Conversations with Tyler – 2024 Retrospective Released: December 25, 2024 | Host: Tyler Cowen, Producer: Jeff Holmes
Episode Overview
In this special year-end retrospective, Tyler Cowen and producer Jeff Holmes look back on the highlights of the 2024 season of Conversations with Tyler (CWT). They discuss top and underrated episodes, answer listener questions, revisit Tyler’s pop culture picks from 2014, and cover topics ranging from economics podcasts to listener demographics, cultural codes, and the future of ideas. The episode’s tone is warm, candid, and filled with both humor and thoughtful reflection.
Key Topics & Discussion Highlights
2024 in Review: Top and Underrated Episodes
- 30 episodes released ("It's not a record, but it's a pretty full slate." – Jeff Holmes, 01:25)
- Introduction of the Marginal Revolution Podcast with Alex Tabarrok, focusing strictly on economics. Tyler describes it as “a window into actual conversations,” reminiscent of their real-life GMU lunches (02:08–02:48).
Most Downloaded Episodes
- #1: Peter Thiel
- “Never bet against Peter Thiel.”—Tyler Cowen (03:43)
- Highest first-day and first-week records.
- #2: Jonathan Haidt – Noted for its contentious debate.
- #3: Nate Silver
- #4: Patrick McKenzie
- #5: Paul Bloom
"It would be nice to see maybe a less well known person crack that top five, but something for us to aspire to next year." – Jeff Holmes (05:18)
Underrated/Personal Favorite Episodes
- Masaki Suzuki (on Bach): Loved for depth, despite modest downloads.
- “Most people don't know enough about Bach to really love what he said.” – Tyler (05:53)
- Fareed Zakaria: Candid, revealing interview.
- Michael Nielsen, Tom Tugendhat: Not widely heard, but highly rated by Tyler.
- Stephen Kotkin: “That's one of the best episodes of all time.” – Tyler (06:40)
- Paula Byrne:
- The funniest episode; notable for real laughter from Tyler and crew.
- “She's the one who's funny, not me.” – Tyler (07:35)
- Alan Taylor (History); Kyla Scanlan (Economics):
- Scanlan: Praised for insightful “role reversal” in interviewing Tyler.
“As you get older, you need to make real efforts to make and keep new friends. But you can do it.” – Tyler (35:12)
Listener Q&A (Selected Highlights)
Video Games vs. Cinema (10:04–12:34)
- Question: Can video games surpass cinema as great art?
- Tyler: Skeptical; sees video games as too context-specific, “doesn’t quite manage to generate narrative and vision in a way that is intersubjectively understandable.”
- Jeff: Praises the thriving subcultures and YouTube criticism around games.
- They note the meta trend: engaging with analysis/criticism sometimes surpasses consuming the media itself.
Cultural Codes: Biggest Revelation (13:34–14:26)
- Tyler: Year abroad in 1980s West Germany as peak formative experience. “Every day there were new puzzles to think about and figure out.”
Least Appreciated Art Form (14:55–15:26)
- Tyler: Renaissance music (“means are just too limited”)—prefers music post-Monteverdi.
Podcast Demographics & Dynamics (16:04–19:38)
- On average, listeners consume 2/3 of each episode.
- Audio episode popularity is less variable than YouTube, which can create 10x deltas via algorithmic virality.
- Guest acceptance rate: About 80%; many “cold pitches” are ignored for being generic.
Reflections on Popular Concepts
The Great Stagnation, Averages Over, and State Capacity Libertarianism (20:04–21:32)
- Great Stagnation: Now widely acknowledged and “over” due to recent tech advances.
- Averages Over: AI's rise as “the next big thing” validates Tyler’s predictions.
- State Capacity Libertarianism: Continues to have influence and provoke interest.
Economics Profession: Insiders & Outsiders (21:42–23:51)
- Overrated: Bureaucratic barriers to entry.
- Underrated: The median paper’s quality and care, but fun/impact is declining, and influence with policymakers is waning.
- “A lot more economists should be doing podcasts is one way to put it.” – Tyler
On Measuring Policy/Nonprofit Impact (24:06–24:50)
- True impact is often felt, not just measured.
- “When you don't need to measure, that’s when you have real successes.” – Tyler
Podcast Production Insights
- Getting Magnus Carlsen (chess grandmaster) remains elusive, though Tyler is willing to fly to him (18:07).
- Unsolicited guest pitches are common, often disregarded unless highly relevant or “impressively polymathic.”
Pop Culture & Book Picks: 2014 Throwback
(Timestamps: 37:14–51:28)
Nonfiction
- Stephen Kotkin’s Stalin, Vol. 1: “One of the greatest biographies of all time.” – Tyler (38:11)
- Picks included authors/guests like Adam Tooze, Tim Harford, Megan McArdle, Russ Roberts, Tom Holland.
- “Jurgen Osterhamel’s ‘The Transformation of the World’... probably took him 30 years.” (39:32)
Fiction
- Michael Faber, Book of Strange New Things: Still discussed at home.
- Andy Weir, The Martian: Continues to write excellent fiction; film adaptations on the way.
- Richard Flanagan, The Narrow Road to the Deep North: Still highly regarded.
Movies
- Touch of Sin hailed as a classic (“maybe the greatest Chinese movie ever made” – 45:09).
- Transformers 4 and Godzilla cited as underrated visual spectacles.
- Interstellar—views have soured: “I don’t like that anymore... I’m gonna throw it all out.” – Tyler (48:47)
- TV: Srugim, the modern Orthodox Jewish dating show, praised as “one of the best ever made” (50:13).
“Looking back over these lists, how do you think they’ve aged?”
“I’m biased, but I think extremely well. And I think that was a great year for many things... People were remarkably creative, very good in aesthetics.” – Tyler (51:06)
Naming the Fan Base (51:28–54:01)
- Soliciting audience ideas for a collective name (e.g., "Infovores," “Overrated,” “Stubbornly Attached”).
- Agreement that it should not directly use “Tyler’s” name.
- “If anything binds our listeners, it might be [being] Infovores.” – Tyler (52:54)
Health, Longevity, and Investments (33:45–36:36)
- Tyler takes minimal supplements, skeptical about life extension beyond ~120 years.
- Investment approach: “Buy, hold, and diversify. I do very little.”
Memorable Quotes & Moments
- "Never bet against Peter Thiel." – Tyler (03:43)
- “She's the one who's funny, not me.” (on Paula Byrne) – Tyler (07:35)
- "If you have like Rick Rubin or Gnome Dorman, they're like pretty new friends for me." – Tyler (35:12)
- “A lot more economists should be doing podcasts..." (23:39)
- “I was in India, so I’m very healthy.” – Tyler (56:38)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 01:00 – Kick-off & 2024 episode count
- 02:08 – Marginal Revolution podcast overview
- 03:43 – Most downloaded episodes of 2024
- 05:53 – Discussion: Underrated episodes
- 09:31 – Listener Q&A segment starts
- 10:04 – Video games vs. cinema
- 13:34 – Cracking cultural codes abroad
- 14:55 – Least appreciated art form
- 16:04 – Listener demographics and engagement
- 20:04 – Impact of Tyler’s big ideas
- 21:32 – Economics profession reflections
- 37:14 – 2014 pop culture picks start
- 45:09 – Movie classics and commentary
- 51:28 – Fan base naming brainstorm
Closing & Appreciation
The episode closes with gratitude for donors, listeners, production staff, and the community at large.
"When I say, like, let’s do more – all of you are always game. And that’s phenomenal." – Tyler (57:09)
Bottom Line
This retrospective captures the unique CWT mix of rigorous curiosity, intellectual humility, and engagement with both high and popular culture. It serves as an accessible guide to the year’s best episodes, reveals how the show is made and evolves, and offers both playful and serious reflections on everything from art and ideas to podcast fan culture and life's meaning.
To submit fan base names or listener questions, reach out to the show directly. And, as always, keep learning and listening.