Decoder with Nilay Patel

Latest Episodes:

Recode Decode: Tristan Harris May 06, 2019

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Tristan Harris, the co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the latest problem he and his peers are trying to solve: "Human downgrading."

In this episode: Harris’ background as a design ethicist Google; how his previous movement, Time Well Spent, was co-opted by the tech industry; how are Apple and Google's "digital well-being" features doing?; the utopian promise of tech; why Harris shifted to focus on “downgrading”; what the Center for Humane Technology does; has Harris gotten through to tech's leaders?; why Facebook and YouTube are worse than Shell and Exxon; digital platforms as cities; what we need to do now; techlash; the (sort of) good news; are CEOs just hoping this goes away on its own?; and why removing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is "critical."

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Recode Decode: Scott Galloway May 03, 2019

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NYU professor and Pivot co-host Scott Galloway talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his new book, The Algebra of Happiness.

In this episode: Galloway’s past books; why the new book is about happiness; don’t listen to people who say “follow your passion”; the number one piece of advice that older people give to younger people; the happiness you get from stuff vs. experience; social media addiction; how algorithms encourage outrage; the small things you can do to have meaningful relationships; how Galloway really defines “happiness”; why people who care for others live longer; the algebra of unhappiness; the importance of picking the right partner and taking risks; crying and mourning; will drugs be able to make us happy all the time?; and Kara’s plans for a viking funeral.

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Recode Decode: Mayor London Breed May 01, 2019

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San Francisco Mayor London Breed talks with Recode's Kara Swisher in this live interview recorded at Manny's in the Mission District.

In this episode: How does Breed feel about being mayor?; her biggest priority, the homelessness epidemic; how San Francisco has changed since her childhood; mental health reform; the public image of SF; civic irresponsibility and the "poop patrol"; affordable housing, NIMBYs and the Embarcadero homeless shelter; building housing near transit centers; how to remove delays on new construction; Breed’s relationship with the tech community; why she's still uneasy about the voter-approved big business tax, Proposition C; what she wants from Big Tech; the impact of Airbnb, Uber and scooters; could San Francisco go car-less?; how millennials in tech can make a difference; gun control; and does Breed want to run for governor or president?

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Recode Decode: Trash in space, diversity in STEM and artificial meat at TED 2019 Apr 29, 2019

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Kara Swisher's executive producer, Erica Anderson, talks with four TED Fellows at the 2019 TED Conference in Vancouver. In this collection of mini-interviews, you'll hear from biologist Danielle Lee, space environmentalist Moriba Jah, astrophysicist Erika Hamden and Good Food Institute founder Bruce Friedrich.

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Recode Decode: Journalist Julia Angwin Apr 26, 2019

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Julia Angwin, the former editor-in-chief of The Markup, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher in this live podcast recorded in Washington, DC.

In this episode: How Angwin got into journalism; why weren’t people always angry about tech privacy?; ProPublica’s investigations into tech companies; the "ungovernable" tech giants; leaving ProPublica to co-found The Markup; Angwin’s co-founders, Jeff Larson and Sue Gardner; what the hell happened?; what part of it was Angwin’s fault?; the difference between being skeptical and negative; Larson’s Medium post and Craig Newmark’s reaction; is it easier to raise money for advocacy news?; media literacy for young people; "scientific journalism"; and what Angwin will do next.

This special episode of Recode Decode with Kara Swisher was taped in front of a live audience at The LINE DC to celebrate Vox’s fifth anniversary. If you enjoyed it, we think you’ll also enjoy this live taping of The Weeds, and this special episode of The Ezra Klein Show featuring Vox’s co-founders Ezra Klein, Matt Yglesias, and Vox Media’s Publisher Melissa Bell.

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Recode Decode: Why thinking about your death five times a day is good for you Apr 24, 2019

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WeCroak co-founder Hansa Bergwall talks with Recode’s Kara Swisher about his mobile app, which reminds users of death five times a day.

In this episode: Why thinking about death is good for you; how WeCroak got started; the “Emily Dickinson test”; why it’s called WeCroak; why Bergwall and his co-founder avoided ads and social media hooks; you’re going to die, but "do whatever you want” with that information; Steve Jobs’ speech about death; how the misguided ways we think about death affect our whole lives; Silicon Valley’s deluded attempts to cheat death; why almost every form of meditation can be “abused”; Kara’s favorite death quotes; and why WeCroak doesn’t talk about the afterlife.

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Recode Decode: Why tech is "flunking" the diversity test Apr 22, 2019

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Venture capitalist and prominent activist Freada Kapor Klein, the founder of Kapor Capital, talks with Recode's Teddy Schleifer about diversity in tech and impact investing.

In this episode: In this episode: Kapor Klein’s background; her first forays into activism; why the term “sexual coercion” is more meaningful in the workplace than “sexual harassment”; holding managers accountable when they don’t live a company’s values; why did Kapor Klein and her husband Mitch Kapor become impact investors?; how to have values as a VC; being an Uber investor during the company’s discrimination scandal; how is Dara Khosrowshahi doing?; why the venture capital industry is “flunking” the diversity test; startups that widen inequality; the problem with how All Raise measures diversity; Kapor Klein’s publicly quiet supporters; what does impact investing really mean?; Bill McGlashan and the college admissions scandal; making college admissions more equitable; why Kapor Klein is optimistic about the world; and the 2020 presidential campaign.

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Recode Decode: Ford CTO Ken Washington Apr 17, 2019

Show notes

Ford CTO Ken Washington talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about AI and autonomous vehicles in this live interview recorded at the Studio Theatre in Washington, DC.

In this episode: The current state of autonomous vehicles; where Ford is testing its self-driving cars and why it picked those cities; 3-D printing and other AI-enabled engineering tools; mapping the whole world, again; Ford’s history in self-driving and the DARPA challenge; the difference between a human car collision and an AI one; when will we see the first fully self-driving cars?; is Ford still a "car company?"; the medium- and long-term vision of AI-enabled vehicles; how AI could fix wrinkly seats (and make driving safer); the creepy side of AI; data privacy and ethics; how Ford works with the big tech companies getting into the car business; the weirdest, scariest, and coolest things Washington has seen from AI; the cool side of deepfakes; hovercrafts, VTOL vehicles and scooters; the impact of self-driving cars on jobs; and equity of access to self-driving cars.

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Recode Decode: PBS CEO Paula Kerger Apr 15, 2019

Show notes

Paula Kerger, the president and CEO of PBS, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the state of public media as President Trump is trying to cut its federal funding.

In this episode: How Kerger got to PBS 13 years ago; why running it is more like running a co-op than a normal company; the decline of local media; how public media is funded; bringing PBS into the digital age; why it’s backed off of Netflix in favor of competitors like Amazon; YouTube isn’t just a stepping-stone to TV; the commercial cable channels that gave up on PBS-style content; how important is broadcast for PBS’ future?; how it builds for mobile streaming; investigative journalism in VR; has content changed in the digital era?; kids’ shows like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood; Trump’s proposal to close the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; why that would hurt rural communities the most; why PBS is not “liberal”; and where will PBS be in 20 years?

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Recode Decode: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi Apr 12, 2019

Show notes

U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about breaking up Big Tech, immigration, hate speech, and more.

In this episode: Foreign influence on the 2016 election; protecting future elections; Silicon Valley's days of self-regulation are "probably" numbered; state and federal privacy legislation; net neutrality; hate speech online and how "haters" make themselves victims; should Washington break up Big Tech?; Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act "could be a question mark and in jeopardy"; Democrats' relationship with tech; illegal immigration and startup founders; education and job automation; how Donald Trump and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez use Twitter; Trump's tweets "have cheapened the presidency"; the media's complicity; should there be no political ads on the internet?; and how Pelosi's coat became a meme.

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