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How It Happened

Elon Musk vs. Twitter: In the fifth season of How it Happened, hosted by Axios business reporter Erica Pandey, Axios reporters cover the collision between Elon Musk and Twitter through conversations with insiders at Twitter and members of Musk’s inner circle.
How it Happened is an Axios podcast docu-series featuring instant histories. Each season, Axios reporters bring you behind closed doors to hear the people and decisions shaping the biggest stories of our time.
Trump’s Last Stand: In the first season of How it Happened, national political reporter Jonathan Swan reveals the inside story of Donald Trump’s last few months in office. The story starts with his COVID-19 recovery and ends with the insurrection at the Capitol.
The Next Astronauts: In the second season of How it Happened, Axios space reporter Miriam Kramer goes behind the scenes at SpaceX and the preparations for the first all-civilian mission into orbit.
Trump’s Big Deal: In the third season of How it Happened, Axios’ Middle East correspondent Barak Ravid and national political reporter Jonathan Swan will uncover the surprising negotiations that led to the Abraham Accords, the most significant Middle East peace agreement in a generation.
Putin’s Invasion: In the fourth season of How It Happened, Axios’ World editor David Lawler pulls together analysis and reporting from across the Axios newsroom to explain how the invasion of Ukraine happened in slow motion over 8 years and then all at once.

Copyright: © 2021 Axios

Latest Episodes:

Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part V: Cracks in the Empire Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

How It Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part V: Cracks in the Empire explores whether Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter has made his cross-industry empire too big for one billionaire to run.

Host Erica Pandey examines Musk's first months as CEO of Twitter and the simultaneous challenges facing his other companies.
Reporting from around the Axios newsroom unpacks lawsuits, a federal investigation, and more facing Musk's other companies, including SpaceX, Tesla, and Neuralink.

Credits: This series was reported by the Axios newsroom including Erica Pandey, Amy Pedulla, Naomi Shavin, Sara Fischer, Dan Primack, Miriam Kramer, Joann Muller, Javier E. David, Jonathan Swan, Ina Fried, Ashley Gold and Hope King. Fact-checking by Jacob Knutson. Erica Pandey hosts. Amy Pedulla is reporter-producer. Naomi Shavin is senior producer. Scott Rosenberg and Alison Snyder are the series editors. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief and executive producer. Mixing and sound design by Ben O'Brien. Music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz. Thanks to Zach Basu, Lucia Orejarena, Priyanka Vora, and Brian Westley.

Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part IV: Musk's Must-Do List Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

How It Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part IV: Musk's Must-Do List features reporting from Axios media reporter Sara Fischer about the challenges at Twitter that Musk could inherit — and what he might do about them.

Fischer takes listeners inside Twitter to understand how the platform has struggled with content moderation over the years.
The episode unpacks Musk's vision for free speech and what it could mean for a platform that has become the global public square.

Credits: This series was reported by the Axios newsroom including Erica Pandey, Amy Pedulla, Naomi Shavin, Sara Fischer, Dan Primack, Miriam Kramer, Joann Muller, Javier E. David, Jonathan Swan, Ina Fried, Ashley Gold and Hope King. Fact-checking by Jacob Knutson. Erica Pandey hosts. Amy Pedulla is reporter-producer. Naomi Shavin is senior producer. Scott Rosenberg and Alison Snyder are the series editors. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief and executive producer. Mixing and sound design by Ben O'Brien. Music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz. Thanks to Zach Basu, Lucia Orejarena, Priyanka Vora, and Brian Westley.

Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part III: Musk Offers To Buy Twitter (Again) Oct 06, 2022

Show notes

Just days before a trial to determine if Elon Musk would be forced to buy Twitter was scheduled to begin, Musk sent a letter offering once again to buy Twitter for the same price he'd originally offered in April.

Musk has a unique tolerance for risk at his companies, but the surprise move still shocked the tech world, and it's not clear yet if it will successfully knock the trial off the docket.
Media reporter Sara Fischer and business editor Dan Primack join the podcast for a conversation on this latest twist in the saga.
Both Fischer and Primack spent months reporting on the reverberations of Musk's initial offer to buy Twitter both within Musk's inner circle and inside Twitter itself.

Credits: This series was reported by the Axios newsroom including Erica Pandey, Amy Pedulla, Naomi Shavin, Dan Primack, Miriam Kramer, Joann Muller, Javier E. David, Jonathan Swan, Sara Fischer, Ina Fried and Hope King. Fact-checking by Jacob Knutson. Erica Pandey hosts. Amy Pedulla is reporter-producer. Naomi Shavin is senior producer. Scott Rosenberg and Alison Snyder are the series editors. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief and executive producer. Mixing and sound design by Ben O'Brien. Music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz. Thanks to Zach Basu, Lucia Orejarena, Priyanka Vora, and Brian Westley.

Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part II: Empire of Risk Oct 04, 2022

Show notes

How It Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part II: Empire of Risk explores how Musk's philosophy on risk brings people far beyond his consumers and employees into the experiments he runs.

Axios reporters Joann Muller and Miriam Kramer draw on years of reporting on Tesla and SpaceX respectively to detail how risk fits into Musk's framework at these companies.
The episode also features interviews with people who have known Musk for years, who have watched him across his career.
The episode explores how Musk's risk tolerance has allowed him to innovate in ways no one else has — and the costs that come with that.

Credits: This series was reported by the Axios newsroom including Erica Pandey, Amy Pedulla, Naomi Shavin, Dan Primack, Miriam Kramer, Joann Muller, Javier E. David, Jonathan Swan, Sara Fischer, Ina Fried and Hope King. Fact-checking by Jacob Knutson. Erica Pandey hosts. Amy Pedulla is reporter-producer. Naomi Shavin is senior producer. Scott Rosenberg and Alison Snyder are the series editors. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief and executive producer. Mixing and sound design by Ben O'Brien. Music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz. Thanks to Zach Basu, Lucia Orejarena, Priyanka Vora, and Brian Westley.

Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part I: Not A Chill Normal Dude Sep 16, 2022

Show notes

How It Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part I: Not A Chill Normal Dude tells the story of Musk's meteoric rise to become the world's richest man and a cross-industry mogul.

Through interviews with people who were instrumental early in Musk's career, the episode chronicles how Musk moved from industry to industry.
The episode also features Musk in his own words over the years, reflecting on his career and ambitions, and examines how he uses Twitter.
The reporting for this episode was done by reporters across the Axios newsroom, including Dan Primack, Miriam Kramer, Joann Muller, Javier E. David, Jonathan Swan, Sara Fischer and Ina Fried.

This episode contains explicit material that some listeners may find offensive.

Credits: This series was reported by the Axios newsroom including Erica Pandey, Amy Pedulla, Naomi Shavin, Dan Primack, Miriam Kramer, Joann Muller, Javier E. David, Jonathan Swan, Sara Fischer, Ina Fried and Hope King. Fact-checking by Jacob Knutson. Erica Pandey hosts. Amy Pedulla is reporter-producer. Naomi Shavin is senior producer. Scott Rosenberg and Alison Snyder are the series editors. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief and executive producer. Mixing and sound design by Ben O'Brien. Music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz. Thanks to Zach Basu, Lucia Orejarena, Priyanka Vora, and Brian Westley.

Coming soon: Elon Musk vs. Twitter Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

How it Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter is a first-of-its-kind newsroom collaboration featuring exclusive reporting on the rise of Elon Musk to become world's richest man, the parallel rise of Twitter as the global public square, and the collision of these two titans this year.

This documentary season is hosted by Axios business reporter Erica Pandey and features reporting from political reporter Jonathan Swan, media reporter Sara Fischer, business editor Dan Primack, space reporter Miriam Kramer, and others.

The podcast will go inside Elon Musk's world and inside his companies to understand how he achieved cross-industry dominance and what that says about how he might manage Twitter.
It will also go deep inside Twitter's inner workings, with new reporting on key moments in its history, including the day President Trump's account was permanently suspended.
The podcast will illuminate how Musk's tweet offering to buy the platform and subsequent back-track shook up the financial and tech worlds, how his politics have shifted, how the legal battle between Musk and Twitter could play out — and how all of this could impact his legacy.

Subscribe to hear the new season when it launches in September.

Putin’s Invasion Part V: The Fight for the Donbas May 19, 2022

Show notes

How It Happened: Putin’s Invasion Part V: The Fight for the Donbas goes straight to the frontlines of the war, seen through the eyes of a journalist who has been covering the war there and a soldier who has been fighting there, both since 2014.

After the failed effort to take Kyiv, Russian President Vladimir Putin turned his focus to the Donbas, vowing to "liberate" the entire region, which was partially controlled by pro-Russian separatists before he launched his full-scale invasion on Feb. 24.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described soldiers in the Donbas as some of the best Ukraine has. Their battle to defend this region will decide the fate of the war.
Axios World editor Dave Lawler spent weeks interviewing Ukrainian Cpl. Andrii Shadrin and news producer Kateryna Malofieieva to understand the region’s history and significance, the realities of daily life on the ground, and why the stakes of this fight are so high.

Credits: This episode was reported and produced by Dave Lawler and Naomi Shavin. Alison Snyder is the series editor. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief. Mixing, sound design, and music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Ben O’Brien is the mix engineer. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz. Additional thanks to Zach Basu, Kristina Zelenyuk, Anastasiya Ringis, Igor Kazimirov, Tanya Zhukova, and Hiroaki Kuromiya.

Putin's Invasion Part IV: The View from Russia Apr 11, 2022

Show notes

In part four of How It Happened: Putin’s Invasion, Axios World editor Dave Lawler digs into polling indications that Russians are rallying around their president even as Western sanctions and global condemnations escalate.

This episode features interviews with a top political opposition leader, the director of the leading independent polling firm in Russia, a prominent sociologist from the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences and a journalist on the ground in Moscow.
Across these interviews, Lawler sets out to learn why the more horrific the allegations against Russia — such as the apparent massacre of civilians in Bucha— the stronger the impulse seems to be to reject them as lies.

Credits: This episode of Putin's Invasion was reported by Dave Lawler, Alison Snyder, and Naomi Shavin. Sara Fischer and Emily Peck contributed reporting. It was produced by Naomi Shavin. Alison Snyder is the series editor. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief. Ben O’Brien is the mix engineer. Mixing, sound design, and music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz.

Putin's Invasion Part III: How It Could End Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

In part three of How It Happened: Putin’s Invasion, Axios World editor Dave Lawler examines a difficult reality — that the only clear path to peace in Ukraine is a deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but the red lines drawn by the Russian and Ukrainian leaders do not intersect.

This episode features interviews with Zelensky’s chief of staff, a member of Parliament in his party, two close observers of Putin and the Kremlin, and a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine with decades of diplomatic experience in the region.
Across these interviews, Lawler tries to determine the end games for Putin and Zelensky and the likeliest scenarios for how this conflict could end.

Credits: This episode of Putin's Invasion was reported by Dave Lawler in collaboration with the Axios newsroom and produced by Naomi Shavin. Barak Ravid contributed reporting. Julia Redpath is executive producer. Alison Snyder is the series editor. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief. Ben O'Brien is the mix engineer. Mixing, sound design, and music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz.

Putin's Invasion Part II: The Consequences Mar 11, 2022

Show notes

In part two of How it Happened: Putin's Invasion, Axios world editor Dave Lawler explains how Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine catalyzed a chain of events that are reshaping our world.

Lawler is joined by Axios managing editor Margaret Talev to discuss President Biden's decades of political experience with Russia and the sanctions the U.S. and Europe have brought against the country.
Energy and climate reporter Andrew Freedman explains why it's so hard for the West to cut ties with Russia when it comes to energy, and why the Biden administration chose to do so even if it would send gas prices soaring.

Credits: Putin's Invasion was reported by Dave Lawler in collaboration with the Axios newsroom and produced by Naomi Shavin with help from Sabeena Singhani. Julia Redpath is executive producer. Alison Snyder is the series editor. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief. Mixing, sound design, and music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Additional mixing by Jayk Cherry. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz.

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