Tangle Podcast
Host: Isaac Saul
Episode: Some closing thoughts on the year.
Date: December 23, 2025

Episode Overview

In this year-end special, Isaac Saul, founder and executive producer of Tangle, reflects on the successes and growth of Tangle over 2025, expresses gratitude to listeners, and offers a look ahead at exciting plans for 2026. He also delivers a heartfelt thank-you to supporters, highlights community feedback, encourages listeners to support Tangle's independence, and reminds everyone of the importance of thoughtful civic engagement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Programming and Scheduling Notes

• Tangle's Holiday Break

  • The show will be off Wednesday through Friday for the holidays and return on Sunday with a newsletter and more podcasts before the new year.
    “[We] will be off Wednesday through Friday this week. We'll be back in your inbox on Sunday with a Sunday Edition newsletter.” (02:45)
  • Over the new year break, unreleased interviews will be published.

• Encouragement for News Breaks

  • Isaac suggests listeners step back from the news for mental well-being.

    “It's a good thing. It's healthy for your brain if you're a big news consumer.” (03:34)

2. Gratitude and Community Appreciation

• Thanks to the Audience

  • Isaac celebrates the Tangle community’s role in the platform’s success and reiterates the show’s mission of independent, non-partisan journalism.

    “Our audience, that's you, continues to be a part of something genuinely special. I mean this. You are helping fund and support a profitable independent media company, which is pretty rare these days.” (07:55)

• Reflections on Impact

  • Highlights international and domestic testimonials showcasing Tangle’s influence:
    • A 15-year-old from Singapore: “I just want to let you know that even outside the US, your work has a big impact.”
    • Julian from Ann Arbor, MI: “You've helped me temper my anxieties about the world and [Tangle] has become a regular part of my day.”
    • Susan from Los Angeles: “Tangle's really helping me see another way and encouraging me to be more courageous in my questions, both the ones I ask myself and the ones I ask others.” (07:13 – 07:42)

3. Tangle’s 2025 Growth Highlights

• Key Achievements
  • Mailing list grew from 290,000 to 460,000 subscribers.
  • Annual revenue surpassed $4 million.
  • Team expanded from 5 to 12 full-time staff.
  • New offerings: texting SMS service, behind-the-scenes newsletter (“Press Pass”), the “Suspension of the Rules” podcast, a subreddit, and more.
  • Third live event hosted, with highest turnout yet.
  • Podcast now averages over 500,000 downloads per month.
  • YouTube channel exceeds 25,000 subscribers.
  • Instagram grew 92%.
  • More diverse voices added to newsletter and podcast, including guest authors and dissent segments.
  • Widespread media recognition: featured in TED, the Free Press, Columbia Journalism Review, Mediaite, Slate, and others.

    “Our mailing list went from 290,000 people to 460,000. We brought in over $4 million in annual revenue last year. Our full time team grew from five people to 12.” (05:04)

4. Subscription Drive and Support

• End of Year Goal
  • Tangle’s ambitious end-of-year goal: 3,500 new paid subscribers.
  • Progress: over 1,000 new subs; 2,500 needed to meet the target within about 100 hours.

    “We're still a little bit short of our end of year subscription goal. A little bit. We're a lot short…My COO, Magdalena Bogovo was like, ‘3,500 paid subs is a lot. Maybe we should do like 1,000 or 2,500.’ I was like, ‘No, let's send it.’” (04:16)

  • Direct asks for support:
    • New subscriptions: retangle.com/membership
    • Gift subscriptions: readtangle.com/gift-subscription

    “If you haven't subscribed yet, please go to retangle.com membership…Or if you're already a subscriber…you can gift this subscription.” (04:57)

5. The Mission: Independent, Diverse News

• Commitment to Independence

  • Emphasizes Tangle’s lack of investors or major corporate backers.

    “We don't have investors. We're not backed or owned by some larger entity. You're supporting independent thinking and free speech along the way.” (08:12)

• Encouraging Civil Discourse

  • Argues that the good-faith exchange of diverse ideas is “foundational to the functioning of our society.”

    “By reading and listening to Tangle, you are participating in an exercise that I truly believe…it is foundational…The good faith exchange of ideas, diverse perspectives in a way that can actually allow us to listen to others and even change our minds on occasion.” (08:36)

6. Looking Ahead: Tangle in 2026

• Plans for the Next Year
  • Bringing on more contributing voices and high-profile guests.
  • Pursuing more original reporting on YouTube.
  • Exploring new mediums: radio, TikTok.
  • Developing scientific polling for original audience insights.

    “We are building out a list of contributing voices…We're planning to do more original reporting on our YouTube channel…We're also exploring ways to bring Tangle to new mediums, including broadcast radio and social channels like TikTok.” (09:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Mental Health and News Consumption:
  “Take a little news break and then just tune into next week's podcast…It's healthy for your brain if you're a big news consumer.” (03:33)

• On Tangle’s Growth:
  “Our podcast—the show now averages over 500,000 downloads a month…Our primary social channel, Instagram, grew 92%.” (05:43 – 06:09)

• On Audience Impact:
  “A 15-year-old from Singapore wrote in: ‘Even outside the US, your work has a big impact.’” (07:18)

• On Independence:
  “You're supporting independent thinking and free speech along the way. We're not just feeding you partisan red meat. You get exposed to views you don't like every day.” (08:14)

• On Tangle’s Mission:
  “The good faith exchange of ideas, diverse perspectives…can actually allow us to listen to others and even change our minds on occasion.” (08:39)

• On Anticipation for 2026:
  “Looking ahead to 2026, we have some awesome stuff in the works.” (09:10)

Important Timestamps

• 02:23 — Start of special year-end episode and holiday break announcement
• 03:34 — Encouraging listeners to take a break from the news
• 04:16 – 05:04 — Reflections on the subscription drive and year-end appeal
• 05:04 – 07:42 — Review of 2025 achievements and audience testimonials
• 07:55 — On the importance of listener support and independent media
• 08:12 – 08:39 — The philosophy and mission behind Tangle
• 09:10 — Preview of plans and innovations for 2026

Closing Remarks

Isaac Saul closes by warmly thanking listeners, reminding them to enjoy time off, and assuring them that Tangle will continue to help them keep up with the news in the coming year. He reiterates the need for support to keep independent journalism thriving, underlining how the Tangle audience is an essential part of ensuring a vibrant, good-faith public conversation.

“Thank you for being here, for supporting us, for making all this possible…Happy Holidays. That's it for me today. We're going to see you guys next week. Don't forget, you can take a break…Have a good one. Peace.” (09:55)