Search Engine
PJ Vogt
SummaryHave you ever found yourself spiraling down a Google rabbit hole, trying to solve a mystery that feels trivial yet impossible to ignore? That is the heartbeat of Search Engine. Hosted by PJ Vogt, this show takes the questions you are embarrassed to ask—or the ones you didn’t even realize you had—and treats them with the rigor and curiosity of a major investigative project. Whether the team is poking through the ironclad silence surrounding a private pool at Buckingham Palace, dissecting why your own social circle is harder to build than it seems, or exploring the historical roots of the modern stock market, the show refuses to accept simple answers. Each episode operates like a narrative detective story, bridging the gap between personal human anxieties and the larger, often confusing forces that shape our world. You will find a recurring focus on power, identity, and the strange, universal ways we try to find belonging—from the intense exclusivity of Berlin nightclubs to the fallout of geopolitical shifts in Taiwan. It is a show about how things actually work and, more importantly, why we care so deeply about the things we do. If you are looking for a podcast that values empathy, deep research, and a genuine sense of wonder, Search Engine is the perfect place to start your next discovery.
Updated Jul 3, 2026
Episodes
Why didn’t Chris and Dan get into Berghain? Pt. 1 (classic)
Two friends analyze the impossible door policy of Berlin’s most exclusive nightclub after multiple failed attempts.
A Strange Voyage
Tracing the history of the stock market reveals how a seventeenth-century shipping gamble evolved into modern finance.
Why doesn’t anybody come to my parties?
A chronically lonely party host investigates why her social gatherings consistently struggle to attract guests.
Why is the pool at Buckingham Palace a secret? (classic)
The quest to uncover why no public photos exist of the swimming pool inside Buckingham Palace.
Why do we have to pay into the new Anti-Weaponization Fund?
The president has established a secret slush fund of taxpayer money to bypass oversight and settle personal scores.
Presenting: Family Lore
The granddaughter of a Jewish art collector uses a secret inventory to reclaim looted treasures stolen by the Nazis.
The many lives of Taiwan
From a rugged frontier to a tech superpower, explore the layered history of how Taiwan became a global anchor.
The Trial of the Driverless Car
Boston taxi drivers and city officials square off against Waymo to protect human jobs from the rise of robo-taxis.
Odd Lots x Search Engine
Mysteries of a Chatbot
Why don’t we eat people? (classic)
How Peptides Conquered the Internet
Are flushable wipes actually flushable?
The Venezuelan Curse (Part 2)
The Venezuelan Curse
The Fediverse Experiment
Heavyweight x Search Engine
A Perfectly Average Anomaly
Unlocked: The State of Search Engine 2025
What's the best phone to do crimes on? (classic)
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Enhance Voices in Search Engine episodes — voice-tuned EQ and compression that makes voices clearer and evens out loud and quiet podcasts.
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