society
Hosted by The Progress Network with Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas · society · EN · 256 episodes
What if instead of being on the brink of disaster, we’re on the cusp of a better world? No one can deny the challenges the world faces, from pandemics to climate change to authoritarianism. But pessimism and despair are too easy a response. Each week, Progress Network Founder Zachary Karabell and Executive Director Emma Varvaloucas convene a diverse panel of experts to discuss the central issues of our era, including sustainability, polarization, work, and the economy, and make the case for a brighter future. They emerge from their conversations with a counterintuitive but informed take: progress is on its way.
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Signup to Generate a PitchWhat if instead of being on the brink of disaster, we’re on the cusp of a better world? No one can deny the challenges the world faces, from pandemics to climate change to authoritarianism. But pessimism and despair are too easy a response.
Recent episodes include "Are We Becoming Too Afraid to Take Risks? | With Allison Schrager" (7 October 2026, 54 minutes), "Why Scientists Are Suddenly So Optimistic About Alzheimer’s" (5 October 2026, 19 minutes), and "The Race for the Arctic Has Already Begun. Is America Ready? | With Rana Foroohar" (30 September 2026, 44 minutes).
What Could Go Right? publishes roughly a few times a week, with episodes averaging 37 minutes across 256 episodes.
Booking probability for What Could Go Right? is 45%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. What Could Go Right? requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. What Could Go Right?'s contact route on record: verified email.
What Could Go Right? is a society show with 256 episodes published.
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What Could Go Right?
As modern society grows wealthier and more technologically advanced, our increasing obsession with safety is quietly stalling human progress. Economist and author Allison Schrager joins host Zachary Karabell to break...
What Could Go Right?
Why are researchers and doctors who treat dementia so happy right now? Experts think we're in a new optimistic age for Alzheimer's research with new treatments and new diagnostic tools that are changing the landscape...
What Could Go Right?
There was a time in American history when everything was about ships. For centuries, power on the seas was necessary for economic success, but U.S. maritime power isn’t what it used to be. That change has never been...
What Could Go Right?
After a former Anthropic researcher quit and gave a doomsday warning about artificial intelligence, a debate on a human extinction event is raging in the media. Could AI get too smart too fast? Are we really in danger...
What Could Go Right?
Legal betting has exploded in the US. With the phone in your pocket, you can bet on the specific outcome of a game or who will attend the next State of the Union address. But legal betting has plenty of controversy...
What Could Go Right?
Maps have distorted the true size of the African continent for 500 years, but a new UN resolution is changing that. Progress Network Executive Director Emma Varvaloucas examines this historic shift toward a more...
What Could Go Right?
In the United States, we have constant debates about long-standing systemic issues like classism, racism, and economic inequality, and we speak about these issues as if they are complicated and impossible to address...
What Could Go Right?
There’s been a lot of doom and gloom around artificial intelligence taking our jobs. Even founders of AI companies like Sam Altman have said that many jobs will go poof and disappear. But is the AI job apocalypse all...
What Could Go Right?
Are we trapped in a cultural doom loop that forces us to fear the future instead of dreaming of a better one? In this episode, futurist Ari Wallach joins host Zachary Karabell to examine why modern society defaults to...
What Could Go Right?
What if you never have to wear a pink ribbon again? For years, experts called the medical dream of a personalized cancer vaccine impossible. Now, a new therapy written by an algorithm is making it happen. We're also...
What Could Go Right?
Is interest in space dying, or are we on the brink of our greatest interstellar discoveries? In this episode of What Could Go Right, Zachary Karabell sits down with Dr. Dakotah Tyler, an astronomer and astrophysicist...
What Could Go Right?
This week, we want to share a podcast from our friends at Issues in Science & Technology. It’s called The Ongoing Transformation and it looks at how science and society are continually transforming each other. From...
What Could Go Right?
David Pakman is the founder and host of The David Pakman Show, one of the most watched independent progressive podcasts and online political shows. He's built an audience of over 6.7 million subscribers across social...
What Could Go Right?
The media is constantly telling us that danger is everywhere. Between true crime binges and political rants, we're led to believe that our streets are a war zone. However, recent statistics released by the FBI tell a...
What Could Go Right?
Being a human being is an anxious experience, and to calm the fear of uncertainty, we’re obsessed with predicting the future. Whether spiraling about changes to the economy, politics, or culture, we’re desperate to know...
What Could Go Right?
Winston Churchill predicted this nation would collapse, but today India is experiencing a massive economic glow up as it rapidly lifts hundreds of millions out of extreme poverty. We also investigate why crucial...
What Could Go Right?
The concept of the American Dream calls up images of enormous money and fame that most of us will never see. But what happens to someone who actually becomes mega famous? Is it truly something to strive for? Is the cost...
What Could Go Right?
Words like "de-extinction" and "cloning" are often associated with dystopian science fiction stories, but reality tells a more hopeful tale.Ben Lamm, CEO and co-founder of Colossal Biosciences, joins host Zachary...
What Could Go Right?
After decades of facing severe overfishing and cultural stigma, global shark populations are finally rebounding thanks to strict new international trade bans and expanding marine sanctuaries. Emma Varvaloucas, Executive...
What Could Go Right?
There is a massive chasm between what official data tells us about the financial landscape and how average Americans actually experience their daily lives. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's, joins Zachary Karabell...
Recent guests on What Could Go Right?. Study who booked and why before you pitch.
seven-time New York Times bestselling author and family strategist
author of The Good Enough Job and the upcoming How to Not Know
author of "The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence", Council on Foreign Relations
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