Smart Girl Dumb Questions

Jon Stewart called Gen Z economic analyst Kyla Scanlon’s book “essential reading.” Now Kyla’s on Smart Girl Dumb Questions to break down the data and move beyond memes and myths. We asked her… does Gen-Z actually hate to work or do they just have a rational economic point? Why do young people feel broke? Will robots take our jobs, or help us make our side hustles a lucrative business? And will AI actually unleash new wealth?

Also on the agenda; can Gen Z (or Millennials) afford to disavow AI? And what’s Kyla’s advice for young job-seekers in this market? 

What Even is Work? An SGDQ series brought to you by Zoom.. Learn more at zoom.com

Get Kyla’s book that Jon Stewart called “essential reading” and listen to her new career advice podcast: Best of Luck!

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR GROUP CHAT, YOUR MOM and YOUR UNEMPLOYED FRIEND (we all have one at the moment…)

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We’re playing you one of our favourite episodes: a conversation with Andrew Ross Sorkin from January 2026. Nayeema asks: When did money become God? Are we due another market crash? What did we learn (or fail to learn) from the 1929, 2008 and other economic crises? And would they bail out OpenAI and Anthropic now — is AI the new “too big to fail?” 

Make sure to get Andrew’s book (which Nayeema thinks is “actually great.”

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR GROUP CHAT, YOUR MOM and YOUR FINANCE BRO FRIEND.

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Seth Meyers joined Nayeema live at the Comedy Cellar, where she asked him about his greatest failures (very few), whether he has a nemesis, and what’s actually funny in a world where the news is a meme and the meme is now news. 

Also: is Seth Meyers a “Wife Guy” … and is Donald Trump one too? And how does Nayeema get his job (Seth’s, not Trump’s).  

You should def get Seth’s (not a real book) and listen to his pods: The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast and Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and SGDQ on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And obvi: SHARE SMART GIRL DUMB QUESTIONS WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR GROUP CHAT, YOUR MOM and YOUR FUNNIEST FRIEND.

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We asked Geoffrey Hinton, the Nobel Prize-winning Godfather of AI: what happens when AI gets smarter than us? Can it unlearn bad behaviours? Break out and release a model that even Sam Altman acknowledges is dangerous? Under what circumstances can we trust Sam, Demis or Dario? And is the Trump administration and US government at all equipped to handle this moment? 

Also: what does AI have to do with The Beatles … or beetles, rather. This is Part 3 of our Godfather of AI series you can find

Part 1 here: https://youtu.be/Px3HfB2UkyU?si=W5A6S0X7FBgGTA8p

Part 2 here: https://youtu.be/oMpNIz9AIu0?si=KYZHdN2U-tDNejnZ

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR GROUP CHAT, YOUR MOM and YOUR AI Obsessed Coworker.

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Nayeema sits down with Sam Roberts, the New York Times obituary reporter who’s studied some 120,000 years of life while penning obits for everyone from Washington’s most powerful people to Hollywood’s most famed vet and … Jesus Christ? So what has Roberts learned studying this much life? Who even gets an NYT obit? How do they handle scandal, mistresses or secret babies? Which is the meanest obituary Sam’s ever drafted? And is 92 the new … 82?

Fact Check: At some point Sam says he may be, at age 79, the oldest staff reporter at The New York Times. He is not in fact the oldest. Also at some point, Nayeema says Sam is a spring chicken. Sam is not, in fact, a chicken.

Be sure to get Sam’s book, appropriately titled, “Are They Dead Yet?”

ICYMI - last week’s SGDQ Episode was all about how **AI could kill us all** so today’s on how we’ll be remembered, and how we choose to live, is particularly timely…. 

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR GROUP CHAT, YOUR MOM and YOUR MORTICIAN.

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Nayeema sits does with journalist Kevin Roose, who has covered tech for 15+ years and wrote *the* book on the AI race, to ask if this latest AI panic is just a way to drive up trillion-dollar IPOs and regulatory moats for Sam Altman and Dario Amodei. Also on the agenda: Do we need bunkers? What actually went down with the Hugging Face attack? If we’re in an AI war with China, why are we still sending Nvidia chips there? And with AI is coming for our brains, is now the perfect time to get a glow up and/or looksmax?

Get Kevin’s book: theagichronicles.com and listen to him on machinegod.fm

We're taping part 3 of our Godfather Trilogy with Geoffrey Hinton next week SO send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR GROUP CHAT, YOUR MOM and YOUR BOSS who is OBSESSED with AI.

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Nayeema sits down with Serena Kerrigan, who left a salaried job and a self-described “Nepo Baby Lite" lifestyle to become an influencer (slash "icon"). Six years later, she’s built an empire: an IG live show that led to a TV deal with Peacock, card games, merch and a new book, "Let's F*cking Date". 

The secret to her success? Confidence. Nayeema and Serena discuss how a mirror can make you an icon, why egg-freezing can change your mindset, and what modern feminism looks like in a world where we want men to pay … but also let us be. 

Also on the agenda: dating younger (hi cougars), age gaps, wealth gaps and some romantic advice for people who love to be clean.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR GROUP CHAT, YOUR MOM, YOUR EX, and anyone who has ever wondered whether they’re dating the wrong person.

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Nayeema sits down with Cal Newport, an expert on deep work, pseudo-productivity and how technology is shaping work. He’s prolifically productive himself (he’s written multiple bestselling books, is a tenured Georgetown professor, and hosts a hit podcast called Deep Questions … all of which is made possible by his work process and his abstention from social media). 

In this episode of the SGDQ “What Even Is Work?!” series, Nayeema asks: Why are we working more and getting less done? Why does everyone feel so busy ALL THE TIME? And, should that meeting be an email, or that email be a meeting? Also: should my employer be finding some cognitive fitness … for my brain?

Cal explains why modern knowledge work has created what he calls the “hyperactive hive mind” — a constant stream of Slack messages, emails, meetings, and notifications that keeps us reacting instead of thinking. And it’s not just annoying: our brains are actually TERRIBLE at constantly switching between different tasks and contexts. So how do we stay productive and cognitively fit?? 

Stay tuned for more of the SGDQ “What Even Is Work?!” series presented by @Zoom. Learn more about how Zoom can help you catch a break (and a chill first day back) zoommate.com. Nayeema thinks of it as vacation-maxxing for adults who want to holiday good and do other stuff good too!

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And, obvi: if you liked this episode, send it to your friends, your group chat, your mom... and your COWORKER.

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Is Gen Z Unemployable? And/or are the rest of us addicted to work? NYU Stern Prof and bestselling author Suzy Welch joins Nayeema in this first episode of the SGDQ “What Even is Work?!” series to figure out what we value and how we spend our days.

Suzy breaks down the 16 values that organize our lives. You can take the test here. (get the *free* assessment or use SGDQ50 for 50% off). They analyze Nayeema’s results, which rank love and voice higher than, um, work. They also talk about trends from hustle culture, work as identity, “bringing your whole self” to work,  job hugging, and resume botoxing?? Yeah, Nayeema didn’t know what those were either. 

This episode and the "What Even is Work?!" series are presented by @Zoom. Learn more about how Zoom can help you catch a break (and a chill first day back) at zoommate.com. Nayeema thinks of it as vacation-maxxing for adults who want to holiday good and do other stuff good too.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MY-DUMB-Q 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And, obvi: if you liked this episode, send it to your friends, your group chat, your mom... and the co-worker you're crushing on.

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Whether you’re single, married or something in between: this episode is for you. Nayeema sits down with love coach and rejection survivor Francesca Hogi to talk about flirting as a way of life and rejection as a path to growth. Plus, Franny grades Nayeema’s Flirting Skills (and Diplo’s). Is anyone getting an A?! 

We get into the 8 types of flirting, how A.I. can or can’t help you in your relationships, and other nuggets from Franny’s book. Plus: can you actually LEARN how to flirt? Is it just improv on steroids? What is HR-approved flirting? And are some people just TOO good at dating to ever be vulnerable? 

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And, obvi: if you liked this episode, send it to your friends, your group chat, your mom... and your CRUSH.

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