Search Engine — Podcast Ad Analysis
2 episodes analyzed
2 min ads · 4% of episode is ads
3.0 ads/episode
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We try to make sense of the world, one question at a time. No question too big, no question too small. Hosted by PJ Vogt, edited by Sruthi Pinnamaneni. Named one of the best podcasts of all time by Time Magazine
PodSkip has analyzed 2 episodes of Search Engine, averaging 3.0 ads per episode (4% of runtime).
Why are people excited about nuclear power again?
May 08, 2026
Nuclear energy was a taboo for decades, but it’s coming back, it’ll power AI data centers for Google and Microsoft. What does new nuclear technology look like, and why do the nuclear optimists…
What if the cemetery goes out of business? (classic)
May 01, 2026
We're supposed to be buried there forever, right? Right?? Answers this week from writer David Sloane, who grew up in a cemetery and spent his adult life studying them. The surprising history of the…
Where’s the best free restaurant bread in America?
Apr 24, 2026
An enterprising reporter goes on a quest to find the restaurant serving the absolute best free bread in this country, and finds it. She returns to Search Engine with her results. Read Caity Weaver’s…
3 ads · 3 min · 0% ads
The Cost of War
Apr 17, 2026
The United States has begun a conflict with Iran that two thirds of the American public does not understand. One question we can try to answer: how much is this conflict costing us? The surprising…
What we got wrong about GLP-1s
Apr 10, 2026
Search Engine is breaking its cowardly three-year silence on GLP-1s. We have been curious about them. We have been afraid of getting in trouble. We are no longer afraid. A conversation with Dr…
The Trial of the Driverless Car
Mar 26, 2026
In blue cities throughout the country, unions and politicians are fighting to ban driverless cars. We travel to Boston, where the fight has reached a fever pitch, and where the cars themselves will…
Are you a good driver?
Mar 23, 2026
The story of how a secret project at Google led to driverless cars on American roads. And, an answer to the question: are the robots actually safer drivers than we are? Driven: The Race to Create the…
Odd Lots x Search Engine
Mar 06, 2026
This week, we’re sharing an episode from Odd Lots. An interview with The Economist's Mike Bird about how Chinese real estate became the biggest bubble in history. You can find more episodes from Odd…
Mysteries of Claude
Feb 27, 2026
Anthropic hired philosophers to teach its AI to be good. In their tests, the AI blackmailed a human to keep itself alive. Writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus went inside the company to figure out what's going…
Why don’t we eat people? (classic)
Feb 20, 2026
A question from a four-year-old tips us into an investigation of one of our most fundamental taboos: cannibalism. With help from New Yorker food critic Hannah Goldfield and writer Kelefa Sanneh. To…
How Peptides Conquered the Internet
Feb 13, 2026
Two decades ago, bodybuilders on niche internet forums started injecting peptides. Now they're in the secret mini-fridges of some teenage boys. How did they get there? We track their crooked path…
Are flushable wipes actually flushable?
Jan 30, 2026
A simple question leads us on a journey from the bowels of New York City through the courtrooms of South Carolina to the disgusting truth. Support Search Engine! To learn more about listener data and…
The Venezuelan Curse (Part 2)
Jan 20, 2026
The conclusion to our story about Venezuela. How a country goes from a prosperous democracy to a poverty-ravaged dictatorship. The End (our 2022 episode on Greenland) The Many Faces of Chavismo -…
The Venezuelan Curse (Part 1)
Jan 16, 2026
For the past year, there's been a steady drumbeat of headlines about Venezuela. Now the US has invaded, arrested its president, and installed itself in charge. To understand how we got here, we…
The Fediverse Experiment
Jan 09, 2026
Our present version of the internet is arguably the worst it’s ever been. Which means – any shot at changing things, even an unlikely one – is worth trying out. Three podcasters who’ve spent years…
Heavyweight x Search Engine
Dec 26, 2025
As a very special holiday treat, we are sharing a story from one of our favorite podcasts, Heavyweight. Gregor's parents are pushing 90. Gregor wants to move them out of their big Victorian home. But…
A Perfectly Average Anomaly
Dec 19, 2025
A man walks into an airport body scanner, and with eerie consistency, the machine flags the exact same part of his body. What could be going on? Search Engine investigates a Bermuda Triangle…
Unlocked: The State of Search Engine 2025
Dec 12, 2025
As a special, one-time holiday treat, we're sharing something we only usually offer on our premium feed, Incognito Mode. Our annual board meeting! We talk about what shopping a podcast has been like…
What's the best phone to do crimes on? (classic)
Dec 05, 2025
For years, the must-have phone for the discerning drug trafficker or hitman was a brand you may not have heard of: AN0M. Reporter Joseph Cox tells us the story of the AN0M phone, its sudden rise and…
How to talk (or not talk) politics at family holidays
Nov 27, 2025
This week, in honor of the holiday season — can you, should you change your family’s politics through holiday conversation. If so, how? A conversation with Ezra Klein. Support Search Engine! To…
Colossus 2
Nov 21, 2025
In part two of our story about Elon Musk’s growing data center empire, we visit the battle between people in Memphis and xAI. And we try to understand a strange, untested assumption at the heart of…
Colossus 1
Nov 21, 2025
Tech billionaires have made an enormous bet on AI, the biggest bet that tech has made on anything in a very long time. Reporter Sruthi Pinnamaneni goes on a journey – from Data Center Alley to the…
An Anthropology of Gooners
Nov 12, 2025
A reporter spends a year diving into a subculture of young men online who unite around their extreme commitment to constant, unadulterated porn consumption. Why are they doing this, what is it doing…
America vs. China
Oct 31, 2025
People review everything, but they almost never review what it’s like to live in another country. Until now. We interview a writer who’s lived in China, covered China, and has had to choose between…
The Rage in the Cage
Oct 17, 2025
Can you tickle your way to victory in an MMA fight? An investigation into a sports scandal with journalist Pablo Torre. See videos mentioned in this episode. Check out Pablo Torre Finds Out on…
Cocomelon For Adults
Oct 10, 2025
Last week, OpenAI released an app that quickly shot to the #1 spot in Apple's App Store. Sora is like TikTok, except all the videos are AI generated. Is this ... what we're doing now? What's the…
Talk Easy x Search Engine
Oct 03, 2025
This week, we’re sharing something we loved. An interview with Fresh Air’s Terry Gross about a life made out of conversation. Check out Talk Easy Check out Fresh Air To learn more about listener data…
Is my favorite new TV show this year a ripoff?
Sep 26, 2025
The makers of the medical drama The Pitt have been sued. The allegation: that the show is an unauthorized copy of ER. This week, investigative reporter Nicholas Kulish walks us through the ensuing…
The Obituary
Sep 19, 2025
Not long after Alex’s wife Whitney dies, he looks at her obituary and discovers something strange. A sect of people online has hijacked her story and turned it into a disturbing conspiracy theory…
How does a rationalist make a baby?
Sep 05, 2025
A member of an unusual Bay Area community decides to try to have a baby in an unusual way – by putting out a very large prize for anyone who can help her find a mate. How the internet shaped one…