Hasan Piker and Jia Tolentino defend shoplifting on New York Times podcast
Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and writer Jia Tolentino appeared on a New York Times podcast hosted by Nadja Spiegelman, where they voiced support for shoplifting and theft from large corporations. Tolentino admitted to stealing from Whole Foods on several occasions, while Piker expressed that stealing from big corporations is justified. The podcast, titled 'The Rich Don't Play By the Rules. So Why Should I?', aired on April 22, 2026.
18
Divergence score
2 outlets covered it, splitting into 2 framing camps across 1 bias group.
2 camps
1 bias group
The spectrum · how 2 outlets placed this story
LeftCenterRight
Reason
National Review
Supportive of action
Neutral
Dismissive
Critical
Alarmist
International angle
The split, in one line
Both outlets criticize the same podcast, but Reason focuses on hypocrisy of wealthy elites endorsing theft while National Review frames it as theft as social justice ideology. The difference is emphasis: class contradiction vs. ideological diagnosis.
How each outlet covered it
Lightly covered so far
Too few outlets to map a left-right split. Here is each take as it stands.
Sparse coverage · 2 outlets
“Hasan Piker and Jia Tolentino: The Leftists Who Think Stealing Is Great”
“Theft as Social Justice”
Tracked claims from across the political spectrum
Fact ledger
Corroborated
Disputed