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After recording about 90 episodes of “Onerous Fork,” a weekly New York Occasions podcast about expertise and enterprise, life is far the identical for its hosts, Kevin Roose and Casey Newton. That’s, apart from the occasional encounter with a fan, which is a brand new and typically startling expertise for them.
“Simply final night time, I used to be having dinner with two pals visiting from out of city,” Mr. Newton stated. “As I used to be getting back from the toilet, a person stopped me. At first, I assumed I had met him earlier than as a result of I mainly have face blindness. However then it emerged that he acknowledged me from our YouTube channel.”
For the reason that podcast’s first episode in October 2022, Mr. Roose and Mr. Newton have mentioned and debated matters together with the looming TikTok ban by U.S. lawmakers, Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter and the professionals and cons of digital companionship. They’ve interviewed company resembling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and Sam Altman, a co-founder of OpenAI.
Alongside the best way, Mr. Roose and Mr. Newton have tinkered with the podcast’s format, inviting listeners to ship of their questions, for instance. However their mission has remained the identical: to tell and entertain.
In an interview, Mr. Newton and Mr. Roose shared their targets for the way forward for the podcast and their dream company. These are edited excerpts.
How did you two first meet?
CASEY NEWTON My reminiscence of first assembly Kevin was that I had been invited to a celebration for his e-book “Younger Cash” on the house of Evelyn Rusli, who’s a former Occasions reporter. I bear in mind strolling in and being so aggravated that he was youthful than me and already on his second e-book. I don’t even actually bear in mind the encounter. I’m certain I stated hello. I might simply frequently run into Kevin over time, and we developed a friendship.
KEVIN ROOSE I used to be a subscriber and large fan of Casey’s e-newsletter, Platformer, which is a must-read out right here in Silicon Valley. Platformer is superb and in addition fairly critical, overlaying matters like content material moderation and tech laws. I additionally knew Casey had this different aspect to him. I knew that he had carried out improv comedy. I knew that he was very humorous, sharp and fast-thinking, and that he was simply plenty of enjoyable to speak about these items with. So I puzzled, “Might the one who writes this essential, very critical e-newsletter even be my podcast co-host?”
“Onerous Fork” is sort of two years outdated. What has been listeners’ suggestions to this point?
NEWTON The standard e-mail says that we use the phrase “like” an excessive amount of, there’s too many “ums,” an excessive amount of vocal fry. They ask why we speak about synthetic intelligence a lot.
ROOSE Casey is sandbagging. We get the very best suggestions of any challenge I’ve ever labored on in my profession as a journalist. We hear from lots of people who’ve actually good and sensible concepts. It is rather humbling to work on a present by which your listeners are smarter than you and have Ph.D.s in molecular biology or are A.I. researchers.
What’s the best problem of constructing the podcast?
NEWTON Moreover Kevin’s persona? The toughest factor is that typically there aren’t three issues I wish to speak about in an episode. There are plenty of tech reveals on the market with this consensus by committee, like, “These are the three most necessary tales of the week and we’re going to speak about them it doesn’t matter what, even when we don’t really feel like we’ve got a powerful viewpoint.” Kevin and I actually attempt not to do this. We attempt to lead the podcast the place our personal curiosities go and solely speak about stuff the place we’ve got one thing to say.
What are your targets for the way forward for “Onerous Fork”?
NEWTON I wish to be sure that the present continues to really feel shocking and ingenious. One in all my unique ideas for “Onerous Fork” was that it ought to really feel like “The Value Is Proper” by way of video games and segments. You by no means know which segments or video games are going to seem in a given week. Proper now, we’re kicking round concepts on different kinds of segments that belong within the present and would really feel at house with what we do and in addition allow us to discover extra creatively. We wish to develop the viewers. We wish to be the largest tech present on the planet.
ROOSE I wish to be the largest present on the planet, not only a tech present. I need Joe Rogan to kneel earlier than us. That’s my aim.
Who’s your dream visitor?
NEWTON It’s attention-grabbing as a result of so most of the large names wind up not being wonderful interviews. However I’ll say that Sarah Jessica Parker responded to me on Threads and stated that she was a fan of the present. If we might get her to come back on the present, that may be a dream.
ROOSE Once we began the present, we truly we had a giant record of dream company. I checked out it the opposite day and we’ve got interviewed plenty of them, so I really feel very proud of that. I might like to be invited on a ketamine bender with Elon Musk and interview him below the affect.
What’s your favourite factor about working collectively?
NEWTON Kevin was really the one individual I needed to do a podcast with. There’s one thing about the best way that he talks that’s so aligned with me. Kevin and I see eye to eye on a staggering variety of issues. Though our factors of view are typically totally different on points, we see the world in the identical approach. So there’s consolation about entering into the studio with him.
ROOSE That’s the nicest factor you’ve ever stated to me.
NEWTON OK, don’t use any of that.
ROOSE Casey is a superb journalist and a great good friend. He’s the funniest individual I do know, and he has an unusually robust ethical compass. It has been actually spectacular to me how Casey has not deserted his moral core within the pursuit of journalistic excellence. He’s nonetheless actually pushed by precept. I’m not going to say that’s uncommon, as a result of plenty of journalists are, however I really feel like he’s an particularly robust instance of that.