 Sep 2026 · 37 min

   38. Sendhil Mullainathan Explains How to Generate an Idea a Minute (Part 2)

   Steve continues his conversation with his good friend, MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, and fellow University of Chicago economist. Sendhil breaks down the hypothesis of his book Scarcity, explains why machines aren’t competition for human intelligence, and tells Steve why it’s important to appreciate other people’s good ideas before developing your own. This episode originally aired on July 30th, 2026.

4. 

   E37 · 29 Aug 2026 · 51 min

   37. Sendhil Mullainathan Thinks Messing Around Is the Best Use of Your Time

   He’s a professor of computation and behavioral science at the University of Chicago, MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, and author. Steve and Sendhil laugh their way through a conversation about the importance of play, the benefits of change, and why we remember so little about the books we’ve read — and how Sendhil’s new app solves this problem. This episode originally aired on July 23rd, 2021.

5. 

   E36 · 22 Aug 2026 · 42 min

   36. How Rahm Emanuel Would Run the World

   In this interview, Steve talks with the former top adviser to presidents Clinton and Obama, about his record — and his reputation. And Rahm explains that while he believes in the power of the federal government, as former mayor of Chicago, he says that cities are where problems really get solved. This episode originally aired on March 2, 2020 on Freakonomics Radio, and again on July 16th, 2021st on People I Mostly Admire.

6. 

   E34 · 8 Aug 2026 · 45 min

   34. Maya Shankar Is Changing People’s Behavior — and Her Own

   She used to run a behavioral unit in the Obama administration, and now has a similar role at Google. Maya and Steve talk about the power (and limits) of behavioral economics and also how people respond to change — the topic of her new podcast A Slight Change of Plans. This episode originally aired on July 2nd, 2021.

7. 

   E33 · 1 Aug 2026 · 45 min

   33. Travis Tygart Is Coming for Cheaters — Just Ask Lance Armstrong

   He’s the C.E.O. of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which, under his charge, exposed the most celebrated American cyclist as a cheater. And Steve’s been studying cheaters for the last 25 years, so he’s also excited to talk to Travis about the incentives to cheat and the advances in testing technology — and offers his services as an anti-doping data detective for the sport of horse racing. This episode originally aired on June 25th, 2021.

8. 

   E32 · 25 Jul 2026 · 51 min

   32. Angela Duckworth Explains How to Manage Your Goal Hierarchy

   She’s the author of the bestselling book Grit, and a University of Pennsylvania professor of psychology — a field Steve says he knows nothing about. But once Angela gives Steve a quick tutorial on “goal conflict,” he is suddenly a fan. They also talk parenting, self-esteem, and how easy it is to learn econometrics if you feel like it. This episode originally aired June 18, 2021.

9. 

   E31 · 18 Jul 2026 · 46 min

   31. Peter Leeson on Why Trial-by-Fire Wasn’t Barbaric and Why Pirates Were Democratic

   He’s an economist who studies even weirder things than Steve. They discuss whether economics is the best of the social sciences, and why it’s a good idea to get a tattoo of a demand curve on your bicep. This episode originally aired on June 11th, 2021.

10. 

    E30 · 11 Jul 2026 · 44 min

    30. Dambisa Moyo Says Foreign Aid Can’t Solve Problems, but Maybe Corporations Can

    The African-born economist has written four bestselling books, including Dead Aid, which Bill Gates described as “promoting evil.” In her new book about corporate boards, Dambisa uses her experience with global corporations to explore how they can better meet society’s demands. And she explains to Steve why, even as a Harvard and Oxford-educated economist, her goal in life might sound “a little bit like a Miss America pageant.” This episode originally aired on June 4th, 2021.