PODCAST · technology
Cortex
by Relay
Cortex is a show that explores how creative people think about their work — and how they get it done. Each episode dives into the workflows they follow, the apps and devices they depend on, and the habits that keep projects moving. Hosted by CGP Grey and Myke Hurley.
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177
Cortex 178: The Process of Investigative Reporting, With Jason Schreier
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.
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176
177: How Major Life Changes Reshape Creative Workflows, With Quinn Nelson
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.
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175
176: Going From a Newsroom to Being Independent, With Becca Farsace
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.
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174
175: Technology Connections – State of the Workflow
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.
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173
174: Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) – State of the Workflow
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.
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172
173: Hank Green – State of the Workflow
Myke talks to Hank Green about how he manages an impossibly full creative life — from YouTube and Crash Course to books, businesses, and Good.Store — using simple tools, structured weeks, selective meetings, delegation, and a constant flow of new ideas.
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171
172: David Pierce – State of the Workflow
Myke talks to The Verge’s David Pierce about the workflow behind his Humane AI Pin review, how he collaborates to make podcasts like The Vergecast, and how his Installer newsletter helps him highlight the positive side of the internet each week.
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170
171: Casey Newton – State of the Workflow
Myke talks to Casey Newton about his workflow for running Platformer, from idea capture to writing and publishing, and how he balances reporting with access to some of the most powerful people in tech.
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169
170: Simone Giertz – State of the Workflow
Myke talks to Simone Giertz about her workflow for turning ideas into products, from early sketches and CAD prototypes to manufacturing, launching, and running a product studio alongside her YouTube channel.
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168
169: John Gruber – State of the Workflow
Myke interviews John Gruber of Daring Fireball. They take a deep-dive into how John’s writing takes shape – from capturing ideas and drafting articles to the meticulous editing behind his influential work.
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167
168: Austin Evans – State of the Workflow
Myke kicks off the new ‘State of the Workflow’ series with YouTuber Austin Evans. They explore the apps, gear, and systems—like dual phones, YouTube Shorts strategies, and analytics deep dives—that fuel Austin’s creativity and 1.5 billion views.
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166
167: Ten Years of Cortex
Grey and Myke look back on ten years of the show.
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165
166: The Social Network
Grey and Myke watch the 2010 biopic 'The Social Network'. They discuss their thoughts on the film, its portrayal of Facebook’s early days, and how it prompted them to reflect on their own use of social media today.
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164
165: How to Win Friends and Influence People
Grey and Myke explore why this foundational self-help and business book remains relevant today, breaking down its core principles on human interaction and influence—and sharing how they’ve applied its ideas in their own lives.
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163
164: Screen Crimes: The Ghost Device
Grey and Myke reveal their ‘Screen Crimes’ – how do they actually use their devices, and for how long? Meanwhile, Grey is in full team-management mode, and Myke is preparing to start his parental leave.
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162
163: Start a Timer, Make a Decision
Grey and Myke discuss how and why they track their time, Myke shares his thoughts on announcing his upcoming child, and Grey drops a task management bombshell.
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161
162: 2025 Yearly Themes
Grey and Myke use Yearly Themes to guide their personal and professional lives. In this episode, they reflect on how 2024 went and reveal their plans for 2025.
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160
161: I Fight Prime Numbers
Grey discusses why Apple Intelligence message suggestions feel ‘anti-human’. Myke shares his current iPad Home Screens. Also, Ask Cortex questions on breaking free from the 7-day week, productivity music, and finding balance on text-based social media.
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159
160: State of the Apps 2025
Grey and Myke discuss the tools they use to get work done, highlighting new additions and workflow changes. They also showcase their current home screens and reflect on how their work has evolved over the past year.
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158
159: The Magnetic Pull of September
Grey and Myke talk about how they take breaks during their workdays, share some fiction books they’ve enjoyed, discuss a major change Myke is making to his tech setup, and express their sympathy for phone case makers.
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157
158: Is AI Still Doom? (Humans Need Not Apply – 10 Years Later)
Grey and Myke mark the 10-year anniversary of 'Humans Need Not Apply,' taking the opportunity to share their current thoughts on AI.
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156
157: Being Better
Grey and Myke contemplate the conundrum of always striving to improve in creative work, evaluate technology that significantly impacts their productivity, discuss how they handle failure, and assess the success of a viral Instagram Reel.
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155
156: Average Content
Grey and Myke discuss some of the features from WWDC that excited them, and consider the impact of Apple integrating AI tools directly into iOS. Myke also provides an update on his email and notification experiments.
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154
155: State of the Hardware 2024
It's time for Grey and Myke to talk about the devices they've chosen to use in their lives. From the computers they use to the offices where they use them, as well as the devices they choose for entertainment, travel, smart home, and fitness.
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153
154: Workplace Therapy With Grey
Myke has new frustrations with his email, notifications, and calendar, but fortunately, therapist Grey is on hand to offer advice.
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152
153: What Even Is an Office?
Can the Vision Pro deceive Grey's perception of temperature? Does Myke truly need an office separate from his home? And how quickly after waking do Myke and Grey check their phones?
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151
152: Apple Vision Pro: The Future is Here
Grey and Myke each have an Apple Vision Pro. Can they get their work done with it? What does the future look like? And more importantly, how do you even begin to describe the experience?
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150
151: The Second Best Time is Now
Grey is eager to learn about Myke's experience at school. Myke reviews his annual time tracking data to observe changes and trends. They also settle a wager, and surprisingly, discuss the new Tinder-like feature in Slack.
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149
150: 2024 Yearly Themes
Each year, Grey and Myke establish a Yearly Theme to guide their personal and professional lives. In this episode, they review their Yearly Themes for 2023 and look ahead to 2024.
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148
149: Rock, Paper, Scissors
Grey and Myke explore the 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' video: delving into the reaction, the post-release analytics, Obsidian's crucial role in making the obscenely complex pathways, and what a 'draw' means.
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147
148: State of the Apps 2024
Grey and Myke discuss the apps essential to their workflow over the past year. They showcase the tools that are pivotal for their productivity. They offer insights, share their favorites, and grant listeners an exclusive view of their varied home screens.
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146
147: Stacked September
Grey has found a fellow Greycation enthusiast. Also, there are new iPhones and Apple Watches, offering more discussion topics than anticipated. A conversation about browser tabs takes place, and Myke is grappling with 'The Fear'.
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145
146: Unusually Spiky
Grey reflects on his recent Greycation while grappling with chaos. Myke is keen to explore a major update to Grey's mailing list. Additionally, they discuss how to determine if a change in business is critical.
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144
145: Problems Are Meant To Be Solved
Grey is in conflict with a thermostat, while Myke has finished his assignment on Mood Tracking. Myke discusses the challenge of juggling the workloads of two businesses, and your hosts take you behind the scenes of a Cortex Brand meeting, revealing their concerns about a significant bet they are about to undertake.
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143
144: Absurd Temperature Management
Grey has had to vacate his garage office, Myke wants to thank Cortexans, Cortex joins the Notion Nation, and Myke has hired a personal assistant. Also, a lightning round of exciting Beta features.
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142
143: Apple Vision Pro: Experiencing the Future
Myke got to try out the Apple Vision Pro – in an exclusive hands-on experience at Apple Park. On this episode, he recounts his entire experience to Grey and talks about what it could mean for the future of computing.
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141
142: Scrying Your List
Grey gets a promotion, and is trying to tame chaos. Myke gets some important news during the recording. They also cannot resist more discussion on backpacks, as well as answering some Ask Cortex questions on 'why you should always have tasks left over at the end of the day', and 'why they do not want to build an app'.
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140
141: State of the Hardware 2023
Myke and Grey talk about the devices they've chosen to get things done in their lives. From their office set ups, to their everyday carry items, to their entertainment devices, fitness products, and more.
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139
140: Cortex: In the Metaverse
Myke and Grey bought Meta Quest Pro headsets and have been using them for their Cortex Brand meetings. They talk about their experiences with the hardware, the software they used, and their feelings on VR as a tool for work.
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138
139: The Perils of Being Left-Handed
Grey has a new 'office', Myke is using Obsidian, and they both reflect on how 'work' and 'weekend' are treating them.
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137
138: The Story of the Last 18 Months
Grey wants to get serious, Myke has been struggling with a project, and they both tell the story of the Sidekick Notepad.
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136
137: A Barometer of Twitter
Grey is focusing on health, Myke has left Twitter, and they've both used ChatGPT.
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135
136: 2023 Yearly Themes
Grey had an unexpected year, Myke has been making progress, and they both share their Yearly Themes for 2023.
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134
135: State of the Apps 2023
Grey is going deep on Focus Modes, Myke will not switch, and they both share the apps and services they have been using most over the past year.
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133
134: AI Art Will Make Marionettes Of Us All Before It Destroys The World
Grey has seen some things he wished he hadn't, Myke tries to work out his alignment, and they both have a lot more to say on AI Art.
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132
133: The Ethics of AI Art
Grey explores collaboration again, Myke is getting ready for the Podcastathon. and they both discuss the ethics of AI art.
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131
132: The Actual Mind of the Algorithm
Grey released his new video, Myke has collaboration questions, and they both dig in to what upload gaps can mean for content creators.
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130
131: A Truly Epic Sense of Denial
Grey had COVID, Myke had COVID, and they both share how this has changed their plans for the year.
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129
130: The Crushing Unfairness
Grey has requests, Myke has COVID, and they both talk about their favourite things from WWDC 2022.
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128
129: The Wrong Kind of Munching
Grey is obsessed with City Stuff, Myke is struggling with 'Corporate Speak', and they both consider switching jobs.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Cortex is a show that explores how creative people think about their work — and how they get it done. Each episode dives into the workflows they follow, the apps and devices they depend on, and the habits that keep projects moving. Hosted by CGP Grey and Myke Hurley.
HOSTED BY
Relay
CATEGORIES
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