Hard Fork

I recommend this podcast. I love listening to these guys. They are funny, informative, and I feel wiser about technology and AI. It feels like a conversation I would have with friends. Thank you for such good quality. I have recommended it to my friends.

I really love Hard Fork! Casey and Kevin have great rapport, keep me laughing (12 days of Hard Fork was classic!) and give a serious read of tech: they have well-reasoned perspectives and are neither fanboys nor neo-luddites. Plus they get a lot of A-list guests from the tech industry. As someone involved in Big Tech and GenAI myself, I think they’re doing a fantastic job covering the latest with an unmatched !combo of fun and information

Love the podcasters banter. They strike a good balance between liking their subject matter (technology) and being skeptical of their claims. Highly recommend

This is the one podcast. I listened to every week without fail. The topics are timely. The hosts are entertaining and have a great rapport, and they get great access given their positions. It’s not too heavy and it’s typically upbeat, which I enjoy in mainstream media. Plus their holiday carol is hilarious.

I used to really like this podcast. You guys are funny, smart, and the show is genuinely informative. Lately though, the constant political commentary is making it harder to listen. The biggest issue is Casey bringing politics into what feels like every other conversation. I actually think he’s hilarious and like him as a host, but the nonstop liberal commentary gets old fast. Not everyone listening lives in the Silicon Valley/nyt bubble, and not everyone shares the same political views. I’m pretty moderate politically, so this isn’t coming from some hardcore partisan angle. It just feels like you guys spend way too much time reminding everyone how much you dislike Trump. Half the country doesn’t see things the same way. It would be nice if the show focused more on what made it great in the first place and less on the constant political takes, especially from Casey

I’ve been listening to this podcast for years because it used to be good, and as a software engineer, I want to stay on top of non-technical tech news. But I’m done with Hard Fork. I simply cannot stand it anymore. This podcast is essentially just pro-AI PR for the major tech companies, and Kevin and Casey spend 95% of episodes glazing AI, tech companies, and execs while ignoring allllllll the more nuanced, complicated, and even negative issues surrounding AI. Hell, I work at one of the tech companies they talk about a lot, and I swear this podcast is more like a combo of new product marketing and an all-hands meeting than a reflection of reality. I’ve come to the conclusion that one or more of the following must be true: * they’re getting paid by tech companies to hype AI, or they’re getting pressure from the NYT to keep pushing this narrative (wouldn’t surprise me given the ridiculous puff pieces NYT tech reporters churn out about AI) * they fully accept whatever tech execs tell them and don’t push back or hold them accountable in any meaningful way because a) they fear that they’ll lose their access if they actually do real reporting, and/or b) they’re too deeply embedded or friendly with tech leaders and cannot separate their personal feeling or do anything that would put their friendships at risk * they’ve isolated themselves in an echo chamber, and they aren’t aware of this. They’ve been chugging the AI KoolAid for too long and have lost touch with the world outside this bubble. * terminal case of Bay Area Brain. They’ve forgotten that most of the tech world exists outside of SF and that the Bay Area is the fake-it-til-you-make-it, overhype capital of the world. Everyone there says they have the next big thing, even though there are endless examples otherwise. This podcast is supposed to be about the news, but most of the podcast’s guests are people whose companies have invested billions in this technology and they’re desperate to make those investments to pay off. These guests are essentially salespeople * they do not realize how little technical knowledge they have. While this wouldn’t be an issue if they didn’t talk with authority about technical topics they don’t really understand, it is a problem because they VERY frequently do this. They do not appreciate that the sweeping statements they make can grossly misrepresent very complex issues, and speaking to a handful of people, again especially when those people have a vested interest in the topic, fails to capture the whole picture or even reality at all. While the other points in this list are up for debate, I know this one is true. I really wish they (esp Casey) would stop doing this. While people with actual technical knowledge know when something is probably either flat out wrong or is a gross oversimplification, the normies don’t know this and take what they’re saying is true. This podcast is essentially spreading misinformation when they do this. This was pretty cathartic to write. I kept holding out that this show would get better, but it’s not. I’m guessing they either don’t realize they’re an AI PR firm or they don’t care. Either way, I’m done