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

Oct 13, 2018 • 49min
Recode Decode: 2U CEO Chip Paucek
2U CEO Chip Paucek talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the future of online college education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 12, 2018 • 35min
Pivot: Google's data breach, Facebook Portal and Taylor Swift
If you like Recode Decode, we think you'll also like our newest podcast, Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway. Here's the latest episode. If you like it, please search for and subscribe to Pivot on your podcasting app of choice. Kara and Scott discuss why the Google Plus hack matters, the new Facebook Portal and its plastic lenscap, and Kara's affection for Taylor Swift (even before Swift's Instagram post exhorting her fans to register to vote). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 10, 2018 • 1h 2min
Recode Decode: Former Cisco CEO John Chambers
John Chambers, the former chairman and CEO of Cisco, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the future of startups and his book, "Connecting the Dots: Leadership Lessons in a Startup World." In this episode: (01:43) Chambers's 26 years at Cisco and 180 acquisitions; (05:28) Cisco's new leadership and his transition out; (07:57) "We think we’re the leader of innovation in America, we no longer are"; (17:58) The Republican party and uniting the country; (20:40) What the government can do to help startups; (26:18) Damage caused by tech; (28:48) China and India; (33:34) Why Chambers wrote the book; (39:25) Key leadership lessons: Vision, strategy and culture; (44:16) Creating jobs and common problems; (51:01) Entrepreneurship around the U.S. and internationally; (52:57) Immigration and diversity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 8, 2018 • 1h 14min
Recode Decode: 'Sorry to Bother You' director Boots Riley
Boots Riley, the writer and director of the satirical dark comedy film "Sorry to Bother You," talks with Recode's Kara Swisher and Shirin Ghaffary. In this episode: (01:55) Riley's background as a musician with The Coup; (06:35) When he started thinking about making movies; (09:35) Where did the idea for WorryFree come from?; (18:23) Hustling to get the movie made; (27:17) Getting theatrical distribution; (32:10) "Tourism" into black culture; (38:02) Why capitalists in tech like the movie; (43:02) The politicization of tech workers; (48:47) The positive and negative reactions to "Sorry to Bother You"; (56:15) Is social media different than traditional media for controversial opinions?; (1:01:56) Consuming vs. creating; (1:04:07) Riley's next project and TV vs. movies; (1:07:04) How culture is reacting to the political moment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 6, 2018 • 56min
Recode Decode: Rep. Ro Khanna
Congressman Ro Khanna returns to Recode Decode to talk with Recode's Kara Swisher about his proposal for an "internet bill of rights," which Kara discussed in her latest column for the New York Times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 3, 2018 • 57min
Recode Decode: 'Winners Take All' author Anand Giridharadas
Author and journalist Anand Giridharadas talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his latest book, "Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World." In this episode: (02:07) Giridharadas' background; (03:38) His two previous books, "India Calling" and "The True American"; (11:56) How much of America lost the American dream; (19:58) The rhetoric of changing the world and "folk memory"; (27:29) How elites help, "only on their terms"; (31:28) There's not a tech solution to everything; (39:11) The difference between an engine and a crime scene; (45:38) Jeff Bezos's philanthropy and better ways of giving; (53:06) "Allow me to make the most enthusiastic endorsement of Donald Trump that I can make." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 1, 2018 • 50min
Recode Decode: 'Full Frontal' host Samantha Bee
Samantha Bee, the host of "Full Frontal" on TBS, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about doing TV comedy in 2018 and her new political trivia app, This is Not a Game: The Game. In this episode: (02:03) "The Daily Show" and "The Detour"; (03:25) "Full Frontal" and her perspective; (07:55) Is it comedy or commentary?; (09:45) The process of making "Full Frontal"; (12:45) This is Not a Game; (17:09) "Congratulations on the crash"; (21:24) The "feckless" controversy; (25:08) @realDonaldTrump and social media restraint; (27:08) "We actually are a part of the national conversation"; (30:02) What is off-limits in comedy?; (33:01) Christine Blasey Ford; (37:23) Where is entertainment going?; (40:48) The future of comedy and of "Full Frontal"; (44:35) Brett Kavanaugh and women running for office Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 29, 2018 • 1h 12min
Recode Decode: Square CFO Sarah Friar and Instacart CEO Apoorva Mehta
Square CFO Sarah Friar and Instacart CEO Apoorva Mehta discuss the evolution of payment services, empowering users through financial choices, innovative financing solutions for small businesses, partnerships between Instacart and Whole Foods, and the evolution of Instacart's business model.

Sep 26, 2018 • 1h 2min
Recode Decode: Jawbone Health CEO Hosain Rahman
Jawbone co-founder Hosain Rahman talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the company's next act: A medical subscripton service called Jawbone Health that hopes to catch health problems early. In this episode: (01:46) Rahman's background in speech recognition; (04:53) The first Bluetooth Jawbone and the Jambox wireless speakers; (07:49) Releasing, refunding and relaunching the Up wearables; (11:33) "This is one of the big mistakes that we made as an organization"; (14:42) Trade secret theft and "trying to hold it together"; (20:43) Jawbone's fundraising and all-star board; (22:14) Where did the money go?; (28:04) Why didn't Jawbone sell itself?; (31:16) Management mistakes; (35:55) Positive and negative cycles in tech press; (38:05) Rahman's two biggest mistakes; (43:08) The end of Jawbone and launch of Jawbone Health; (51:52) The restructuring process; (53:01) Partnering with Salesforce, Color and others; (56:48) What does Rahman worry about and why does he get another chance?; (01:01:02) Can Silicon Valley be more mature? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 25, 2018 • 1h 10min
Recode Decode: Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom in 2017
Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger are resigning from the company, six years after Facebook bought it for $1 billion. Recode reports that they had grown "increasingly frustrated and agitated with [Facebook CEO Mark] Zuckerberg and Facebook’s increased influence over the app." Here's a bonus episode of Recode Decode — Kara Swisher's interview with then-CEO Systrom from June 2017 — in which he talks at length about why he and Krieger did not leave soon after the acquisition. The episode's original summary is below... *** Instagram CEO and co-founder Kevin Systrom talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about why he's still working at Facebook five years after it bought his company for $1 billion. Systrom shares what he has learned from the executives there and why he insisted from day one that his new colleagues not call Instagram a "photo-sharing app" — which surprised Mark Zuckerberg. He also addresses allegations that Instagram has "copied" features from Snapchat, saying no tech product is completely original and that it's better for consumers if companies in the same space are constantly trying to one-up each other. Later in the show, Systrom explains why he feels personally responsible to make the internet a safer place, and what he's doing toward that goal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices