On with Kara Swisher

By Vox Media

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Subscribers: 539
Reviews: 2
Episodes: 76


 Apr 2, 2023


 Jan 18, 2023

Description

It’s On. Get to the heart of what makes powerful people tick — in interviews that have them sit back, relax and get grilled. Twice a week, Kara Swisher and her executive producer Nayeema Raza invite a guest to be “On with Kara Swisher.”  So why do newsmakers show up? “Smart people,” says Kara, “like difficult questions.” They may even find it fun.  Mondays and Thursdays from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. 

Episode Date
Jeremy Strong, Alexander Skasgard and Succession Spin-Off Theories (Spoiler Alert)
4490
After Kara and Nayeema discuss the Succession finale and their theories on a spin-off, we turn to Kara’s interviews with Alexander Skarsgård and Jeremy Strong, aka Lukas Matsson and Kendall Logan Roy.  SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t watched the finale yet, do not listen to this episode. Also, ADVICE ALERT — Do you have burning questions on career, love or life you’d like Kara or Nayeema’s advice on? If so, call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave us a voicemail. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Instagram. We’re @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza.  You can listen to other episodes of the Succession companion podcast here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 01, 2023
Ukraine’s Tech Advantage
2513
Today, Kara talks to USAID Administrator Samantha Power and Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Information Mykhailo Fedorov about the role of tech in the war, and the power of an app called Diia. Among its capabilities: accessing medical information, filing claims for war damage to property and helping track Russian troop movements.  Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Instagram. We’re @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza. BTW, do you have any burning questions on career, love or life you’d like Kara or Nayeema’s advice on? If so, call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave us a voice mail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 29, 2023
A.I. Doomsday with Tristan Harris
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After Kara and Nayeema review the week’s A.I. news, including Sam Altman’s Senate testimony and the viral AI-generated image of the Pentagon in flames, we turn to Tristan Harris — co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology and a key voice among the calls for slowing down the A.I. arms race. BTW, do you have any burning questions on career, love or life you’d like Kara or Nayeema’s advice on? If so, call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave us a voice mail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 25, 2023
Lilly Singh on Making It on Social Media — and Hollywood
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After an update on efforts to rein in TikTok from Montana to Washington DC, we turn to Lilly Singh, a creator who rose to fame in the early generation of YouTube stars and has since made the jump to linear TV. On the agenda: why creators are itching to go from the booming medium of social to a struggling landscape of linear TV, diversity in Hollywood and Kara’s texts with famous people. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Instagram. We’re @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 22, 2023
Will Elon Musk Turn Twitter Into Yahoo Mail?
3119
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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 18, 2023
How Will Lina Khan and the FTC Tackle AI?
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 15, 2023
Watergate to Trump and Today’s GOP: A Throughline
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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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 11, 2023
Making Relationships Work (or Not) with Maggie Smith
3567
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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 08, 2023
Roy Wood Jr. on President Biden, Tucker Carlson, Trevor Noah and (of course) the WGA Strike
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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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 04, 2023
Snap’s Evan Spiegel on AI, AR, and – yes – TikTok
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 01, 2023
Ron Klain on the Likely Biden-Trump 2024 Showdown
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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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 27, 2023
Ben Smith on the Turmoil at Buzzfeed, Fox News and Everything In Between
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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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 24, 2023
Larry Summers on the Politics & Economics of Envy
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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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 20, 2023
Jen Psaki on Her New Show and Her Old Boss
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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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 17, 2023
Inside the Elon-Substack Drama with Chris Best & Hamish McKenzie
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Last week, Elon kicked off a feud with both Substack and his very own former Twitter Files ingénue (and Substack star), Matt Taibbi. Kara and Nayeema break down the battle of the bros before turning to an interview with those at the center of the storm: Substack co-founders Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie. The two address questions about Substack Notes (which Elon dubbed, and they deny, is a “Twitter clone”), the challenging business model of newsletters and their stance on free expression. Somehow, they manage to avoid uttering the name “Elon.” Kara doesn’t shy away though.  Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 13, 2023
What Rupert Murdoch and Succession’s Logan Roy Have in Common (and Don’t)
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Today, after Kara and Nayeema discuss what the Dominion defamation lawsuit might mean for Rupert Murdoch and News Corp, we turn to a fictional media story of Logan Roy and HBO’s Succession. Our guests are Brian Cox, series creator Jesse Armstrong and director Mark Mylod. SPOILER ALERT: there are lots of spoilers in this episode, starting at about 10 mins in so go watch the show first.  Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. You can listen to other episodes of the Succession companion podcast here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 10, 2023
WeightWatchers CEO Sima Sistani talks TikTok, Telehealth Deal on GLP-1/Ozempic and Why She Took the Job
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WeightWatchers recently announced a $132 million deal to acquire telehealth company Sequence and enter the prescription drug space (think: GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic). It begs the question: why is a company built on personal accountability facilitating medical interventions? We ask our guest, WeightWatchers CEO Sima Sistani. Before and after the interview, Nayeema and Kara discuss their own experiences with diet fads and whether drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic will help America deal with the obesity epidemic or simply avoid tackling underlying issues like food supply, corporate greed and light regulation. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 06, 2023
Brooke Shields: Stardom, Teen Girls & Social Media
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After a brief discussion about the impact of social media on the mental health of teenage girls, Kara and Nayeema turn to today’s guest: Brooke Shields. She became a teenage superstar through her roles in “Pretty Baby” and “Blue Lagoon” as well as the famous Calvin Klein ads (“Do you want to know what comes in between me and my Calvins? Nothing.”). In her new Hulu documentary, “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” she talks about how she sees those hypersexualized roles today and how she survived life in an industry that she says did nothing to help her. Shields also revisits her complex relationship with her mother, who introduced her to modeling and acting, and how Shields now counsels her own two teenage daughters about feeding the social media “monster.”  Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 03, 2023
How to Make It in Media with Audie Cornish
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As she pens her memoir, Kara’s been thinking about legacy, but on this episode we reflect on the legacy of another powerhouse reporter: Audie Cornish. After hosting NPR’s flagship “All Things Considered” for a decade, Audie Cornish took a risk and left for the greener pastures of CNN+ — only to see that venture get unceremoniously squashed by CNN’s new CEO less than a month after it launched. Yet Cornish has made it work: launching a new podcast, “The Assignment” and providing on-air analysis (slash occasionally taking the anchor chair) at CNN. In a conversation taped live at the On Air Fest, where Cornish was honored with the the 2023 Audio Vanguard Award, she talks about how she learned to ask for help as a young reporter covering Hurricane Katrina, what the media industry has to pay attention to in order to outgrow its early naivete and why the “chaos” at CNN is healthy.  Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 30, 2023
Katie Porter: Taking Big Business to Task While Running for Dianne Feinstein’s Seat
3226
After a quick discussion of last week’s TikTok testimony, Kara and Nayeema turn to today’s guest: Congresswoman Katie Porter. The California Democrat has gone viral for her whiteboard-wielding grilling of CEOs like Jamie Dimon and Mark Zuckerberg and her subtle art of not giving a f*ck during the recent marathon that was Kevin McCarthy’s speaker vote. But today, Kara’s the one doing the grilling (sans whiteboard). Taped live at Manny’s in San Francisco, the two talk about the aftershocks of Silicon Valley Bank as well as what was behind her very early announcement that she was running for Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat. Stay tuned until the end to hear what Kara’s mom thinks about Katie Porter. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 27, 2023
When Silicon Valley Invaded Texas
2523
Lawrence Wright has produced some of the most seminal pieces of journalism on scientology, terrorism and – now – the Silicon Valley invasion of his hometown: Austin, Texas. Kara and Larry taped this interview in front of a live (outdoor) audience in Austin. They talk about recent transplants – from Elon Musk to Joe Rogan and Emma Stone – and the city’s transition from a quirky capital to a growing hub for tech companies and home to Hollywood stars and a breeding ground for libertarian ideas. And, most fundamentally, they talk about the idea of finding a place that feels like home. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 24, 2023
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on GPT-4 & the A.I. Arms Race
3722
We’re on the cusp of an artificial intelligence arms race that has venture capitalists drooling, regulators petrified and competitors from Google to Microsoft to Elon Musk racing to get their products out the door. Kara talks to Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and the man who’s led the launches of ChatGPT and GPT-4. They discuss the hallucinations of ChatGPT+, why Open AI moved from an open-source nonprofit to a closed-source “capped profit” company and why Altman doesn’t believe artificial intelligence developers should enjoy Section 230 immunity. Afterwards, Kara and Nayeema break down the interview and the promises and perils of an unknowable A.I.-powered future. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 23, 2023
Reid Hoffman Talks Trump, Thiel & AI
3535
From AI and the recent launch of GPT-4 to behind-the-scenes pressure on Washington to resolve the Silicon Valley Bank crisis, today’s guest is in the thick of it all. Kara tells Nayeema that Reid Hoffman is “one of the good ones.” Kara has known the billionaire Greylock VC Partner since the 90s, when he was fresh off the sale of PayPal and before he co-founded LinkedIn. Today they discuss Hoffman’s donations to Biden and other Democrats, how his political views have impacted his friendships with Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, and why he is so bullish on AI. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 20, 2023
SVB, IG & AI with Instagram Co-founder Kevin Systrom
3665
After a quick rundown of Kara’s Twitter feud with SVB-enthusiast David Sacks, we turn to an interview with a former Silicon Valley Bank customer: Kevin Systrom. When you found one of the most successful social media apps at 27, it’s tough to figure out where to go with Act Two. But after leaving Facebook (now Meta) in 2018, Systrom is back with an AI-powered news-reader called Artifact which has been dubbed a “Tiktok for Text.” Onstage at SXSW this weekend, as the SVB crisis was playing out, Kara and Kevin discuss his regrets about Instagram, his plans to crack the news business and what’s wrong with tech bros.   Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 16, 2023
Walter Isaacson Is Writing the Book (Literally) on Elon Musk
3782
Does Kara ever get sick of talking about Elon Musk? That’s a question Nayeema asks today, and they both agree: as exhausting as he can be, Elon is a defining force in business, media and innovation. So today we turn to the titan’s biographer: Walter Isaacson. He’s written the book on everyone from Leonardo da Vinci to Steve Jobs, and is now deep in the Elon Files.  Taped in front of a live audience at the New Orleans Book Festival, Kara and Isaacson discuss whether Elon is driven primarily by narcissism or mission (aka the “prick to productivity ratio”), how Elon does and doesn’t compare to Steve Jobs, and how Isaacson approaches his job as a biographer of some of the world's biggest personalities, both alive and dead. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 13, 2023
Jamie Lee Curtis and Donna Langley Take Us Inside Hollywood
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Today, Kara sits down with Jamie Lee Curtis, who’s nominated for her first Oscar for “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, and Donna Langley, the Universal Film Studio head who greenlit “Cocaine Bear.” Taped in front of a live audience at the Upfront Summit, the trio talks about why the revival of the “Halloween” series became such a box office hit – and how it’s led to a whole new chapter in Curtis’s career. Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema share their Oscar predictions and stay tuned for the end to find out what not-so-funny joke that Chris Wallace played on Kara (no, not that Chris Wallace). Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 09, 2023
Marc Benioff’s Toughest Conversation with Kara Swisher
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Kara has interviewed Salesforce CEO and co-founder Marc Benioff many times but he says she'd never been as prepared to grill him as she was this time. It’s a showdown between a savvy CEO who is deft at turning the tables…and an interviewer who is unafraid to pin him down. Taped in front of a live audience at the Upfront Summit, the two tackle whether Marc will be able to keep up the victory lap of a surprisingly strong earnings report, his succession plan, their divergent takes on a divisive Elon Musk – and why having activist investors breathing down his neck is “fun” for Benioff.  Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 06, 2023
Is Bing Back? with Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi
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Is AI going to fall in love with you? Write your term papers? Or help you plan a trip to Belize? The answer to all three is: maybe. How well it does any of those things remains to be seen, but Kara tells Nayeema the fast-developing AI will be more significant than almost anything else she's covered in tech. To understand the it, we’re joined by Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president and consumer chief marketing officer at Microsoft, who is in charge of rolling out the new, AI-powered Bing. On the agenda: how the tech works, why the launch demo was buggy, the ethical considerations of a new technology and what Bill Gates has to say about AI. Thoughts? Questions? Email us on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 02, 2023
How Much Damage Did Trump Do to America’s Standing In the World?
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A year after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and weeks after the presence of a Chinese spy balloon led U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to put off his Beijing visit, Kara and Nayeema talk about where the U.S. stands in the world and whether President Biden has the global coalition and momentum he claims. These are great questions for our guest today, Richard Haass. The foreign policy expert helms the Council on Foreign Relations and has had a long career in the Carter, Reagan and both Bush administrations as well as beyond working on intractable challenges from Northern Ireland to Iraq. Kara asks him why America’s global standing is on the decline, how Biden should deal with Xi and why his most recent book looks not to the rest of the world, but to our domestic problems.  Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 27, 2023
Will Killing Section 230 Kill the Internet?
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As Justice Kagan has asked, “Every other industry has to internalize the costs of its conduct. Why is it that the tech industry gets a pass?” Yet she and the other 8 Supreme Court Justices seemed wary this week as they heard oral arguments in two cases that could upend the Section 230 immunity that social media companies enjoy, Gonzalez v. Google and Twitter v. Taamneh. Today, we hear from three experts: Stanford Law professor Evelyn Douek, National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen and UC Berkeley computer science professor Hany Farid. Up for discussion — what’s at stake in these two cases, which way the wind seems to be blowing and, of course, will killing Section 230 kill the internet? Questions? Comments? Email us on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 23, 2023
Welcome to AI Warfare
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AI isn’t just changing search. It’s changing national security, too. Today, Kara talks to Trae’ Stephens, the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Anduril, about how the growing defense tech industry is using the power of AI and the speed of Silicon Valley to challenge “beltway bandits” like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. They discuss drones in Ukraine, the ethics of “smart walls” along the US-Mexico border and, yes, those balloons.  Thoughts? Questions? Email us on@voxmedia.com or find us Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 20, 2023
Ken Buck Takes On the Big Tech Boogeyman
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Congressman Ken Buck is a Republican from Colorado who’s decided to take on “Big Tech.” He talks about his proposed TikTok ban, the uphill battle for antitrust legislation and why he’s defending Elon’s “free speech” push. Thoughts? Questions? Email us on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter (if you can in this new, Elon-centric algorithm) @karaswisher and @nayeema Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 16, 2023
Ruben Gallego Is Ready to Take On “Queen MAGA” Kari Lake for Kyrsten Sinema’s Seat
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After Kara and Nayeema debrief the latest Elon drama (the Congressional hearings in which conservatives failed to prove they’d been “censored” on Twitter), we dive into our interview with Representative Ruben Gallego. The Arizona congressman is the only contender so far in the 2024 race for Kyrsten Sinema’s coveted U.S. Senate seat … though he tells Kara he’d welcome the opportunity to face “Queen MAGA” Kari Lake in the race. And he explains why he’s not worried even if Senator Sinema, who left the Democratic Party in December, runs in a three-way race.  Also, Gallego discusses some of the issues of identity politics and wedge issues that we also heard with last week’s guest Brooke Jenkins. You can listen to that episode here, if you missed it.  Thoughts? Email us on@voxmedia.com or find us Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 13, 2023
"Donald Trump Has Made Democrats Great" (Again)
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We discuss Biden's State of the Union speech — and the state of the Democratic party — with three of the party's savviest strategists: Bernie Sanders’s 2020 campaign manager Faiz Shakir, former White House Communications Director (and host of The Circus) Jennifer Palmieri, and Tom Bonier, the CEO of TargetSmart.  On the agenda: how Marjorie Taylor Greene's State of the Union heckling made President Biden shine, how Democrats have rallied in response to Trump, whether the party can win the narrative and wedge-issue wars...and, of course, if Biden is running in 2024. Tell us what you think. Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 09, 2023
Conservative or Liberal? This Prosecutor Refuses to Be Put in a Box
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From Donald Trump to George Floyd and Tyre Nichols, the last five years have changed our national conversation about public safety and policing. That’s particularly true in San Francisco, where progressive prosecutor Chesa Boudin lost his seat in a heated recall election last year, and today’s guest — SF District Attorney Brooke Jenkins — stepped into the powerful role. In the months since she assumed office, the Black and Latina DA has spoken of the city’s “lawlessness,” revoked plea deals, allowed more teenagers to be prosecuted as adults and pushed for more policing of drug dealing. Her critics say she’s too conservative for the notoriously liberal city. She says she’s creating consequences for those who break the law.  As Kara tells Jenkins, “Only in a city like San Francisco could they call you a conservative.” You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.  Or email us! on@voxmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 06, 2023
The Big Business of Online Dating (Land of the Giants)
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Today, Nayeema sits down with dating industry veteran Lakshmi Rengarajan and journalist Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz before we play you an episode of the podcast they host — Land of the Giants: Dating Games. In conversation, the three explore the business of online dating, the incentive apps have to keep users swiping and the power the people who run and build these dating services have in shaping our love lives. Kara and Nayeema will be back on Monday with a fresh episode of On with Kara Swisher. Until then, find them on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. __ Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, The League. If you’ve ever wondered why using these different dating apps feels similar, it may be because they’re all owned by Match Group, the company that helped start online dating in the 90s, and now owns two-thirds of the dating app market. Today, Match is a dating app conglomerate with millions of users and over 45 brands around the world. That’s billions of dollars worth of swipes and subscriptions. But does paying for what Match Group calls “superpowers” — things like Hinge’s ‘roses’ and Tinder’s ‘super likes’ — get users any closer to connecting with real-life people?  • Hosted by Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz (@sangeetaskurtz) and Lakshmi Rengarajan (@Shmi_So_Far) • Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear next week's episode by hitting the plus sign in your favorite podcast app • Follow @TheCut and @verge on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 02, 2023
Mark Zuckerberg: Oops!...I Did It Again
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When Meta announced Donald Trump would be allowed back on Facebook and Instagram, it wasn’t the company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg who made the decision. He punted. So why is an executive who holds such control hiding from the power he has amassed? Kara has some ideas — she’s covered Mark from the jump, seen him sweat through interviews and gotten Mark to say things he probably wishes he hadn’t. So today, we then turn the tables and Kara Swisher is On with Nayeema Raza.  Together, Nayeema and Kara unpack an oral history of a company that, for far too long, hid behind the idea of being a small start-up and used that excuse to shamelessly make — and shamelessly repeat — costly mistakes. They journey through the first days of Facebook, examine how the company has navigated controversies from Cambridge Analytica to the Trump decision… and get a sense of why Kara will probably never get to interview Mark again.  You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 30, 2023
Has the Silicon Valley Bubble Burst? A Conversation w Jessica Lessin & William Cohan
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Rapid-fire layoffs, activist investors at the gate and tumbling stock prices — tech has had a bad year. But Kara tells Nayeema she’s seen it all before and that the industry, if not all its captains, will survive this shake-up, too. In the panel interview, Kara is joined by two other journalists: Jessica Lessin, founder and CEO of The Information, a scoop-laden tech news platform covering Silicon Valley, and William Cohan, a former M&A banker and a founding partner at Puck, another excellent source for scoops.  They tackle what’s behind the long decline, and recent rally, of tech stocks, and when and how the Valley will bounce back. Then they zoom in on what Meta, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple and Netflix will need to zoom in on to survive the storm. And Jessica offers a theory: the time is ripe for a changing of the old tech guard. Sorry, Elon — it may be time to step aside.  You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 26, 2023
Biden’s Antitrust Advisor Left the White House. Here’s His Exit Interview
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In his first extensive interview since he stepped down as the Special Assistant to the President for Technology and Competition Policy on the National Economic Council, Tim Wu shares what he learned in the West Wing. We find out who holds most sway with the President, how Lina Khan undid any perception that there is any antitrust exception for “nice guys,” and get Wu’s predictions on lawsuits against Google, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft. Also: Kara presses him on why Biden — who campaigned on getting rid of Section 230 and hinted at breaking up Big Tech — hasn’t been able to make much headway when it comes to regulating Silicon Valley. Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema look at exits, from Jacinda Ardern, the former prime minister of New Zealand, to Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings. And among all the exits, they also discuss one possible return: Meta’s looming decision regarding Donald Trump’s Facebook account. You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter at @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 23, 2023
Intelligence Squared: Swisher and Scaramucci Debate If Elon Is Killing Twitter
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Today we’re bringing you an episode of the podcast Intelligence Squared, which provides a forum for balanced debate where people disagree — but talk about it.  Today, it’s Kara Swisher vs. Anthony Scaramucci. And the question is: Is Elon Musk Killing Twitter? Shockingly, Kara argues yes. You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter at @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 20, 2023
Inside the Prince Harry Book Blitz and What It Means for the Monarchy
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He was King Charles’s Communications Chief for almost a decade. She wrote the book on Charles (literally). Our guests today – Patrick Harverson and Catherine Mayer – are two insiders who take us beyond the media spectacle and into the inner workings of both the Crown and the British media. They consider whether the revelations inside Prince Harry’s best-selling book “Spare” will shake-up a stodgy palace. They discuss the unquenching hunger of the tabloid machine, debate the resilience of the monarchy – and examine whether the response to this royal controversy hints at a deeper culture war brewing in Britain. Finally, they unpack an emotion that permeates Harry’s pages: grief.  Kara and Nayeema taped this episode in London where they were joined by Brooke Hammerling, a strategic communications expert and Kara’s go-to source for all things royal. Before and after the interview, the trio looks at how people on both sides of the pond are responding to the book’s many revelations. And Brooke shares why a tell-all … may not have been the best strategy for Harry and Meghan. You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter at @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 19, 2023
Ian Bremmer on Putin, Xi…and Elon Musk
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Kara and Nayeema are taping from Europe this week, so today we decided to tackle all things international with Ian Bremmer, the president of Eurasia Group and the man Fortune 500 CEOs seek out to make sense of political risk and exposure. In the interview, Ian projects the Top Risks for 2023 -- from a rogue Russia to a global energy crunch. He breaks down recent developments in Brazil, Ukraine, Iran and China. We double click on the risk of disinformation, divisive social media and other “weapons of mass disruption” rampant in a digital age. And Bremmer makes a bold comparison between CEOs in Silicon Valley and autocrats abroad saying: “Xi Jinping increasingly rules China the way that Putin rules Russia, the way that the Supreme Leader rules Iran, the way that Mark and Elon rule their companies.” You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter at @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 16, 2023
What’s Next for GOP & Trump – w/Charlie Sykes & Manu Raju
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The dust from last week’s once-in-a-century, marathon voting session in the House has settled, and Kevin McCarthy is finally Speaker of the House — for now. But what’s next? We talk to Manu Raju, CNN’s Chief Congressional Correspondent, and Charlie Sykes, a former conservative talk radio host and a founder of The Bulwark, to make sense of it all.  They run through some of the colorful personalities in the House Republican Conference, unpack how the Republican Party unraveled and discuss the opportunity for the Democrats to emerge as unified party. And, of course, they make predictions about Trump, Biden and more in 2024.  You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 12, 2023
Are You “Dying of Politeness”? Geena Davis Explains.
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Geena Davis became a breakout star in Hollywood, with an Oscar under her belt and starring roles in hit films like “A League of Their Own” and “Thelma & Louise.” Yet even all that success didn’t always protect her from feeling small in Hollywood. In this episode, we visit her memoir, “Dying of Politeness,” and Davis opens up about moments in her life and career when she felt too polite to speak up. Decades later, many of these moments remain raw. Before and after the episode, Kara and Nayeema reflect on their own personal experiences, talk about the tax that women pay and discuss how Hollywood, Silicon Valley and other powerful industries have changed — and how they haven’t.  You can find Kara Swisher and Nayeema Raza on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 09, 2023
Peering into the Future with Tony Fadell
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Less screen time: it’s on everyone’s list of new year’s resolutions — or, at least, it’s on ours! Today, Kara and Nayeema discuss the addictiveness of tech and social media, before Kara dives into a conversation about the present and future of tech with a person who’s been around Silicon Valley for decades: engineer and designer Tony Fadell. The “father of the iPod,” as he’s known, helped bring the famous 5,000 songs to your pocket before helping design the iPhone, co-founding Nest ( selling it to Google for $3.2 billion) and writing the bestselling book, “Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making.” These days, he is bullish on climate tech and excited about the newest product he's designed: Stax, a crypto hard wallet.  Kara and Tony trade notes on Silicon Valley, including why Apple should think beyond four-wheel cars, why Google struggles to innovate (coddling employees is part of it) and how the next Fortune 500 companies will be the ones who help solve climate change. Oh, and they talk about the different types of assholes — and whether you need to be an one in order to build something great. You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 05, 2023
Love, Life & Other Advice from Kara and Nayeema
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For our final episode of 2022, Kara and Nayeema unabashedly dish out advice and answer questions you sent in (and some you didn’t). They tackle dating woes, difficult family dynamics, salary negotiations, choosing between career and travel and even give … fashion tips? In addition to listener questions, we hear from past guests and friends, including Kathy Griffin, John King, Rick Wilson, Mike Birbiglia and Walt Mossberg. Stay tuned till the end to hear Kara’s ultimate escape plan — which involves an island and a donut shop. You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 29, 2022
The Legacy of Steve Jobs
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We're sharing Kara’s September 2022 conversation with Tim Cook, Sir Jony Ive and Laurene Powell Jobs on the life and legacy of Steve Jobs. It’s one of Kara’s favorite conversations of the year, and one in which she cried (though she denies it). Kara handpicked this trio to join her for her final Code interview. Cook, the CEO of Apple, worked with Jobs for decades and succeeded him as CEO. Ive, now co-founder of the creative collective LoveFrom, collaborated with Jobs on the design many of Apple’s game-changing products, like the iPod and the iPhone. And Powell Jobs, the founder and president of Emerson Collective, was married to Jobs for 20 years. In this wide-ranging conversation, they cover design, ethics and, of course, Kara’s favorite topic: death.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 26, 2022
Casey Newton, Kara & Nayeema Talk Tech
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From the high speed train wreck that is Twitter 2.0, to the extradition of a fallen crypto kingpin and AI that can rewrite your dating profile, there’s a lot happening in tech right now. Nayeema Raza moderates a conversation with Kara Swisher and Casey Newton, the founder and editor of Platformer. They break down the biggest stories of 2022 and look at what lies ahead in 2023. Will there be less billionaire grift? Is this the year that AI takes your job? And, "OK Google," could this be the year that Bing gets its revenge?  This conversation was taped in front of a live audience at Manny’s in San Francisco.  You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 22, 2022
Piers Morgan On Murdoch, Musk and – yes – Meghan Markle
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What’s more toxic: Tabloids or Twitter? Piers Morgan may know – the outsized personality has been an outsized influence in both spheres for decades, since his start as show business editor at Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun.  In this interview, Morgan discusses his rise – and stumbles – and the return to Murdochland, where he now hosts the Fox Nation show, “Piers Morgan Uncensored.” We tackle characters with whom Morgan has beefed — from Donald Trump to Meghan Markle. And Kara asks Morgan, who is famous for stirring up debate, what part of him is authentic and what’s performance. “I think that when expressing my strongly held opinions, there's always a bit of theater to it.” You can find Kara Swisher and Nayeema Raza on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 19, 2022
Fox News, Dominion — oh, and Donald Trump
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What’s one way to stop misinformation? It might just be a giant defamation lawsuit. This week, media titan Rupert Murdoch was deposed in a $1.6 billion suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News and Fox Corporation. They allege Fox knowingly and maliciously aired baseless claims accusing Dominion of an election fraud conspiracy. Somewhat surprisingly, instead of settling out of court, Fox News is denying the allegations, and the case is scheduled to go to trial in April. To unpack the lawsuit and the revelations it has brought (and will continue to bring) to light, we turned to New York Times reporter Jeremy Peters, who says this could be “one of the most consequential First Amendment cases in a generation.” He breaks down the case, the souring Murdoch-Trump alliance and Fox News’s future. Plus, we review Ron DeSantis’s chances in 2024 (outlook: not good) and Ben Shapiro and Elon Musk’s chances of one day besting Murdoch (outlook: somewhat better). You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 15, 2022
Aging, Death and Other Uplifting Topics with Mike Birbiglia
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Aging, parenting by mortality and dying alone or kinless: these are just some of the uplifting topics Kara and Nayeema tackle today before our interview with Mike Birbiglia. The comedian and writer is deep in his latest Broadway show, “The Old Man and the Pool,” which doesn’t shy away from such heavy topics either. Birbiglia and Kara discuss mortality, parenthood, their last words and finding comedy in all of life — even the sad bits.  You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 12, 2022
A Bad Week for Donald Trump? … And Potentially for Gay Marriage?
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It’s been a bad week for Donald Trump. Herschel Walker lost the Georgia Senate runoff and a New York jury found the Trump Organization guilty of criminal tax fraud. But the former President (and current presidential candidate) still has something to look forward to: a busy conservative Supreme Court which has three Trump-appointed justices. Today, Kara and Nayeema discuss two of the cases the court heard this week. One focuses on a North Carolina election law case that could upend democratic protections in states like Florida, Arizona and Michigan. The other is about free speech and gay marriage and is close to Kara’s heart.  In the interview, Kara speaks to a panel of experts about this very case: 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, a free speech case brought by a web designer who doesn’t want to be penalized for not providing wedding websites for same-sex couples. She explores the impact this case could have with Louise Melling, Deputy Legal Director at the ACLU and Director of its Ruth Bader Ginsburg Center for Liberty; Dale Carpenter, the Judge William Hawley Atwell Chair of Constitutional Law, and Professor of Law at Southern Methodist University; and Sasha Issenberg, Washington correspondent for The Monocle and author of “The Engagement," about the battle for same sex marriage in America.  Stay tuned until the very end when Kara rants about how a onesie became a symbol of something far more important. You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 08, 2022
The Man Behind "Sex and the City" and "Emily in Paris"
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Love them or hate them, chances are that you’ve watched at least one Darren Star series. Kara once called them the “hottest trash on TV” but for over 30 years she has devoured shows that Star has created and executive produced, including “Sex and the City,” “Beverly Hills 90210” “Melrose Place,” “Uncoupled” and — most recently — the Netflix hit “Emily in Paris.” In this conversation, Kara and Darren discuss how HBO paved the way for risqué television, how streaming has eclipsed network televisions and how Star got inside the mind of the straight girl. Before the interview, Nayeema and Kara discuss why TV — trash or not — is being recycled into nostalgia programming. And they dive into the dark days media is facing right now after layoffs at CNN, hiring freezes around the news industry and shutterings of small media outlets pave the way for a “bad winter.”   You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 05, 2022
Why Twitter’s Former Safety Chief Left Elon Musk
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Elon Musk's Twitter is a spectacle, and the drama and meaning of the last six months is perhaps best unpacked by Yoel Roth. The company’s former head of trust and safety survived the early flood of firings and resignations — in fact, he was ascendant, in the early days of this new Twitter, and he became the face Musk presented to advertisers. Kara asks Roth whether he felt “used” by Musk and why — having been embraced by Elon’s inner circle — he ultimately decided to abandon Elon.  Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema weigh in on Elon Musk’s seeming needling of Tim Cook, and they discuss whether Apple has too much power. Stay tuned until the end for Kara’s rant on this very topic. You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 01, 2022
A Nobel Prize Winner on the “Dark Matter of Biology”
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Kara interviews Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi, a Stanford University scientist who, along with Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry earlier this year for developing bioorthogonal chemistry and click chemistry. Bertozzi explains what bioorthogonal chemistry actually is before breaking down how identifying different sugars in the body — which she calls “the dark matter of biology’’ — could lead to breakthroughs in treating diseases ranging from the flu to cancer. She also weighs in on the state of funding in biology, Twitter, being lesbian in STEM, and the never-ending feud between chemists and biologists. Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema briefly discuss former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's protest march (which was called off after this episode was recorded) and Trump's dinner with white supremacist Nick Fuentes. You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 28, 2022
Into It: A Portrait of Artist as Taylor Swift
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Today, we’re sharing a special episode of Into It: A Vulture Podcast with Sam Sanders about one of Kara’s favorites: Taylor Swift. What is the meaning of Taylor Swift? She's performed damsel in distress, but represents women’s empowerment. She’s a confessional artist, but is careful about how much she reveals. She's an adult, but is often still viewed as the teenager she used to be. On the eve of Midnights, Sam dives into the mythos and craft of Taylor Swift with NPR music critic Ann Powers about her place in history among the likes of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Adele, and Beyoncé. We also hear about the culture that's haunting us: Explain to us again why Bobby Cannavale's character in The Watcher wants to replace a Carrara marble countertop with butcher block? To make red sauce? To listen to more of Into It: A Vulture Podcast with Sam Sanders, follow the show: https://podcasts.voxmedia.com/show/into-it-a-vulture-podcast-with-sam-sanders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 24, 2022
Where’s the Line in Comedy? Monty Python’s Eric Idle Has an Idea
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Should anything be off-limits in comedy? Kara and Nayeema discuss this question, and the recent Dave Chappelle SNL monologue, before Kara’s interview with our guest today: writer-comedian Eric Idle who is an OG in the craft. When he and his fellow sketch artists launched Monty Python on the BBC in 1969, it was unclear whether anyone would even watch. Now there are generations of Python fans. Today, Idle talks about what made Monty Python unique and how they pushed the line and the social conversation with their unique brand of humor.  Both avid Twitterers, Kara and Idle also discuss their frustrations with Elon Musk (he’s a noted fan of Monty Python, though Idle is not a fan of Musk). And Idle describes how his recent bout with pancreatic cancer has made him a more accepting person.  You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 21, 2022
Can Chris Licht Turn CNN Around?
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Chris Licht faces an uphill battle at CNN. He got the CEO gig in the midst of a prickly merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery and right after the shocking exit of beloved long-time boss, Jeff Zucker. In his first six months, he’s shut down CNN+, ousted Brian Stelter, and shuffled anchors around, including Don Lemon and Jake Tapper. This week, the network chief held an internal town hall meeting where he faced a staff of thousands and discussed upcoming layoffs. Shortly afterwards, he sat down with Kara — who grilled him, of course.  She asks Licht whether he has any real actual power or if he’s simply executing orders from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav — who is in search of cuts, as the company stares down the barrel at $50 billion in debt — and billionaire board member, John Malone, who has said he’d like to see more “centrist” programming from CNN. They discuss Licht’s vision for the newsroom, his plan to build trust with journalists who fear losing jobs, and how CNN will cover Donald Trump during the 2024 election.   Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema discuss the challenges facing journalism in an era of disinformation. Stay tuned for Kara’s closing rant on “citizen journalism” and Elon’s latest broadside against the press. You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 17, 2022
Elon Musk: Somebody That I Used to Know
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Elon Musk is a puzzle, but if there’s anyone who can make sense of him it’s Kara Swisher. She’s covered him since the late 90s – back in her early days as a beat reporter at the Wall Street Journal and she’s had many in-depth interviews and exchanges with the tech titan since, perhaps more than any other reporter. She’s also covered Elon’s latest fiefdom, Twitter, before it even was Twitter. So today we turn the tables, and Kara Swisher is “On” with Nayeema Raza.  We’ll unpack how Elon became Elon, why Kara came to believe he was one of the greatest visionaries in Silicon Valley, when exactly she soured on him — and why she still holds out some hope.  You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 14, 2022
How Donald Trump Helped the Democrats
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After Kara and Nayeema have a chat about — what else? — Elon Musk’s latest moves, we dive into democracy and the midterms. The results are (mostly) in, and the “red wave” that Republicans predicted never came. To understand why, Kara gets deep into political reporting in three key swing states: Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Our guests are three veteran journalists who know their respective states' politics inside out: Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, democracy reporter covering Arizona for The Washington Post; Tia Mitchell, Washington correspondent for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; and Chris Potter, government and accountability editor for WESA FM, Pittsburgh’s NPR news station. Together, the panel unpacks the midterm results and the decision by Democrats to focus on democracy, Dobbs and, yes, Donald Trump. Plus, stay tuned for Kara’s RANT about why she’s savoring John Fetterman’s win — and why President Biden deserves more credit than he’s gotten.  Do you want Kara’s advice? Send us your questions! Call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave a message.  You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 10, 2022
How John King Gets Ready for Election Night
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Kara is nervous about the elections — and she should be, control of the House and of the Senate is up for grabs, as are 36 governorships. She and Nayeema discuss the big day ahead, and specifically how social media and misinformation may sway results. They then turn to our guest today — the man who will be sharing those results with us, at least on CNN. John King and Kara talk about how he prepares to helm the “Magic Wall” and talk millions of viewers through the red and blue board. They go beyond the horse race and inside the pressure and process for making calls at CNN.  Stay tuned for the end of the episode when Kara answers a listener question about her spirituality and Nayeema surmises the sunglassed-one’s Holy Trinity (it’s not what you think).  If you want Kara’s advice, call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave a message.  You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Oh yes, and if you’re eligible: GO VOTE! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 07, 2022
Kara on Elon and John Legend on Kanye (and More!)
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Kara and Nayeema kick off this Thursday’s episode with a feisty discussion about Elon Musk’s Twitter and how he’s “kicking the most active users in the teeth.” They give us the run-down inside Elon’s band of merry advisors and Nayeema gets to the heart of why exactly Kara is so angry with Elon … and so sad. Today’s interview is with John Legend, the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony-winning artist (aka EGOT) who famously moonlights as a social justice activist. But before he was John Legend, he was John Roger Stephens: born to a socially conservative family, sent to an Ivy League university at age 16, and dabbling as a nerdy strategy consultant before his big break. In fact, the first person to credit him as “John Legend” was Kanye West. In this conversation, Kara and John speak about Kanye’s descent into antisemitism and how he makes sense of a friend he’s long last touch with. They also discuss how TikTok has changed the music business, and why John is so hyper-focused on politics and down-ballot midterm races (no, the artist has no plans to run for political office – he’s just downright worried about the country). Trigger warning: Kara does not hold back on her anger about Twitter and Elon these days, especially at the very end – so make sure you stay tuned for her final choice words ... or, as she calls it, her “rant!”  Disclosure: John Legend is on the board of directors at Vox Media. This did not change the nature of our interview. In fact, Kara started with what were probably the hardest questions for him. You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 03, 2022
Matt Levine on Elon Musk: Chief Twit & “Meme Lord”
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The Twitter deal is done, and Elon Musk is now, officially, “Chief Twit.” Bloomberg Opinion columnist and “MoneyStuff” writer, Matt Levine, has been analyzing the deal (and the drama) over the past seven months. Now, Matt and Kara consider what the future of the social media platform might look like under Musk. They discuss whether Elon’s seemingly genuine belief in the utility of Twitter, paired with his business and engineering acumen, will be a game changer for the company. And they discuss how his principles will drive big decisions ahead, including potentially reversing the platform's ban of Donald Trump.  Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema talk about the violent attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the rising tide of violence against politicians. Plus, Kara gives Elon some unsolicited advice on the business, including how to avoid a version of Twitter that would make even Kara quit her favorite social media platform.  Do you want Kara’s (solicited) advice? Call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave us a voice mail with your questions!  You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 31, 2022
Frank Luntz, Rick Wilson and Sarah Longwell on Donald Trump and the Midterms
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Election Day is less than two weeks away, and Republicans are poised for some major midterm gains. So today, Kara talks to three Republican strategists about midterm predictions and the effect that Donald Trump is having on these elections. Our guests are veteran pollster Frank Luntz, Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson, and Bulwark publisher Sarah Longwell. All three are long-time Republican operatives who believe that Donald Trump is a threat to democracy and to the party but they disagree on whether and how the party can move beyond MAGA and the Big Lie.  Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema talk about what Rishi Sunak’s rise to prime minister means for the UK and Nick Clegg: the Meta executive who will decide if Donald Trump’s stays banned from Facebook beyond January 2023. Plus, Kara shares her unsolicited advice for more civil, less cruel, political discourse.  Do you want Kara’s (solicited) advice? Send us your questions! Call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave a message.  You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 27, 2022
Twitter Spaces On: WTF is Happening in the UK and the World
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Today, we’re sharing a bonus episode of Kara’s Twitter Spaces conversation recorded on Monday night. In the first part of the conversation, Kara talks to Jonathan Freedland, a British journalist and columnist for The Guardian, about the fall of Liz Truss, the rise of Rishi Sunak and the role of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in U.K. politics.  In the second part of the episode, Kara and Freedland are joined by yet another Jonathan: Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. The trio discusses the rise of populism and hate speech today. They cover Kanye West’s antisemitic remarks on social media and discuss Freedland’s — aka British Jonathan’s — new book, “The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World.” Follow us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema to tune in for future Spaces. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 25, 2022
The Economy Stinks, and Dr. Doom is Not Hopeful
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Nouriel Roubini, a.ka. "Dr. Doom," became famous for predicting the 2008 global financial crisis. Now, he is back with another grim forecast, in his new book, "MegaThreats: Ten Dangerous Trends That Imperil Our Future, And How to Survive Them." He and Kara discuss the book, his prediction that we’re headed towards a stagflationary debt crisis, and US-China relations. Dr. Roubini also explains why cryptocurrency is fundamentally flawed (in fact, he thinks it’s less sophisticated than what the Flinstone’s had).  Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema discuss Sheryl Sandberg’s new report, “Women in the Workplace,” a joint venture by her organization, Lean In, and McKinsey & Company. And they talk about China’s president Xi Jinping — who is leaning into a third term as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Follow us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema to get the banter in real time! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit: podcastchoice.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 24, 2022
Airbnb’s CEO on Nomadic Life, Loneliness… and Cleaning Fees
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Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky took the company public, laid off 25% of its staff and navigated worker demands for flexibility – all during the pandemic. Oh, and his mom moved in (and made him quiche every day). In this conversation with Kara, Brian discusses the challenge of being professionally successful and, sometimes, personally lonely. They talk about how the pandemic may have permanently changed how we work, travel and live. And Kara gets answers about the company’s lack of transparency on those dreaded cleaning fees.  Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema talk about billionaires owning social media networks. They discuss Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who seems to be riding the MAGA train to amass power in the Republican party. And they reflect on the story of Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi, who caused a stir on social media this week in the midst of the nation’s anti-government protests.  … oh yes, and they dispense some dating advice. If you want advice – it doesn’t have to be about dating – call 1-888-KARA-PLZ! You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 20, 2022
Twitter Spaces On: Elon, Elon, Elon … and Trump
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Today, we’re sharing a bonus episode of Kara’s Twitter Spaces conversation that was taped on Monday night. She’s joined by William Cohan, journalist and founding partner of Puck, and Scott Galloway, business professor and co-host of the Pivot podcast. Nayeema pops in with a question at the end — and you can too, if you join our next Twitter Spaces.  Follow us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema to tune in for future conversations.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 19, 2022
The Billionaire Who Took America Online
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Kara and Steve Case go back — way back, to the 1990s. She was a young Washington Post reporter covering a new thing called “the Internet” … and he was a co-founder of the company that became AOL. In this conversation, they take a walk back through time to look at how far the world has come and where tech companies have stumbled or fallen flat. They discuss Case’s new book, “Rise of the Rest,” which offers an optimistic future for the expansion of entrepreneurship and innovation beyond a handful of places like Silicon Valley, Boston and New York City. They also discuss whether a more equitable distribution of economic growth is possible, given some of the nation’s political divides — and potential solutions for bridging those divides.  Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema talk about the newsmakers of the day, including Theranos founder, Elizabeth Holmes, who is seeking a new trial, and the deep pockets of “anti-woke” investors in Silicon Valley including, of course, Peter Thiel. As always, Kara offers unsolicited advice.  Do you want some (solicited) advice from Kara? Call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave a message. You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 17, 2022
Will Stacey Abrams (Finally) Win?
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It feels like deja vu. Stacey Abrams is running for governor of Georgia, again … against Brian Kemp, again. The two last faced off in a heated contest in 2018, with Kemp’s win hanging on 54,723 votes. This time, he’s an incumbent and even further ahead in the polls. So, Kara asks Abrams: what is different now? Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema talk about newsmakers – from the LA City Council members to the artist formerly known as Kanye West. And afterward, Kara answers a listener question about how she got so damn confident. Do you want Kara’s advice? Send us your questions! Call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave a message.  You can find Kara Swisher and Nayeema Raza on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 13, 2022
John Fetterman and Kara Talk Strokes, Recovery & Senate Race
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Pennsylvania Lt. Governor and Senate candidate John Fetterman and Kara share a few things in common. As she puts it: they were both born in Pennsylvania, both wear sloppy clothes and both have survived a stroke. Kara’s hit 11 years ago, while Fetterman’s came last May. But for Fetterman, who is recovering steadily, that health incident has been weaponized against him in the race against Dr. Oz. In this conversation, Fetterman explains why it won't stop him in a contest that is critical for Democrats — one of the party’s best shots at flipping a seat and maintaining control of the Senate.   Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema talk about Elon Musk’s latest antics, including efforts to make the Twitter deal contingent on financing and dabbling in Russia-Ukraine peace plans. They also look at the jam that President Biden finds himself in 4 weeks before the midterms, and Kara offers unsolicited advice to ... everybody. Do you want some (solicited) advice from Kara? Call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave a message. You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 10, 2022
Maggie Haberman Makes Sense of Donald Trump
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Donald Trump has said journalist Maggie Haberman is like his “psychiatrist” — a remark she dismisses as a meaningless and failed attempt at flattery. Yet Haberman does have a deep understanding of what makes the former president tick, cultivated through years of covering City Hall in New York City and then Donald J. Trump for The New York Times. Her recent book, “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America,” tells Trump’s origin story and chronicles his unexpected takeover of the Republican party and his consolidation of power in Washington. “He’s not a political genius,” Haberman tells Kara, “he is a genius about human emotions and a certain darkness in what animates people.” So will Trump run again in 2024? Haberman says that “he’s backed himself into a corner where he has to,” but she’s not sure whether she'll be covering him. Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema talk about the newsmakers: Elon Musk’s about-face on the Twitter deal and Peter Thiel’s financing foray into key Senate races and ... a conservative dating app. You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 06, 2022
So ... Should We Ban TikTok?
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Kara loves air fryer TikToks. But she only dares to scroll through them on a burner phone, as she tells TikTok’s Chief Operating Officer, Vanessa Pappas.  As the social media platform has gone gangbusters – accumulating over a billion monthly users globally – concerns have emerged about TikTok’s ownership structure and roots in China. The U.S. government has questions about what data the app is amassing, whether that data can be accessed by the Chinese Communist Party and if the platform is a tool for espionage or foreign interference and propaganda. Kara has those questions too. And she asks Pappas all of them. Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema talk about the newsmakers of the day. They scan through the Elon Musk text messages released in the Twitter-Musk proceedings and explore what the texts reveal about Silicon Valley’s powerful elite – including Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. They also discuss recent layoffs at Meta – and how Mark Zuckerberg will navigate the company’s recent struggles without his former right-hand exec, Sheryl Sandberg.  You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 03, 2022
Hillary Clinton Lets Loose with Predictions
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This is Kara’s 5th interview with Hillary Clinton. So what’s changed since their first conversation in 2015? According to Kara, it’s that the former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic nominee for President has “run out of f***s." In this conversation, taped live at The Texas Tribune Festival, Kara notes that many of Clinton’s past predictions about Donald Trump have come through and asks what may unfold if Trump runs again in 2024. They discuss Hillary’s role in the Democratic Party, and the upcoming midterms. And they talk about the emails (again), with Kara laying out one conservative narrative that seeks to equate Clinton’s emails with the documents Trump stashed away at Mar-a-Lago. As Hillary puts it: “I have testified for 11 hours. I would love to see Donald Trump testify for 30 minutes in public about any of this.” Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema talk about newsmakers – from Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell’s decision to back a bill that would overhaul how Congress counts electoral votes to Giorgia Meloni’s win in Italy. They also run down things they’ve found despicable, delightful – or both – this week. Plus, Kara gives some advice. This time: it’s solicited.  Do you want Kara’s advice? Send us your questions! Call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave a message.  You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 29, 2022
Chris Cuomo’s Comeback
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Kara Swisher is back — and so, it seems, is Chris Cuomo. In an interview that is frank and feisty, Kara presses the former CNN anchor on his unceremonious exit from the network last year, and they discuss whether he can cut through the noise with his new podcast, “The Chris Cuomo Project,” and a forthcoming show on NewsNation. But first, Kara and her sidekick, exec producer Nayeema Raza, the “Goose to her Maverick” (and yes, Goose eventually died in Top Gun) chat about the newsmakers and news Kara is watching — from Google CEO Sundar Pichai to journalist Christiane Amanpour. Kara also weighs in on the drama around the cartoon strip, Dilbert. And, finally, she offers some unsolicited advice about covering celebrity sext scandals.  Do you want Kara’s (solicited) advice? Send us your questions! Call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave a message.  You can find Kara on Twitter @karaswisher. Nayeema is there too — for now — @nayeema. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 26, 2022
Coming Soon: On with Kara Swisher
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It’s on. Kara Swisher is back, getting to the heart of what makes powerful people tick… by asking the questions that make them squirm. New episodes drop every Monday and Thursday starting September 26. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 03, 2022