Bringing real experts and forward-thinkers out of the clickbait shadows for greater knowledge, purpose, and performance. The CEO Retort is a thought-provoking podcast that features leading experts, entrepreneurs, authors, journalists, and thinkers scrutinising how science, business, health, politics, technology, and AI influence our lives.Hosted by Tim El-Sheikh — a serial deeptech and AI entrepreneur since 2002, one of the first-generation AI pioneers at Google Campus London, a biomedical scientist, and ex-pro athlete. He is currently at the frontier of human-centric Augmented Intelligence.
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The CEO Retort with Tim El-Sheikh is a technology podcast hosted by Athmetric, with 72 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.
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Athmetric hosts The CEO Retort with Tim El-Sheikh, a technology show with 72 episodes published.
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The CEO Retort with Tim El-Sheikh
Scott Lucas explains how Trump and Israel have completely lost control of the Middle East
Aug 17, 202640 min
Professor Scott Lucas analyses how the Trump administration have run out of viable military options, decentring the Middle East and destabilising the global economy. The episode opens with a wide-ranging update on the escalating instability across the Middle East, centred on the US-Iran confrontation and the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz. Scott explains that the situation has entered a difficult middle phase: a limbo that does not include full-scale war but is also far from peace. This level of increasing uncertainty and instability is exactly what makes the moment so dangerous, especially as shipping through the strait has fallen sharply and the economic stakes keep rising. Support our independence by becoming a member to help us fight against this dangerous move by the UK government: https://RetortMedia.com/Support Timestamps: (00:00:00) – Preview (00:02:18) – Climate Change and Political Delusion with the UK's 5th heat wave in a single Summer Season! (00:05:00) – The Escalating Iran Situation. Somehow it is worse than it has ever been. How did the US lose all leverage against Iran? (00:11:13) – Reminder of the June 2026 memorandum of understanding and what Trump signed up to and desperately wants Iran to reengage (00:15:01) — The latest Israel-Lebanon front, Gaza, and the West Bank developments that added further instability in the region (00:17:57) — Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the Houthis, and Red Sea escalation: The closure of the Bab El-Mandeb Strait – which is only open to Chinese tankers! (00:21:16) — The Trump administration are not even looking at the Yemen-Saudi Arabia situation and how Saudi Arabia could call out Trump on his failures (00:24:41) — The emerging Turkey-Saudi-Pakistan defence pact – dubbed the “Islamic NATO” and the decentring of the entire region (00:30:52) — What is the reaction of Israel and the UAE to the emergence of this new defence pact? (00:36:32) — This complete realignment goes completely against Trump 1.0's pet project, the Abraham Accords. So what's next? Episode Notes & Citations: https://retortmedia.com/podcasts/ceoretort/2026/08/17/scott-lucas-exposes-how-trump-and-israel-lost-control-of-the-middle-east/ Subscribe to The CEO Retort: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CEORetort Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ceo-retort/id1767132889 Connect with Tim El-Sheikh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timelsheikh
Steve Keen Warns The Iran War Will Crash the World’s Economy and Trigger WW3
Aug 10, 20261h 40m
Professor Steve Keen is one of the world’s top economists, an author, and an academic who was among the few economists to accurately predict and warn of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis years before it happened. We dug into why the current AI boom is not just a story about overhyped chatbots, but also a tangled-up mess of bad economics, libertarian ideology, energy constraints, and environmental abuse all at once. Not to mention the cherry on top in the form of the Iran War and the consequential crises we are yet to face in the coming weeks, months and years! Join the conversation! Support our independence by becoming a member to help us fight against this dangerous move by the UK government: https://RetortMedia.com/Support Timestamps: (00:00:00) – Preview (00:01:53) – Overview of the current global economic situation — AI bubble meltdown, climate disaster and the Iran war. Will it survive by the end of 2026? (00:07:09) – Historical parallels: The Railway bubble and the AI hype led by mediocrity that caused financial markets’ meltdown with wider economic implications. (00:14:14) – History of the “standard” economic theories that brought us to the current economic doom loop of damaged energy supply, the environment and innovation (00:20:18) – What did China get right? They seem to be moving in the opposite direction from the West, achieving apparently better economic resilience (00:23:20) – How the Iran War exposed the weakness of global dependence on fossil fuels and accelerated the switch to sustainability and energy independence (00:25:35) – How conservative, right-wing ideologies and conventional economic theorists together deluded the world in ignoring climate change (00:30:05) – Why the academia side of economics is, and has been, completely out of touch with reality for over 150 years! (00:37:08) – The dangers of the zero-government, no-regulation, anti-democracy libertarian ideology led by top tech CEOs and billionaires, empowered by conventional economic theories (00:43:38) – Despite the evidence of major failures of the conventional economic theories, why do governments keep on following failed models? (00:49:39) – Why cannot people see these issues or choose to be ignorant about the current economic realities that will negatively impact their livelihoods? (00:56:52) – AD: The Retort's Campaign to support our independence in light of the UK parliament's new terror threat laws targeting journalists and NGOs, and what you can do at RetortMedia.com/Support (00:58:10) – Will the situation at the Strait of Hormuz and the developing conflict near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait at the Red Sea trigger points for the imminent economic collapse? (01:01:38) – What will the world look like after the AI bubble collapse and the wider economic disaster that will follow? (01:08:54) – The political responses Steve received following his wider campaigns for change of direction (01:11:16) – The big problem with the economic theory is that it is treated like a religion, not science or accurate data-driven analysis – can anything ever break this religion? (01:25:09) – Do the libertarian economists actually believe in their own theories, or are they being paid to push forward these theories and influence governments? (01:25:09) – Once the economic disaster passes, how do we recover? Episode Notes & Citations: https://retortmedia.com/podcasts/ceoretort/2026/08/10/steve-keen-warns-the-iran-war-will-crash-the-worlds-economy-and-trigger-ww3/ Subscribe to The CEO Retort: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CEORetort Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ceo-retort/id1767132889 Connect with Tim El-Sheikh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timelsheikh
Scott Lucas Exposes Trump's Alarming Behavioural Pattern, Escaping Media Scrutiny
Aug 3, 20261h 16m
Donald Trump’s latest political theatrics are fast proving to be less about policy than they are about control of the news cycle and authoritarianism. Scott Lucas explores Trump's recent series of speeches and appearances, in which he once again staged a spectacle of exaggerated claims and culture-war rhetoric to draw attention to himself while avoiding the more difficult realities facing his administration and the future of the Republican Party. This is not about the political drama the media tends to obsess about. Trump is proving to be even more detrimental to Americans and other societies that rely on the United States’ political and economic stability. Whether it is inflation, a weak jobs report, or an electorate that tends to respond more strongly to tangible issues than to slogans, the larger argument here is that Trump's playbook has changed shape over time, but not purpose. Join the conversation now and tell us what you think Trump's antics mean to you. Support our independence by becoming a member to help us fight against this dangerous move by the UK government: https://RetortMedia.com/Support Timestamps: (00:00:00) – Preview (00:03:06) – The danger of falling into the “breaking news” whirlpool and losing track of important developments (00:06:46) – Trump's recent antics at the White House Correspondents Dinner and media manipulation through misinformation (00:14:58) – The Trump administration’s diversion tactics to hide their economic and migration policy failures — blaming “communists” (00:22:02) – Why activists tend to fall into the media manipulation trap, particularly the left-wing who risk their entire movement (00:30:02) – The true threat to American culture is the culture wars orchestrated by MAGA and the radical Christian fundamentalists (00:38:36) – The media are at the centre of this entire theatre, failing to call out Trump’s blatant lies that mislead the public (00:46:30) – The urgent need for the “Two-Minutes” analysis model to help the public understand and follow complex issues (00:47:10) – Example of the two-minute analysis: The congressional hearing persecuting Dr Anthony Fauci, led by the Republicans (00:50:56) – Reminder of Trump’s and MAGA’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and their misinformation campaign — they apply the same approach today (00:59:03) – How populist grifters in politics and tech successfully convinced the public not to trust experts, and how the media failed to hold these grifters accountable (01:03:26) – The consequences of not listening to experts and investigative journalists are dire for the general public — the grifters are fighting back! Episode Notes & Citations: https://retortmedia.com/podcasts/ceoretort/2026/08/03/scott-lucas-exposes-trumps-alarming-behavioural-pattern-escaping-media-scrutiny Subscribe to The CEO Retort: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CEORetort Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ceo-retort/id1767132889 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ytJdrSK0yGL2OZfTitnp8 Connect with Tim El-Sheikh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timelsheikh
Scott Lucas: Trump's Iran War Limbo Catastrophic for Global Economy and Your Cost of Living
Jul 27, 20261h 17m
Professor Scott Lucas examines the economic realities of the Strait of Hormuz and why it remains a central point of tension in global trade. Here we are again, back to square one with the Iran conflict quagmire. Or, as Scott puts it in this episode: an ongoing limbo! Make no mistake, this limbo comes with catastrophic consequences to the global economy and to our cost of living. Thanks to the so-called memorandum of understanding, which Trump has signed, the Iranian regime has been given the key to controlling one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, the Strait of Hormuz.By reviewing the historical status of these waters before recent conflicts, you will understand the shift in maritime security and what it means for future economic dependence. This breakdown is essential for viewers tracking the intersection of energy markets and international policy. As a bonus point, the conversation also touches on how this crisis could become an imminent crisis for the GOP, as energy prices and instability continue to rise. With the death of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who played a critical role in defending Trump within the GOP, will we witness a potential retaliation against Trump? Support our independence by becoming a member to help us fight against this dangerous move by the UK government: https://RetortMedia.com/Support Timestamps: (00:00:00) – Preview (00:02:51) – We are now in a disastrous limbo with Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on global oil markets (00:12:48) – Israel's current influence on the war, grooming a potential new Iranian leader (00:19:15) – Would Trump ever accept defeat to end the war, or will he allow the American economy to collapse to save face? (00:26:40) – Benjamin Netanyahu's internal political struggles from all sides, not just the left. (00:28:25) – What happened to the Iranian protesters that Trump was supposed to "save" before the Iran war? Scott shares shocking numbers of deaths and how this war empowered the Iranian regime (00:36:54) – What is the legal position of the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)? Was it ever valid? (00:38:48) – The strategic moves of Gulf states and their plans for alternative routes to the Strait of Hormuz, while the Houthis in Yemen threaten to shut down the Red Sea's Bab al-Mandab Strait (00:43:00) – A pessimistic picture of the global economy, made worse by the AI bubble which may blow up sooner thanks to SpaceX (00:45:42) – The death of Lindsey Graham and its political consequences for Trump and the internal struggles within the Republican Party (00:59:56) – The urgent need for pragmatic, results-oriented politics, empowered by local politics and community engagement, as we see in New York under Zohran Mamdani Episode Notes & Citations: https://retortmedia.com/podcasts/ceoretort/2026/07/27/scott-lucas-trumps-iran-war-limbo-catastrophic-for-global-economy-and-your-cost-of-living/ Subscribe to The CEO Retort: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CEORetort Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ceo-retort/id1767132889 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ytJdrSK0yGL2OZfTitnp8 Connect with Tim El-Sheikh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timelsheikh
Nicholas McGeehan: FIFA’s Corruption has Reached a Dangerous Level, Impacting more than Football
Jul 20, 20261h 31m
The leading corruption investigator and founder of FairSquare helps us explore the deep-rooted issues of corruption, governance, and ethics within FIFA and global sports organisations. Our discussion is centred on the growing influence of politics and money in sport, especially through FIFA and the World Cup. The conversation began with a reflection on the England vs Argentina match. Still, it quickly shifted into a broader critique of how football governing bodies can influence outcomes off the pitch through power, patronage, and public relations. The current president, Gianni Infantino, was described as a leader who accumulated more power, became more politically entangled, and used FIFA's platform to align with authoritarian figures and politically powerful allies, including Trump and Saudi interests. The other major thread was accountability and reform. Nick described FairSquare's complaints to FIFA's ethics committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over Infantino's political behaviour, including his public support for Trump and the "Peace Prize" episode. Join the conversation now and let us know what you think FIFA is doing to football. Has it damaged it permanently, from what we have witnessed with the 2026 World Cup? Support our independence by becoming a member to help us fight against this dangerous move by the UK government: https://RetortMedia.com/Support Timestamps: (00:00:00) – Preview (00:04:24) – General thoughts on the 2026 World Cup (00:07:50) – Nick shares the origins of FairSquare and its mission to go after corruption at FIFA and the sporting governing world (00:14:56) – The rise of "Sports Washing" – the new tool for political influence, power-grab and silencing by authoritarian regimes (00:17:20) – FIFA's corruption history. When did it all start (00:26:28) – How was the previous FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, caught in a corruption scandal and gave rise to the current president, Gianni Infantino? (00:33:17) – The danger of Gianni Infantino being the most politically biased president and its dangerous impact on Football and the sporting world in general (00:39:36) – Why Nick's organisation made the news recently as they launched an investigation into Gianni Infantino with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) (00:44:38) – Tim shares his concerns with the IOC as an ex-athlete. Are they any better than FIFA? The problem has reached further beyond FIFA and Football (00:51:10) – The political response to rising concerns of FIFA's corruption. Will governments and politicians deal with the problem? (00:58:02) – Why are fans of football clubs not taking proactive action against FIFA and their local Football associations and demanding change? (01:04:58) – How Regulations could change this situation, its impact on wider societies around the world, and will it ever happen? (01:11:33) – Why we need to be optimistic as the corrupt figures appear to be ignorant to the fact that people see their blatant corrupt behaviours. Change is coming! (01:19:54) – How can you get involved in reshaping the future of sport and governing organisations like FIFA? Episode Notes & Citations: https://retortmedia.com/podcasts/ceoretort/2026/07/20/nicholas-mcgeehan-fifas-corruption-has-reached-a-dangerous-level-impacting-more-than-football/ Subscribe to The CEO Retort: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CEORetort Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ceo-retort/id1767132889 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ytJdrSK0yGL2OZfTitnp8 Connect with Tim El-Sheikh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timelsheikh
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