Shell Game

Shell Game

A podcast about things that are not what they seem, hosted by journalist Evan Ratliff. Season 2 tells the story of enterprise and entrepreneurship in the AI age. Or: how Evan tried to build a real startup, run by fake people.  This season, Evan confronts head-on the assertion from tech entrepreneurs and VCs that we’re on the precipice of AI remaking the workforce. That we should expect not just AI colleagues working alongside us, but also — by Sam Altman’s telling, at least — the dawn of a billion-dollar company with only one human involved. Evan learns what it would take to create...

5 episodes summarized Open in App

Episodes (19)

Bonus Episode: Shell Game x No Such Thing

Feb 25, 2026

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Bonus Episode: Kyle vs. the World

Feb 11, 2026

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Episode 8: Launch

Jan 21, 2026

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Episode 7: Welcome Aboard

Jan 14, 2026

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Episode 6: Keep 'Em Coming

Dec 17, 2025

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Episode 5: Winners Win

Dec 10, 2025

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Episode 4: The Startup Chronicles

Dec 3, 2025

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Episode 3: This is Law

Nov 26, 2025

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Episode 2: Outdoor Debugging

Nov 19, 2025

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Episode 1: Minimum Viable Company

Nov 12, 2025

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The One-Human Unicorn

Nov 5, 2025

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Season 2 Is Coming!

Oct 10, 2025

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Episode 6: The Future Isn't Real

Aug 13, 2024

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Episode 5: My Digital Twin

Aug 6, 2024

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Episode 4: Take a Deep Breath

Jul 30, 2024

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Episode 3: Conversations With Myself

Jul 23, 2024

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Episode 2: Me and My Scammer

Jul 16, 2024

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Episode 1: Quality Assurance

Jul 9, 2024

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Introducing Shell Game, a Strange and Immersive AI Experiment

Jul 2, 2024

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