Decoder with Nilay Patel

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Recode Decode: Center for Democracy and Technology CEO Nuala O'Connor Feb 13, 2019

Show notes

Nuala O'Connor, the CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how the group she leads is lobbying the government and private companies on issues like consumer privacy and free speech.

In this episode: O'Connor's background in big companies and the Department of Homeland Security; what the Center for Democracy and Technology does; the "Summer of Snowden"; why antitrust isn't a cure-all; speech and responsibility are the biggest issues facing the internet right now; why O'Connor says tech is engaged in a "holy war"; why she's optimistic about Capitol Hill; the reality of what the internet is vs. what we thought it would be; the big themes for tech reform in 2019; a lot of what we call "fake news" is actually government propaganda; can net neutrality be revived?; and online bullying and tech addiction,

Click here to vote for Kara Swisher in the Shorty Awards! You can vote once per day between now and Thursday, February 21.

Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today.

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Recode Decode: "Zucked" author Roger McNamee Feb 11, 2019

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Elevation Partners founding partner Roger McNamee talks with Recode’s Kara Swisher about his new book, Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe.

In this episode: Transitioning from tech optimist to critic; the 1990 crash and rebound; starting Silver Lake Partners; McNamee’s health crisis and struggles with office politics; “then Bono calls up”; meeting and mentoring the 22-year-old CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg; recruiting Sheryl Sandberg to be COO; the Beacon disaster and clashing with Sandberg; the suspicious early warning signs in 2016; speaking out against Facebook and the cost of becoming an activist; why McNamee wrote Zucked; trying to get around Google’s privacy invasions; the fundamental problems with Google and Facebook’s business model; tech companies that never think about consequences; how the limits on what data can be collected keep changing; and how can regular people help fix these problems?

Click here to vote for Kara Swisher in the Shorty Awards! You can vote once per day between now and Thursday, February 21.

Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today.

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Recode Decode: “The Mastermind” author Evan Ratliff Feb 06, 2019

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Journalist and Pop-Up Magazine co-founder Evan Ratliff talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his new book, The Mastermind: Drugs, Empire, Murder, Betrayal.

In this episode: How Pop-Up got started; what happened when Ratliff tried to become anonymous for a month; starting the digital-first magazine The Atavist; how Paul Calder Le Roux went from programmer to prescription drug kingpin; the intersection of the international drug trade and tech; how Le Roux got into harder drugs, Somalian militias and selling missile technology to Iran; how he got caught; how Le Roux "embodied the entrepreneurial spirit" of a startup founder; "there's no viable drug operation that's not gonna be utilizing technology"; where is the (legal and illegal) drug trade going?; drug submarines; can modern drug cartels be stopped?; and why "there is clearly a market for an internet-driven cartel."

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Recode Decode: Spencer Stuart executive recruiter James Citrin Feb 04, 2019

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James Citrin, the head of Spencer Stuart CEO Practice, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about placing top executives at companies like Yahoo, PayPal, eBay, Twitter, Cisco, Pandora and Hulu.

In this episode: Citrin's background as an analyst, consultant and CD-ROM true believer; how he was recruited to Spencer Stuart and how he recruits executives for his clients; do tech companies need a technical CEO?; the evolving power dynamics of talent in Silicon Valley; the triple threat of capability, credibility and attractability; the rise of internal recruiting and succession planning; why leadership actually matters; what happens inside a company when there's a crisis threatening top leadership?; what about when the CEO is toxic?; what is Facebook's board doing right now?; the importance of not "selling" executive candidates to companies; and lessons for CEOs.

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Recode Decode: Early AOL exec Jean Case Jan 30, 2019

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Case Foundation CEO Jean Case, who was an early marketing and communications executive at AOL, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her new book, "Be Fearless: 5 Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose."

In this episode: Why Case never finished college; working at The Source and GE, and why she left GE for Quantum Computer Services, which became AOL; finding unlikely allies and pivoting the business; The Case Foundation and impact investing; Case's other role, chairing the National Geographic Society; why she wrote Be Fearless; taking risks, failing the right way and breaking out of your bubble; are women making progress against discrimination?; the power of urgency; startups are at a 30-year low; does Case still feel entrepreneurial?; what does she think of AOL now?; "be fearless" does not actually mean having no fear; and expanding opportunity for entrepreneurial people everywhere.

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Recode Decode: "The Job" author Ellen Shell Jan 28, 2019

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Boston University professor Ellen Shell talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her new book, The Job: Work and Its Future in a Time of Radical Change.

In this episode: Shell's background in science and culture journalism; her earlier books, "The Hungry Gene" and "Cheap"; how writing about 1800s department store sales in "Cheap" led to writing "The Job"; what jobs will be automated and how we should prepare; how this transition compares to the Industrial Revolution; the ripple effects of one job being automated; the recent government shutdown; what does it even mean to be employed in the gig economy?; the "skills gap" myth and the opportunities of growing up rich; what should young people in the workforce do now?; will robots ever take all the jobs?

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Recode Decode: Attorney Laura Wasser Jan 26, 2019

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Divorce attorney Laura Wasser talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about starting It's Over Easy, an online platform to help people who are getting divorced in New York and California.

In this episode: Why Wasser launched It's Over Easy; the other services it provides besides legal help; why Wasser isn't afraid of losing her $850/hour clients; how she hopes to expand to more states this year; why some locations may require "doing an Uber"; why the legal world has been slow to embrace the internet; can lawyers and judges be completely replaced?; and advice for anyone getting divorced.

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Recode Decode: Basecamp CEO Jason Fried Jan 23, 2019

Show notes

Basecamp CEO Jason Fried talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his most recent book, It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work, which he co-wrote with his business partner David Heinemeier Hansson.

In this episode: How Basecamp got started; why chat apps like Slack and Basecamp's own Campfire are bad for productivity; the things that make work crazy, including access to coworkers' calendars, ASAP-response culture and codependent departments; why Basecamp does not set any goals internally other than "be profitable"; how Silicon Valley's "world domination mindset" stresses workers out; which tech exec would win in a fight?; the fakeness of fancy office perks; the problems with serial entrepreneurship, best practices and intentional sleep deprivation; "hacking anything is stupid"; why venture capital destroys more businesses than it helps; and how tech companies are trying to avoid becoming Philip Morris.

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Recode Decode: Land O'Lakes CEO Beth Ford and Rep. Steve King Jan 21, 2019

Show notes

Land O’Lakes CEO Beth Ford talks with Recode’s Kara Swisher about running a modern dairy and food company, which is co-owned by thousands of farmers.

In this episode: What Land O’Lakes does other than butter; Ford's thoughts on being an openly gay female leader; the changing role of a modern CEO; why farmers are the “ultimate entrepreneurs”; agriculture technology, aka agritech; automation and big data in farming; the future of food; why Land O’Lakes withdrew its support for Congressman Steve King; and the political demands on modern CEOs.

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Recode Decode: EFF boss Cindy Cohn and McSweeney's editor Claire Boyle Jan 19, 2019

Show notes

Cindy Cohn, the executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Claire Boyle, the managing editor of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, talk with Recode's Kara Swisher about a special nonfiction issue the two organizations teamed up to produce, "The End of Trust."

In this episode: Why the EFF and McSweeney's decided to work together; have consumers given up on having privacy?; why "Facebook doesn't really have users or customers, they have hostages"; the current copyright battles in Europe; why the ability of AI to play chess says little about the usefulness of AI in general; surveillance that doesn't seem malevolent and the privilege of "I have nothing to hide"; China's "bonkers" social scoring system; the history of the internet and how things got screwed up; how to unscrew it; will Congress make a move on tech when the shutdown ends?; the importance of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act

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