The Whole World Is Fighting About Energy

The Whole World Is Fighting About Energy

From Plain English with Derek Thompson by The Ringer

April 14, 2026 · 1h 4m

About this episode

Derek Thompson discusses the global significance of energy in the context of the Iran conflict and the rise of artificial intelligence with energy analyst Nat Bullard.

The two biggest stories in the world right now—the war involving Iran and the rise of artificial intelligence—are, at their core, the same story: energy. The Iran conflict has become a war of competing energy blockades, with Iran squeezing American allies and America squeezing Iran. And AI is its own energy arms race, with tech companies scrambling not just for customers but for supply—chips, electricity, and data center capacity. What does it mean when every major story leads back to energy? Derek talks with energy analyst Nat Bullard about a world where power, in every sense of the word, is the thing everyone is fighting over. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@PlainEnglishwithDerekThompson If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Nat Bullard Producer: Devon Baroldi Link: https://www.nathanielbullard.com/presentations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Nat Bullard

Topics covered

  • energy
  • Iran conflict
  • artificial intelligence
  • energy blockades
  • power dynamics
  • technology race

Keywords

  • energy
  • Iran
  • artificial intelligence
  • energy blockades
  • power
  • technology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Ringer, Spotify

Places: Iran

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