Deep Questions with Cal Newport
Hosted by Cal Newport · 14 decoded episodes · newest Oct 5, 2026
Cal Newport is a computer science professor and a New York Times bestselling author who writes about the impact of technology on society, and the struggle to work and live deeply in a world increasingly mired in digital distractions. On this podcast, he answers questions from his readers and offers advice about cultivating focus, productivity, and meaning amidst the noise that pervades our lives.
Episodes 14
- Oct 5, 2026 · 1h 7mCal Newport turns overload into a one-page operating planThe episode examines how simple constraints, physical distance from devices, and structured recovery can restore depth when busyness makes life feel reactive.
- Oct 1, 2026 · 29 minThree camps reshape the AI harms debateUnderstanding the Doomers, Accelerationists, and Centrists clarifies the stakes behind arguments over AI safety, regulation, and technological progress.
- Sep 28, 2026 · 1h 19mCal Newport shifts AI debate toward harms already hereThe episode argues that emotional dependence, misinformation, and child exposure to chatbots demand more immediate scrutiny than hypothetical superintelligence.
- Sep 21, 2026 · 53 minCal Newport links brain rot to a crisis of meaningful attentionThe episode argues that brain rot is less about silly content itself than about how compulsive digital habits erode purpose and engagement.
- Sep 14, 2026 · 1h 12mNewport and Stulberg defend meaningful friction against AIAs AI makes producing work easier and more abundant, the episode asks whether convenience is quietly eroding craft, agency, and the effort that makes achievement meaningful.
- Sep 10, 2026 · 39 minGPT-6 Astra’s hidden reasoning raises transparency questionsAs AI models spend more effort reasoning internally, understanding what remains hidden becomes central to judging their capabilities and risks.
- Sep 7, 2026 · 52 minCal Newport treats irritability as a productivity signalThe episode frames frustration, clutter, and technology habits as evidence that personal systems need deliberate redesign rather than passive maintenance.
- Sep 3, 2026 · 27 minCal Newport separates AI fact from civilization fictionAs AI systems become more autonomous, distinguishing real technical behavior from dramatic storytelling is essential to judging genuine risks.
- Aug 31, 2026 · 1h 20mCal Newport replaces his Deep Life Stack with a flexible mapThe episode reframes purposeful living as an adaptable system for aligning values, capability, attention, and control over time.
- Aug 27, 2026 · 36 minCal Newport blames AI failures on irresponsible engineeringThe episode reframes alarming AI incidents as a governance and deployment problem rather than evidence of machines independently becoming rogue.
- Aug 24, 2026 · 1h 3mCal Newport Defines Cognitive Fitness in the Age of AIThe episode asks which mental abilities remain essential when smartphones and AI can increasingly handle reading, writing, and information processing.
- Aug 17, 2026 · 58 minCal Newport argues for leisure beyond the scrollThe episode treats digital minimalism as a broader redesign of attention, leisure, creative work, and ownership—not merely a retreat from social media.