Looking for more writers like Matt Levine

April 28, 2024 10:02 AM

Does anyone know commentators with a similar tone, approach, style etc. to Bloomberg’s Matt Levine? Not looking for additional folks covering his topic area, but rather writers who have a similar vibe writing in other areas.

I love Levine's Money Matters newsletter, despite the fact that I don't really care very much at all about financial markets or the other topics he writes on. I just find his informal writing style, deep knowledge, inside-baseball approach, humor, etc. so engaging that I read it every single day.

So I’m looking for folks writing in other areas that have a similar sort of voice or vibe as Levine, similarly deeply intelligent and knowledgeable, and writing stuff that is somewhat accessible for laypersons but also respects the intelligence of the reader.

I'm particularly interested in anything having to do with law, social sciences, technology, or society. But any area at all would be interesting to me, with a sufficiently engaging writer!

posted by dredge to Media & Arts (10 answers total)

You might like Derek Lowe's In the Pipeline about chemistry and pharmaceuticals. His articles about the dangerous chemicals he refuses to work with are very interesting.
posted by Arctic Circle at 10:42 AM on April 28 [4 favorites]

There's a clear stylistic similarity with the politics/policy writer (and fellow Bloomberg columnist) Matthew Yglesias.
posted by kickingtheground at 12:02 PM on April 28

Nate Silver has a newish Substack and I would say it is in the ballpark, but Levine is somewhat inimitable, including because he worked at arguably the most elite law firm in the US and arguably the most elite financial firm in the US - I have met maybe one person in my life who I think could have gotten both of those jobs. By the way, Levine has a new podcast.
posted by Mid at 3:36 PM on April 28 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Popehat (Ken White) maybe?
posted by rednikki at 6:44 PM on April 28 [2 favorites]

If podcasts are ok, check out Preet Bharara's Stay Tuned with Preet. From the former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
posted by hovey at 7:56 PM on April 28

Matt Levine is pretty dang unique. Steven Randy Waldman (interfluidity) maybe? Felix Salmon back in the day I thought was pretty good too but I haven't read much from him in recent years.

Not purposely sticking to financial/econ writers but it's my area of interest.
posted by mullacc at 7:56 PM on April 28

You might like Molly White, who writes skeptically on crypto and related topics.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:43 AM on April 29 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Kenji Lopez-Alt for cooking matches the depth and intelligence. Also like Levine he's writing deep content in a genre often known for shallowness, although in the case of cooking there's a whole bunch of other smart food writing. Not a lot of smart financial industry gossip.

Levine's got his own unique form of snark which I don't see duplicated, but you didn't highlight that as what you were looking for. His deep understanding allows for the snark and is the more important part of the equation to me.
posted by Nelson at 7:35 AM on April 29

for the levine formula of expert in field + funny, here are some suggestions:

hamilton nolan on organized labor and unions (but also politics and culture) https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/

max read on technology and media
https://maxread.substack.com/

rusty foster on media (doesn't go as deep but very inside baseball and very fun)
https://www.todayintabs.com/

and for pop culture i think hunter harris is a genius
https://hunterharris.substack.com/
posted by sacho at 9:53 AM on April 29 [1 favorite]

Patrick MacKenzie's Bits about Money hits some of the same notes, I think, though more on the explaining technical details side and less on the snarky or funny side.
posted by ssg at 3:57 PM on May 1