Pivot

Elizabeth Holmes goes to prison, the Sackler family escapes liability, and Twitter's valuation drops even lower. Also, Congress votes to raise the debt ceiling, but did Speaker McCarthy get floored? Leading AI scientists and entrepreneurs warn of possible extinction. Kara and Scott weigh the odds. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

AI is amazing… or terrifying, depending on who you ask. This is a technology that elicits strong, almost existential reactions. So, as a Memorial Day special, we're running an episode of Recode Media with Peter Kafka that digs into the giant ambitions and enormous concerns people have about the very same tech. First up: Joshua Browder (@jbrowder1), a Stanford computer science dropout who tried to get an AI lawyer into court. Then: Microsoft's CTO Kevin Scott (@kevin_scott) pitches a bright AI future. Plus: hype-deflator, cognitive scientist and author Gary Marcus (@GaryMarcus) believes in AI, but he thinks the giants of Silicon Valley are scaling flawed technology now—with potentially dangerous consequences. Subscribe for free to Recode Media to make sure you get the whole series: https://bit.ly/3IOpWuB Pivot will return on Friday! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meta will sell Giphy in an antitrust loss, and the man who ran a Twitter account tracking Elon Musk’s private jet is now tracking Ron Desantis. Also, the latest in the culture wars: A Florida school has limited access to Amanda Gorman’s poetry, and Target will remove some Pride merch after a backlash. Plus, Governor Ron DeSantis announced his presidential run on Twitter Spaces… and it didn’t go quite as planned. And the Surgeon General warns that social media may be harmful to young users. Then, a listener question on HBO Max rebranding to Max. Send us your questions and tell us what Pivot’s rebrand should be! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The EU deals Meta a record-breaking fine, Jeffrey Epstein reportedly attempted to blackmail Bill Gates, and the debt ceiling is looming closer. Also, Disney is cancelling plans to build a complex in Florida. Kara and Scott discuss ChatGPT and Apple’s AI efforts. Friend of Pivot Chasten Buttigieg joins to discuss coming of age as a young gay man in the Midwest, and the continuing challenges to LGBTQ life in America. You can find @Chasten on Twitter, and “I Have Something to Tell You: For Young Adults” here. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

EU regulators say 'game on' for the Microsoft-Activision deal, WeWork's CEO is stepping down, and the latest call for AI regulation is coming from inside the house. Kara and Scott discuss the weak plan to ban TikTok in Montana. And Elon Musk continues to Elon Musk, saying he’s willing to lose money to say what he wants to say. Also, a prediction about the writer's strike. Listen to On with Kara Swisher's episode, "Will Elon Musk Turn Twitter Into Yahoo Mail?" here. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara and Scott discuss Taylor Swift's economic impact, and why there are troubles at Disney Plus and Netflix. Meanwhile, over at Twitter: a new CEO, and a censorship controversy. Also, the Trump Town Hall stirs up internal politics at CNN. Our Friend of Pivot, Senator Mark Warner, stops by to talk TikTok, AI, and the Kids Online Safety Act. You can find Senator Mark Warner at @MarkWarner on Twitter. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tucker Carlson says he's moving to Twitter, Google cuts a deal with the New York Times, and the Biden administration might make airlines pay their customers. Kara and Scott unpack the Trump verdict and CNN town hall, and the charges against Representative George Santos. Friend of Pivot Dan Lyons talks about his book STFU, and why we talk too much. Find Dan Lyons on Twitter, and check out STFU here. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara and Scott talk about the coronation, CNN's Trump town hall, and Elizabeth Holmes. Also, Twitter is bleeding blue checks, and Tucker Carlson reportedly spoke to Elon Musk about his next moves. Then, which party will come out ahead in the debt ceiling negotiations? And, Friend of Pivot Claire Hughes Johnson to talk about what managers get wrong. You can find Claire on Twitter at @chughesjohnson, and can buy “Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building” here. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara and Scott on interest rates, new Airbnb features, and the text that got Tucker Carlson fired. AI CEOs are headed to the White House as the FTC puts the industry in its crosshairs, and Scott redefines LLM. Plus: the growing movement to censor kids' theater programs. Today's Friend of Pivot is Anne Applebaum, staff writer at The Atlantic, with the latest on Ukraine. You can find Anne on Twitter at @anneapplebaum, and can read her cover story here. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara and Scott discuss the recent warnings from one of the “Godfathers of AI,” as well as the potential writers' strike. Then, J.P Morgan keeps getting bigger with its latest acquisition: First Republic. Elon Musk says Twitter will let media publishers charge for articles. Also, does anybody have a Bluesky referral code? And we’re joined by Friend of Pivot, Joelle Emerson, to break down how recent layoffs have affected corporate diversity. You can find Joelle at @joelle_emerson on Twitter. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The UK moves to block the Microsoft-Activision deal, Peter Thiel announces a change to his political giving, and First Republic Bank shows we're not out the woods yet. Also, Disney escalates its fight with Florida, and Big Tech has a good quarter. Plus, Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) joins to discuss TikTok legislation, Twitter, and the Supreme Court. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara and Scott react to news that Tucker Carlson is out at Fox, and Don Lemon at CNN. Plus, Kara's got a blue check and Scott doesn't after a messy week at Twitter. Layoffs and closures are hitting left and right with Disney and Lyft layoffs, Bed, Bath & Beyond bankruptcy, and BuzzFeed News shutting down. Also, President Biden is expected to announce his reelection campaign this week. Then we’re joined by Friend of Pivot, Baratunde Thurston. You can find Baratunde's at Puck, on How to Citizen, and on America Outdoors on PBS. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meta's Year of Efficiency continues with 10,000 more layoffs. Apple gets into the savings game with a competitive interest rate. Florida's Ron DeSantis is losing his war on Disney, while Fox News agrees to pay Dominion a hefty sum in a defamation settlement. Pretty good week, all in all. Crowdstrike co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch joins to discuss Discord Leaks and Starlink's role in the Ukraine war. Hear more from Dmitri on Geopolitics Decanted. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scott’s back on Twitter, and Elon says the platform could be cash-flow positive this quarter - coincidence? Kara and Scott discuss growing calls for Senator Feinstein to resign, a delay in the Dominion v. Fox News trial, and impressive JPMorgan Chase earnings. Also, a tech consultant has been arrested for the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee. And U.S. National Security is in disarray over Discord after an Air National Guardsman allegedly leaked classified documents on the platform. Then, we’re joined by Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research Lab and Professor at USC Annenberg, Kate Crawford to talk everything AI. You can find Kate on Twitter at @katecrawford, and can buy “Atlas of AI” here. We’re nominated for a Webby! Vote for us here. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why does anyone need another form of payment? Who's really behind all that "un-American" content on TikTok? And which Pivot co-host is the most elite? Learn the answers to all that and more as Kara and Scott tackle listener questions. Plus: Poetry. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SPOILERS: Succession. Jill Biden makes a rare gaffe after the NCAA championships. Dueling court rulings could endanger access to abortion pills. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has a secret wealthy benefactor with a not-so-secret collection of Nazi memorabilia. Kara and guest host Olivia Nuzzi (New York Magazine) unpack her latest cover story on Stormy Daniels, plus Elon Musk's ham-fisted fight against Substack. Author Jennifer Senior joins to discuss "On Grief," her story about loss, mourning, and memory. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The View co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin joins Kara to discuss the fallout from former President Donald Trump's arrest. What does it mean for his campaign? How should presidential hopefuls manage this moment? Has media coverage of Trump’s chaos improved? Plus, UK privacy regulators fine TikTok, and Tim Cook himself warns parents to limit screen times for kids. You can find Alyssa at @Alyssafarah on Twitter, and on The View. We’re nominated for a Webby! Vote for us here. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara and Scott still have their blue checks! They discuss a confusing and slow legacy check removal process at Twitter. Also, the Russian government’s arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and other repressive governments making business hard around the world. Plus, Virgin Orbit has halted operations for the foreseeable future and four billionaires will have to talk about their relationship with Jeffery Epstein. Oh, and by the time you’re reading this, former President Trump may have been arrested. Friend of Pivot Liz Hoffman discusses her new book, Crash Landing: The Inside Story of How the World’s Biggest Companies Survived an Economy on the Brink. You can find Liz at @lizrhoffman on Twitter, and you can buy her book here. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Disney drops out of the metaverse, Apple jumps into buy now, pay later, and tech leaders call for a pause on A.I. Also, Donald Trump says that he's been "INDICATED," and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is splitting into six companies. Meanwhile, misinformation swells after the latest school shooting that left 6 dead in Nashville. Kara and Scott take a listener question about senior poverty. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Short sellers come to Jack Dorsey's Block, Apple's employees don't like what they're seeing in the company's AR device, and there's peace in the Silicon Valley Bank tonight. Also, NPR cancels four podcasts, the SEC gets serious about crypto, and Twitter Blue's latest feature is... pretending you don't pay for Twitter Blue? Journalist Emily Baker-White joins Kara and Scott to discuss her work on TikTok, and the stories that led ByteDance employees to spy on her. Find Emily Baker-White on Twitter at @ebakerwhite. Send us your questions! Call 855-51-PIVOT or go to nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices