Pivot

Latest Episodes:

The Oscars' rebrand, Uber’s ‘yoga babble’ earnings call, and Friend of Pivot Andrew Ross Sorkin calls Instagram the 'Super App' Feb 11, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about The Oscar's and how the award is being rebranded. They discuss Uber's most recent earnings call and whether or not they'll actually be profitable next year. Kara thinks that while the January jobs report showed employment is up, it is a poor marker of success because of wage stagnation. In Friends of Pivot, New York Times columnist and Squawk Box host Andrew Ross Sorkin calls in for a conversation about Instagram, e-commerce and news models of monetizing content.

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Tech meltdown in Iowa, Sheryl Sandberg’s engagement (Kara and Scott debate), One Medical and US healthcare disruption and a Tesla prediction Feb 07, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about technical difficulties at the Iowa caucuses. They disagree about whether Sheryl Sandberg's engagement announcement was a PR stunt or a personal moment. In listener mail they answer a question about One Medical's IPO and other concierge care companies poised to disrupt healthcare. Kara's win is Spotify acquiring The Ringer. Scott's fail is Casper's IPO. In predictions, Scott thinks that in 2-5 years Tesla will come out with its own cryptocurrency.

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IBM leadership shuffle, Amazon earnings, plus "Friend of Pivot” Jon Lovett pops in from Iowa to talk Trump’s inevitable ad operation Feb 04, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about IBM's new CEO as the company struggles to keep up with cloud computing. They also discuss Zuckerberg's "new approach to social media", and breakdown Amazon's major earnings. In "Friends of Pivot" Jon Lovett, host of the Crooked Media podcast "Lovett or Leave It" says we should be prepared for the Trump campaign's major ad push. In wins and fails, Kara remembers Leila Janah an entrepreneur who focused on creating jobs in the world's poorest communities; she passed away this week at the age of 37. Scott's win is the halftime show at the Superbowl (although his kids would say his dancing is a FAIL). We end the show by questioning Jeff Bezos' dating choices after his girlfriend's brother sues him for defamation.

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US budget deficit will hit $1-trillion; AAPL, MSFT, GOOGL, AMZN, FB earnings breakdown; and Britain sides with China on Huawei Jan 31, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about the Congressional Budget Office projecting that the U.S. budget deficit will pass the $1 trillion threshold in 2020. They also get into tech earnings, who did well last quarter, and what we can expect going forward. In listener mail, Kara and Scott talk about Huawei Britain defying Trump's plea to ban their plans for 5G expansion. Kara's win is Michael Bloomberg's ad campaign. Her fail is Facebook's oversight board running late (and not asking her to be a member). Scott's win was media outlets who highlighted Holocaust Remembrance Day. His fail was Chipotle violating child labor laws. And Scott predicts that Uber will spinoff "Uber Eats".

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Kara’s back in action; a listener question on WeWork’s impact on co-working companies, and a pop culture quiz Jan 28, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about the spread of coronavirus and how it is affecting China. They discuss how the story of Kobe Bryant's tragic death played out on Twitter. Also, YouTube is now having their moderators sign a release acknowledging they could get PTSD from doing the work... Kara has thoughts. In listener mail, we get a question about players in the co-working space and how they are strategizing after the fall of weWork. It's definitely a FAIL that Kara did not get invited to Jeff Bezos' mansion party. In wins, Scott remembers Clayton Christensen. PLUS: Brooke Hammerling -- writer of the newsletter " Pop Culture Mondays" joins Kara and Scott for a special segment on the biggest pop culture moments of the week.

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Bezos vs. the world, retail in India and Scott’s earnings predictions Jan 24, 2020

Show notes

Scott co-hosts with Erica Anderson (Pivot's indomitable Executive Producer!) and they talk about the Saudi's hacking Jeff Bezos' phone. They talk about how Amazon has the power of its own nation and the implications of that. They talk Apple encryption part II, after a Reuters story revealed that the company had ended its plan to encrypt the iCloud at the request of the FBI. In listener mail, a former NYU student wants to know how Jeff Bezos' promised $1 billion investment in India will affect the country. Britain's new policy to protect minor's data is a win. Netflix admitting that Disney+ is cut into their subscriber growth is a fail. Scott predicts Uber is going to show poor earnings next week.

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Trillion dollar companies and tax season; how the “Black List” shapes Hollywood’s big business… and is podcasting coming for radio dollars? Jan 21, 2020

Show notes

Kara talk about Google becoming the world's fourth trillion-dollar company ... and who is actually paying taxes on all of it? They discuss world leaders congregating at Davos. Donald Trump will be speaking as the Senate impeachment trial starts. In Friend of Pivot, Executive Producer and founder of "The Black List", Franklin Leonard says that with the influx of big tech companies producing films there is greater opportunity for a "full embrace of the country's diversity", even though the Oscars did not reflect those stories. In wins and fails, Kara disagrees with Scott on holding Sheryl Sandberg accountable for Mark Zuckerberg's failures at Facebook.

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Gloves off over privacy, from Apple to Microsoft to Grindr. PLUS Scott's big 2020 bets. Jan 17, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott argue about whether the government should have the right to hack into phones of suspected criminals. In a reversal of strategy the historically secretive National Security Agency alerted Microsoft to a vulnerability in its operating system -- Scott think it's a brilliant branding move. In listener mail, Kara and Scott answer a computer science student's question about how to teach ethics to young engineers. Kara's win this week is Speaker Pelosi. Her fail is some of the world's biggest dating apps, Grindr, Tinder, OKCupid selling personal data to marketing companies. Scott reviews a slate of predictions.

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Will Casper go public? How will Softbank’s latest fail affect Asia? And how will Sundar Pichai move Google forward? Jan 14, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about Casper's S-1 and how it compares to other internet retail companies like Away and Warby Parker. We also get a rant out of Scott on Softbank's latest fail: their hotel chain OYO let-go a huge percent of their staff in Asia. In Friend of Pivot we hear from New York Magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi about whether Congress or Twitter has more power to reign in Trump. In wins and fails Kara and Scott talk about the exit of Alphabet's top lawyer amid sexual misconduct allegations across the company. Also a Scott gets a surprise pop-quiz on Norwegian cuisine.

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Social networks' minimum effort to be less toxic, Listener Mail from Australia, and fails at CES Jan 10, 2020

Show notes

Kara and Scott talk about Facebook's decision not to change their political ad policies. They also discuss Facebook banning "deep fakes" and Teen Vogue's confusion over a Facebook sponsored content article. Kara has a rant for Facebook VP, Andrew Bosworth, about his Lord of the Rings reference and op-ed. In Listener Mail we hear from an Australian asking about big tech's response to natural disasters such as the on-going fires in his country. Overall CES is a fail, but inviting Ivanka Trump to speak was next level fail. In predictions, Scott has some thoughts on the future of cyber attacks and hacks.

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