Everything in America is a Pyramid Scheme Now with Bridget Read

Factually! with Adam Conover

Headgum

Comedy

4.4 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 13 August 2025

⏱️ 94 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Pyramid schemes have been a comedic punchline for ages now, but they’ve never been more relevant. Not only is there still a thriving culture of multi-level exploitation in this country, but the dark spirit of pyramid schemes has wormed its way into countless aspects of American life. This week, Adam speaks with Bridget Read, writer at New York Magazine and the author of Little Bosses Everywhere: How the Pyramid Scheme Shaped America, to discuss how our country became one big pyramid scheme. Find Bridget’s book at factuallypod.com/books

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is a Headgum podcast.
0:05.5	Searching for a romantic summer getaway.
0:08.1	Escape with Rich Girl Summer, the new audible original from Lily Chew.
0:12.4	The exquisitely talented Philippa Sue, returning to narrate her fifth Lily Chew title.
0:17.1	This time, Philippa is joined by her real-life husband, Stephen Pasquale, set in Toronto's
0:21.9	wealthy cottage country, aka the Hamptons of Canada.
0:25.4	Rich Girl Summer follows the story of Valerie, a down-on-her-luck event planner, posing
0:29.5	as a socialite's long-lost daughter, while piecing together the secrets surrounding a
0:33.5	mysterious family, and falling deeper and deeper in love with the impossibly hard to read
0:38.6	and infuriatingly handsome family assistant, Nico.
0:42.3	Caught between pretending to belong and unexpectedly finding where she truly fits in, Valerie
0:47.2	learns her summer is about to get far more complicated than she ever planned.
0:51.4	She's in over her head and head over heels.
0:54.1	Listen to Rich Girl Summer Summer now on Audible.
0:56.8	Go to Audible.com slash Rich Girl Summer.
0:58.9	I don't know the truth.
1:02.1	I don't know the way.
1:04.8	I don't know what to think.
1:07.5	I don't know what to say.
1:10.4	Yeah, but that's all right.
1:13.5	That's okay.
1:15.8	I don't know anything.
	...

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