00:00 — Start 01:34 — Writing spy fiction after a career at NSA and CIA 05:02 — Real spies, “Slow Horses,” and the myth of James Bond 07:15 — From aspiring writer to accidentally joining NSA 10:56 — Starting as an NSA analyst and learning the intelligence world 13:51 — NSA before computers: analog intel, index cards, and the digital transition 16:53 — Inside one of NSA’s first hacking teams 22:13 — Building the CIA’s early social media intelligence program 31:08 — AI, propaganda, and the collapse of trust in open-source information 39:44 — Iraq War planning and the failure of Phase Four strategy 54:23 — Leaving NSA for CIA after the Patriot Act era 01:00:02 — Secret backchannels, Havana Syndrome, and real incidents behind the novels 01:21:19 — CIA publishing battles, pre-publication review, and returning to NSA 01:36:34 — Substack, viewer questions, NSA vs. CIA culture, and final thought

Source: NSA vs CIA: A Former Analyst Explains the Difference | Alma Katsu