Experian is one of those giant multinationals convoluted enough to have multiple CEOs all over the world, so first I asked Alex Lintner, Experian's CEO of technology and software solutions, to dig into the classic Decoder questions and explain how all of that even works.

He oversees big operations like security and privacy, and now, of course, AI. If you want to participate in the modern economy — rent an apartment, buy a car, get a job, etc — you’re part of Experian’s ecosystem, whether you like it or not. At its heart, Experian’s core service is data about people and the choices they make. And this extremely valuable data weirdly makes Experian a part of your life — a life that becomes much smoother if the data the company collects about you tells a good story.

Read the full interview transcript on The Verge.

Links:

Roughly half of Americans are knowledgeable about personal finance | Pew Research
How Americans view data privacy | Pew Research
Consumer voices on credit reports and scores | CFPB
Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius on Decoder | The Verge
The Palantir app ICE uses to find neighborhoods to raid | 404 Media
T-Mobile customers exposed in major Experian breach (2015) | The Verge
All the news about the Equifax breach | The Verge

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Credits:

Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Decoder is produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and edited by Ursa Wright. Our editorial director is Kevin McShane.

The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

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Ramesh Bairy

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