Conversations with Tyler: 2020 Year in Review

Date: December 30, 2020
Host: Tyler Cowen
Producer/Co-Host: Jeff (with occasional interjections from producer Dallas)
Podcast: Conversations with Tyler
Theme: A reflective, insightful, and candid review of the Conversations with Tyler podcast through the tumultuous year of 2020. Tyler and Jeff discuss how the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the production, guest selection, and content, while reviewing the most popular and underrated episodes, playing “Name That Production Function”, answering listener questions, and sharing personal and podcasting highlights of the year.

Main Theme

The episode serves as both a retrospective of 2020 and a behind-the-scenes peek into the adaptive journey of producing Conversations with Tyler in a pandemic year. Against the backdrop of global upheaval, Tyler and Jeff reflect on how the format, content, and logistics of the show changed, the state of intellectual discourse, and personal as well as professional transitions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Transition to Remote Interviews

• Abrupt Switch: Pre-pandemic, all episodes were recorded face-to-face. The pandemic forced an abrupt move to remote interviews starting in March/April (notably, with Russ Roberts).

  • Tyler admits initial skepticism about remote interviews:

    "I was convinced that doing them remote would be terrible...Turns out we had to do them remote...and basically [listeners] can't tell the difference." (02:13)

  • Unexpected optimism about remote productivity:

    "There are in fact big productivity gains on their way." (02:38)

  • Biggest challenge for Tyler: lack of easy library access made preparing for some guests (especially non-economists) harder.

• Face-to-Face Going Forward?

  • Tyler prefers in-person for the connection:

    "Above all, I just like meeting the people. Right above all. So that, in a sense is my wage for doing things." (03:58)

  • He predicts future interviews will be a mix, with some guests preferring remote.
  • Institutions, guest comfort, and health realities will influence the split.

2. Guest Composition and Covid Content Decisions

• Covid Programming: Only three episodes focused on Covid directly (Paul Romer, Glenn Weyl, Russ Roberts), counter to the trend of heavy Covid coverage on other platforms.
• Guest Selection: Pandemic forced more reliance on economists, as they don’t require as extensive book research.
  • "We did a bunch of economists. I thought they turned out great. And that was because of the pandemic." (02:47)
• Repeat Guests: 2020 saw notable returns (Ezra Klein, Ross Douthat, Russ Roberts, Paul Romer). Tyler open to repeats if guests have more to say.

3. Reflections on Loss – Clayton Christensen

• The team had a recording set up with Clayton Christensen, who passed away unexpectedly before the interview could happen.
  • Tyler laments the loss:

    "There's plenty we would have had to talk about with Clay. He was a fan of what we were doing. Very sad. That will never happen." (07:26)

4. Popular & Underrated Episodes

Most Popular Episode

• Matt Yglesias episode broke the record for first-week downloads.
  • Earlier in the year, Adam Tooze episode led the pack, reflecting strong and perhaps underappreciated audience enthusiasm for certain thinkers.

    "Adam and Matt are indicating Twitter really matters for your podcast audience, right?" (08:53)

Most Underrated Episodes (by Tyler and Jeff)

• Alex Ross (music critic, author of Wagnerism):
  • Tyler: "I thought the Alex Ross episode was really good. I suspect Wagner fans rate it highly, but there aren't so many of them."
• Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia co-founder):
  • Tyler: "Because he's been successful and moderate and reasonable, Twitter doesn't go crazy over him...My guess is that will do very well in the long run."
• John McWhorter: Underperformed, possibly due to his high availability on other podcasts.

5. Name That Production Function

A recurring and beloved segment where Tyler is quizzed about how guests described their own productivity strategies.

• Notable Guest Approaches:
  • Tim Harford: Advocates for “slow motion multitasking”—multiple projects as structured relief (11:53).
  • Jason Furman: Read voraciously; worried college application would not believe his book list (12:40).
  • Matt Yglesias: Realized the challenge and skill of middle management, not his strength (15:32).
  • Melissa Dell: Emphasizes humility—the limitations of understanding from narrow econometric research (16:59).
  • Alex Ross: Music critics need to connect across cultural domains, not just music (16:12).
  • Humorous aside on Tyler’s own use of a Peloton for fitness, but without the confusing software (14:21).

6. Listener Q&A Highlights

Food during Quarantine

• Go-to snack evolved from pickles to Whole Foods sharp cheddar cheese (18:12).
• Cooking uptick early in pandemic but shifted back with outdoor dining.

Food Industry Adaptations

• Delivery/Takeout: Tyler expects around one-third of the Covid-induced shift to persist. Personal preference is for eating food fresh and at temperature.
• Ethnic Restaurants: Surprised and heartened by resilience in Northern Virginia. Advises ordering comfort food and simpler dishes during pandemic for best quality (20:00, 20:34).

State Capacity Libertarianism

• Tyler revisits and discusses his concept, considering the pandemic a marker event.
  • Pro-case: Operation Warp Speed as a model for effective, rapid innovation with state support.
  • Con-case: The risks of overreach and surveillance.
  • "What surprised me is how many libertarians moved into a kind of denialism..." (23:18)

Fast Grants & Vaccine Innovation

• Rapid scientific and institutional coordination can happen, as demonstrated by fast vaccine development and Tyler’s co-run Fast Grants initiative ($43 million distributed quickly to researchers) (32:54).

Travel and Local Differences

• Tyler has travelled by car with extreme caution; advises extreme care and notes great variance in local Covid responses (31:10, 47:08).

Routines and Production Function Adjustments

• Slightly later to rise in the mornings; cooking increase likely temporary; remote interviews here to stay, at least partially (44:59).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Turns out we had to do them remote...and basically [listeners] can't tell the difference as listeners whether or not it's remote...So I think having been forced into that new mode, there are in fact big productivity gains on their way.” — Tyler (02:13)
• On library closures’ impact: “That was a bigger change than going from face to face to remote.” — Tyler (02:52)
• "I just like meeting the people. Right above all. So that, in a sense is my wage for doing things." — Tyler (03:58)
• “Even if someone isn't really good, they have more than an hour to say.” — Tyler on doing repeat episodes (06:44)
• “Of all the explanations, he [John Brennan, ex-CIA] didn't see a better one than [alien life]. And he was head of the CIA for what, four years?” — Tyler (40:11)
• “I've never seen a year like this.” — Tyler (42:48)
• “The NBA just shut down all games as early as it did in March was brilliant and prescient and that they would have the guts to pull the button on that rather than dragging it out. I give them, you know, a big A.” — Tyler (43:19)
• “I write for free on Marginal Revolution. I'm fully aware that people who do substack can earn a lot of money, but I'd actually rather have the bigger audience.” — Tyler (48:36)
• “To have audiences like this is a privilege greater than the money. I know that's weird, but I very much enjoy producing a podcast that we don't have to worry about monetizing it explicitly by running ads.” — Jeff (49:00)
• “It's the greatest art form of the 20th century, and I was born in the 20th century, and I'm going to stick with that form as long as I can...” — Tyler on movie theaters (51:49)

Important Timestamps

• 00:04 – Jeff introduces the episode
• 02:13 – Tyler reflects on the abrupt transition to remote and its implications
• 03:58 – Will CWT return to face-to-face? Tyler on the value of in-person meetings
• 05:18 – How guest selection changed during the pandemic
• 07:26 – Remembering Clayton Christensen and lost interview opportunity
• 08:19 – Discussion of most popular episodes and the impact of Twitter
• 09:22 – Tyler highlights his picks for most underrated episodes
• 11:13 – Start of “Name That Production Function” segment
• 18:07 – Listener Q&A on food, delivery, takeout, and dining behavior
• 19:07 – Prediction on lasting impact of takeout/delivery habits
• 20:00 – Post-pandemic outlook for ethnic restaurants
• 21:37 – State capacity libertarianism revisited in light of Covid
• 32:54 – On vaccine innovation and the Fast Grants initiative
• 35:31 – “Name That Production Function” returns, writing edition
• 39:56 – Why “Name That Production Function” was less formulaic this year
• 40:11 – Tyler’s personal highlight: John Brennan’s answer about UFOs
• 43:19 – Praise for NBA’s early Covid response
• 44:59 – Production function changes likely to persist post-pandemic
• 48:36 – Tyler rules out moving to Substack; values audience and openness
• 49:20 – When might in-person CWT interviews resume?
• 50:34 – First movie theater experience post-vaccine
• 51:49 – Why theaters are special to Tyler
• 53:24–53:39 – Podcast team thank-yous and closing remarks

Tone & Style

True to the CWT brand, the episode is wry, intellectually curious, and self-deprecating — full of Tyler’s characteristic honesty ("the software confuses me" re: Peloton), nuanced takes, and Jeff’s affable, organized steering. There is an emphasis on reflecting what can be learned from an unpredictable year and a gratitude for thoughtful audience engagement.

For First-Time Listeners & Summing Up

This 2020 retrospective is both insider reflection and public letter — a testament to adaptability, intellectual seriousness, and understated wit. It’s an excellent entry point for newcomers and a rewarding reprise for longtime fans. The wide-ranging yet personal touch showcases the ongoing evolution of Conversations with Tyler, setting the stage for 2021 and beyond.