

Decoder with Nilay Patel
The Verge
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 6, 2018 • 54min
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 • 55min
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 • 49min
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 10min
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
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 8min
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

Sep 24, 2018 • 53min
Recode Decode: World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim
Jim Yong Kim, the president of the World Bank Group, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how big data can prevent famines around the world and how to engage tech leaders in solving huge problems. In this episode: (01:46) Kim's background at WHO, at Dartmouth and as an enemy of the World Bank; (09:01) Job automation and the future of work; (13:19) Why African leaders can't copy their way to prosperity; (19:41) Working with LinkedIn and Airbnb, and the value of tourism; (24:57) Marc Benioff, Sal Khan and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid; (27:58) Zipline's blood delivery breakthrough; (29:45) Which countries are investing in human capital?; (37:32) The Famine Action Mechanism; (43:08) Can generosity undo the techlash?; and (46:27) Kim's wishlist for tech companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 22, 2018 • 59min
Recode Decode: The NYT's Maggie Haberman, HuffPost's Lydia Polgreen and actor Jane Lynch
In this bonus episode of Recode Decode, you get two interviews for the price of one, both conducted by Recode's Kara Swisher at the Lesbians Who Tech Summit in New York City. First, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman and HuffPost editor in chief Lydia Polgreen talk about "Trump, technology and the future of news." In the second half of the show (28:02), actor Jane Lynch ("Glee," "Party Down") talks about the future of entertainment and technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 19, 2018 • 57min
Recode Decode: 'Swiped' director Nancy Jo Sales
Journalist and author Nancy Jo Sales talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her new HBO documentary, "Swiped: Hooking Up in the Digital Age." In this episode:03:41 - How Sales started writing about teenage culture08:20 - The psychological impact of the internet10:38 - "What's Tinder?"12:31 - Cheerleading tech and platforms' responsibility19:25 - Why Sales made "Swiped"25:07 - The gamification of dating29:13 - Harassment and sexual assault37:13 - Can dating apps offer more than casual sex?40:11 - Technology addiction and the paradigm of convenience45:54 - VR sex and sex robots52:26 - Is there a positive side? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sep 17, 2018 • 50min
Recode Decode: 'AI Superpowers' author Kai-Fu Lee
Kai-Fu Lee, the CEO of Sinovation Ventures and former president of Google China, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his new book, "AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order." In this episode:00:55 - Lee's background & Google China03:32 - Why he left Google05:41 - Why American companies struggled to compete in China09:46 - It's not all because of the government12:23 - Investing in artificial intelligence18:42 - What "AI Superpowers" means21:15 - Data and privacy in China vs. the West25:17 - Where AI is going next30:17 - How Lee thinks about American tech companies33:09 - The impact of AI on jobs40:10 - The political implications of those job changes43:30 - The responsibilities of tech creators and investors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


