Pivot

Latest Episodes:

Andreessen tells Silicon Valley it’s “time to build”, Facebook/Google’s ad market hit, Friend of Pivot Rebecca Traister on women’s leadership Apr 21, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about Marc Andreessen's manifesto to Silicon Valley. They also discuss the PPP and the big companies that applied for those loans. They dig into Facebook and Google's digital ad market hit in the past weeks, but Scott doubts it slows the companies' growth. Kara asks Scott if he thinks media companies should be part of the next round of Federal bailouts? In Friend of Pivot, we hear from New York Magazine Senior Writer Rebecca Traister about women's leadership in COVID-19, Feminism and the Joe Biden campaign.

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World Health Organization in the crosshairs, the robot revolution, Softbank's struggling Vision Fund and a big prediction: Amazon is going to be a $2 trillion company by 2020 Apr 17, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott evaluate President Trump's recent business decisions from defunding the W.H.O., to his "council to reopen America", and the public/private partnership. They also talk about the possible end of Vision Fund after SoftBank tells investors they may have lost $16.7 billion this year. A court in France is ordering Amazon to halt operations until they can address worker safety concerns. In Listener Mail, we get a question about whether robots will start replacing essential workers. In predictions, Scott says that Amazon will come out of the pandemic a $2 trillion company.

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Google and Apple team up to track COVID-19, Uber drivers face unemployment hurdles, and Robert Reich says 30% of people may be out of work by summer Apr 14, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about tech giants Google and Apple teaming up to track COVID-19 cases on iPhones and Androids. They also discuss the hurdles ride share drivers are experiencing as they attempt to apply for unemployment insurance; outdated Labor Department guidelines and a lack of data is slowing that process. As Congress thinks about a fourth bail out package, the US Postal Service is asking for funds. Kara and Scott talk about whether USPS should be privatized. Friend of Pivot, economist, former US Labor Secretary Professor Robert Reich joins the show to discuss the stimulus package, unemployment rates and what Joe Biden needs to do to engage voters.

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Dorsey donates 28% of his wealth to COVID-19, Zoom as the poster child for tech privacy and the video-game industry as Amazon enters the production game Apr 10, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about Jack Dorsey's $1 billion donation to fight COVID-19, as well as other tech billionaire's contributions to fight the virus. They think that those contributions can't fill the void of a well funded government through tax dollars. They give an update on Zoom's privacy issues as the company takes on Alex Stamos, Facebook's former security chief. In Listener Mail, Kara and Scott get a question about the massive video game industry as Amazon starts producing its own video games. In predictions, Scott thinks the World Health Organization will be in the Trump administration's cross hairs in the weeks to come.

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Zoom isn’t as “encrypted” as you think, tech regulation amidst COVID-19, and economist Gene Sperling on being in a “jobs depression” Apr 07, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about privacy issues at Zoom as we move our doctor's appointments, work, therapy, social lives and school onto the platform. They discuss how tech regulations may slow under the cloud cover of COVID-19, the future of CCPA and Silicon Valley lobbyists. In Friend of Pivot, we hear from the former Director of the National Economic Council under President's Clinton and Obama, Gene Sperling. He talks about the 6.6 million people who filed for unemployment in March, the current recession and how it differs from the 2008 financial crisis. In wins, Scott attends a "drive by birthday party" and Kara celebrates a Brooklyn landlord cancelling rent. In fails... Scott's former student Jared Kushner talks about the federal stockpile.

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Sean Hannity has a meltdown. Twitter, Facebook and Google tackle misinformation. Softbank abandons WeWork. PLUS Quibi gets a break. Apr 03, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about Sean Hannity defending his work at Fox News (after Kara called him out for spreading misinformation in the early days of COVID-19). They discuss how the big tech companies are dealing with fact-checking politicians for public health information accuracy. Meanwhile, Softbank is scrapping its buy out of Adam Neumann's shares at WeWork. Also, Kara and Scott talk about several labor strikes that took place this week -- will COVID-19 be a reckoning for corporate America? In Listener Mail, we get a question about whether Quibi's launch during quarantine will accelerate its growth.

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The Internet is buckling under COVID-19 pressure, Esther Perel on our relationships in quarantine, and the possible Fox News reckoning Mar 31, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about Internet slow downs and how companies are coping as the country starts living their work and personal lives online. They discuss reports that the government is using mobile advertiser geo-location data on your phone to track social distancing and the spread of COVID-19. Friend of Pivot, renowned therapist and podcast host Esther Perel joins Kara and Scott to talk about dealing with grief in a moment of instability, how to be a better partner and colleague during the lockdowns. (Check out her new mini-series off her hit podcast Where Should We Begin?: Couples Under Lockdown, where she offers therapy to couples confined together in quarantine). Winners include Bill Gates, Yamiche Alcindor's showdowns with POTUS, and Italy starting to get ahead of COVID-19. PLUS: Will Fox News finally face a reckoning after the COVID-19 crisis?

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Zoom stock surpasses airlines; MLB, NBA, Olympics are on pause — what happens to the media that covers them? And a Listener Mail about relief package guardrails. Mar 27, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about Zoom's immense stock value in this moment and what the company should do with new power. They discuss what is to come with streaming platforms and media outlets as the 2020 Olympics joins the slew of live sports postponements due to COVID-19. Also, will the WFH movement be the final nail in the weWork coffin? In Listener Mail, Kara and Scott talk about guardrails and bailouts in the recently passed stimulus package. In predictions, Scott expects to see new stock lows in the coming weeks. (PLUS Pivot experiences its own WFH social-distance snafu!)

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Stimulus package stalled, how Airbnb, Tesla and Uber fare during COVID-19, and Corey Johnson (NYC Speaker) on small businesses and New York on “PAUSE" Mar 24, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about the stimulus package in limbo and the Defense Production Act. They break down how tech companies like Lyft, Airbnb and Tesla are pivoting in the COVID-19 crisis. They think Airbnb probably won’t go public this year. In Friend of Pivot, we talk to New York City Speaker Corey Johnson about how New York City is the US epicenter for COVID-19 cases. He discusses the possibility of rent freezes, the new “PAUSE” order and how small businesses are faring in the upheaval. In wins and fails, Kara thinks Rand Paul being the first Senator to test positive for COVID-19 — and exposing other congresspeople to the disease is a major fail.

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Addressing the US economy (a note from Andrew Yang), data privacy in a public health emergency, and a listener question on the "great WFH-experiment” Mar 20, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about stimulus packages and possible emergency checks to deal with the US economic crisis. We hear a bite from Andrew Yang about why implementing universal basic income in this situation is the next phase of capitalism. As Israel joins Iran and China in using data location to stop the spread of COVID-19, Kara and Scott talk about whether this is a move the United States should attempt. In listener mail, we get a question about whether this "work-from-home-moment" will become permanent...and what will happen to office buildings if it does.

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