Smarter Every Day
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 8 of 48 YouTube channels by recommenders
Recommended for clear, well-animated explainers on rockets and engineering, including a NASA talk. Critics find some presentation condescending and dislike a Flagella video.
Recommended for clear, well-animated explainers on rockets and engineering, including a NASA talk. Critics find some presentation condescending and dislike a Flagella video.
19 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 14
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 74%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 14 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2.8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Clear, information-dense science explainers
“the information density he delivers versus Veritasium or Smarter Every Day on a similar length video is much lower”
Comment from 5 Oct 2026 in “What is going on with ceiling fans” “There’s a great “Smarter Every Day” video on how rockets are made”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Former ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno Joins Blue Origin” “Check out the Smarter Every Day NASA talk.”
Comment from 20 Nov 2025 in “New Glenn Update” Rocket and launch coverage
“did a wonderful youtube video comparing what kind of documentation and planning they had for the past launches”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “Artemis II crew see first glimpse of far side of Moon” “There’s a great “Smarter Every Day” video on how rockets are made”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Former ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno Joins Blue Origin” Educational DIY and engineering tutorials
“the YouTube ed channels are such a treasure in and of itself”
Comment from 11 May 2026 in “The Greatest Shot in Television: James Burke Had One Chance to Nail This Scene” “Smarter Everyday, …, and all the DIY tutorials”
Comment from 12 Dec 2025 in “Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Condescending presentation style
“the repeated "we're going, right?" shtick was condescending”
Comment from 21 Nov 2025 in “New Glenn Update” “your criticism of Destin's presentation hits”
Comment from 21 Nov 2025 in “New Glenn Update” Disputed takes and videos
“But it was a really incorrect take that SLS was somehow the "safe bet" in comparison to betting on Starship.”
Comment from 21 Nov 2025 in “New Glenn Update” “went down the drain in my books as soon as he published a video about Flagella”
Comment from 17 Sep 2026 in “Whoisinspace.com/” “Crossed the line as a science Youtuber.”
Comment from 17 Sep 2026 in “Whoisinspace.com/”
Other YouTube channels people recommend
The four most recommended other YouTube channels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3Blue1Brown | 96 | 4 | 96% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Veritasium | 44 | 12 | 79% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Technology Connections YouTube channel | 40 | 3 | 93% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Asianometry | 24 | 1 | 96% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Smarter Every DayThis page | 14 | 5 | 74% | 7 | — | Approved |
What people said
16 of the 19 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It was a major eye-opener.”
“the information density he delivers versus Veritasium or Smarter Every Day on a similar length video is much lower”
“a great series, but it shouldn’t be that hard”
“went down the drain in my books as soon as he published a video about Flagella”
“Crossed the line as a science Youtuber.”
“I love the Smarter Every Day crew”
“the YouTube ed channels are such a treasure in and of itself”
“Really nice 3D animations in that video”
“did a wonderful youtube video comparing what kind of documentation and planning they had for the past launches”
“There’s a great “Smarter Every Day” video on how rockets are made”
“Smarter Everyday, …, and all the DIY tutorials”
“his criticism was very valid, even if tough to hear”
“But it was a really incorrect take that SLS was somehow the "safe bet" in comparison to betting on Starship.”
“your criticism of Destin's presentation hits”
“the repeated "we're going, right?" shtick was condescending”
“Check out the Smarter Every Day NASA talk.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.