Introducing What Could Go Right?

In the trailer for What Could Go Right?, host Zachary Karabell asks a disarmingly simple question: “Why is it that we spend so much time trying to figure out what could go wrong, and not nearly as much time trying to figure out what could go right?” The question is not rhetorical. Karabell, along with co-host Emma, built the podcast to answer it systematically. The show examines politics, economics, science, and technology with a perspective that deliberately sidesteps the outrage and doom that dominate most news cycles. As Jordan Harbinger introduces the episode, he points to a concrete example: a What Could Go Right? episode titled “Why the Experts Were Wrong About India,” which examines how India lifted hundreds of millions out of extreme poverty while also making remarkable progress in clean energy, technology, and access to basic services—all without glossing over the challenges that remain.

The Central Argument: The Experts Were Wrong