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Recode Decode: “The Great Hack” director Karim Amer Jul 31, 2019

Show notes

In this live interview, Recode's Kara Swisher talks with former Cambridge Analytica COO Julian Wheatland, early Facebook investor Roger McNamee, and the director and writer of the new Netflix documentary The Great Hack — Karim Amer and Pedro Kos. Then, later in the show, Recode’s Jason Del Rey explores the origins of Amazon Prime, why it’s so effective at keeping us locked into their ecosystem, and how it became the source of the company’s power.

In this episode:

How Wheatland looks back on the Cambridge Analytica scandal and what went wrong; how Amer and Kos approached the subject to turn it into a documentary; Facebook’s evasion of responsibility; what the filmmakers want to happen as a result of their work; why Wheatland decided to be in the documentary; the “fix it” mentality vs. assigning blame; the fragility of western democracy; Brittany Kaiser, the key character of The Great Hack; how Facebook and Google are like chemical companies in the 1950s; and what's next for the people involved in the film.

More information about Land of the Giants:

Land of the Giants is a new podcast from Recode and the Vox Media Podcast Network about the five major technology companies (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google – or “FAANG”) that have reshaped our world. Each season focuses on one of the giants and explores the ways that it’s changed our lives – for better and for worse. The first season is about The Rise of Amazon and is hosted by Recode’s Jason Del Rey. Enjoy this special preview of the first episode, Why You’ll Never Quit Amazon Prime, and subscribe to Land of the Giants for free in your favorite podcast app to hear the rest of the episode and to get new episodes automatically.

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Recode Decode has been nominated for best technology podcast in this year’s People’s Choice Podcast Awards! Cast your vote for Recode Decode at https://www.podcastawards.com/app/signup before July 31st. One vote per category.

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Kara Swisher (@karaswisher), host

Karim Amer (@Karim_Amer33), guest

Julian Wheatland (@JulianWheatland), guest

Roger McNamee (@Moonalice), guest

Erica Anderson (@EricaAmerica), executive producer

Eric Johnson (@HeyHeyESJ), producer

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Recode Decode: Megan Rapinoe Jul 29, 2019

Show notes

On the 400th episode of Recode Decode, Megan Rapinoe, the co-captain of the US Women's National Soccer Team, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher. This live conversation was recorded at the Mobile Marketing Association CEO & CMO Summit in Sonoma, CA.

In this episode:

Where Rapinoe's confidence comes from; her famous “victory” pose; the marginalization of women’s soccer; her favorite moments from the 2019 Women’s World Cup; how she focuses on the game; did Trump actually help her?; the fight for equal pay; what Rapinoe is going to do next; her clothing company, Re-inc and gender expression in fashion; will she run for political office?; her brother’s incarceration; what inspires her?; her advice for kids; resilience in the face of bullies and online critics; how to support women’s soccer; and her leadership style.

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Recode Decode: Reddit CEO Steve Huffman Jul 26, 2019

Show notes

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman talks with Recode's Kara Swisher in this live interview recorded at Manny's in San Francisco. Huffman co-founded the company in 2005, left it in 2009, and returned in 2015 after the resignation of Reddit's previous CEO, Ellen Pao.

In this episode:

How Huffman thinks about Reddit today; how the site almost died; how it started and its early experience with backlash; tech leaders that don’t want to make content moderation decisions; why /r/The_Donald was quarantined and how it could clean itself up; the moving line for unacceptable comments online; conservative allegations of “shadowbanning” and tech bias; the gender breakdown of Reddit users; harassment of volunteer moderators; AI that learns from Reddit; the monopolization of tech by negative forces; and the future of /r/The_Donald.

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Kara Swisher (@karaswisher), host

Erica Anderson (@EricaAmerica), executive producer

Eric Johnson (@HeyHeyESJ), producer

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Recode Decode: Stitch Fix CEO Katrina Lake Jul 24, 2019

Show notes

Stitch Fix founder and CEO Katrina Lake talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the future of fashion, how the company has changed in the past nine years, and the rarity of female tech CEOs.

In this episode:

Lake’s background and taking Stitch Fix public; the difficulties of raising venture capital for a fashion startup; the "myth" of staying private forever; is Stitch Fix a “tech company?”; its expansion into new verticals, including men’s fashion; the broader online fashion landscape; how Stitch Fix has changed since its founding; figuring out people’s style preferences and riding fashion trends; sharing data with fashion brands; the future of retail; why Stitch Fix doesn’t have a physical store; how it reaches new customers; mistakes made and lessons learned; becoming a symbol for women in business; and what people underestimate about Lake.

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Kara Swisher (@karaswisher), host

Katrina Lake (@kmlake), guest

Erica Anderson (@EricaAmerica), executive producer

Eric Johnson (@HeyHeyESJ), producer

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Recode Decode: Rep. Adam Schiff Jul 22, 2019

Show notes

Congressman Adam Schiff, who represents California’s 28th district and chairs the House Intelligence Committee, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the 2020 election, the Russia investigation, and more.

In this episode:

Schiff’s letters putting Facebook, Google and Twitter “on notice” for deepfakes in the 2020 campaign; the lack of tech regulation to date; Edward Snowden and the encryption fight; how things have changed since the Democrats gained a majority in the House of Representatives; partisan differences in the Russia investigation; Robert Mueller’s upcoming testimony; Trump, the new “Teflon president”; how Trump and Schiff use Twitter; “how do we get back to normal?”; Nancy Pelosi vs. the “squad”; replacing Mitch McConnell and defeating Trump; the greatest intelligence threats to the US; and what worries Schiff the most.

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Kara Swisher (@karaswisher), host

Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff), guest

Erica Anderson (@EricaAmerica), executive producer

Eric Johnson (@HeyHeyESJ), producer

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Recode Decode: Andrew Yang Jul 19, 2019

Show notes

Entrepreneur and Venture for America founder Andrew Yang talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his campaign to be the Democratic nominee in the 2020 presidential race.

In this episode: Being "the tech candidate" during the techlash; the the #YangGang; his version of universal basic income, the Freedom Dividend; the challenges of UBI and how to convince people that it's a good idea; job automation and the “robot apocalypse”; why the unemployment rate isn't as low as you think; what will future jobs look like?; Yang's vision of "human-centered capitalism"; Donald Trump's tweets; standing out in the current Democratic field; climate change and the privatized space industry; breaking up tech companies and other forms of regulation; and why does Yang want to be president?

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Kara Swisher (@karaswisher), host

Andrew Yang (@andrewyang), guest

Erica Anderson (@EricaAmerica), executive producer

Eric Johnson (@HeyHeyESJ), producer

Manny's (@welcometomannys), the San Francisco venue of this live interview

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If you haven't already, subscribe to Recode Decode

Subscribe to Recode's other podcasts: Recode Media, Pivot, and Land of the Giants

Listen to Vox's Ezra Klein interviewing Yang on The Ezra Klein Show

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Recode Decode: Senator Michael Bennet Jul 17, 2019

Show notes

Michael Bennet, the senior U.S. Senator from Colorado, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the intersection of social media and politics, and running for president in 2020.

In this episode: Denver schools and the racial education gap; Bennet’s assessment of his past 10 years in the Senate; why people voted for Trump; the changes in Washington; why Frederick Douglass (and you) are founders of America; why Bennet believes he can win; politicians who over-index on Twitter and the "downward spiral" of social media; "the Russians, for Christ's sake"; should tech companies be broken up?; Facebook’s regulation of speech; keeping America innovative; fixing education; the 90 percent of Americans not benefiting from economic growth; universal health care; why a Democrat can win in 2020; and Kamala Harris in the first Democratic debates.

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Kara Swisher (@karaswisher), host

Michael Bennet (@MichaelBennet), guest

Erica Anderson (@EricaAmerica), executive producer

Eric Johnson (@HeyHeyESJ), producer

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If you haven't already, subscribe to Recode Decode

Subscribe to Recode's other podcasts: Recode Media, Pivot, and Land of the Giants

Listen to Vox's Ezra Klein interviewing Bennet on The Ezra Klein Show

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Recode Decode: Mayor Pete Buttigieg Jul 15, 2019

Show notes

Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his campaign for president of the United States.

In this episode: Systemic racism and Buttigieg's "Douglass Plan"; mobilizing black women voters; how to appeal to Trump supporters who wanted to "burn the house down"; reforming the Supreme Court; the “mystical fascination” with the Rust Belt; climate change and rural America; why Buttigieg hasn’t attacked tech as much as some of his opponents; should Americans have a right to be forgotten online?; recognizing gig workers as employees with the right to unionize; will more regulation make it harder to compete with China?; Buttigieg's wealthy tech donors; being gay in the military; will voters care that he is gay?; his husband and LGBT visibility in politics; AOC’s “squad” vs. Nancy Pelosi; and Buttigieg's favorite president, Abraham Lincoln.

Interested in hearing more from Mayor Pete Buttigieg?

Check out his conversation with Vox’s editor-at-large Ezra Klein on The Ezra Klein Show.

https://www.vox.com/2019/4/1/18290849/pete-buttigieg-2020-ezra-klein-show

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Recode Decode: Harley-Davidson CEO Matthew Levatich (Live at Code 2019) Jul 12, 2019

Show notes

Harley-Davidson president and CEO Matthew Levatich talks with Recode's Kara Swisher live onstage at the 2019 Code Conference.

In this episode: The impact of tariffs on Harley-Davidson’s global business; Trump's tweets attacking the company; managing a well-known brand during a trade war; is it possible to manufacture everything in the US?; the expertise required to make things domestically; Harley Davidson’s new electric bikes; the merits of a silent bike; the scooter market; omni-channel sales; competitors; and how thinking about climate change affected Harley-Davidson’s planning.

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Recode Decode: Writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner Jul 10, 2019

Show notes

Writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her popular profiles of celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow and her new novel, "Fleishman Is in Trouble."

In this episode: Why Brodesser-Akner started writing profiles; how she got to the New York Times; working with editors and fact-checkers; Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop; Paltrow’s “radical” personality; her story about the transformation of Weight Watchers and contemporary fatness; how Brodesser-Akner chooses the topics of her stories; why they thrive online; “Fleishman Is In Trouble” and the rise of dating apps; how she figured out the story she wanted to tell in “Fleishman”; "What's the most horrifying thing I could do right now?"; what does Brodesser-Akner like writing better: Fiction or nonfiction?; and her advice for other writers.

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