Decoder with Nilay Patel

Latest Episodes:

Recode Decode: 'Sorry to Bother You' director Boots Riley Oct 08, 2018

Show notes

Boots Riley, the writer and director of the satirical dark comedy film "Sorry to Bother You," talks with Recode's Kara Swisher and Shirin Ghaffary. In this episode: (01:55) Riley's background as a musician with The Coup; (06:35) When he started thinking about making movies; (09:35) Where did the idea for WorryFree come from?; (18:23) Hustling to get the movie made; (27:17) Getting theatrical distribution; (32:10) "Tourism" into black culture; (38:02) Why capitalists in tech like the movie; (43:02) The politicization of tech workers; (48:47) The positive and negative reactions to "Sorry to Bother You"; (56:15) Is social media different than traditional media for controversial opinions?; (1:01:56) Consuming vs. creating; (1:04:07) Riley's next project and TV vs. movies; (1:07:04) How culture is reacting to the political moment

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Recode Decode: Rep. Ro Khanna Oct 06, 2018

Show notes

Congressman Ro Khanna returns to Recode Decode to talk with Recode's Kara Swisher about his proposal for an "internet bill of rights," which Kara discussed in her latest column for the New York Times.

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Recode Decode: 'Winners Take All' author Anand Giridharadas Oct 03, 2018

Show notes

Author and journalist Anand Giridharadas talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his latest book, "Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World." In this episode: (02:07) Giridharadas' background; (03:38) His two previous books, "India Calling" and "The True American"; (11:56) How much of America lost the American dream; (19:58) The rhetoric of changing the world and "folk memory"; (27:29) How elites help, "only on their terms"; (31:28) There's not a tech solution to everything; (39:11) The difference between an engine and a crime scene; (45:38) Jeff Bezos's philanthropy and better ways of giving; (53:06) "Allow me to make the most enthusiastic endorsement of Donald Trump that I can make."

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Recode Decode: 'Full Frontal' host Samantha Bee Oct 01, 2018

Show notes

Samantha Bee, the host of "Full Frontal" on TBS, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about doing TV comedy in 2018 and her new political trivia app, This is Not a Game: The Game. In this episode: (02:03) "The Daily Show" and "The Detour"; (03:25) "Full Frontal" and her perspective; (07:55) Is it comedy or commentary?; (09:45) The process of making "Full Frontal"; (12:45) This is Not a Game; (17:09) "Congratulations on the crash"; (21:24) The "feckless" controversy; (25:08) @realDonaldTrump and social media restraint; (27:08) "We actually are a part of the national conversation"; (30:02) What is off-limits in comedy?; (33:01) Christine Blasey Ford; (37:23) Where is entertainment going?; (40:48) The future of comedy and of "Full Frontal"; (44:35) Brett Kavanaugh and women running for office

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Recode Decode: Square CFO Sarah Friar and Instacart CEO Apoorva Mehta Sep 29, 2018

Show notes

In these highlights from our September 2018 Code Commerce event, Recode's Jason Del Rey talks with two great guests: (00:57) First, he speaks to Square CFO Sarah Friar; (35:02) then, Jason interviews Instacart CEO Apoorva Mehta. You can catch up on Code Commerce and watch all the interviews from the event for free on Recode's YouTube page.

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Recode Decode: Jawbone Health CEO Hosain Rahman Sep 26, 2018

Show notes

Jawbone co-founder Hosain Rahman talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the company's next act: A medical subscripton service called Jawbone Health that hopes to catch health problems early. In this episode: (01:46) Rahman's background in speech recognition; (04:53) The first Bluetooth Jawbone and the Jambox wireless speakers; (07:49) Releasing, refunding and relaunching the Up wearables; (11:33) "This is one of the big mistakes that we made as an organization"; (14:42) Trade secret theft and "trying to hold it together"; (20:43) Jawbone's fundraising and all-star board; (22:14) Where did the money go?; (28:04) Why didn't Jawbone sell itself?; (31:16) Management mistakes; (35:55) Positive and negative cycles in tech press; (38:05) Rahman's two biggest mistakes; (43:08) The end of Jawbone and launch of Jawbone Health; (51:52) The restructuring process; (53:01) Partnering with Salesforce, Color and others; (56:48) What does Rahman worry about and why does he get another chance?; (01:01:02) Can Silicon Valley be more mature?

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Recode Decode: Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom in 2017 Sep 25, 2018

Show notes

Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger are resigning from the company, six years after Facebook bought it for $1 billion. Recode reports that they had grown "increasingly frustrated and agitated with [Facebook CEO Mark] Zuckerberg and Facebook’s increased influence over the app." Here's a bonus episode of Recode Decode — Kara Swisher's interview with then-CEO Systrom from June 2017 — in which he talks at length about why he and Krieger did not leave soon after the acquisition. The episode's original summary is below... *** Instagram CEO and co-founder Kevin Systrom talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about why he's still working at Facebook five years after it bought his company for $1 billion. Systrom shares what he has learned from the executives there and why he insisted from day one that his new colleagues not call Instagram a "photo-sharing app" — which surprised Mark Zuckerberg. He also addresses allegations that Instagram has "copied" features from Snapchat, saying no tech product is completely original and that it's better for consumers if companies in the same space are constantly trying to one-up each other. Later in the show, Systrom explains why he feels personally responsible to make the internet a safer place, and what he's doing toward that goal.

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Recode Decode: World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim Sep 24, 2018

Show notes

Jim Yong Kim, the president of the World Bank Group, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how big data can prevent famines around the world and how to engage tech leaders in solving huge problems. In this episode: (01:46) Kim's background at WHO, at Dartmouth and as an enemy of the World Bank; (09:01) Job automation and the future of work; (13:19) Why African leaders can't copy their way to prosperity; (19:41) Working with LinkedIn and Airbnb, and the value of tourism; (24:57) Marc Benioff, Sal Khan and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid; (27:58) Zipline's blood delivery breakthrough; (29:45) Which countries are investing in human capital?; (37:32) The Famine Action Mechanism; (43:08) Can generosity undo the techlash?; and (46:27) Kim's wishlist for tech companies.

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Recode Decode: The NYT's Maggie Haberman, HuffPost's Lydia Polgreen and actor Jane Lynch Sep 22, 2018

Show notes

In this bonus episode of Recode Decode, you get two interviews for the price of one, both conducted by Recode's Kara Swisher at the Lesbians Who Tech Summit in New York City. First, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman and HuffPost editor in chief Lydia Polgreen talk about "Trump, technology and the future of news." In the second half of the show (28:02), actor Jane Lynch ("Glee," "Party Down") talks about the future of entertainment and technology.

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Recode Decode: 'Swiped' director Nancy Jo Sales Sep 19, 2018

Show notes

Journalist and author Nancy Jo Sales talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her new HBO documentary, "Swiped: Hooking Up in the Digital Age." In this episode:03:41 - How Sales started writing about teenage culture08:20 - The psychological impact of the internet10:38 - "What's Tinder?"12:31 - Cheerleading tech and platforms' responsibility19:25 - Why Sales made "Swiped"25:07 - The gamification of dating29:13 - Harassment and sexual assault37:13 - Can dating apps offer more than casual sex?40:11 - Technology addiction and the paradigm of convenience45:54 - VR sex and sex robots52:26 - Is there a positive side?

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