Squawk Pod

The House has passed a bill calling for  Chinese giant Bytedance to divest TiKTok US or face a stateside ban. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) explains how he’ll consider the legislation once it gets to the Senate, as well as his concerns about CCP involvement in tech used in the United States. Alaska Airlines has confirmed that the plane whose door plug blew out mid-flight was  scheduled for maintenance...

Ahead of  the Reddit IPO , former Reddit CEO Ellen Pao discusses the platform’s reliance on Reddit users and its data-selling strategy for profitability as a public company. Plus, she weighs in on the dangers of unchecked online forums, suggesting that  TikTok may be one of multiple national security risks . Also online, entrepreneur Sonny Caberwal is attempting to use social media AI algorithms f...

In an extended interview, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump shares his vision for TikTok, China, electric vehicles, and tariffs, should he win the 2024 election. Trump discusses his March  meeting with Elon Musk , as well as his recent shift in position on banning TikTok. He points to curbing the growth of Facebook, which he considers “an enemy of the people,” as one reason...

President Biden delivered his State of the Union , addressing the tax code, inflationary pressures, and American unions 8 months before the 2024 election. Axios National Political Correspondent Alex Thompson discusses the speech, the reception on the hill, and the impact it may have on voters.  TikTokkers inundated their government representatives with calls this week, as lawmakers voted on legisl...

Becky Quick sits down with RTX Chairman and CEO Greg Hayes in Washington, DC, where he’s meeting with fellow Business Roundtable members. Hayes discusses military support and funding for Ukraine, AI technologies on the battlefield, and bolstering jobs at home in the U.S.   In this episode: Becky Quick,  @BeckyQuick Cameron Costa,  @CameronCostaNY Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.a...

Becky Quick sits down with ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance in Washington, DC, where he’s meeting with fellow Business Roundtable members. Lance discusses the economic optimism displayed in the latest BRT CEO Survey, as well as his concerns about regulation in his industry and beyond. Energy giants are hoping to consolidate, and Lance reacts to the government’s scrutiny on those deals.     In this ep...

Nikki Haley has ended her bid for the White House as the country digests Super Tuesday’s results. Harvard Professor and host of “How to Build a Happy Life” Arthur Brooks discusses the “dark triad” of American politics, and he offers a guide to navigate the 8 polarizing months until election day.  Dartmouth’s Men’s Basketball has voted to unionize ; Sports Business Journal reporter Ben Portnoy expl...

It’s Super Tuesday! Republicans in 15 states are voting for their preferred Presidential candidate while Democrats hold their own primaries and caucuses across multiple states.  Target reported better-than-expected results in the holiday quarter. CEO Brian Cornell discusses the retailer’s plans to open new stores and navigate food and beverage inflation. Even Cookie Monster has an opinion: “Me hat...

Congress has released  details of six budget bills to avert a government shutdown  this weekend. Also in DC,  Nikki Haley has notched her first win of the 2024 election cycle , just in time for Super Tuesday.  Dune 2 raked in $81 million in its box office debut, a big win for Warner Bros. Discovery. Lightshed’s Rich Greenfield discusses the movie-goer landscape and the best releases on streaming a...

Elon Musk is suing OpenAI , the company he co-founded. His argument: Sam Altman and the OpenAI team have departed from the founding mission to innovate “for the benefit of humanity broadly.” Along with the rest of the country, New York City is navigating a  migrant crisis . NYC Mayor Eric Adams discusses his plans for the city’s newest residents, the city’s uptick in illegal marijuana shops, regul...

China’s auto business is booming , with electric vehicles filling roads around the world.  Phil Lebeau with a surprising report on global demand from South America. The Commerce Department will  investigate national security risks from “connected autos” that have parts manufactured in China or other countries of concern.  Council on Foreign Relations President Michael Froman describes the potentia...

Apple is winding down its electric car strategy after 10 years of quiet work. Apple is also reportedly making a last effort to avert an antitrust probe.  UnitedHealth, owner of the largest insurer in the U.S. , is facing an antitrust probe of its own. Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb argues that consolidation in the industry is partly a consequence of hospitals and physicians losing mone...

Google has taken its  Gemini AI image generator offline after the tool’s historically inaccurate images prompted criticism across the internet. Heroic Ventures founder, futurist and podcaster Michael Fertik discusses various LLM controversies–some involving Elon Musk–and the solutions to bias in AI. Fertik underlines the importance of these “fixes” early in AI adoption, before AI-generated inaccur...

Nikki Haley lost to former President Donald Trump in the South Carolina Republican primary, but she’s committed to her campaign. Punchbowl News co-founder Jake Sherman discusses the 2024 race and its impact on progress in Congress. Amid uncertainty,  the market has hit 52-week highs ; whatever happens, Professor Jeremy Siegel says he’s bullish on the markets. Plus, a BP executive’s  husband pleade...

Reddit has filed for an IPO ! The social media company plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker RDDT, but Wall Street is asking questions about its business model–and its plans for advertising. Big Technology founder Alex Kantrowitz parses the S-1 filing and the company’s growth trajectory. Spot bitcoin ETFs are available to the masses, thanks to last month’s regulatory approv...

Nvidia’s fourth quarter blew past expectations.  The chip maker's revenue tripled from last year, hitting $22B in one quarter. Sapphire Ventures partner Cathy Gao explains how Nvidia’s boom is impacting the private AI market. Another company did not fare as well in its fourth quarter:  Rivian. The EV-maker is cutting 10% of its workforce. The Presidential candidate  Nikki Haley is still fundraisin...

Washington lawmakers like Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are raising concerns over  Capital One’s planned acquisition of Discover . Antitrust laws and consumer protections are just part of the  regulatory pushback on the deal . Pulitzer Prize-winning author Charles Duhigg is out with a new book, “Supercommunicators.” He explains what differentiates a good communicator from a super one, includi...

It’s big news for your wallet:  Capital One is set to acquire Discover in a $35.3B all-stock deal, pending any regulatory hurdles. In the run-up to the 2024 election, Axios co-founder Mike Allen is watching two key issues: President Biden’s upcoming State of the Union, and former President Trump’s days in court. In DC, the Biden administration is  awarding chipmaker GlobalFoundries $1.5B for semic...

Russian media has announced the  death of Alexei Navalny, the imprisoned opponent to Vladimir Putin . Convening with other global defense leaders at the Munich Security Conference, former CIA Director General David Petraeus discusses Navalny’s death and legacy, as well as news that the FBI disrupted a Russian cyber espionage operation. Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox might face regulatory...

Thousands of  flight attendants are picketing at dozens of airports around the country. President of the Association of Flight Attendants Sara Nelson explains the wage increases her colleagues are requesting.  Cisco and Morgan Stanley are the latest firms to announce layoffs, joining the ranks of UPS,  Paramount Global, Amazon, Macy’s, Alphabet, Levi Strauss, and others. Recruiter.com chairman Eva...

A month after  approving spot Bitcoin ETFs , SEC Chair Gary Gensler shares his perspective on cryptocurrency. In an extended conversation with Joe Kernen, Becky Quick, and Andrew Ross Sorkin, he discusses market risks for investors, the responsibilities of investment advisors employing AI, and much more.  Hot CPI data on Tuesday  sparked a market sell-off and suggested that America’s inflation woe...

Expedia’s CEO says travelers are in a new era after post-pandemic revenge travel has faded. Peter Kern explains travel demand and his four years turning the travel company technology first, as he prepares to leave the C-suite in May. Author Jared Cohen has penned a new book; in “Life After Power,” Cohen examines the chapters after leadership for seven U.S. Presidents who explored new roles and mor...

Elon Musk is swapping Neuralink’s Delaware incorporation for one in Nevada, after a  Delaware judge struck down his $55.8B Tesla pay package . Separately, the  SEC has asked Musk to testify in a probe of his Twitter takeover. Elon Musk biographer and Perella Weinberg advisory partner Walter Isaacson shares takeaways from his time chronicling the billionaire, including Musk’s frustration with multi...

President Biden spoke to reporters yesterday, rebutting claims made in Special Counsel Robert Hur’s recent report and defending his memory. Axios National Political Correspondent Alex Thompson discusses sentiment in DC and at the White House, as well as the paths forward for the Democratic Party as the country gears up for the 2024 election in just 9 months. The S&P 500 is flirting with a mileston...

In this bonus episode of Squawk Pod, Google CEO Sundar Pichai discusses  Google’s newest iteration of AI, now known as Gemini . He explains which aspects of Google’s AI excite him the most, including Gemini’s ability to interpret images and video. Plus, Pichai comments on AI’s innovation trajectory, combating deep fakes, and working with regulators to build a safe internet. Andrew Ross Sorkin dige...