World Model · podcast knowledge graph

Samanth Subramanian on the Undersea Cables That Keep the Internet Alive

2026-05-13 · 42 min · 15 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

  • → appeared on Odd Lots podcast
    0.63
    evidence rules-v4
    Samanth Subramanian on the Undersea Cables That Keep the Internet Alive
  • → authored Web Beneath the Waves book
    0.62
    evidence rules-v4
    author of The Web Beneath the Waves
  • → discusses Business concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Business
  • → discusses News concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: News
  • → discusses Investing concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Investing
  • → discusses News Commentary concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: News Commentary
  • → hosted by Bloomberg company
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed author/publisher: Bloomberg
  • → discusses Business News concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Business News

Entities found in this episode

concepts 9

  • mentioned Business concept
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Business
  • mentioned Investing concept
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Investing
  • mentioned News Commentary concept
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: News Commentary
  • mentioned Business News concept
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Business News
  • discusses Business concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Business
  • discusses News concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: News
  • discusses Investing concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Investing
  • discusses News Commentary concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: News Commentary
  • discusses Business News concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Business News

books 2

companys 2

  • mentioned Bloomberg company
    0.70
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed author/publisher: Bloomberg
  • hosted by Bloomberg company
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed author/publisher: Bloomberg

persons 1

  • mentioned Samanth Subramanian person
    0.66
    evidence rules-v4
    Samanth Subramanian on the Undersea Cables That Keep the Internet Alive

podcasts 1

  • appeared on Odd Lots podcast
    0.63
    evidence rules-v4
    Samanth Subramanian on the Undersea Cables That Keep the Internet Alive
Episode description as stored
In 2006, then-Senator Ted Stevens coined an infamous term for how to understand the internet: It's a "series of tubes." The funny thing is, that's a fairly accurate description. Underneath the world's oceans, miles and miles of fiber optic-cables send packets of information from one location to the next, serving as the backbone of the internet as know it. This infrastructure is delicate, too: Memorably, a 2022 volcanic eruption cut off the island of Tonga from web access for an extended period of time. Journalist Samanth Subramanian is the author of The Web Beneath the Waves: The Fragile Cables That Connect Our World , a book that explains, in detail, that the internet is not, and has never been, truly weightless or wireless. In fact, the system in place right now is pretty old school and resembles the telegraph cable network of yore. We talk to Subramanian about the strange contradictions of the undersea cable system, how much basic marine geography — like the Strait of Hormuz or the Suez Canal — informs where cables are laid, and how hard it is protect this vulnerable and vital infrastructure. Subscribe to the Odd Lots Newsletter Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlots See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.