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Is Silicon Valley a cult? Is AGI, Cryonics, or Transhumanism? Or are these just weird?

Welcome to Season 6 of CoJW, where Chris & Kayla explore our relationship with that thing that connects us all: the inevitability of death. ...And that brings them to some weird (or culty?) places at the epicenter of the modern world's economic & cultural engine.

Recent Episodes

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S6E17 - The Immortalists' Conclusions
July 23, 2024

S6E17 - The Immortalists' Conclusions

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?   --- Time isn't the only thing the FDA is killing. - ACT UP slogan   Chris & Kayla grapple with the intense nuance presented by the Church of Perpetual Life and the Life Exte…
S6E16 - The Immortalists' Founder
July 16, 2024

S6E16 - The Immortalists' Founder

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?   --- How could I enjoy a yacht if I know we're all going to die and disappear? - Bill Faloon   Chris & Kayla head back to Church to learn more about the man behind the curtai…
S6E15 - The Immortalists' Church
July 9, 2024

S6E15 - The Immortalists' Church

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?   --- Aging and Death can be Optional...We Choose Life & Health.   Chris & Kayla head to church to learn how the Creator wants us to live forever. --- *Search Categories*...
S6E14 - The Future of Humanity: TESCREAL
July 2, 2024

S6E14 - The Future of Humanity: TESCREAL

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?   --- 🎵 it's like 10^58 motes 🎵 when all you neeeed is a torture 🎵   Chris & Kayla discuss the third & final piece of Émile Torres's interview. --- *Search Categories*...
S6E13 - The Future of Humanity: TESCREAL
June 25, 2024

S6E13 - The Future of Humanity: TESCREAL

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?   --- Making predictions is tough, especially about the future. -Niels Bohr   Chris & Kayla put the L in TESCREAL. --- *Search Categories* Anthropological; Science /...
S6E12 - The Future of Humanity: TESCREAL
June 18, 2024

S6E12 - The Future of Humanity: TESCREAL

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?   --- AI will probably most likely lead to the end of the world, but in the meantime, there'll be great companies. - Sam Altman   Chris & Kayla talk about the future of humani…
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About the Hosts

Kayla Profile Photo

Kayla

Kayla is a TV writer whose love of all things niche and weird has been with her since day one.

Her lifelong tendency to deep dive, headfirst, into every new obsession, paired with an unhealthy relationship to the internet not too dissimilar to life support, provided fertile ground for Cult or Just Weird. The show's idea took shape and was refined over a series of in depth conversations with her cohost Chris. When she isn’t down an internet rabbit hole (she’s always down an internet rabbit hole), other passions in Kayla’s life include social justice, cats, travel, and hanging out with her niece.

Chris Profile Photo

Chris

Chris has been working in the video game industry over a decade, variously as a producer, data analyst, and product designer & manager. In other words, he has no idea how he wound up hosting a podcast about cults. But it probably has something to do with his insatiable curiosity, spiritual love for science, and a personal dedication to rational skepticism, all of which significantly pre-date his dayjob career choices. He is also a fan of podcasts, and wishes he could hang out with Dan Carlin and/or steal Roman Mars' voice.