

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

Sep 13, 2023 • 34min
The shocking saga of big media malfeasance rivaling Succession for its sex, lies and betrayals: Rachel Abrams on the Redstone dynastic struggle, former CBS executive Les Moonves and their significance to the Me Too movement
EPISODE 1718: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Rachel Abrams, co-author of UNSCRIPTED, about on the Redstone dynastic struggle at Paramount/CBS which rivals the show Succession for its shocking sex, lies and betrayalsRachel Abrams is a senior producer and reporter for “The New York Times Presents,” The Times’s award-winning television documentary series for Hulu and FX. In 2022, she was part of the team that won an Emmy for “Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson,” and in 2018, she was part of the reporting team that won a Pulitzer Prize for public service for exposing sexual harassment and misconduct by Harvey Weinstein and other powerful figures.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 12, 2023 • 34min
Why AI threatens not just writing, creativity and thinking, but also democracy: Naomi S. Baron on how new tools like Chat GPT are stopping us knowing who we really are as individuals
EPISODE 1717: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Naomi S. Baron, author of WHO WROTE THIS?, about how AI and the lure of efficiency is are stopping us know who we really are as humansNaomi S. Baron is Professor Emerita of Linguistics at American University in Washington, DC. She is the author of Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World, Words Onscreen: The Fate of Reading in a Digital World, and “Who Wrote This? How AI and the Lure of Efficiency Threaten Human Writing” (Stanford University Press, 2023). 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 12, 2023 • 38min
The Long Life of a Radical Gerontologist: Ken Dychtwald on how to age with purpose
EPISODE 1716: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Ken Dychtwald PhD, author of RADICAL CURIOSITY, on how to simultaneously stay young and old in an America preoccupied by ageAs a psychologist, gerontologist, author of 19 books, celebrated public speaker and teacher, successful entrepreneur, documentary filmmaker and CEO of Age Wave, Dr. Ken Dychtwald has been helping people envision their own and the culture’s future for nearly five decades. He has been a key player in the emergence of the Human Potential, Holistic Health, Healthy Aging, Eldercare and Longevity movements and has given presentations to over two million people worldwide at high profile events alongside the likes of Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Tony Blair, Ronald Reagan, Bucky Fuller, Al Gore, and Bono. He has been featured on 60 Minutes, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, World News Tonight, The New York Times, PBS, CNN, BBC, Fortune, Inc., Time, Forbes, and many other media platforms worldwide. He has served as producer and host of multiple PBS documentaries and specials including “The Boomer Century, “Life’s Third Age” and “Sages of Aging.” His firm Age Wave’s innovative ideas and landmark research have garnered nearly 20 billion media impressions. Over the years, his client list has included over half the Fortune 500. He has served as a Fellow of the World Economic Forum, has keynoted two White House Conferences on Aging, and is the recipient of the McKinsey Prize for his writing in the Harvard Business Review. Ken has twice received the distinguished American Society on Aging Award for outstanding national leadership and, although he is not a financial advisor, he was honored by Investment Advisor as one of the 35 most influential thought leaders in the financial services industry over the past 35 years. Ken and his wife Maddy are the recipients of the Esalen Prize for their outstanding contributions to “advancing the human potential of aging men and women worldwide.” Ken was recently awarded the President’s Award from the American Society on Aging as well as the Inspire Award from the International Council on Active Aging for his efforts to “make a difference in the lives of older adults worldwide.” He is a Trustee of the XPrize Foundation.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 12, 2023 • 35min
The $100 Trillion Wealth Transfer: Ken Costa explains why the handover of wealth from Boomers to Gen Z must revolutionize capitalism
EPISODE 1711: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Ken Costa, the author of THE 100 TRILLION DOLLAR WEALTH TRANSFER, about why the handover of wealth from Boomers to Gen Z must revolutionize capitalismFor over 40 years Ken Costa has been a leading global investment banker, philanthropist and thought leader. Born in South Africa, he was active in the anti-apartheid movement as a student leader in Johannesburg and went on to study law at Queens’ College, University of Cambridge, thereafter becoming Chair of UBS Investment Bank (EMEA) and Lazard International. He is currently chairman of Helios Fairfax, the largest private equity group in Africa. As a supporter of investment in the next generation he chairs Glorify, a meditation app. Alongside his finance career, Ken has been heavily involved in various not-for-profit organisations including the Advisory Board of the London Symphony Orchestra and Trustee of the Nelson Mandela’s Children’s Fund (UK). In 2023, he was awarded the Canterbury Cross by the Archbishop of Canterbury for outstanding contributions to the Church of England. He created the highly successful Tick Tock Club for Great Ormond Street Hospital which has raised £50m for the hospital. He is Emeritus Professor of Commerce at Gresham College and was coordinator of the City’s response to the Make Poverty History Campaign. He has been a contributor to The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Times and The Telegraph. He is married to Dr Fiona Costa, with whom he has four adult children. 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 12, 2023 • 31min
Why digital transformation isn't about technology: David Rogers on how to rebuild organizations in our age of continuous change
EPISODE 1715: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to David L. Rogers, author of THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, about how to rebuild organizations in our age of continuous changeDavid Rogers is the world’s leading expert on digital transformation, a member of the faculty at Columbia Business School, and the author of five books. In his newest book, The Digital Transformation Roadmap (2023), Rogers tackles the barriers behind the 70% of businesses that fail in their own digital efforts. He shows why every business must transform not just its products―it must transform the organization itself. Rogers offers a five-step roadmap to rebuild any organization for continuous digital change. His previous landmark bestseller, The Digital Transformation Playbook (2016), was the first book on digital transformation and put the topic on the map. Now published in thirteen languages, it defined the discipline by arguing that digital transformation (DX) is not about technology; it is about strategy, leadership, and new ways of thinking. Rogers has helped companies around the world transform their business for the digital age, working with senior leaders at corporations including Google, Microsoft, Citigroup, Visa, HSBC, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Merck, GE, Toyota, Cartier, Pernod Ricard, China Eastern Airlines, NC Bank Saudi, and Acuity Insurance, among others. Rogers regularly delivers keynotes at conferences on all six continents and has appeared on CNN, ABC News, CNBC, Channel News Asia, and in The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist.At Columbia Business School, Rogers is faculty director of executive education programs on digital business strategy and on leading digital transformation. He has taught over twenty-five thousand executives through his programs in New York City, in Silicon Valley, and online. His recent research has focused on new business models, innovating through experimentation, governance for growth, and barriers to change in digital transformation.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 12, 2023 • 49min
The most brutal and gruesome siege in human history? Prit Buttar on the siege of Leningrad 1941-42
EPISODE 1714: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Prit Buttar, author of TO BESIEGE A CITY: LENINGRAD 1941-42 about perhaps the most brutal and gruesome siege in human historyPrit Buttar studied medicine at Oxford and London before joining the British Army as a doctor. After leaving the army, he worked as a GP, first near Bristol and then in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. He is extensively involved in medical politics, both at local and national level, and served on the GPs' Committee of the British Medical Association. He has appeared on national TV and radio, speaking on a variety of medical issues. He contributes regularly to the medical press. An established expert on the Eastern Front in 20th-century military history, his previous books include the critically acclaimed Battleground Prussia: The Assault on Germany's Eastern Front 1944–45 (Osprey 2010) and Between Giants: The Battle for the Baltics in World War II (Osprey 2013) and a definitive four-part series on the Eastern Front in World War I which concluded with The Splintered Empires: The Eastern Front 1917–21 (2017). He now lives in Kirkcudbright in Scotland.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 12, 2023 • 42min
Watch out for those Jewish space lasers: Mike Rothschild on the Rothschilds and 200 years of anti-semitic conspiracy theories
EPISODE 1713: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Mike Rothschilds, author of JEWISH SPACE LASERS, about the Rothschilds and 200 years of anti-semitic conspiracy theoriesMike Rothschild is a journalist and conspiracy theory expert whose work has examined scams, frauds, moral panic, conspiracy theories, and how their impact has gone from the online world into everyday life. He has written two previous books, including The Storm is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything, which examines the roots and the impact of the QAnon movement. Rothschild has been interviewed by CNN, MSNBC, NPR, the BBC, the Washington Post, and the New York Times among many others to discuss conspiracy theories; has testified to Congress on the threat of election disinformation; and appeared in numerous documentaries and podcasts.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 11, 2023 • 45min
How to direct the power of digital technology into economic and political progress: Simon Johnson on what we can learn from our 1000-year struggle over technology and prosperity to make our age of Generative AI more equitable
EPISODE 1712: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Simon Johnson, co-author of POWER & PROGRESS, on what we can learn from our 1000-year struggle over technology and prosperity to make our age of Generative AI more equitableSIMON JOHNSON is the Ronald A. Kurtz (1954) Professor of Entrepreneurship at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he is head of the Global Economics and Management group. In 2007-08 he was chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, and he currently co-chairs the CFA Institute Systemic Risk Council. In February 2021, Johnson joined the board of directors of Fannie Mae. Johnson’s most recent book, with Daron Acemoglu, Power and Progress: Our 1000-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity, explores the history and economics of major technological transformations up to and including the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence.His previous book, with Jonathan Gruber, Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream, explained how to create millions of good new jobs around the U.S., through renewed public investment in research and development. This proposal attracted bipartisan support. Johnson was previously a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C., a cofounder of BaselineScenario.com, a member of the Congressional Budget Office’s Panel of Economic Advisors, and a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Systemic Resolution Advisory Committee. From July 2014 to early 2017, Johnson was a member of the Financial Research Advisory Committee of the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Financial Research (OFR), within which he chaired the Global Vulnerabilities Working Group. “The Quiet Coup” received over a million views when it appeared in The Atlantic in early 2009. His book 13 Bankers: the Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown (with James Kwak), was an immediate bestseller and has become one of the mostly highly regarded books on the financial crisis. Their follow-up book on U.S. fiscal policy, White House Burning: The Founding Fathers, Our National Debt, and Why It Matters for You, won praise across the political spectrum. Johnson’s academic research papers on long-term economic development, corporate finance, political economy, and public health are widely cited. “For his articulate and outspoken support for public policies to end too-big-to-fail”, Johnson was named a Main Street Hero by the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) in 2013.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 Cassand 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 11, 2023 • 31min
On the science of failing well: Amy Edmondson explains why we need to take smart risks which will result in more, rather than fewer, failures
EPISODE 1710: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Amy Edmondson, author of RIGHT KIND OF WRONG, about why we need to take smart risks which will result in more, rather than fewer, failuresAmy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, a chair established to support the study of human interactions that lead to the creation of successful enterprises that contribute to the betterment of society. She is the author of 7 books and over 60 scholarly papers, published in academic and management outlets, such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, and Harvard Business Review. She is a sought-after keynote speaker with a worldwide following.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 11, 2023 • 32min
Don't Look Away: Alexander Batthyany on terminal lucidity, the "soul" and our final journey when we cross over the border from life to death
EPISODE 1709: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Dr Alexander Batthyany, the author of THRESHOLD, about terminal lucidity and our final journey when we cross over the border from life to deathProf. Dr. Alexander Batthyány is Director of the Research Institute for Theoretical Psychology and Personalist Studies at Pázmány Péter University, Budapest and is faculty Professor for Existential Psychotherapy at the Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis. He is Director of the Viktor Frankl Institute in Vienna. He is author or editor of more than 15 books. His academic work has been translated into 10 languages. He has been invited to give lectures around the world. Batthyány divides his time between Vienna and the Hungarian countryside, where he and his wife and daughters are developing an alternative intentional community.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


