We have to talk about Twitter, right? Elon Musk bought it. He’s making all these changes, and he’s realizing that content moderation decisions are quite complicated, especially when the stakes are high.But talking about Twitter in a vacuum seems wrong. There are lots of other social networks and community-based products, and they all have basically the same problems: some technical (you have to run the service), some political (you have to comply with various laws and platform regulations around the world), and some social (you have to get millions of users to post for free while making sure what they post is good stuff and not bad stuff).So, we’re doing something a little different this week. First, I’m talking to Matt Mullenweg, who is the CEO of Automattic, which owns WordPress, the blog hosting platform, and Tumblr, the social network, which he purchased from Verizon in 2019. Then, Verge deputy editor Alex Heath and I are going to break down a bunch of what Matt told me and apply it to Twitter to see what we can learn.Okay, Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Tumblr, followed by Alex Heath. Here we go.Links:How WordPress and Tumblr are keeping the internet weirdGPL - General Public LicenseVerizon is selling Tumblr to WordPress’ ownerKanye West suspended from Twitter after posting a swastika‘Martin Scorsese’s lost film’ Goncharov (1973), explainedYahoo acquires Tumblr in $1.1 billion cash deal, promises 'not to screw it up'Verizon is selling Tumblr to WordPress’ ownerTurnaround DefinitionWelcome to Tumblr. Now Go Away.Work With Us / Twitter – AutomatticTumblr will sell you two useless blue check marks for $8Elon Musk is laying off even more Twitter workersWelcome to hell, ElonWhy “Go Nuts, Show Nuts” Doesn't Work in 2022How America turned against the First Amendment About – SHOSHANA ZUBOFFA Framework for ModerationFirst Amendment - Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition | Constitution CenterAmerica’s Favorite Flimsy Pretext for Limiting Free Speech Brandenburg v. OhioElon Musk says Tim Cook told him Apple ‘never considered’ removing Twitter - The VergeThe Twitter Files - Matt TaibbiElon Musk’s promised Twitter exposé on the Hunter Biden story is a flop that doxxed multiple peopleTwitter Blue is back, letting you buy a blue checkmark againTranscript:https://www.theverge.com/e/23270126Credits:Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, we need to talk about Bob. Two Bobs, actually: Bob Iger, the former and now current CEO of Disney, and Bob Chapek, the man Iger handpicked as his replacement, who flamed out and was fired by the board, and then, on November 20th, was replaced by Bob Iger. Bobs, man.The heart of this whole thing is total Decoder bait. It’s a story about how to structure a company like Disney. Then you add in the complexity of the shift to streaming, the future of TV and movies generally, and the gigantic reputation of a character like Bob Iger, who many people think could plausibly run for president. There’s just a lot going on here.Whenever I need to talk Disney, media, and Bobs, I call one person: Julia Alexander, director of strategy at Parrot Analytics and a former reporter at The Verge. Julia pays a lot of attention to the streaming giants, she’s sourced inside all the companies battling for our attention, and she has a lot to say about the Bobs.Links:Bob Iger steps back in as Disney CEO, replacing Bob Chapek Reed Hastings on TwitterDisney+ launch lineup: Every movie and TV show available to stream on day one - The VergeBob Iger steps down as Disney CEO, replaced by Bob Chapek - The VergeDisney streaming chief Kevin Mayer resigns to become TikTok CEO - The VergeDisney Plus surpasses 100 million subscribers - The VergeMeta announces huge job cuts affecting 11,000 employees - The VergeNetflix's $6.99 per month ad tier is now liveStranger Things - The VergeDisney’s major reorganization is good news for anyone who loves Disney Plus - The VergeFunctional Structure: Advantages and Disadvantages | Indeed.comPros and Cons of Implementing a Divisional Structure | Indeed.comDisney Proposal to Restructure, on McKinsey’s Advice, Triggered Uproar From Creative Executives - WSJDisney Shows the Limits of Streaming - WSJDisney Erases Almost All Its Pandemic Gains After Earnings Miss‘Strange World’: Beautiful to look at, but not much below the surface - The Washington PostWatch The Future Of | Netflix Official SiteKevin Mayer quits as TikTok CEO due to ongoing political turmoil - The VergeKevin Mayer Says His Firm Is In Deal Mode After Buying Reese Witherspoon's Hello SunshineWarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar announces exit as Discovery deal nears close - The Verge Transcript:https://www.theverge.com/e/23259187Credits:Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright.The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bose is one of the most recognizable audio brands in the world: it was famous for the Wave radio in the 80s, it invented noise cancellation, you can see its logo on NFL sidelines every Sunday, and of course there are the popular consumer products like the QuietComfort headphones that reviewers like Chris Welch here at The Verge rate as some of the best in the game. Bose is in tons of cars as well: audio systems in GM, Honda, Hyundai, Porsche, and more are developed and tuned by Bose.Bose was founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar Bose, who donated a majority of the shares of the company to MIT, where he was a professor. That means to this day, Bose is a private company with no pressure to go public. However, Bose still has to compete against big tech in talent, products, and compatibility.So today I’m talking to Bose CEO Lila Snyder about Bose’s dependence on platform vendors like Apple and Google, how she thinks about standards like Bluetooth, and where she thinks she can compete and win against AirPods and other products that get preferential treatment on phones.Links:Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II review: noise cancellation dominationHow Amar Bose used research to build better speakersList of Bose shelf stereosHearing Aids | FDADigital signal processorFunctional organizationBose names its first female CEO as wait continues for new productsAmar Bose ’51 makes stock donation to MITMeta announces huge job cuts affecting 11,000 employeesAmazon mass layoffs will reportedly ax 10,000 people this weekElon Musk demands Twitter employees commit to ‘extremely hardcore’ culture or leaveThe iPhone 7 has no headphone jackBluetooth Special Interest GroupQualcomm Partners with Meta and BoseBose gets into hearing aid business with new FDA-cleared SoundControl hearing aidsOver-the-counter hearing aids could blur the line with headphonesNew Bose-Lexie Hearing Aid to Enter the Over-the-Counter MarketLexie Partners with Bose to Offer Lexie B1 Powered by Bose Hearing AidsBose Frames Tempo review: the specs to beatBose discontinues its niche Sport Open EarbudsBMW starts selling heated seat subscriptions for $18 a monthSeven CEOs and one secretary of transportation on the future of carsWhy Amazon VP Steve Boom just made the entire music catalog free with Prime                 Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23246668 Credits:Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, is in charge of Xbox and all the game studios that Microsoft has acquired over the years. Phil came to talk to us hours before the European Commission announced an in-depth investigation into Microsoft’s proposed 68.7 billion dollar acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which makes the enormous Call of Duty series, as well as Candy Crush on phones. So I had the chance to ask Phil: Will he make the concessions that regulators want in order to close this deal? And is the deal really just about Call of Duty, or something else? Is Microsoft committed to keep Call of Duty available on Playstation?Phil’s a candid guy. He’s been on Decoder before. I always enjoy talking to him, and this was a fun one.Links:Microsoft’s Phil Spencer on the new Xbox launch - The VergeMicrosoft to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion - The VergeWhy Microsoft bought Bethesda for $7.5 billionMicrosoft announces big, multistudio push to create more Xbox exclusivesBethesda’s Starfield and Redfall have been delayed to 2023Tech antitrust pioneer Lina Khan will officially lead the FTCSony says Microsoft’s Call of Duty offer was ‘inadequate on many levels’Microsoft: Xbox game streaming console is ‘years away'This is Microsoft’s Xbox game streaming deviceGoogle is shutting down Stadia in January 2023 - The VergeRazer’s Edge is one sharp-looking cloud gaming Android handheldLogitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld review: terminally onlineSteam Deck review: it’s not readySteam Deck, one month laterTech Leaders Discuss the Metaverse’s Future | WSJ Tech Live 2022Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on the business of WindowsMicrosoft partners with Meta to bring Teams, Office, Windows, and Xbox to VREU opens ‘in-depth investigation’ into Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisitionTranscript:https://www.theverge.com/e/23223230Credits:Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright.The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dylan Field is the co-founder and CEO of Figma, which makes a very popular design tool that allows designers and their collaborators to all work together right in a web browser. You know how multiple people can edit together in Google Docs? Figma is that for design work. We just redesigned The Verge; we used Figma extensively throughout that process.So for years, people have been waiting on the inevitable Figma vs. Adobe standoff since Figma was such a clear upstart competitor to Photoshop and Illustrator and the rest. Well, buckle up because in September, Adobe announced that it was buying Figma for $20 billion. Figma is going to remain independent inside Adobe, but you know, it’s a little weird.So I wanted to talk to Dylan about the deal, why he’s doing it, how he made the decision to sell, and what things he can do as part of Adobe that he couldn’t do as an independent company.Dylan’s also a pretty expansive thinker, so after we talked about his company getting the “fuck you” money from Adobe, we talked about making VR Figma for the metaverse and AGI, which is artificial general intelligence, or the kind of AI that can fully think for itself. This episode takes a turn. I think you’re going to like it.Okay, Dylan Field, CEO of Figma. Here we go.Links:Welcome to the new VergeAdobe to acquire Figma in a deal worth $20 billionA New Collaboration with AdobeDesigners worry Adobe won't let Figma flourishWebGL - WikipediaHow big companies kill ideas — and how to fight back, with Tony Fadell - DecoderDylan Field on Twitter: "Our goal is to be Figma not Adobe"College Dropout Turns Thiel Fellowship Into a $2 Billion Figma FortuneGenerative adversarial network (GAN) - Wikipedia      GPT-3 - WikipediaIs VR the next frontier in fitness? - DecoderArtificial general intelligence - Wikipedia  Transcript:https://www.theverge.com/e/23209862Credits:Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Jackson Bierfeldt.The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently short a commissioner, and the Biden Administration and Senate Democrats just can't seem to get that seat filled despite having nominated an amazingly qualified person. Her name is Gigi Sohn. The inability to get Gigi confirmed at the FCC has left the commission deadlocked with two Democrats and two Republicans. That means the commission in charge of regulating all telecom in the United States, including how you get your internet service, is unable to get much done. The Biden administration can't accomplish some of its biggest policy priorities like rural broadband and restoring net neutrality. President Biden first nominated Gigi Sohn to the FCC over a year ago, but the full Senate vote to confirm her just hasn't happened. We’ve been digging into the story for a few months now, trying to figure out what's going on here, and we found a simple but really frustrating answer…Links:Gigi Sohn Author Profile - The Verge Comcast trying to “torpedo” Biden FCC pick Gigi Sohn, advocacy group saysThe Slime Machine Targeting Dozens of Biden NomineesAttempted acquisition of Tribune Media by Sinclair Broadcast GroupThe Vergecast: Net neutrality was repealed a year ago. Gigi Sohn explains what’s happened since Confirmation Hearing for FCC and Commerce Department NomineesBiden signs $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act Biden Signs Bill to Help Veterans Exposed to Toxic Burn PitsWith the Inflation Reduction Act, the US brings climate goals within reach Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation A Media Censor for the FCC? Hyperpartisan Gigi Sohn Doesn’t Belong at the FCCGigi Sohn and the PoliceGigi Sohn Facebook TweetTech antitrust pioneer Lina Khan will officially lead the FTCConfirmation Hearing For FCC NomineeFCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel on staying connected during a pandemicTranscript:https://www.theverge.com/e/23201559Credits:Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.Today’s episode was written and reported by Jackie McDermott.It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. Additional mixing by Andrew Marino.The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I love covering the music industry, but over the past 10 years I’ve found that it’s one of the most challenging things to make accessible to a wide audience. See, my theory is that the music industry is like five years ahead of everything else when it comes to being disrupted by tech: whatever happens to the music industry because of technology eventually happens to everything else.Today I'm talking to Steve Boom, the VP of Amazon Music. Amazon just announced that they are upgrading the music service that Prime members get as part of their subscription. Starting today, one of the benefits for Amazon Prime members is that you now get access to the entire Amazon Music catalog, about 100 million songs, to play in shuffle mode. That service used to only contain 2 million songs. And they are removing ads from a large selection of podcasts including the entire Wondery catalog.I wanted to ask Steve: what’s it like to negotiate with the record labels for a service like this? What can streaming services do to make artists more money? And where do podcasts fit into the overall strategy? Amazon and Spotify both spend a lot of money buying podcast studios. Is it paying off?Links:Amazon buys Wondery, setting itself up to compete against Spotify for podcast dominationApple’s Anti-Competitive Behavior Hurts Everyone—Including Audiobook Listeners, Publishers, and AuthorsWhy Rdio diedWhy it makes sense for Amazon to buy TwitchAmazon Launches Audio App Amp Combining Music and Live Conversation The days of cheap music streaming may be numberedWhy did Jack Dorsey’s Square buy Tidal, Jay-Z’s failed music service?Amazon Music rolls out a lossless streaming tier that Spotify and Apple can’t matchHow Amazon runs Alexa, with Dave LimpApple’s new podcast charts show Amazon at the topSpotify gets serious about podcasts with two acquisitions Vox Media acquires Cafe Studios, Preet Bharara’s podcast-first companyVox Media Acquires Criminal Productions, Leading Narrative Podcast StudioTime to Play Fair - SpotifyApple’s New App Store Rules a Big Boon for Netflix, Hulu & Co.MusiCaresTranscript:https://www.theverge.com/e/23197384Credits:Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.Today’s episode was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright.The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Sr Audio Director is Andrew Marino and our Executive Producer is Eleanor Donovan.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Steve Cagle is the CEO of Clearwater Compliance, which is a cybersecurity firm focused on the healthcare industry. Basically, they lock down hospital computer systems, which contain a huge amount of personal data, and are so mission critical that ransomware attackers know that hospitals are more likely to just pay up. If the cryptocurrency explosion has accomplished anything, it’s making ransomware attacks easier and more lucrative for bad guys.Steve told me there’s so much personal information in a hospital system that a single patient’s record can sell for a huge premium over somthing like a credit card number. And we talked about amount of regulation needed to secure that data and that some insurance providers require hospitals to have a minimum level of security, or they won't be covered. It's a fascinating one.Links:Cyber Security Week 2022Penetration test Cyberattack delays patient care at major US hospital chainAverage Healthcare Data Breach Costs Surpass $10M, IBM FindsTranscript:https://www.theverge.com/e/23175031Credits:Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott. Research by Liz Lian and it was edited by Jackson Bierfeldt.The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Sr Audio Director is Andrew Marino and our Executive Producer is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today I'm talking to Prashanth Chandrasekar the CEO of Stack Overflow – a highly specialized kind of social network, with a really unique business model. If you don't know Stack Overflow is a major part of the modern software development landscape: it’s where developers come together, ask questions, and get answers about how to build software, including actual code they can use in their own projects. It’s basically a huge question and answer forum. More than 100 million people visit Stack Overflow every single month. The company also sells Stack Overflow as an internal forum tool that big companies can use for their own teams: Microsoft, Google, Logitech—you name it, they’re using Stack Overflow to coordinate conversations between their engineers.The platform has a long reputation of elitism; Prashanth himself is a developer and he told me his own first experience on Stack Overflow was a negative one. In fact, he took over as CEO about three years ago, after a pretty serious moderation controversy that saw several longtime Stack Overflow moderators quit. I wanted to talk to Prashanth about how it works, how the company makes money, and how to grow such a specialized user base while still being welcoming to new people.Links:Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)Stack Overflow Sold to Tech Giant Prosus for $1.8 BillionStack Overflow helps millions of developers do their jobs every single day. Its new CEO says the next stage of its growth is selling to businesses.Big Tech's hiring freeze unlocks rich talent pool for U.S. startupsStack Overflow raises $85M in Series E funding to further accelerate SaaS businessChris Dixon thinks web3 is the future of the internet — is it?Stack Overflow Has a New Code of Conduct: You Must 'Be Nice'Code of Conduct - Stack OverflowEight great sites that offer online classesThe other side of Stack Overflow content moderationEverything you need to know about Section 230Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23185361Credits:Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.Today’s episode was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright.The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Sr Audio Director is Andrew Marino and our Executive Producer is Eleanor Donovan.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices