On with Kara Swisher

Latest Episodes:

Will Elon Musk Turn Twitter Into Yahoo Mail? May 18, 2023

Show notes

Twitter rose to prominence as a global public square that helped enable the Arab Spring, but Elon Musk has changed all that. The platform is complying with governments more, and a murky algorithm and blue check jungle makes it feel less relevant and less reliable than ever before.

Nayeema and Kara break down how the fruit has fallen and where it may eventually land (Yahoo Mail, anyone?) with Zoë Schiffer, managing editor of Platformer, and Ryan Mac, The New York Times’s tech and accountability reporter, who was among those banned by Musk back in December.

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Instagram — yes, Instagram, it’s better than Yahoo Mail — we’re @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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How Will Lina Khan and the FTC Tackle AI? May 15, 2023

Show notes

After a discussion about Elon and the new “Chief Twit,” Linda Yaccarino, we turn to a woman who has refused to meet with Musk: Lina Khan. The Chair of the Federal Trade Commission has tech giants from Meta to Amazon on the defensive. Now she’s got the agency’s eyes set on the next big gorilla: artificial intelligence.

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Watergate to Trump and Today’s GOP: A Throughline May 11, 2023

Show notes

From the verdict in Trump’s sexual assault case to the Santos indictment and the Supreme Court saga, scandal is rife in Washington. Today we turn to the OG: Watergate, as examined in the new HBO series, “White House Plumbers.” Writers and creators Peter Huyck and Alex Gregory and director David Mandel discuss how the show compares to their last collab (“Veep”), trace a line between the blind allegiance to Nixon in the 1970s and the “Big Lie” of 2020 and contemplate what a Trump scandals series may look like 50 years from now would be like (think: Timothée Chalamet as Rudy Giuliani).

You can follow Kara and Nayeema on Instagram - search for @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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Making Relationships Work (or Not) with Maggie Smith May 08, 2023

Show notes

Relationships are hard. When do you know it’s time to marry? When do you know it’s time to break up? We get inside those questions with Kara, Nayeema and our guest today: Maggie Smith. The poet’s viral 2016 poem “Good Bones” was accompanied by professional success, and cracks in her personal life. Smith talks about that fallout, documented in her new memoir “This Place Could be Beautiful” – and whether life is more beautiful on the other side.

You can follow Kara and Nayeema on Instagram — search for @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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Roy Wood Jr. on President Biden, Tucker Carlson, Trevor Noah and (of course) the WGA Strike May 04, 2023

Show notes

After a look inside a writers' strike that could upend Hollywood, Kara and Nayeema turn to today’s guest: writer and comedian Roy Wood Jr. Fresh off his performance at the White House Correspondents Dinner, Wood breaks down how he chose his jokes for the president, what (if anything) was considered off limits and why we need to start engaging with viewpoints we don’t like.

You can follow Kara and Nayeema on Instagram — search for @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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Snap’s Evan Spiegel on AI, AR, and – yes – TikTok May 01, 2023

Show notes

The Snap CEO talks about the challenges facing the company’s AI chatbot, how augmented reality glasses could change how we compute the real world and why a TikTok ban would “help” Snap.

You can follow Kara and Nayeema on Instagram. Search for @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza.

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Ron Klain on the Likely Biden-Trump 2024 Showdown Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

It’s looking like 2024 will be another round of Biden vs. Trump. But will the sequel end in the same result? Here to discuss the prospective race — and the many issues at stake from abortion to gun control to Ukraine and China — is President Biden’s former Chief of Staff, Ron Klain.

You can follow Kara and Nayeema on Instagram - search for @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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Ben Smith on the Turmoil at Buzzfeed, Fox News and Everything In Between Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

To make sense of a turbulent and important week in media, we turn to Ben Smith who was the founding Editor in Chief of Buzzfeed News (2012 to 2020) and the former New York Times media critic (from 2020 to 2022). On the agenda: the shuttering of Buzzfeed News, the meaning of Murdoch's settlement with Dominion and what Ben is working on these days, including his news organization Semafor and his forthcoming book, Traffic.

Since we taped Kara got her blue check (against her wishes!) when Twitter re-verified some accounts over the weekend.

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com. And you can follow Kara and Nayeema on Instagram -- yes, Instagram: @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza

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Larry Summers on the Politics & Economics of Envy Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

We turn to economist and former Treasury Secretary, Lawrence Summers, to help us make sense of inflation, Silicon Valley Bank and what Biden should do next. Also on the agenda: why Summers believes in a politics and economics of opportunity — “not of envy.” Plus, why he thinks America needs more people like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates.

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema

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Jen Psaki on Her New Show and Her Old Boss Apr 17, 2023

Show notes

After a quick rundown of how the 2024 presidential race may shape up, we turn to today’s guest: Jen Psaki, the former White House Press Secretary and host of the new MSNBC show, “Inside with Jen Psaki.” On the agenda: Biden’s Achilles’ heel, the Trump bump and how Psaki will parlay her insider status to journalism.

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema

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