Our annual year-in-review episode covers some recurring themes from 2025 and some behind-the-curtains discussion of running a podcast. Patrick McKenzie (patio11) sits down with producer Sammy Cottrell to discuss the most popular episodes of the year,  the impact of AI coding tools, the challenges of video podcasting, Sammy's role as a "fixer" finding guests, and much more.
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Full transcript available here: www.complexsystemspodcast.com/2025-in-review-with-sammy-cottrell/

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Sponsor:

Framer is a design and publishing platform that collapses the toolchain between wireframes and production-ready websites. Design, iterate, and publish in one workspace. Start free at framer.com/design with code COMPLEXSYSTEMS for a free month of Framer Pro.

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:38) Launching video podcasts this year

(02:52) AI ethics and risk discussions

(04:29) Supporting LessWrong and LightHaven

(07:24) Adventures in AI-assisted hobbies

(12:38) Most popular episodes of the year

(19:45) Sponsor: Framer

(20:52) Popular episodes (continued)

(29:06) Setting up a podcast studio at Lighthaven

(32:31) Internal company podcasts

(38:03) Year in review and investigative journalism

(43:02) Creating Isekai

(49:13) Wrap