Sismique podcast
Executive summary
Sismique is an independent French-language podcast hosted and created by Julien Devaureix that interrogates large systemic shifts — ecological crisis, technological acceleration, and geopolitical and cultural upheavals — through interviews with thinkers, experts and practitioners [1] [2]. It is distributed widely (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podchaser), updated roughly every two weeks, hosted on Acast, and combines long-form interviews with episode notes and reading lists on its website [3] [2] [4] [1].
1. What Sismique is and who makes it
Sismique, billed variously as "Sismique — Où va le monde ?" and "Le monde change et on n'y comprend rien," is presented and produced by Julien Devaureix, who launched the project after years of interest in foresight, ecological and energy questions and frames the podcast as an investigation into structural forces reshaping the world [1] [5]. Multiple platform listings and the show’s own site confirm the program is independent and created/animated by Devaureix [6] [7] [1].
2. Core themes, guests and editorial focus
The podcast consistently centers crises and transitions — ecological collapse, energy descent, rapid technological change, and geopolitical and cultural ruptures — explored through interviews with researchers, activists, policy actors and practitioners to "understand what tomorrow prepares" and help listeners prepare [2] [1]. Episode descriptions show a range of guests and subjects from philosophy to on-the-ground humanitarian testimony in Ukraine, and recurring formats that include excerpts, thematic "inspiration" segments and deep interviews [2] [7] [8].
3. Format, cadence and distribution
Sismique releases episodes roughly every two weeks and is distributed on major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts; hosts’ notes, episode summaries and bibliographies are published on sismique.fr, and the show is served via hosting partner Acast [3] [9] [2] [4]. Listings show hundreds of episodes (Podchaser reports 303 episodes), a sign of sustained output and archive depth, while platform pages describe episode extras such as timestamps, summaries and reading recommendations on the website [6] [2].
4. Independence, funding signals and implicit agendas
The program markets itself as independent and curated by its host, but platform pages and episode notes indicate commercial partnerships and promotional links (for example, a recurring Cyberghost VPN offer appears in listings), which signals standard podcast monetization and a possible influence on promotional content even if editorial direction remains host-driven [3] [8]. Sismique is hosted by Acast — a third‑party podcast host that typically supports monetization — and the site and platform blur listener support, sponsorship and editorial content in ways common to independent shows [4] [2].
5. Strengths, reception and reporting limits
Sismique’s strengths lie in its ambition and consistent long-form interrogation of complex systemic topics with varied guests, and listeners and platform notes praise the episodes as "remarkably well constructed" with useful reading lists and expert interviews, suggesting a strong reputation among its audience [5] [2]. Available reporting confirms platform presence, episode variety and hosting details, but it does not provide independent audience metrics beyond platform claims, third‑party analytics offerings or granular critical reviews; therefore conclusions about total reach, demographic profile, or editorial bias beyond stated independence and visible sponsorships cannot be firmly established from the provided sources [4] [6].