Podcast

Or So It Seemed

I'm Jonathan Slaven, and I tell true stories that change how you see things.

In Or So It Seemed, I take a walk and tell you what happened behind the version everyone knows. A business decision that looked right until everything changed. Two inventions connected by a trail nobody expected. An underdog who had one moment on top. The real story behind a famous quote. Or a fact that sounds impossible until you check it.

Some stories take a few turns. Others get right to the point. Either way, there's something worth knowing.

Come walk with me. I've got a new story every Wednesday.

Or So It Seemed with Jonathan Slaven: bold title over cream topographic lines, with a dotted trail branching into dead ends before reaching an orange dot.

The trail so far

Episodes

Every story takes a few turns. Some paths dead-end. The newest stop is on top, marked orange; follow the trail down to where it began.

  1. Something Worth Keeping A team spent years building a game. When they finally shut it down, there was one piece of the project nobody wanted to give up, and it wasn't the game. This is a story about noticing when the side quest has quietly become the main thing. Episode 001 Or So It Seemed
  2. Preview A game company built an online world where you could milk butterflies. People loved it, and it still couldn't attract enough players to pay for itself. When the game died, eight people stayed behind with enough money for one more shot. What they built next wasn't a game.
  3. Teaser The business of technology is full of twists and turns. A product fails, but the team finds the one thing worth saving. A good idea works for a reason nobody expected. This is where the walk starts, and why I'm taking it.

Five kinds of walks

The Stories I Tell

Every Wednesday I pick a trail. Some wind through a few turns before they get anywhere; others get right to the point. Here's what you'll hear from me.

  • Or So It Seemed

    The version everyone knows. Then I tell you what actually happened.

  • King of the Moment

    I love an underdog. These are the ones who got one moment on top, and what it took to get there.

  • Business Connections

    A decision that looked right until everything changed, or two inventions joined by a trail nobody expected.

  • Believe it or Not

    Something that sounds impossible. Then we check it together.

  • The Story Behind the Quote

    Words everyone repeats, and the real moment they came from.

Come walk with me

Listen & watch

Watch on YouTube or add the RSS feed to any podcast app. Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music links are coming soon.

  • YouTube
  • Spotify Coming soon
  • Apple Podcasts Coming soon
  • Amazon Music Coming soon
  • RSS

Follow the show

New stories every Wednesday. Follow along wherever you scroll.