Pivot

Kara is joined by Nobel Prize-winning economist, and recently retired New York Times columnist, Paul Krugman. They discuss SoftBank's $100 billion investment in U.S. projects, ABC News settling with Donald Trump, and TikTok's latest legal setback. Then, OpenAI fires back at Elon Musk, and Apple's foldable future. Plus, Paul gets a little wonky, and weighs in on crypto's actual value, and what Trum...

Kara and Scott discuss President Biden’s clemency announcement, Rupert Murdoch’s succession scheme backfires, and GM scraps its Cruise robotaxi program. Plus, the entire internet tries to analyze Luigi Mangione — Scott and Kara have opinions about that. Also, President-elect Donald Trump has named Andrew Ferguson to lead the FTC, and our thoughts on Time’s Person of the Year. Then, Friend of Pivot...

Kara and Scott discuss TikTok's latest legal setback, and what Donald Trump will do (if anything) if the ban goes into effect next month. Then, Trump appoints investor, podcaster, and Elon minion, David Sacks, as the new "White House AI and crypto czar." Will this position have any real power? Plus, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield backs away from a controversial plan to only pay for anesthesia for a...

Kara and Scott discuss the highlights from The New York Times DealBook Summit, including Jeff Bezos saying he’s “optimistic” about a second Trump term, and Sam Altman trying to make nice with Elon Musk. Then, the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson has prompted a wave of reactions on social media. Plus, the French government collapsed on Wednesday, and South Korea’s president is facing...

Kara and Scott discuss the Hunter Biden pardon, and its repercussions for President Biden. Then, President-elect Donald Trump selects Kash Patel to run the FBI, and new reports raise questions and concerns about Pete Hegseth. Plus, Elon Musk takes aim at Sam Altman and OpenAI, yet again. Our Friend of Pivot is filmmaker Lauren Greenfield, whose new docuseries, "Social Studies," provides an inside...

Happy Thanksgiving! Pivot is off for the holiday, so we're bringing you an episode of Decoder with Nilay Patel. Nilay is talking about something we've discussed a lot on Pivot — Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and Tesla. How is the CEO of an electric car company, an outspoken advocate for combating climate change, going to square his support for Trump and a Republican policy agenda centered on climate ch...

Kara and Scott discuss the "Glicked" effect on the box office, and Amazon's new $4 billion investment in Anthropic. Then, Elon Musk and Vivek Rameswamy bring their Silicon Valley buddies into the Department of Government Efficiency, while President-elect Donald Trump gets Wall Street's approval with his Treasury Secretary pick. Plus, Bluesky continues to surge, and Meta appears to be feeling the h...

Kara and Scott discuss Nvidia's latest blockbuster earnings, the DOJ's proposal that Google sell its Chrome browser, and Comcast's plan to spin off its cable networks into a new company. Plus, the latest additions to the Trump administration, and Elon Musk and Vivek Rameswamy launch a "Dogecast" podcast. Finally, a listener mail question about CEO compensation. Follow us on Instagram and Threads a...

Kara and Scott discuss Morning Joe anchors Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski revealing they paid a visit to Donald Trump to "restart communications," and the sheer brilliance of The Onion buying Alex Jones's Infowars. Then, the news of RFK, Jr.'s HHS Secretary nomination rattles the markets, and Trump says he wants someone "big" for Treasury Secretary. Plus, the Kids Online Safety Act stalls in...

Kara and Scott discuss President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to deliver on his campaign promise to stop the TikTok ban, and the latest earnings from Disney and Spotify. Then, Trump is on a roll announcing picks for his administration, including for his BFF, Elon Musk. Plus, X competitor Bluesky is seeing a pop in users after the election. Can it really compete? Vote in this weeks Threads poll here!...

Kara and Scott discuss Wall Street hitting new highs in the wake of Trump's victory, and whether Trump will face off with Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Then, how big a role did right wing media play in the election, and can the left take a page from that playbook? Plus, as X's new terms of service go into effect this week, Kara explains why she's finally deleting her account (no, for real this time). O...

Kara and Scott trade Election Day stories, and discuss where they went wrong with their predictions. Then, a deep dive into what a second Trump term means for the economy, crypto, Big Tech (including Elon Musk), social media, and more. Finally, a few wins to share at the end of a long week. Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial. Follow us on TikTok at @pivotpodcast. Send us y...

Election Day has finally arrived! Kara and Scott discuss the last-minute polls, the debate over equal time on TV, and how this became the "Elon Election." Plus, the final predictions about the race. And if you're feeling stressed out by the election, Friend of Pivot Dan Harris is here to help. Dan is the host of the "10% Happier Podcast" and he shares his tips for reducing election anxiety. Follow...

Kara and Scott discuss the rise and fall of Trump Media stock, and whether or not it's an accurate predictor for the election. Plus, Biden's "garbage" comments create a headache for Democrats, Trump vows to protect women whether they "like it or not," and is it too late for Harris to go on Joe Rogan's podcast? Then, what the latest earnings from Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft reveal about the AI ar...

Kara and Scott are back with part two of Pivot's special series on the basics of artificial intelligence. How is AI revolutionizing the workplace? And what are the skills workers need to learn to stay ahead? Andrew McAfee, MIT research scientist and co-founder of Workhelix, explains why he doesn't think AI is a job killer, and shares the advice he gives to business leaders about integrating AI int...

With one week to go until the election, Kara and Scott discuss Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden, and the role of Jeff Bezos in The Washington Post's decision not to endorse a presidential candidate. Plus, Michelle Obama sends a message to male voters in what Scott calls "the most powerful speech given in 2024." Then, Elon Musk has reportedly been in contact with Vladimir Putin since 2...

Kara and Scott discuss Apple scaling back production of Apple Vision Pro headsets, and a mother suing Character. AI, claiming a chatbot encouraged her teenage son to commit suicide. Then, Tesla’s Q3 earnings beat expectations, and Starbucks preliminary quarterly results disappoint yet again. Plus, the podcast election continues with former President Trump going on Joe Rogan, and VP Kamala Harris s...

Kara and Scott are back in your feeds for a special series on the basics of Artificial Intelligence. What should you use it for? What tools are right for you? And what privacy issues should you watch out for? Kylie Robison, Senior AI Reporter for The Verge, joins Pivot with a primer on how to integrate AI into your life. Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial. Follow us on Tik...

Kara and Scott discuss Disney's succession plans, and Netflix's latest blockbuster earnings. Then, a new report details tensions between Microsoft and OpenAI. But could the two companies realistically walk away from their partnership? Plus, Donald Trump's closing argument takes a vulgar turn, and Elon Musk's million dollar giveaway faces legal scrutiny. Our Friends of Pivot are Chantal Fernandez f...

Kara and Scott discuss the latest from the campaign trail: VP Kamala Harris’s potential Joe Rogan appearance, former President Trump’s musical rally, and Elon Musk’s $75 million donation to his pro-Trump Super PAC. Plus, Elon’s big Cybercab reveal, Big Tech's nuclear energy buy-in, and a listener question on financial planning with a parent. Also, answer our listener poll on Threads, here! Follow...

Pivot is off for the holiday! In the meantime, we're bringing you an episode of On With Kara Swisher. Kara is chatting with Bill Gates, the co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft, and the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill has been one of the richest people in the world for decades, and he's also spent decades giving away his fortune and working on some of humanity’s most vexi...

Kara and Scott discuss the highlights of VP Kamala Harris’s press blitz, TikTok being sued by 14 states, and the much-anticipated Tesla robotaxi event. Plus, the DOJ is considering breaking up Google to address its monopoly power on search. Also, a conversation about the danger of hurricane conspiracy theories. Then, our Friends of Pivot Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner join to talk about their new...

Kara and Scott discuss Kamala Harris's big media blitz, and the podcast (aside from Pivot) that she should really appear on. Then, Elon Musk leapt into the air at Donald Trump's weekend rally in Pennsylvania, and a lot of people had thoughts. Plus, Google is finally facing some real competition when it comes to the $300 billion search advertising business. Our Friend of Pivot is Chris Urmson, foun...

Kara and Scott discuss OpenAI’s huge new valuation, and Elon Musk’s “corporate puffery.” Then, in election news, a civil VP debate, and newly revealed evidence in the Trump federal election case. Also, Elon Musk has been a Republican donor for far longer than we knew. Plus, the political and economics impacts of Hurricane Helene. Stay tuned for listener mail to hear Kara and Scott’s dating advice!...

Kara and Scott discuss California governor Gavin Newsom's veto of the AI bill that divided Big Tech, and Trump Media co-founders dumping $100 million worth of stock. Then, JD Vance and Tim Walz face off, Donald Trump's latest comments hit new lows, and is Kamala Harris leaning into crypto? Plus, a peek at OpenAI's financials reveals massive gains, but bigger losses. Will that be a problem for inve...