Pivot

Twitter and the Saudis, Facebook’s ‘Switcharoo’, and the 2020 digital ads race

Nov 8 • 45 min

Kara and Scott talk about former Twitter employees who were spying on user data for Saudi Arabia. They also talk about a big leak of internal Facebook emails that further shows Facebook’s conniving use of data. A year out from the 2020 election, a new…

Twitter will stop running political ads … your move, Facebook

Nov 1 • 43 min

Kara and Scott celebrate Jack Dorsey announcing that Twitter will not be running political ads anymore. That puts Facebook on the spot. They talk about Kara’s interview with Edward Snowden on her other podcast Recode Decode. In streaming wars news, HBOMax…

The screw-up-billionaire, quantum computers, and the skewering of Zuckerberg

Oct 25 • 43 min

Kara and Scott take a victory lap as SoftBank buys out Adam Neumann, the founder of weWork for a cool $1.7 billion. They talk about what the future might hold, now that Google has unveiled its quantum computer. Tesla proved Scott wrong and came out with…

Mark Zuckerberg the free speech jester, and Marc Benioff the class traitor

Oct 23 • 59 min

Kara and Scott met up at Stanford University (where they were both rejected from) for a live Pivot! They talk about the decline of applicants to elite M.B.A. programs, free speech in China and how Zuckerberg says he thinks free speech functions at…

LIVE at the Podcast Upfronts in NYC!

Oct 18 • 38 min

Kara and Scott meet up at the Podcast Upfronts in NYC. And we make a special announcement…wait for it… WE’RE GOING TO 2 DAYS A WEEK! BOOM! They also talk about the likelihood that weWork has layoffs and declares bankruptcy. They talk about Bill Gates’…

Going after venture capital culture and the unicorn industrial complex

Oct 11 • 43 min

Kara and Scott talk about feuds with VC’s, billionaires paying fewer taxes than the working class and tech companies folding to Chinese state media pressure. They take a listener mail question about Sidewalk Labs and the right way to make smart cities.…

Mark Zuckerberg’s leaky staff and the silver lining to WeWork’s downfall

Oct 4 • 46 min

Someone inside Facebook secretly recorded Mark Zuckerberg for two hours and sent the audio to The Verge’s Casey Newton; Kara interviews Casey about his scoop and gets Scott’s take on Zuckerberg’s apparent fear of President Elizabeth Warren. They also talk…

LIVE from Toronto, Kara and Scott go international!

Sep 27 • 58 min

Kara and Scott are live at the Elevate in Toronto — Pivot’s first international appearance! They talk about the continued implosion at weWork and CEO Adam Neumann stepping down. They ask — have we reached peak “founder”? Wins are whistleblowers and Phoebe…

Uber is ‘disruptive and drunk’, weWork is ‘just drunk’, and Pivot turns 1!

Sep 20 • 46 min

Happy 1st anniversary to Pivot! Kara and Scott talk about weWork’s halted IPO (we’ll take partial credit). They talk about Amazon manipulating its algorithm to present more of its own products in search. Facebook is making its own “Supreme Court”, is it…

‘I love Amazon. Let’s break it up’

Sep 18 • 28 min

Scott joins Land of the Giants host, Jason Del Rey, live on stage at the Code Commerce conference in New York City. Scott tells Jason that Amazon needs to be broken up - and which parts of the company should be spun off first. They discuss Amazon’s…

LIVE! From the Lesbians Who Tech Summit

Sep 13 • 58 min

Kara and Scott talk at the annual Lesbians Who Tech Summit in New York City. Scott is dubbed a #LezBro. They discuss 48 state AG’s putting forth an antitrust probe into Google. They love it. Kara comes with her new augmented reality glasses — she thinks…

Is Uber super f*cked? Let’s ask “Super Pumped” author Mike Isaac

Sep 6 • 42 min

Kara and Scott bring on NYTimes reporter, Mike Isaac, to talk about his new book “Super Pumped: the Battle for Uber”. They pick his brain about all the Silicon Valley drama around the ride-share company. Scott’s win is Walmart for taking action in the…

Peloton “sells happiness” and bedbugs take over Twitter

Aug 30 • 46 min

Kara and Scott talk Peloton’s S-1 … is it the WeWork of exercise or an innovation in happiness? They also talk about Facebook’s newest attempt to undercut Snapchat. Kara’s fail is journalists who can’t take a joke. And for the first time … Pivot is taking…

DoorDash is still stealing tips. And is Tesla for sale?

Aug 23 • 42 min

Kara and Scott are back in the studio to talk about Trump bringing foreign policy to Twitter, state AG’s taking on big tech and Tesla possibly being bought by Volkswagen (what a world!) Meanwhile, Scott’s planning to buy Uzbekistan. Kara and Scott both…

LIVE! From NYC it’s Kara and Scott

Aug 21 • 70 min

Kara and Scott meet up in New York City for an extra, unfiltered Pivot in front of a live audience. They recap some of the news already happening this week like “The Business Roundtable” redefining their mission statement to include stakeholders. Kara and…

Sharks, WeWork & Tumblr’s tumble from grace

Aug 16 • 50 min

Kara and Scott take on sharks, summer in New England, WeWork’s IPO and Tumblr’s fall. They also talk about how trade-wars with China are slowing down tech. Scott had a win this week when Nike added a “rundle” subscription service. Scott also gives a win…

Hate on 8chan and why Scott’s not quitting Equinox

Aug 9 • 39 min

Kara and Scott talk about Cloudfare dropping 8chan after its latest link to domestic terrorism and hate speech. They also talk about SoulCycle and Equinox’s links to the Trump campaign. Kara’s ready to dump SoulCycle, but Scott’s holding out on Equinox.…

Facebook wants to read your mind. What could possibly go wrong?

Aug 2 • 33 min

Kara and Scott talk about the debates and how questions about big tech…well, didn’t really come up. They also talk about Amazon and Apple earnings and how “wearables” are having a moment. In wins we have FOIA and transparency around tech companies and how…

The Mueller hearing, Facebook’s fine, and revisiting The Case of Al Franken

Jul 26 • 43 min

This week, your hosts Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway revisit the democratic presidential nominee race, and talk about the Mueller hearing. In wins and fails, they talk about revisiting controversies like Al Franken’s. In predictions, they take a short…

Peter Thiel is Pennywise, Trump’s racist tweets, and Kara meets the Yang Gang

Jul 19 • 34 min

This week, Scott wants to scoop on all of Kara’s interviews with presidential candidates. Then, Scott and Kara chat Facebook’s measly $5 billion fine and Disney’s massive staying power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Epstein’s Out, Rapinoe’s In, Plus a Social Media-Less Summit

Jul 12 • 33 min

This week Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway are together in D.C.; we repeat: they are together in D.C.! They chat Jeffrey Epstein and double jeopardy, President Trump’s social media summit (where no major social media networks were invited?), and whether or…

Fish and Chips and Biden and Harris and Reddit and Twitter

Jul 5 • 43 min

This week, Kara calls in from London! In addition to their excitement for the Women’s World Cup, Scott and Kara talk about Zuckerberg’s Aspen interview, the Democratic primary debates, and Twitter’s decision to label politicians’ tweets that violates its…

TikTok, Time’s Up on Facebook’s Content Moderation Sites

Jun 28 • 31 min

When Scott Galloway is away, Kara Swisher will play… with The Verge’s Casey Newton! This week, Kara and Casey get down and dirty about Bodies in Seats, Casey’s exposé on the terrible conditions inside Facebook’s North American content moderation sites. In…

Facebook’s New Money and Slack’s New Valuation

Jun 21 • 36 min

This week, Kara is in New York! And Scott’s in… France? So close yet so far as usual, our hosts chat about Facebook’s venture into cryptocurrency, Tim Cook’s Stanford commencement speech, and YouTube for kids. In wins and fails, looks like Slack is…

Pivot LIVE! From the 2019 Code Conference

Jun 14 • 39 min

This week’s Pivot is live from the Code Conference in Arizona. Kara and Scott talk regulations for the tech industry and why we need more female CEOs so we don’t feel bad about firing the bad ones. Also, our hosts review some of their old predictions and…

The FTC and DOJ are Stayin’ Alive, and YouTube backtracks on bigotry

Jun 7 • 34 min

This week, Kara and Scott talk breaking down the big boys (Facebook, Google, etc) and YouTube kicking out the bad boys (“free speech” haters). Wins and fails this week include the revival of the FTC and DOJ, and some Bernie Sanders grandstanding. Learn…

Deepfake takedowns, white supremacy on Twitter, and the companies boycotting anti-abortion states

May 31 • 36 min

Pivot takes up the internet-age-old question of Facebook’s responsibilities as a media company. And, should businesses be boycotting states that are passing harsh anti-abortion laws? Also, Kara and Scott discover that both their dads were in the Navy.…

Medium’s “Shampoo Effect,” and Tesla, coming undone?

May 24 • 40 min

The hosts opine on Medium, L’Oreal, and Quora. Scott critiques WeWork’s EBITDA reporting, as well as the final GoT plot. Kara’s back from Canada and her interview with Ev Williams, and now gearing up for the Code conference in Arizona. Learn more about…

Alabama’s big fail, Uber’s disastrous IPO, and the Facebook breakup debate

May 17 • 40 min

Recode’s Kara Swisher and NYU’s Scott Galloway discuss Chris Hughes’ Facebook breakup proposal, Away Travel’s big funding, how southern states are trying to ban abortion and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Hughes’ Case Against Facebook, Strikes on IPO Week, GoT vs Avengers

May 10 • 34 min

“Union Scott” shows up to discuss the work stoppages at Uber and Lyft. Kara asks whether tech money for candidates is tainted. And the hosts analyze Game of Thrones (Facebook edition). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook’s privacy fakeout, WeWork’s reckless IPO, and Reagan the welfare queen

May 3 • 37 min

Kara and Scott discuss Facebook’s new focus on privacy; what comes after the Web 3.0 era; and what Oprah has to say about Scott’s new book. Enjoy more of Kara and Scott on Recode Decode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or in your favorite podcast app. Learn…

The FTC & the “Algebra of Deterrence”

Apr 26 • 31 min

Kara and Scott talk about the FTC’s fine on Facebook — it’s basically a “parking ticket”. They also talk about the bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday and their social media ban. In wins and fails they talk about the shake-ups at The MarkUp, the Tesla…

Uber’s IPO and, more importantly, Game of Thrones

Apr 19 • 40 min

Kara and Scott talk about Disney breaking into the content streaming business, the Uber IPO and, yes, Game of Thrones. Facebook actually gets a win this week for bringing on their first African American woman as a board member (but will she hold…

Mr. Zuckerberg goes to Washington … again

Apr 12 • 38 min

Kara and Scott talk about Congressional hearings on tech platforms responsibility for spreading white nationalism and other hate speech. New Zealand, Australia and the EU are so far ahead of the US in regulations … when will we catch up? They also discuss…

“It’s not a meritocracy, it’s a mirror-tocracy”

Apr 5 • 36 min

Kara and Scott talk about the avalanche of recent Facebook news — including Zuckerberg’s new professed want for regulations. They also talk about YouTube and how the company actively seems to be overlooking all the toxic things that end up on the…

Will the rising tide of ride sharing Lyft all boats?

Mar 29 • 36 min

Scott and Kara are skeptical of Lyft’s IPO. What exactly is the network effect of ride shares? Also, Facebook says it’s banning white nationalist posts. Cool, it’s about time. Will anyone follow? Scott and Kara also talk about what Apple TV even is, the…

Does social media cause terrorism?

Mar 22 • 31 min

Kara and Scott talk about terrorism against the Muslim community in New Zealand and how social media may be exacerbating this type of violence. They talk about admissions scandal and how colleges are harming the middle class with their exclusivity. Of…

LIVE! From SXSW it’s Kara and Scott

Mar 15 • 51 min

Kara and Scott are live in Austin, Texas for SXSW. They talk antitrust, the breakdown of big tech and take audience questions and predictions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook says it’s all about privacy now. OK, sure.

Mar 8 • 36 min

Kara and Scott are back! They talk about Zuckerberg’s supposed shift towards more privacy on Facebook and, well, we’ll believe it when we see it. Meanwhile Congress is ramping up its efforts on shaking up how we think of antitrust and big tech companies.…

News flash: Facebook’s contractors are people

Mar 1 • 43 min

Kara brings on her former co-host, Wired senior staff writer and Gadget Lab co-host, Lauren Goode. They talk about the moderating content on Facebook — and the working conditions of the people who are tasked with looking at the gruesome videos. Learn more…

DC is old news. “The universe revolves around Silicon Valley”

Feb 22 • 39 min

Kara brings on co-host, legendary NYTimes journalist, Maureen Dowd. They talk about how Silicon Valley has eclipsed Washington, DC as the country’s true seat of power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hot Take: Amazon HQ2 breaks up with NYC

Feb 15 • 9 min

Kara and Scott pop back into the studio to give their hot takes on Amazon pulling out of their HQ2 deal with New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is this the year big tech gets regulated? (Probably not.)

Feb 15 • 32 min

Scott blusters in from his breakfast with Congress on how to regulate big tech — so Kara and Scott get into whether Congress will ever be regulating tech (seems not so likely). Kara sums up her twitter showdown with Jack Dorsey. Also more shade thrown on…

Hot Take: Scott Galloway on Bezos vs. AMI [BOOM!]

Feb 8 • 4 min

BONUS episode: Scott couldn’t wait to tell Pivot listeners what he thinks about Bezos’ post accusing the National Inquirer of extortion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy(ish) birthday, Facebook.

Feb 8 • 40 min

Kara and Scott (sort of) celebrate Facebook’s 15th birthday. With pop-ins and hot takes from a couple friends, including Congressman Ro Khanna and podcast Queen Aminatou Sow, they get into how they REALLY feel about the platform. Scott and Kara also talk…

Cook vs. Zuckerberg vs. consumer privacy

Feb 1 • 35 min

Kara and Scott talk about Apple and Facebook’s latest gaffes and how Apple might be the only force left regulating Facebook. There’s a-latte to say about Howard Schultz’s presidential ambitions. Nancy Pelosi was a big winner this week (and Scott for…

MAGA teens, Fyre Fest and Twitter wars

Jan 25 • 39 min

Kara and Scott talk about how Twitter duped us all again. Scott is fresh off a conference where both he and Sheryl Sandberg talked about the future of Facebook (spoiler alert: they have very different takes on how the company should move forward). Kara…

“Woke” is the 2019 business strategy

Jan 18 • 41 min

Kara and Scott are back together again! This week they catch up on Jeff Bezos’ divorce and his not so hot texting skills (hey alive girls!). We’re pretty sure Gillette listens to Pivot because they took Scott up on one of his predictions; they used a…

Tech addiction and how it might be ruining Gen Z

Jan 11 • 35 min

Scott brings on a guest-host, his NYU colleague and bestselling author Jonathan Haidt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why the “Fakakta Shutdown” is slowing tech regulation even further

Jan 4 • 43 min

Kara brings on guest host Jon Lovett (Pod Save America) to talk about the government shut down, the new Congress and how it all might shake out for big tech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2018’s biggest stories and 2019 predictions

Dec 28, 2018 • 33 min

Kara and Scott talk about some of the biggest stories in tech and business of the past year. They also make some big predictions for 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook’s latest scandal and the “tyranny of technology”

Dec 21, 2018 • 28 min

Kara and Scott breakdown yet another Facebook scandal. This time, it turns out Facebook was passing on private user message data to partners like Netflix and Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google doesn’t make iPhones, and other things Congress learned this week

Dec 14, 2018 • 31 min

Kara and Scott talk about Google’s CEO testifying to Congress. The company is being evasive about its controversial search engine in China. But on the other hand, some US Representatives didn’t know Google doesn’t make the iPhone. Learn more about your ad…

The U.K. piles on Facebook

Dec 7, 2018 • 32 min

Kara and Scott talk about the latest dump of emails exposing Facebook management’s malfeasance, but Scott thinks it’s just the U.K. piling on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Microsoft is more valuable than Apple again. Why?

Nov 30, 2018 • 35 min

Kara and Scott talk about Microsoft surpassing Apple. They also come to an agreement that “Republicans buy football teams and Democrats buy media properties”. In case you missed some recent headlines, Kara and Scott talk under-reported stories. China is…

It’s time for Facebook’s board to step up

Nov 23, 2018 • 26 min

Kara and Scott talk about how Facebook’s C-suite has responded to reports of mismanagement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook’s dirty tricks

Nov 16, 2018 • 37 min

Kara and Scott talk about Facebook and the explosive report on their mismanagement and deception over the past three years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon’s HQ2 was a con, not a contest

Nov 9, 2018 • 26 min

Kara and Scott talk about the upshot of the 2018 midterms, Amazon’s surprise HQ2 announcement and how our perception of social media has been permanently changed by bots and trolls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sexual harassment at Google, nasty YouTube comments and Beto O’Rourke

Nov 2, 2018 • 35 min

Kara and Scott talk about Google’s attempts to cover up sexual harassment claims against three of its top executives; the negative effects of cable news on society; and Scott’s man-crush on Texas Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke. Plus: What Kara did on…

Tim Cook’s ‘data industrial complex,’ Uber’s IPO and Saudi money

Oct 26, 2018 • 28 min

Kara and Scott talk about Apple CEO Tim Cook’s latest critiques of Facebook and Google; the fact that Uber’s IPO could value the company at as much as $120 billion; and the ethical question of what to do if you’re a startup that could raise money from…

Saudi money, Facebook’s fib and Amazon HQ2

Oct 19, 2018 • 23 min

Recode’s Kara Swisher and NYU’s Scott Galloway talk about Silicon Valley’s Saudi money crisis, the ongoing fallout from Facebook Portal and the cities that never had a chance in Amazon’s HQ2 competition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…

Google’s data breach, Facebook Portal, and Taylor Swift

Oct 12, 2018 • 32 min

Kara and Scott discuss why the Google Plus hack matters, the new Facebook Portal and its plastic lenscap, and Kara’s affection for Taylor Swift (even before Swift’s Instagram post exhorting her fans to register to vote). In this episode: (01:48) The…

Facebook’s data breach, Elon vs. SEC and the Kavanaugh hearings

Oct 5, 2018 • 24 min

On this episode of Pivot, Kara and Scott talk about: (01:20) Facebook’s massive data breach; (06:05) Elon Musk’s $20 million SEC settlement; (12:43) Wins of the week: Jeff Flake, Amy Klobuchar and Jeff Bezos; (20:47) Soul-sappingCycle and the Wizarding…

Instagram co-founders, “tech bias” and why Amazon will buy Snapchat

Sep 28, 2018 • 25 min

Kara and Scott talk about the dramatic departure of Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ war on “tech bias,” and the future of Snap. In this episode: (01:44) The big story: Why did Instagram’s co-founders…

Kara and Scott explain what happens on Pivot

Sep 24, 2018 • 2 min

Subscribe to Pivot on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your favorite podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices