Sure, he's a bit soft on guests sometimes, but you'd do the same if that person came over for dinner. I think of the podcasting world as a rejuvenation of the salons of the past. The nice thing is that you don't have to put up with small talk from people only out for themselves, as an observer separated by spacetime, we're given the freedom to be critical in our listening (or watching) choices.
It's very relaxing to get away from the sound-bite, shouting over each other, narrative pushing mainstream.
Personally, I find the guests TOO persuasive for about a day, until I figure out what I disagree with them about, then feel much better about things.
Example: His interview Donald Hoffman had be buy the argument hook line and sinker that Consciousness could be the underlying basis of reality. I spun out along that axis for a while, considering the implications. The next day it dawned on me that he actually had 2 messages.
A) Spacetime is not the basis of reality, there is something further down
B) Consciousness is the actual basis of reality, and here's a framework that could become a theory of everything.
I find myself in agreement with A, and disagreement with B, though I still think it's an interesting analytical tool for other purposes.
I'm learning to take this type of non-bite sized media into proper context. It's not easy at first, the knee-jerk response to nit-pick that is engendered from watching too much gotcha journalism takes some time to get over.