Never mind: Elon's NOT joining the Twitter board after all. Kara and Scott discuss the Warner Media and Discovery deal closing. Plus, a strike at Etsy, and Saudi investments in Jared Kushner. Then, Kara is joined by Friend of Pivot and author of “The Shame Machine,” Cathy O’Neil.You can find Cathy on Twitter at @mathbabedotorg.Send us your Listener Mail questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or via Yappa, at nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cathy O’Neil discusses profiteering in public shaming, while Siva Vaidhyanathan questions the effectiveness of shame against racism. They delve into the history and impact of shame in society, exploring its use as a tool for social justice and the complexities of addressing privilege and racism.

Computer algorithms now shape our world in profound and mostly invisible ways. They predict if we’ll be valuable customers and whether we’re likely to repay a loan. They filter what we see on social media, sort through resumes, and evaluate job performance. They inform prison sentences and monitor our health. Most of these algorithms have been created with good intentions. The goal is to replace subjective judgments with objective measurements. But it doesn’t always work out like that. “I don’t think mathematical models are inherently evil — I think it’s the way they’re used that are evil,” says mathematician Cathy O’Neil, author of the book Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. She has studied number theory, worked as a data scientist at start-ups, and built predictive algorithms for various private enterprises. Through her work, she’s become critical about the influence of poorly-designed algorithms. The Age of the Algorithm Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes and get exclusive access to bonus content.