

Keen On America
Andrew Keen
Nobody asks sharper or more impertinent questions than Andrew Keen. In KEEN ON, Andrew cross-examines the world’s smartest people on politics, economics, history, the environment, and tech. If you want to make sense of our complex world, check out the daily questions and the answers on KEEN ON.
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best-known technology and politics broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running show How To Fix Democracy and the author of four critically acclaimed books about the future, including the international bestselling CULT OF THE AMATEUR.
Keen On is free to listen to and will remain so. If you want to stay up-to-date on new episodes and support the show please subscribe to Andrew Keen’s Substack. Paid subscribers will soon be able to access exclusive content from our new series Keen On America. keenon.substack.com
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best-known technology and politics broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running show How To Fix Democracy and the author of four critically acclaimed books about the future, including the international bestselling CULT OF THE AMATEUR.
Keen On is free to listen to and will remain so. If you want to stay up-to-date on new episodes and support the show please subscribe to Andrew Keen’s Substack. Paid subscribers will soon be able to access exclusive content from our new series Keen On America. keenon.substack.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 5, 2023 • 39min
The Repressive Power of Artificial Intelligence: Kian Vesteinsson on the crisis of freedom on the internet in 2023
In episode 1758 of KEEN ON, Andrew talks to Kian Vesteinsson, co-author of FREEDOM ON THE NET 2023, about the repressive power of artificial intelligence Kian Vesteinssen is Senior Research Analyst for Technology and Democracy at Freedom House. He project manages and covers Asia for Freedom on the Net, Freedom House’s annual assessment of internet freedom, and previously covered sub-Saharan Africa and western Europe for the publication. Before joining Freedom House, Kian was Senior Law and Tech Policy Officer at Human Rights Watch, where he staffed the office of the General Counsel and contributed to research and advocacy on human rights and technology around the world, focusing on surveillance in the United States. Previously, he worked on digital privacy, police technology, and national security surveillance at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Kian holds a B.A. in Politics and Religious Studies from Pomona College.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Oct 5, 2023 • 23min
All the American demons are there: Jake Tapper on how returning to the late 1970's can help us understand the America of the early 2020's
In episode 1757 of KEEN ON, Andrew talks to Jake Tapper, author of ALL THE DEMONS ARE HERE, about how returning to the late 1970's can help us understand the America of the early 2020'sJake Tapper is the chief DC anchor and chief Washington correspondent for CNN; he hosts the weekday show The Lead with Jake Tapper and cohosts the Sunday public-affairs show State of the Union. A Dartmouth graduate and Philly native, he lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, daughter, and son. His first novel, THE HELLFIRE CLUB was a New York Times bestseller, debuting at #3 and staying on the list for 4 weeks, and its follow-up, THE DEVIL MAY DANCE, was a national bestseller that has sold nearly 40,000 hardcover copies to-date. Tapper's previous book, The Outpost, a nonfiction account of untold heroism in Afghanistan, was a New York Times bestseller in 2012.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Oct 5, 2023 • 44min
Modern Britain and all that caper: Jonathan Coe on British chocolate, the Royal Family and its decision to marry the wrong Super Power
In episode 1756 of KEEN ON, Andrew talks to Jonathan Coe, author of BOURNVILLE, about British chocolate, the Royal Family and the country's decision to marry the wrong Super Power.Jonathan Coe was born a few miles from Bournville in 1961. The author of political satires such as What a Carve Up! and Number 11, and family sagas such as The Rotters' Club and The Rain Before It Falls, his novels have won prizes at home and abroad, including Costa Novel of the Year and the Prix du Livre Européen (both for Middle England).Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Oct 4, 2023 • 30min
An Old Story Told Differently: Bethanne Patrick on 8 books reimagining the experience of first generation immigrants
In episode 1755 of KEEN ON, Andrew talks to LA Times book critic Bethanne Patrick about 8 books reimagining the experience of first generation immigrantsBethanne Patrick maintains a storied place in the publishing industry as a critic and as @TheBookMaven on Twitter, where she created the popular #FridayReads and regularly comments on books and literary ideas to over 200,000 followers. Her work appears frequently in the Los Angeles Times as well as in The Washington Post, NPR Books, and Literary Hub. She sits on the board of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and has served on the board of the National Book Critics Circle. She is the host of the Missing Pages podcast.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Oct 3, 2023 • 55min
Against the Romance of Transformation: Leon Weiseltier on America's love affair with the promise of personal and social change
In EPISODE OF 1748 of KEEN ON, Andrew talks to Leon Wieseltier, editor of LIBERTIES, about America's love affair with personal and social changeLeon Wieseltier is an American critic and magazine editor. From 1983 to 2014, he was the literary editor of The New Republic. He was a contributing editor and critic at The Atlantic until 2017.. In 2020, he became the editor of Liberties, a quarterly literary review.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Oct 3, 2023 • 41min
Normalizing China: Gilles Guiheux on China's very ordinary history between 1949 and today
In episode 1747 of the KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Gilles Guiheux, author of CONTEMPORARY CHINA: 1949 TO THE PRESENT, about what he sees as Communist China's very normal historyGilles Guiheux is a professor at Université de Paris, a researcher at CESSMA, and a senior member of the IUF. His work lies at the intersection of history and sociology. He has focused on the conditions for the emergence of the private sector in Taiwan and in mainland China, and on the construction of the social figures of the entrepreneur and the consumer. He is developing a program on garment-industry workers. He recently published La République populaire de Chine (Les Belles Lettres, 2018).Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Oct 3, 2023 • 45min
Against Green Capitalism: Charles Derber on how big money fuels extinction and what we can do about it
In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Charles Derber, co-author of DYING FOR CAPITALISM, about how big money fuels extinction and what we can do about itCharles Derber is Professor of Sociology at Boston College and has written 26 books - on politics, democracy, fascism, corporations, capitalism, climate change, war, the culture wars, culture and conversation, and social change. His bestselling books include The Pursuit of Attention and the Wilding of America. He writes for and has been reviewed in the NY Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Truthout, and other leading media. His books are translated into 14 languages including Chinese, Korean, Tamil, German, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian and Polish- and he is a bestseller in South Korea, done extended book tours in German bookstores and blues coffee houses, and has lectured in Italy in June for seven years. Derber is a public intellectual - shortlisted in 2006 by the American Independent Booksellers Association for Hidden Power, the best book in current affairs - who believes that serious ideas should be written in an accessible and entertaining style. His most recent books include Dying for Capitalism, Welcome to the Revolution, Moving Beyond Fear, Sociopathic Society: A People's Sociology of the United States; Capitalism: Should You Buy It?.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Oct 2, 2023 • 28min
No, Men aren't Angels: Peter Slen on why the Federalist Papers is one of the ten books that has most shaped America
EPISODE 1745: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Peter Slen, the host of the C-SPAN show, BOOKS THAT SHAPED AMERICA, about THE FEDERALIST PAPERSPeter Slen is the senior executive producer and a host at C-SPAN, a television and radio network known for its unbiased coverage of government proceedings.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Sep 27, 2023 • 33min
Dumb devices, dumb bureaucrats and dumb entrepreneurs: Keith Teare on FTC chair Lina Khan, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and why the iPhone is on the brink of becoming radically more intelligent
FTC chair Lina Khan and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried discussed controversies surrounding their actions, including accusations of tax evasion and media trials. The podcast also explores the relationship between Google and Apple, their involvement in the search engine market, and allegations of secrecy and collaboration between the two tech giants.

Sep 27, 2023 • 31min
Why Disorder may be the New Order: Jason Pack on how the global system itself has gone rogue and no longer conforms with the textbooks
Jason Pack, founder of Libya-Analysis LLC and Senior Analyst for Emerging Challenges at the NATO Defence College Foundation, discusses disorder as the new order in the global system. They explore the role of big tech companies in authoritarian regimes and hate speech amplification. The need for both bottom-up and top-down processes in addressing societal problems is emphasized. Jason Pack explains his motivation for starting the 'Disorder' podcast and the importance of cultural struggle, propaganda, and effective communication in politics.


