Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova
by Pushkin Industries · 104 episodes
NewsPoliticsSociety
Risky Business is a weekly podcast about making better decisions. The hosts, Maria Konnikova and Nate Silver, are both journalists who moonlight as high-stakes poker players. On Risky Business, they bring their analytical framework to everything from politics to poker to personal decisions. Maria has a PhD in psychology and is the author of several books including, most recently, The Biggest Bluff. While researching the book, she inadvertently became a professional poker player, with over $500,000 in tournament winnings. She is a PokerStars Team Pro. Nate is the founder and former editor-in-chief of FiveThirtyEight, and one of the country’s leading el...
Latest episodes
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32 min
From The Kink Machine: The Hidden Business of Pleasure
Streamed by millions every day, porn is everywhere. It shapes our culture, our relationships, and even technology. Yet, nobody seems to know who really controls the business. The p…
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37 min
Nate and Maria’s 2026 Predictions
In the final episode of Risky Business, Nate and Maria check in on the predictions they made back in January for 2025, and then talk about what they think might be in store in 2026…
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43 min
Best of Risky Business: Life After Poker (with Vanessa Selbst)
We look back at Nate and Maria’s interview with former professional poker player Vanessa Selbst—the only woman ever to reach the number one ranking on the Global Poker Index. They…
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39 min
Why Are Some Countries Happier Than Others?
Every year, the World Happiness Report comes out and the Nordic countries rejoice. Just kidding – sort of. Small, homogenous countries like Finland (2025’s happiest country) often…
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33 min
The Big Short Companion from Against the Rules: How the Financial Crisis Broke Wall Street
We’re sharing another podcast we think you’ll enjoy, The Big Short Companion from Against the Rules, hosted by fellow Pushkin podcast host Michael Lewis. The Big Short is now 15 ye…
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43 min
Best Of Risky Business: Lessons From The River
When Nate’s book “On The Edge” released in 2024, Maria interviewed him about why he wrote it and what we can learn from the enigmatic risk-loving community he calls The River. Get…
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39 min
Best of Risky Business: Building a Championship Team (with Daryl Morey)
We’re closing out the year with some of our (and your) favorite episodes to date. First up: Nate and Maria’s conversation with Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations…
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42 min
The Riskies! 2025 Edition
Nate and Maria give out their second annual awards for decision-making in 2025: Who made the best decision this year? Who made the worst? Who were 2025’s biggest nits and degens? A…
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40 min
What’s In Store With Self-Driving Cars
Nate has ridden in a Waymo, and it was like stepping into the future. Maria’s never been in one, but she’s been stuck behind a lot of autonomous vehicles… They swap human-driven ca…
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40 min
What Movies Get Right and Wrong About Poker
Maria finally gets to reveal a project she’s been working on that’s been kept under wraps, and then it’s movie night on Risky Business! Nate and Maria talk about their favorite pok…
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50 min
Deep Cover Presents: Snowball [ft. Maria Konnikova]
We’re sharing a preview of another podcast, Deep Cover Presents: Snowball, that Maria participated in. Snowball follows journalist Ollie Wards as he unravels the wild story of how…
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3 min
Introducing: Odd Lots with Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway
Here’s a preview of another podcast we enjoy, Odd Lots with Tracy Alloway and Joe Weisenthal. Odd Lots has some of the most interesting conversations in finance, markets and econom…
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40 min
Frisky Business: Olivia Nuzzi, Ryan Lizza, and Journalistic Ethics
Nate and Maria game out the comparative benefits (and risks) of flying vs. driving vs. taking the train when traveling for the holidays. They also discuss Olivia Nuzzi’s new memoir…
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48 min
How to Experience the Joy of Giving Right Now: A Giving Tuesday Special from The Happiness Lab
According to the science, it really is better to give than receive. Donating a dollar; sharing a kind word or lending someone a hand changes lives, but can also hugely boost your h…
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37 min
The Prisoners’ Dilemma of Performance-Enhancing Drugs
This week we answer a question from listener Brandon, who’s noticed a rise in performance-enhancing drugs outside of sports. Nate and Maria discuss their own philosophies on PEDs,…
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42 min
NO LIMIT, Some AI… Poker’s Documentary-Gate
The WSOP’s NO LIMIT docuseries has been scrubbed from the internet following revelations that it includes AI-generated content, despite creator Dustin Ianotti’s explanation that th…
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52 min
Risky Business Live! How To Read People In Poker And Beyond
Most people are bad at spotting bluffs and tells – but there are ways to get better. Nate and Maria discuss tips and tricks from the poker tables with a live audience at Ludlow Hou…
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38 min
Will The Epstein Files Sink Trump?
After months of resistance, President Trump made a striking reversal on the Epstein files this week, signaling he would sign legislation to release them. Nate and Maria discuss whe…
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52 min
Society is betting on AI – and the outcomes aren’t looking good (with Nate Soares)
Humanity’s attempts to achieve artificial superintelligence will be our downfall, according to If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies. That’s the new book out by AI experts Nates Soare…
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47 min
The Democrats Are Folding on the Shutdown
Despite a blue wave in recent state and local elections, Senate Democrats caved to Republican demands on the shutdown, giving up the health care subsidies they started the shutdown…