Americano: did Condé Nast shape the world?
Best of the Spectator
The Spectator
4.4 • 785 Ratings
🗓️ 25 July 2025
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Did Condé Nast shape the world?
In this episode of Americano, Freddy Gray speaks with New York Times writer and debut author Michael Grynbaum about his new book Empire of the Elite, a sweeping history of Condé Nast – the media empire that once dictated American taste, fashion, and celebrity. From Anna Wintour’s carefully staged exit to the vanished world of glossy magazine grandeur, Grynbaum charts how the institution that once crowned cultural royalty is struggling to stay relevant in an era of TikTok stars and Substack columnists.
On the podcast they explore the rise of celebrity culture, the influence of British identity on Condé’s editorial direction, and the complex relationship between Donald Trump and the house that built (and later disowned) him.
Transcript
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| 0:58.6 | Thank you. Go.uk forward slash voucher. Hello and welcome back to the Americano Show, where we talk about power, politics and prejudices |
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| 1:31.7 | to be talking about Condé Nast because there is a fascinating new book called Empire of the Elite |
| 1:37.4 | by Michael N. Grimbaum, who is a writer for the New York Times. And this is his first book. |
| 1:43.5 | And it's a very, very interesting account of Conday Nast, |
| 1:45.9 | which is a huge media company that has sort of in many ways defined American life, |
| 1:52.4 | certainly American high society and that sort of thing for a long time. |
| 1:58.1 | Michael joins us now. |
| 1:59.3 | Congratulations on the book. |
| 2:03.6 | It is excellent. I thought we'd start by talking about the sort of newspeg, which is that Anna Winter is now retired as director of |
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