If you've seen clips or episodes of the glossy video podcast Diary of a CEO lately, you're not alone: over the last year it has skyrocketed in popularity to become the top business podcast in Britain and the number two podcast on Spotify, just behind the Joe Rogan Experience.

Not many people know the backstory behind the show's affable and telegenic 33-year-old host, Steven Bartlett, who presents himself as both a successful entrepreneur and curious learner who, following Rogan's lead, excels in the simple art of “just asking questions.” And like Rogan, the formula has helped him attract a roster of top-tier guests and a massive audience.

But many of the show's topics veer from business into territory familiar to America 2.0 readers as the subject of influence campaigns and information warfare. Shows have featured more outlandish fare, ranging from UFOs to World War III. A 2024 investigation by the BBC documented a pattern of questionable health-related claims promoted by the show, with little to no pushback from Bartlett.

Seeing that Bartlett and Diary of a CEO (DOAC) appeared to promote guests and claims consistent with a pattern of covert influence, we launched an investigation of our own.