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Every episode
Stepchange
5 episodes
The Grid: The Largest Machine Ever Built
Ep 1 · Apr 27, 2026 · 4 hr 30 min
The grid powers everything around you. And it is in crisis. We cannot build AI, decarbonize our economy, or deliver affordable electricity if we don’t rebuild. And yet, the largest machine humankind has ever made is a miracle. For nearly a century, electricity got cheaper every decade and the grid became so reliable that we stopped thinking about it altogether. This machine was not designed; it accumulated through a century and a half of decisions with unforeseen consequences. And now we are dem…
Data Centers: The Hidden Backbone of Our Modern World
Ep 3 · Sep 15, 2025 · 4 hr 9 min
Welcome to the third episode of the Stepchange Show—where we explore the technologies and systems that have transformed human civilization. Every time you stream a movie, send a text message, scroll a feed, or chat with your favorite AI, you’re touching an invisible, physical empire. We call it the cloud, but it isn’t in the sky. It is astonishingly physical—alive in over 12,000 buildings around the world, consuming almost five percent of U.S. electricity, and running through cables laid across…
Coal: Part II
Ep 2 · Apr 27, 2025 · 3 hr 20 min
Listen to this on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Welcome to the second episode of Stepchange—where we explore the technologies and systems that have transformed human civilization. In Part II of our coal saga, we witness how this ancient rock evolved from household hearths to the invisible force powering the modern world. The 20th century would see coal take on its most consequential role yet—as the foundation of electrical grids that would light cities, po…
Introducing the Stepchange Show: Stories of Human Progress
Apr 26, 2025 · 1 min
Introducing the Stepchange Show. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stepchangeshow.substack.com
Coal: Part I
Ep 1 · Jan 21, 2025 · 2 hr 53 min
Full notes at stepchange.show Welcome to the debut episode of Stepchange—a podcast telling the stories of human progress. We unpack the technologies, systems, and infrastructure that shape our world. Coal is the story of a step change—a transformation so profound that it reshaped the course of human history. The rise of coal reshaped economies, societies, and the very way we live. It became the foundation of the Industrial Revolution and powered a new era of progress, but this leap forward came…
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