ReThinking: Demystifying Gen Alpha slang with Adam Aleksic

If you’ve ever wondered what “skibidi rizz” means or why kids are so obsessed with the number 67, Adam Aleksic wrote a book on it. Aleksic, better known at @etymologynerd online, is a 24-year-old linguist known for his enlightening and entertaining videos on the origin of words. In this episode, the two Adams discuss Aleksic’s new book Algospeak and the ways in which the internet is shaping the way we communicate both on and offline. Aleksic sheds light on the origins of the seemingly meaningless “brainrot” memes popular with Gen Z and Gen Alpha internet users, and reveals the complex and (sometimes) profound insights they have to offer about culture, the transmission of ideas and information, and how our access to language can change the way we see the world. Featured guest Follow Adam Aleksic on Instagram , TikTok , YouTube , and at etymologynerd.com/ Buy Algospeak Connect with the team Follow Adam on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at adamgrant.net/

You can listen to ReThinking: Demystifying Gen Alpha slang with Adam Aleksic online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

ReThinking: Demystifying Gen Alpha slang with Adam Aleksic is an episode from WorkLife with Adam Grant by TED.

This episode is 34:57 long.

This episode was published on Jan 20, 2026.

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