Russia vs. Big Tech, Facebook Responds (Dismissively), and Friend of Pivot Max Chafkin on Peter Thiel

Kara and Scott unpack Russia's fight with Big Tech, Facebook's disappointing response to the Wall Street Journal’s revealing series, and how streaming swept the Emmys. Also, Kara has a big announcement. (Hint: She confirms that Scott is NOT the father). Plus, Friend of Pivot Max Chafkin on Peter Thiel and his new book, The Contrarian. You can find Max...

1d

Instagram Knows it’s Toxic, Amazon’s Starting Wage Hike, and Another Big Week for Apple

Kara and Scott talk about the newest revelation in the Wall Street Journal’s Facebook Files series, Amazon raising their starting wages, and what we’ve learned from the California Recall Election. And Kara reminds us all to update our Apple devices. Plus, Scott gives a prediction on the SPAC market.Send us your Listener Mail questions, via Yappa, at nymag.com/pivot...

5d

Epic v. Apple, Facebook’s VIP List and a Friend of Pivot Brian Derrick on the California Recall

Kara and Scott talk about a new report on Facebook’s special rules for their internal list of VIP users, how the Epic v. Apple lawsuit played out, and the House Democrats’ push for a new FTC Privacy Bureau. Also, Facebook stole Ray Bans from Kara. Plus, Friend of Pivot Brian Derrick helps us process the California Recall election and gives some predictions...

2w

The red-hot IPO Market , El Salvador’s Bitcoin Experiment and SCOTT IS BACK!

Scott has returned! He and Kara talk about The Justice Department’s ad tech suit against Google, the SEC-Coinbase spat, a record year for IPOs, and El Salvador’s Bitcoin buy. And it wouldn’t be an episode with Scott without some predictions - he tells us which start-ups are about to get some major attention.Send us your Listener Mail questions, via...

2w

The Texas Abortion Ban, Joe Rogan's Covid, and the Politico Acquisition Soap Opera

Guest host George Hahn joins Kara to talk about the Texas abortion ban and Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s threats to tech companies over the Jan. 6 riot inquiry. Plus, why are there so many viral videos of anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers spinning out? Then, a surprise listener question catches both hosts off guard. And finally, George tries to figure out why he...

3w

Lessons from Afghanistan, the California Recall, and this week’s Friend of Pivot is Nathan Allebach aka The Steak-umm Twitter Guy

Guest host Katie Couric joins Kara to discuss the withdrawal from Afghanistan and lessons learned, possible outcomes of the California recall, and of course, Jeopardy! Plus, Friend of Pivot Nathan Allebach joins to talk about how he turned Steak-umm’s Twitter account into a truth bomb machine.Check out the latest from Katie Couric at katiecouric.com,...

4w

What the OnlyFans news says about power and control, Cathie Wood's transparent investment strategy, and a prediction on the federal reserve pulling away from the punch bowl

Guest co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin joins Kara to discuss TikTok's e-commerce play with Shopify, Airbnb's announcement to house 20,000 Afghan refugees, and how more businesses are going to start requiring COVID-19 vaccination proof. Kara and Andrew also discuss OnlyFan's decision to reverse course on its plan to ban sexually explicit content, and then...

4w

Big Covid Questions, the Nursing Shortage Crisis and a Friend of Pivot on the upcoming Elizabeth Holmes Trial

Guest host Dr. Jeffrey Swisher joins for a medical (and Swisher) themed episode. What does full FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine mean for public health? What about antibody treatments? Team Swisher also discusses the nursing crisis, and the Biden Administration’s new plan to lower prescription drug costs. Plus, Friend of Pivot John Carreyou joins...

5w

What the Taliban’s Rise Means for Big Tech, Facebook’s Plans for a Virtual (Reality) Work Space, and Fox News' Vaccine Database

What will the Taliban do with Afghans’ data? Kara and guest host Casey Newton discuss that, and how social media platforms are handling pro-Taliban accounts. Plus, will workers go for Facebook’s new VR meeting app, Horizon Workrooms? And...thoughts on Fox News requiring employees to report their vaccination status.Find Casey at @CaseyNewton on Twitter...

Aug 2021

Tucker goes to Hungary, the Taliban take Afghanistan, and a Friend of Pivot on why Epstein couldn't have killed himself

Guest host Ben Smith joins Kara to discuss Afghanistan's fall to the Taliban, and what it means for news coverage of the region. And: a new business deal aims to bring movies back to movie theaters. But will audiences follow? Also, Friend of Pivot Julie K. Brown joins us to discuss her reporting in Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story. Learn...

Aug 2021