Open To Debate Podcast: Live Show, New Debates, New Podcast & Substack

 Open To Debate won Best Podcast Of The Year for the Ear Worthy Awards in August. It is the nation's only nonpartisan, debate-driven media organization dedicated to bringing together multiple viewpoints for a constructive, balanced, and respectful exchange of ideas. Open to Debate is a platform for intellectually curious and open-minded individuals to engage with others who hold opposing views on complex issues. 

There's a lot of news to report about this award-winning show.
 
First up, their next debate in The Hopkins Forum Series—live in Washington D.C., explores one of today’s most pressing questions: Tech Titans or Tyrants: Should the U.S. Government Break Up Big Tech? 
Date & Time: Thursday, December 4, 2025, at 6:45 PM | Doors open 6:00 PM
Location: Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center (555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20001)

Moderated by Emmy Award-winning journalist John Donvan. 

About the Debate
Have Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft become too powerful? 
Advocates argue Big Tech has become monopolistic—stifling competition and innovation, harming consumers through data exploitation, and exerting outsized influence over elections, media, and public discourse. Opponents counter that breaking up these companies would undermine innovation and global competitiveness, harm consumers who benefit from integrated services, and risk unintended consequences for national security and the broader economy. 

The Hopkins Forum is a partnership between Open to Debate and Johns Hopkins University’s SNF Agora Institute. This flagship series consists of live debates in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, bringing together diverse perspectives to tackle today’s most pressing issues. The inaugural debate, The Future of the Supreme Court: Unresolved, was held at the Bloomberg Hopkins Center on January 29, 2025, to a sold out live audience.

Second, the energy in Bloomberg’s London headquarters three weeks ago was electric as Open to Debate, in partnership with Bloomberg, hosted a provocative discussion at the intersection of technology, policy, and global power. Expertly moderated by Caroline Hyde of Bloomberg Television, the event brought together top thinkers and innovators before a packed house of finance and tech leaders eager to dissect one pressing question:
Can Europe Still Compete in the Chip War?

Semiconductors sit at the heart of modern progress—fueling everything from artificial intelligence and defense systems to electric vehicles and smartphones. Yet, control over chip design and supply chains has become a defining geopolitical contest. The U.S. and China currently dominate: America wields financial might, Silicon Valley’s innovation culture, and export controls, while China leverages resources, state-backed investment, and technical talent.

Europe, by contrast, faces challenges, as it is burdened by regulation, strict labor laws, and less venture capital. But the story may be shifting. With a near-monopoly in lithography technology and a renewed push for tech sovereignty, Europe could have more leverage than many assume.

The competition was spirited, and the conversation continued for hours at a post-event reception, both hallmarks of a successful event. And if that’s not enough to intrigue you, Open to Debate brought back the live vote for this one, and there was a remarkable swing! Before the debate, only 25% of the audience said that Europe is “not too late,” while a whopping 58% of the audience voted “not too late” after the debaters concluded their arguments.

Listen to the debate here. 

Next Up, Open To Debate now has a Substack page, and you can sign up for its newsletter here. It's journalism at its best. Check it out. Unlike Fox News, the page presents views from all sides.

Also, Open to Debate is taking another look at one of the most influential movements in modern philanthropy: Effective Altruism. Its core promise is bold: with data, reason, and rigorous analysis, we can do the “most good” for the world. But with its rise has come controversy about who sets the priorities, how money is allocated, and whether the movement’s narrow metrics leave too much of humanity out.

One of the movement’s co-founders, Peter Singer, joined us, arguing for its merits, while philosopher Alice Crary argued that the approach sidelines community knowledge, moral intuitions, and the causes that can’t be neatly quantified.

What kind of charitable causes do you want to help out this year which you believe will have the most impact? Think about it as you listen to this episode. If Open to Debate is among those priorities, consider becoming a paid subscriber. A paid subscription is tax-deductible, protects nonpartisan, independent debate, and promotes the free exchange of ideas.

  Finally, Open to Debate announces the launch of Generational Divides with Nick Gillespie, a new podcast series where three generations sit down at one table for an unfiltered, no-holds-barred debate about the cultural, political, and economic ideas that shape our times. 

Each episode mixes guests from different generations, from Baby Boomers to Gen Z, to explore how age and experience influence our values, politics, and sense of possibility. Hosted by Reason’s Nick Gillespie, Generational Divides takes a salon-style approach to debate—part highbrow discussion, part witty sparring match—offering a space where difference isn’t just tolerated, but encouraged.

In the inaugural episode, Gillespie convenes voices from three different generations to debate Intergenerational Wealth, examining how each generation views money, opportunity, and the American Dream. The panelists are:

• Baby Boomer: Joe Nocera, Deputy Managing Editor at The Free Press
  
  
• Gen X: Stacey Vanek Smith, Journalist, Reporter, and Co-host of Everybody’s Business at Bloomberg Business
  
  
• Gen Z: Kyla Scanlon, Economic Commentator and Author of In This Economy?

Smart, contrarian, and funny, Generational Divides with Nick Gillespie embodies Open to Debate’s commitment to lively, nuanced discourse in an age of echo chambers. With provocative prompts, generationally diverse guests, and Gillespie’s trademark wit guiding the way, the series invites listeners to question their assumptions and join a conversation that’s as entertaining as it is enlightening.

Look out for the second episode early next year. It will be an intergenerational hot take on today's media landscape—including podcasts, TikTok, YouTube and consolidation trends in legacy media—with high profile leaders across industries.

Check out Open To Debate, primarily because it is one of the remaining platforms from which different viewpoints can be discussed. In the last year, censorship, cancel culture, and the abridgment of freedom of speech has marked the current administration's strategy to curtail constitutional freedoms and rights.