What makes a good podcast?

A good podcasts is one in which the host is able to ask questions that the average listener can understand but would not have been able to ask by themselves. It’s a sweet spot of being relatable given the existing listening context but also provocative enough so that the guest (who presumably is an expert in a particular subject) is able to go beyond his or her main talking points.

There are too many “ah interesting” podcasts where the host just nods along and the guest sticks to their usual script. Dwarkesh has seen extraordinary success as a host because he spends time to research a topic to the level of a “basic undergraduate”. This has elevated his podcast to such a high standing that he was able to cold email the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella and get him on his podcast.