Decoder with Nilay Patel

Latest Episodes:

Meet the self-driving brains working with Ford and Volkswagen Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

Today I'm talking to Bryan Salesky, the cofounder and CEO of Argo AI, a startup that's trying to build the tech stack for self-driving cars. Argo just launched a small fleet of robotaxis in Miami and Austin in partnership with Lyft. I wanted to talk to Bryan about his partnership with Lyft, but I also wanted to know if the pandemic accelerated any of his investment or development the way we have seen in other industries. After all, the proposition of having a taxi all to yourself is pretty enticing in the COVID era, and lots of people moving away from offices to work from home might love having a car that gets them to and from a central office a couple days a week.

Of course, I also had to ask about 5G. Is 5G enabling any of Argo's current self-driving technology? Does he see 5G as a benefit in the future? His answer might surprise you… unless you're a regular listener of this show. Then it won't surprise you one bit.

Read the transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/22391888

Decoder is produced by Creighton DeSimone, Alexander Charles Adams and Andrew Marino. And we are edited by Callie Wright. Our music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

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Here’s why Apple’s new child safety features are so controversial Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

Nilay Patel is joined by Riana Pfefferkorn and Jennifer King to talk about Apple's new child safety features. Riana and Jen are both researchers at Stanford and between the two of them have expertise in encryption policies and consumer privacy issues.

Guest Bio:

Riana Pfefferkorn: http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/about/people/riana-pfefferkorn

Jennifer King: http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/about/people/jen-king

Links:

Apple reveals new efforts to fight child abuse imagery: https://www.theverge.com/e/22375762

WhatsApp lead and other tech experts fire back at Apple’s Child Safety plan: https://www.theverge.com/e/22377406

Apple pushes back against child abuse scanning concerns in new FAQ: https://www.theverge.com/e/22380422

Apple's Plan to "Think Different" About Encryption Opens a Backdoor to Your Private Life: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/apples-plan-think-different-about-encryption-opens-backdoor-your-private-life

Transcript:

https://www.theverge.com/e/22381595

Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Creighton DeSimone, Alexander Charles Adams, and Andrew Marino. And we are edited by Callie Wright. Our music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

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YouTube's Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan on the algorithm, monetization, and future for creators Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

On today’s episode I’m talking with Neal Mohan, the chief product officer at YouTube. And there’s a lot to talk about – YouTube is announcing a $100 million fund to begin paying creators who use YouTube Shorts, which is its competitor to TikTok. YouTube remains the default video hosting platform for the entire internet, in a way can feel almost invisible, like it’s a utility, like water, or electricity. And on top of all that, there are YouTubers – that particular kind of influencer at the center of the creator economy – the people who have turned YouTube not only into a career, but multimillion dollar businesses that extend into everything from merch drops to cheeseburger restaurants. When people talk about creators and the creator economy, they’re often just talking about YouTube.

YouTube as a whole continues to grow in massive ways – in Google’s last earnings report, YouTube reported 7b in advertising revenue alone, which means it’s a business that is now as big or bigger than Netflix. YouTube is big – just like this conversation.

Links:

YouTube creators can now get $10,000 per month for making Shorts - https://www.theverge.com/e/22370332

Google sets all-time records as search and YouTube profits soar - https://www.theverge.com/e/22360633

"Me at the Zoo" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw

Instagram launches reels, it's attempt to keep you off TikTok - https://www.theverge.com/e/21118158

YouTube launches Capture, a video recording and enhancing app for iOS - https://www.theverge.com/e/3541449

Instagram says its algorithm won’t promote Reels that have a TikTok watermark - https://www.theverge.com/e/22038373

Patreon CEO Jack Conte on why creators can’t depend on platforms - https://www.theverge.com/e/22307696

YouTube may push users to more radical views over time, a new paper argues - https://www.theverge.com/e/20600060

Examining the consumption of radical content on YouTube - https://www.pnas.org/content/118/32/e2101967118

Read the transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/22370337

Decoder is produced by Creighton DeSimone, Alexander Charles Adams and Andrew Marino. And we are edited by Callie Wright. Our music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

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Chuck Todd on why Meet the Press can’t survive on just one platform Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

This week Nilay Patel talks to Chuck Todd, the political director at NBC News and moderator of Meet The Press, the longest running television show in the country. Seriously: Meet the Press started in 1946, and Chuck is only the 12th moderator the show’s ever had. As streaming upends television, he’s expanding Meet The Press from a single weekly show where Chuck interviews politicians to an entire roster of formats. There’s Meet the Press, Meet The Press Daily on MSNBC, Meet the Press Reports on the Peacock streaming service, and, of course, a Meet the Press podcast. They discussed how streaming and direct distribution has changed TV news, and what the purpose of a show like Meet the Press really is in an environment where politicians can reach audiences directly whenever they want.

Read the transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/22358331

Decoder is produced by Creighton DeSimone, Liam James, Alexander Charles Adams, and Andrew Marino, and is edited by Callie Wright.

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How Blackstone became the darling of grill TikTok with CEO Roger Dahle Jul 20, 2021

Show notes

Nilay Patel encountered the name Blackstone on TikTok last year, just as the pandemic lockdowns were starting. He saw people posting videos smashing burgers and making pancakes outside on a griddle frequently with the caption “I finally got a Blackstone.” 20 minutes ago he hadn’t even heard about this thing, and now he was late to a trend? So he bought one. And hasn’t used his regular grill in over a year.

Nilay sat down with the CEO of Blackstone products and inventor of the Blackstone griddle Roger Dahle. They talked about Blackstone’s ability to generate recurring revenue, and how the griddle itself is a platform for a variety of additional products and services, some of which might be made by competitors. And Blackstone has big competitors in Weber, and Cuisinart — so we talked about competition, and branding, and going up against the biggest players in a space, and the creator economy. You know: Decoder stuff.

Take a listen. And you can read the transcript here: https://www.theverge.com/e/22347828

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Can Polestar design a new kind of car company? Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

We are back after our week off, and we’ve got a good one today. On this episode I’m talking to Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar, a new car company with close family ties to Volvo.

We talked a lot about what kind of company Polestar is — it’s pretty small, and has the ability to rethink a lot of things about how a car company is organized, while having the ability to fall back on a larger company if needed. We also talked a lot about what makes a car company a car company, at a time when everything about cars seems up for grabs.

Transcript here

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Land of the Giants: Delivery Wars Jul 06, 2021

Show notes

While Decoder is on vacation this week, we're sharing an episode of Land of the Giants, a podcast from our friends at Recode and Eater.

Land of the Giants is a podcast that explores how the biggest tech companies rose to power, and what they're doing with that power. In this 4-part mini-season, they’re covering the world of restaurant delivery apps and exploring how big tech is transforming the business of food, and the true cost of our convenience.

You can listen to the full season of Land of Giants wherever you find your podcasts.

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Juul and the business of addiction, with Lauren Etter Jun 29, 2021

Show notes

Juul became a sensation — and a sensationally dramatic story.

Lauren Etter, author of The Devil's Playbook: Big Tobacco, JUUL, and the Addiction of a New Generation, joins us to explain how a tech startup founded in a Stanford design studio to disrupt the smoking industry upended years of tobacco regulation in the United States, got a new generation of teenagers addicted to nicotine after years of declining teen smoking rates, and eventually found itself valued at 38 billion.

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on the business of Windows Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

Nilay Patel talks with Satya Nadella, the CEO and chairman of Microsoft.

On Thursday, Microsoft announced Windows 11, which comes with an all-new design, a bunch of new features, and the ability to run Android apps.

Nilay asks Nadella about how he thinks about Windows as a platform, what Microsoft’s responsibilities are, and how he thinks the various antitrust bills in Congress will affect Microsoft’s plans for the future.

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Patreon CEO Jack Conte on why creators can’t depend on platforms Jun 22, 2021

Show notes

Nilay Patel talks with Jack Conte, co-founder and CEO of Patreon, the platform that allows people to pay their favorite creators directly with monthly subscriptions.

Nilay and Jack talk about how Patreon’s model as “membership” works, what Patreon’s relationship is to Apple and the app store, and where the overall creator economy is going on the internet.

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