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Search Engine
Search Engine is the podcast that tries to answer the questions that keep you up at night. A podcast made by humans that provides human answers. It was co-created by PJ Vogt and Sruthi Pinnamaneni.
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Recent Episodes
Jan. 30, 2026
Are flushable wipes actually flushable?
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 our privacy practices vis...
Jan. 20, 2026
The Venezuelan Curse (Part 2)
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): Either this Substack link or this Spotify link . The Many...
Jan. 16, 2026
The Venezuelan Curse
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 talked to Venezuelan historian ...
Jan. 9, 2026
The Fediverse Experiment
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 critiquing social media comp...
Dec. 26, 2025
Heavyweight x Search Engine
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 our of their big Victorian home. But they refuse. So, he's co...
Dec. 19, 2025
A Perfectly Average Anomaly
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. Incognito Mode , our ad-free, no...
What People Say About the Show
"I love explanatory journalism, and it’s explanatory journalism at its best. Simple questions that unfold into wondrous answers and, more than that, explorations."
- Ezra Klein, host of The Ezra Klein Show
"I like that Search Engine is still figuring out what it can do with this new podcast form it's invented, and that every time I download an episode I really don't know what to expect. What's rarer than that? In podcasts or in anything?"
- Ira Glass, host of This American Life
"Search Engine’s particular spark comes from the way the team injects a sense of genuine discovery into the act of unspooling. This is a show that works to give you a good time, always hustling for your attention as it peels back layer after layer."
- Vulture, "Search Engine Is the Spiritual Successor to Reply All"
You can find our show credits, schedule, and advertising ethics policy here.
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