Skip to content
Artwork for Decoder with Nilay Patel
BusinessTechnology

Decoder with Nilay Patel

The Verge

#18 in Business this week

Decoder is a show from The Verge about big ideas — and other problems. Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks to a diverse cast of innovators and policymakers at the frontiers of business and technology to reveal how they’re navigating an ever-changing landscape, what keeps them up at night, and what it all means for our shared future.

Play
  • 977 episodes
  • a few times a week
  • Avg 56 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • #216
    May 2, 2018 · 1 hr 13 min

    Recode Decode: Ronan Farrow

    Investigative journalist Ronan Farrow talks with Recode’s Kara Swisher about his new book, “War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence.” The book explores how the Trump administration is “laying waste to the State Department,” but argues that it’s not the first administration to do so — cutting diplomats is politically safer than cutting military spending, and Trump is just doing it at an “unprecedented new extreme.” Farrow also talks about his reporting on Harvey Weinstein, and the culture of silence around powerful perpetrators of sexual abuse, for which he shared in a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Intent on keeping the spotlight on survivors rather than predators, Farrow nevertheless hints that there is more to tell about why he published his stories at The New Yorker, rather than his former employer NBC, where he started the Weinstein reporting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #215
    Apr 30, 2018 · 1 hr 19 min

    Recode Decode: Sally Kohn

    CNN political commentator Sally Kohn talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her new book, "The Opposite of Hate: A Field Guide to Repairing Our Humanity." Kohn's publicity tour for the book has been tangled up in allegations that she misquoted and misrepresented two of her sources, Ijeoma Oluo and Aminatou Sow, and she discusses how she's working to make things right. She also talks about how she became a TV commentator, why she chooses to engage with Fox News hosts like Sean Hannity and how her past life working as a left-wing activist overlaps with changing minds on broadcast media. Plus: Why Kohn, a gay woman, supports MSNBC anchor Joy Reid, who has been accused of writing homophobic blog posts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #214
    Apr 28, 2018 · 1 hr 6 min

    Recode Decode: New York Times tech columnist Farhad Manjoo explains the 'Frightful Five'

    Farhad Manjoo, a technology columnist for the New York Times, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher in front of a live audience at the University of California, Berkeley's journalism school. Manjoo explains why he refers to five of the world's largest tech companies as the "Frightful Five": Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Alphabet (which owns Google and YouTube). He diagnoses long-running issues at several of those companies, but argues that solving the problems they've created or at least enabled would necessitate giving them even more power. Plus: Why Twitter's toxicity problem may be beyond saving. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #213
    Apr 25, 2018 · 53 min

    Recode Decode: John Hennessy and Dave Patterson, winners, 2017 Turing Award

    Alphabet chairman John Hennessy and Google distinguished engineer Dave Patterson talk with Recode’s Kara Swisher about winning the 2017 Turing Award, a prestigious achievement in computer science. In the 1980s, Hennessy and Patterson developed a revolutionary new type of computer processor called RISC, which allowed computers to run faster and more efficiently — a breakthrough that became especially important in the era of mobile devices and the internet of things. They talk about the intense pushback they received from the computing industry at the time and why we're now in a "new golden age of computer architecture," filled with difficult problems that businesses have thus far been unable to crack. The upshot: Another RISC-like revolution needs to happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #212
    Apr 23, 2018 · 1 hr 7 min

    Recode Decode: Joanna Coles, author, 'Love Rules'

    Joanna Coles, the chief content officer at Hearst, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her new book, "Love Rules: How to Find a Real Relationship in a Digital World." Coles says dating apps can be a great tool for meeting new people, but they can encourage the wrong attitudes among their users: Seeing potential mates as interchangeable, wasting weeks to texting in the buildup to one conversation and fantasizing about whether a stranger is "the one." She also talks about the negative impact of online porn on women's satisfaction in heterosexual relationships and how to manage an ongoing relationship despite digital distractions. Plus: Why Coles joined the board of Snap, what she thinks of the future of magazines and what happens after #MeToo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #211
    Apr 18, 2018 · 1 hr 9 min

    Recode Decode: Mark Suster, managing partner, Upfront Ventures

    Upfront Ventures Managing Partner Mark Suster talks with Recode’s Kara Swisher about leading the oldest and largest venture capital firm in Los Angeles. He explains why he rejects the term “Silicon Beach,” preferring “LA Tech,” and what people miss when they think of Southern California as a less-techie place than Silicon Valley. Suster says the increasingly common overfunding of tech companies and overpaying of tech workers in the San Francisco area are discouraging innovation. He also discusses how the geography of entrepreneurship in SoCal is changing, why Upfront-backed smart doorbell maker Ring sold to Amazon, and what people get wrong about one of LA's sexiest tech companies, Snap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #210
    Apr 16, 2018 · 53 min

    Recode Decode: BlackBerry CEO John Chen

    BlackBerry CEO John Chen talks with Recode’s Kara Swisher about how the once-pioneering mobile phone company has happily pivoted into a new business model, focusing on enterprise security and embedded technology for connected cars. Chen says “somebody should make” a new version of the BlackBerry Bold 9900, explaining that there’s still a sizable audience of professionals and government workers who want their phones to be ultra secure. He also discusses why he took the CEO job in 2013, why he just committed to another five years and how governments should direct their regulation of self-driving cars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #209
    Apr 11, 2018 · 54 min

    Recode Decode: Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman: Silicon Valley has 'lost its purpose'

    Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the phenomenon of techlash and why people are just now "waking up" to Silicon Valley's dark side. Stoppelman's company has feuded for years with its much larger rival Google, which Yelp says has unfairly weighted local search results to its own product. He says the Google of 2004 would laugh at how the company does business today, and praises the new regulations being brought against tech giants by the EU. However, Stoppelman suggests he's not optimistic about U.S. lawmakers taking similar action, even though scrutiny of the big companies seems to have united Democrats and Republicans for once. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #208
    Apr 9, 2018 · 1 hr 10 min

    Recode Decode: Hillary Clinton advisor and "Dear Madam President" author Jennifer Palmieri

    Jennifer Palmieri, the communications director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 Presidential campaign, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her new book, "Dear Madam President: An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World." Palmieri reflects on the obstacles — fair and unfair — that Clinton faced while running against now-President Trump and says part of the problem was that she held herself back, discounting the value of telling her own story to the American people. She also shares some advice for the woman who will one day be President of the United States and talks about how much has changed in the media and technology strategies of political campaigns in just two years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #207
    Apr 7, 2018 · 1 hr 16 min

    Recode Decode: Apple CEO Tim Cook

    Recode's Kara Swisher and MSNBC's Chris Hayes talk with Apple CEO Tim Cook on the second episode of "Revolution." The interview was held in front of a live audience the day after Apple's education-focused event in Chicago, but Cook also talks about privacy, Facebook, Amazon, DACA and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #206
    Apr 4, 2018 · 50 min

    Recode Decode: Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki (Live)

    Recode's Kara Swisher and MSNBC's Ari Melber interview Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki in this episode of 'Revolution,' which first aired on MSNBC in January. Make sure to tune in this Friday for a new episode of 'Revolution,' in which Swisher and Chris Hayes interview Apple CEO Tim Cook about education, privacy, DACA and more; that episode airs on MSNBC on Friday, April 6 at 5:00 p.m. PT, 8:00 p.m. ET. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #205
    Apr 2, 2018 · 1 hr 9 min

    Recode Decode: Former White House advisor Valerie Jarrett

    Valerie Jarrett, a former senior advisor to President Obama, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher at South by Southwest 2018. Jarrett is now on the boards of two tech companies, but when she first got to the White House, she didn't know what Twitter was — an important reminder of how quickly tech is changing everything. Jarrett says Obama made the best decisions he could while in office based on what he knew about Russia's election meddling, and explains what the Democrats need to do to regain their footing in 2018 and 2020. She also discusses her recently announced book deal, which is based on a question her daughter had asked her: What advice would she give to a 30-year-old version of herself today? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #204
    Mar 31, 2018 · 49 min

    Recode Decode: Maria Shriver and Christina Schwarzenegger discuss 'Take Your Pills'

    Maria Shriver, the former first lady of California, and her daughter Christina Schwarzenegger talk with Recode's Kara Swisher about "Take Your Pills," a new Netflix documentary they executive produced. Schwarzenegger says her experience at Georgetown University made her realize that no one had yet made a documentary about the prevalence of adderall among college students, as well as Wall Street traders and Silicon Valley engineers. The trio is also joined by NBC Television Medical Editor Corey Hébert, who talks about his contributions to the documentary and whether 23andMe can be a reliable indicator of ADHD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #203
    Mar 28, 2018 · 54 min

    Recode Decode: Flying cars are the future of military transportation

    Christopher Kirchhoff, a former partner at DIUx, the Pentagon’s Silicon Valley office, talks with Recode’s Kara Swisher about how the Defense Department is trying to be smarter about technology. Kirchhoff says the U.S. military can benefit greatly from innovations in drones, robotics, satellites and more, and DIUx was developed to let the Pentagon proactively find that technology and quickly buy it at scale quickly before it becomes obsolete. He talks in detail about how electric flying cars are being developed to replace military helicopters, and why it’s vitally important that people working in Silicon Valley help the government modernize all departments, including commerce and education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #202
    Mar 26, 2018 · 1 hr 5 min

    Recode Decode: What men and women need to know about working together

    Journalist and writer Joanne Lipman talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her new book, "That's What She Said: What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell Them) About Working Together." Lipman, previously the editor in chief of USA Today and deputy managing editor at the Wall Street Journal, spent three years researching discrimination, sexism and the failures of HR-led "diversity training" in the workplace. She argues that the push for greater equality must be owned by a company's top executives, rather than outsourced, and she shares several actions that people can take now to help their female colleagues succeed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #201
    Mar 21, 2018 · 56 min

    Recode Decode: Therapist Esther Perel

    Sex and relationship therapist Esther Perel, the host of the podcast "Where Should We Begin?", talks with Recode's Kara Swisher at South by Southwest 2018 in Austin, Texas. Perel's new book "The State of Affairs" sets out to change the popular conversation about sexual infidelity, but she says many partners are cheating on each other with their phones. She says dating apps, such as Tinder, wind up discouraging their users from pursuing committed relationships, and also explains the psychology of the sexual harassers and abusers who have been exposed by the #MeToo movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #200
    Mar 19, 2018 · 1 hr 29 min

    Recode Decode: Anthony 'The Mooch' Scaramucci

    Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his infamous 11-day stint in the Trump administration, his recently announced book deal and why he thinks the president will win re-election in 2020. 'The Mooch' unloads on Reince Priebus, Steve Bannon and the culture of backstabbing in Washington and predicts that President Trump won't be hurt by Robert Mueller's investigation. Plus: Scaramucci says Trump has many supporters in Silicon Valley, but that "leftist fascism" has scared them into silence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #199
    Mar 17, 2018 · 59 min

    Recode Decode: CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on sex, #MeToo and North Korea (Live from SXSW)

    CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her new series, "Sex and Love Around the World." Speaking in front of a live audience at South By Southwest 2018, Amanpour says the show convinced her that women won't be "totally satisfied," in all aspects of their lives, until men have shed obsolete attitudes about gender roles, power and sexuality. She also talks about the global implications of the #MeToo movement, the dangers of "false news" and why the unwillingness of YouTube and other platforms to call themselves media companies is "bullshit." Plus: Why she's concerned about the Trump administration's planned negotiations with North Korea's Kim Jong-un. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #198
    Mar 14, 2018 · 1 hr 2 min

    Recode Decode: Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes

    Chris Hughes, the co-founder of Facebook and former owner of The New Republic, talks with Recode’s Kara Swisher about his new book, “Fair Shot: Rethinking Inequality and How We Earn.” In it, Hughes argues that working people should receive a guaranteed income, paid for by the top one percent of earners in the U.S. He cites an “immense amount of evidence” that cash improves health, education and more, and talks about how his Economic Security Project is working to advance a modernization of the Earned Income Tax Credit, which he calls “guaranteed income.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • #197
    Mar 12, 2018 · 44 min

    Recode Decode: Sen. Chuck Schumer

    Chuck Schumer, the senior U.S. Senator from New York, talks with Recode’s Kara Swisher and Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen about a range of tech-related issues, including immigration, net neutrality and Russian election meddling. He hopes to enlist tech companies like Netflix in the fight to bring net neutrality back after it was overturned by the FCC last year. Schumer also talks about his “sympathetic” attitude to the tech giants, saying the world would be a worse place overall if Amazon were not in it, even though “there’s lots of problems” with its impact on retail. Plus: Why the senior Democrat is optimistic about the midterm elections later this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Showing 761–780 of 977 episodes