Subtitle: State of the Workflow

Myke talks to Ben Thompson about how he writes Stratechery, from deciding what is worth covering to working to a deadline every night, and the workflows he has built to produce one of tech’s most influential publications.

This episode of Cortex is sponsored by:

• Fitbod: Get stronger, faster with a fitness plan that fits you. Get 25% off your membership.
• Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CORTEX.

Guest Starring:

Ben Thompson

Links and Show Notes:

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👕 Shop The Subtle Range – Available until November 19th 👕

Stratechery by Ben Thompson

Apple and a Hacker’s Future – Stratechery by Ben Thompson

Between our discussion and the publishing of this episode, Ben's computer got hacked due to a security vulnerability.

Stratechery Plus

Dithering

Write Things Down – Stratechery by Ben Thompson

Frontier Overhangs – Stratechery by Ben Thompson

Sharp Tech

Workflowy

Notational Velocity

nvALT

Simplenote

Clubhouse – Stratechery by Ben Thompson

The Tech of F1 is WILD - Inside Red Bull Racing - Austin Evans - YouTube

Subtitle: State of the Workflow

Myke talks to Lucy James about going independent after 12 years at GameSpot, building a newsletter that recommends the best indie games, and announcing it days later on stage at Summer Game Fest in front of millions of viewers.

This episode of Cortex is sponsored by:

• Fitbod: Get stronger, faster with a fitness plan that fits you. Get 25% off your membership.
• Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CORTEX.
• Sentry: Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. New users get $100 in Sentry credits with code cortex26.
• Scribe: AI-powered workflow documentation. Get your first month free.

Guest Starring:

Lucy James

Links and Show Notes:

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🎗🤠 Relay for St. Jude

Relay for St. Jude Podcastathon 2026 - YouTube

lookingfor.game

Lucy James – Instagram

The Friends Per Second Podcast - YouTube

Summer Game Fest

player.gg

Subtitle: State of the Workflow

Myke talks to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg about his workflow for reporting on Apple, building and verifying sources, balancing speed with accuracy, and how publishing a scoop can uncover the next part of the story.

This episode of Cortex is sponsored by:

• Fitbod: Get stronger, faster with a fitness plan that fits you. Get 25% off your membership.
• Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CORTEX.
• Sentry: Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. New users get $100 in Sentry credits with code cortex26.

Guest Starring:

Mark Gurman

Links and Show Notes:

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Mark Gurman – Bloomberg

Power On by Mark Gurman – Bloomberg

Things

The new iPhone... - 9to5Mac – Mark's First Big Scoop

Apple's next major Mac revealed: the radically new 12-inch MacBook Air - 9to5Mac

Apple's Successors for CEO Tim Cook, Other Top Executives - Bloomberg

Apple’s John Ternus Profile: The Likely Successor to Tim Cook as CEO – Bloomberg

Who Will be Apple’s Next CEO After Tim Cook? - Bloomberg

Cortex #178: The Process of Investigative Reporting, With Jason Schreier - Relay

Subtitle: State of the Workflow

Myke talks to Jack Coyne about turning the viral hit Track Star* into a media business, growing a creative team without adding complexity, and building new shows while protecting what made the original special.

This episode of Cortex is sponsored by:

• Fitbod: Get stronger, faster with a fitness plan that fits you. Get 25% off your membership.
• Backblaze: Unlimited cloud backup for macOS and Windows. Try it for free today and get 20% off with code cortex20.
• Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CORTEX.
• Sentry: Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. New users get $100 in Sentry credits with code cortex26.

Guest Starring:

Jack Coyne

Links and Show Notes:

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Jack Coyne – Instagram

Public Opinion

Public Opinion – YouTube

Track Star* – Instagram

Track Star* – TikTok

Track Star* – YouTube

Track Star* with Pianist Lang Lang – Instagram

Jack's Road Trip Videos - YouTube

Testing Elmo's Music Knowledge | Track Star* - YouTube

Air

Why This Knicks Parade Was Different - Public Opinion - YouTube

Subtitle: State of the Workflow

Myke talks to Loryn Brantz – illustrator, poet, and bestselling author – about her journey from Sesame Street and BuzzFeed to becoming an independent creator, how her poems grew into a book, and the routines she uses to make space for new ideas.

This episode of Cortex is sponsored by:

• Fitbod: Get stronger, faster with a fitness plan that fits you. Get 25% off your membership.
• Sentry: Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. New users get $100 in Sentry credits with code cortex26.
• Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CORTEX.

Guest Starring:

Loryn Brantz

Links and Show Notes:

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‎Gabby - Coaching & Meditation App - App Store

Loryn's Website

Loryn Brantz – Instagram

The Good Advice Cupcake – Instagram

Poems of Parenting – HarperCollins

I Am a Spicy Nugget – Books of Wonder

Brick

If Disney Princesses Had Realistic Waistlines – Buzzfeed

Ms. Rachel - Wikipedia

Dos and Don'ts of Sharing Photos of Your Children on Instagram and Facebook | WSJ - YouTube

Amazon Is Making an AI-Animated ‘Good Advice Cupcake’ TV Show. Its Original Creator Is Furious | WIRED

Loryn's Post about Cuppy and Buzzfeed – Instagram

Designed in California — Kickstarter Campaign

Upgrade #621: Road to the Apple II: The Partnership (Part 2) - Relay

Subtitle: State of the Workflow

Myke talks to Steph Ango, CEO of Obsidian, about building tools for thought, working without meetings, managing knowledge with markdown and links, and how a seven-person team builds software used by millions.

This episode of Cortex is sponsored by:

• Fitbod: Get stronger, faster with a fitness plan that fits you. Get 25% off your membership.
• Sentry: Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. New users get $100 in Sentry credits with code cortex26.
• Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CORTEX.

Guest Starring:

Steph Ango

Links and Show Notes:

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stephango.com

Obsidian

Minimal Theme for Obsidian

How I use Obsidian — Steph Ango

Obsidian Web Clipper

How I do my to-dos — Steph Ango

Manifesto - About - Obsidian

If you're remote, ramble — Steph Ango

Always Bet on Text - graydon2

File over app — Steph Ango

Don't delegate understanding — Steph Ango

Caloric energy is precious — Steph Ango

Obsidian CLI

Subtitle: State of the Workflow

Myke talks to Jason Schreier of Bloomberg about the realities of reporting – how stories start, how sources are built, and how he balances fast-moving news with the slower, deeper work of writing books.

This episode of Cortex is sponsored by:

• Fitbod: Get stronger, faster with a fitness plan that fits you. Get 25% off your membership.
• Sentry: Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. New users get $100 in Sentry credits with code cortex26.
• Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free.
• Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CORTEX.

Guest Starring:

Jason Schreier

Links and Show Notes:

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Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier.bsky.social) — Bluesky

Jason Schreier | Bloomberg

Sony UX570 Digital Voice Recorder

Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier – HarperCollins

Press Reset by Jason Schreier – Hachette Book Group

Play Nice by Jason Schreier – Hachette Book Group

Why 'Silksong,' Team Cherry's Sequel to 'Hollow Knight,' Took So Long to Make - Bloomberg

Triple Click | Maximum Fun

Subtitle: State of the Workflow

Myke talks to Quinn Nelson of Snazzy Labs about adapting a creative workflow after becoming a parent – how major life changes reshape priorities, time, and systems, and how creators rebuild sustainable ways to keep making things.

This episode of Cortex is sponsored by:

• Sentry: Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. New users get $100 in Sentry credits with code cortex26.
• Fitbod: Get stronger, faster with a fitness plan that fits you. Get 25% off your membership.
• Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CORTEX.

Guest Starring:

Quinn Nelson

Links and Show Notes:

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Quinn Nelson - Snazzy Labs - YouTube

Spark Mail

Notion

We made the Mac mini ACTUALLY mini! - Snazzy Labs - YouTube

I Made My Own Mac! You Can Too! - Snazzy Labs - YouTube

Brick

Quinn's Home Screen

Rivian

When Did I…?

Narwhal 2 for Reddit

MDR Dasher Keyboard – Kickstarter

Subtitle: State of the Workflow

Myke talks to Becca Farsace about beginning her life as an independent creator—shaping a new workflow, making videos on her own terms, and carrying lessons from her years at The Verge into this next chapter.

This episode of Cortex is sponsored by:

• Sentry: Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. New users get $100 in Sentry credits with code cortex26.
• Fitbod: Get stronger, faster with a fitness plan that fits you. Get 25% off your membership.
• Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CORTEX.

Guest Starring:

Becca Farsace

Links and Show Notes:

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Becca Farsace - YouTube

This is the best phone of 2025… (sorry, MKBHD) - Becca Farsace - YouTube

Why I left The Verge - Becca Farsace - YouTube

Becca's Merch Store

I tried to replace my screens with an Apple Vision Pro… - Becca Farsace - YouTube

I took 1,000 photos with the iPhone 17 Pro... - Becca Farsace - YouTube

the smartwatch that changed my mind about smartwatches - Becca Farsace - YouTube

I quit my job to become a YouTuber, here is how much $$$ I made - Becca Farsace - YouTube

Becca's Home Screen

Myke talks to Alec from Technology Connections about how he turns everyday tech into compelling videos, from topic selection and deep research to scripting, hands-on experimentation, filming, and editing entirely on his own.

This episode of Cortex is sponsored by:

• Sentry: Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. New users get $100 in Sentry credits with code cortex26.
• Fitbod: Get stronger, faster with a fitness plan that fits you. Get 25% off your membership.
• Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CORTEX.

Guest Starring:

Technology Connections

Links and Show Notes:

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Myke's 2026 Yearly Theme - Cortex - YouTube

My 2026 Yearly Theme – The Enthusiast

Technology Connections - YouTube

Technology Connections | Patreon

Teleprompters are clever, simple, and also pretty neat - Technology Connections - YouTube

This goofy fridge has a really clever design. It's also kinda terrible. - Technology Connections - YouTube

Video projectors used to be ridiculously cool - Technology Connections - YouTube

Catalytic converters are simple, but getting them to work is not - Technology Connections - YouTube

My car charger can boil water really fast - Technology Connections - YouTube

Brown; color is weird - Technology Connections - YouTube

Alec's Home Screen

Tusky

Pocket Casts

Good Store - EcoGeek - Dishwasher Powder

Myke talks to Marques Brownlee about how he builds his reviews, from shaping a product narrative and writing scripts to collaborating with his team, deciding what becomes a video, and managing the pressure of creating at massive scale.

This episode of Cortex is sponsored by:

• Sentry: Mobile crash reporting and app monitoring. Get 6 months of the Team plan free with code cortex.
• Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CORTEX.
• Fitbod: Get stronger, faster with a fitness plan that fits you. Get 25% off your membership.

Guest Starring:

Marques Brownlee

Links and Show Notes:

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MKBHD.com

MKBHD - Marques Brownlee - YouTube

The Studio - YouTube

WVFRM Podcast - YouTube

Auto Focus - YouTube

TickTick

OnePlus 15 Review: This is Not Normal! - MKBHD - YouTube

Do Bad Reviews Kill Companies? - MKBHD - YouTube

Wait... Smart Glasses are Suddenly Good? - MKBHD - YouTube

Marques' Home Screen

Superhuman

Arc

Dia

MKBHD Store