Squawk Pod

In the new normal of distanced, remote activities, video conferencing services like Zoom and gym-free fitness companies like Brooks Running have become staples of pandemic life. Zoom Chief Financial Officer Kelly Steckleberg discusses the company’s most recent financial results and why the virtual shift--and Zoom’s value--is here to stay, through the pandemic and beyond. Brooks Running Company CEO...

In the wake of the Thanksgiving holiday, former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb discusses the rise in coronavirus cases and the troublesome trend that’s likely to continue. Political strategist Frank Luntz considers leveraging rhetoric to end the pandemic, and he digs into the politicization of the current health crisis. As bitcoin marches higher, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, founders of the...

On a Black Friday unlike any other, CNBC’s Bertha Coombs reports on the scene outside a New Jersey mall. Former Saks CEO Steve Sadove and former Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon unpack what 2020’s retail landscape means for shopping seasons to come. Vanity Fair’s Bethany McLean and The NYT’s Kate Kelly discuss what Wall Streeters can expect--or not expect--from their bonuses this year; amid the country...

In a special pandemic holiday episode, singer-songwriter Jewel opens up about her history with mental health, overcoming trauma, and practicing gratitude. As part of a CNBC virtual event for the “Workforce Executive Council,” Becky Quick interviews the musical artist and activist about her self-taught methodology for overcoming anxiety, and her work to share that method with kids and companies aro...

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 30,000 for the first time ever, putting the index up 62% from its pandemic lows in March. The MTA, the biggest public transportation network in the country, is asking the federal government for $12 billion in aid as it struggles to recuperate from low ridership amid the pandemic. Chairman and CEO Patrick Foye explains why the $12B isn’t just for NYC, b...

PayPal customers will soon be able to buy, hold, and sell cryptocurrencies on the platform, and starting in 2021, customers will be able use crypto to pay retailers via PayPal. CEO Dan Schulman is betting that crypto confidence and popularity is only beginning. Tim Armstrong, founder of the dtx company and former Oath CEO, has partnered with Olympic skier Bode Miller to make 2020’s ski season safe...

AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine is the third one to prove highly effective in late-stage trials. AstraZeneca Executive Vice President Ruud Dobber explains differentiators of his company’s vaccine, and why between his company, Pfizer, and Moderna, he has high hopes for an accessible vaccine. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman discusses the next steps in the race for a vaccine and in the President...

Pfizer is submitting its application to the FDA for emergency use of its Covid-19 vaccine. If approved, administration of the vaccine could begin before the end of the year. The FDA has approved emergency use of Eli Lilly’s arthritis drug baricitinib in combination with Gilead’s remdesivir to treat Covid-19 patients. Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks and CNBC’s Meg Tirrell discuss distribution, supply, an...

David Boies, the lawyer who counseled former Vice President Al Gore in the 2000 election Florida recount, says President Trump will be unable to overturn the 2020 election results. Covid-19 cases are rising with hopes for an effective vaccine. In light of positive news from Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, former Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini considers the current plans for managing supply and distrib...

As Covid cases rise and states impose new curfews to stem the spread, Pfizer & BioNtech have unveiled their coronavirus vaccine’s final data analysis. Their vaccine proved 95% effective in preventing the coronavirus, higher than preliminary data originally revealed. Former FDA Commissioner and Pfizer board member Dr. Scott Gottlieb discusses the bumpy but significantly shorter road to the end of t...

The S&P 500 will finally add Tesla to its index in mid-December. Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company now tops $400B in market cap. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway made some changes to its equity portfolio in the last quarter, trimming its stakes in Apple and JPMorgan and betting on drug stocks and T-Mobile. Amazon is jumping into the pharmacy business with online prescription fulfillment and...

In Moderna’s ongoing clinical trial, the drugmaker’s Covid vaccine proved 94.5% effective in preventing the coronavirus. In an exclusive interview, CEO Stephane Bancel and CNBC’s Meg Tirrell discuss the news, the bright light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, and ensuring a steady supply of vaccines to those who need it most. Plus, former Citigroup chairman and former Time Warner CEO Richard Pars...

Social media entrepreneur and venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian urges Americans to consider the role social platforms should play in society. He examines where the Internet started, where it’s going, and how the “levers of power should be wielded.” He and Aylon Steinhart, founder of plant-based ice cream company Eclipse, outline a positive outlook for the startups and entrepreneurs who’ll emerge f...

Parler, a new social media platform that touts itself as a less censored alternative to Facebook and Twitter, is rising in popularity, particularly among conservative Americans. The Anti-Defamation League’s Jonathan Greenblatt says Parler’s free speech mission might be leaving too wide an opening for harmful content. Morgan Stanley’s Mike Wilson says this bull market has a long way to run, both in...

In a rare interview, Lyft co-founder and President John Zimmer discusses the ridesharing app’s path to profitability, plans for food delivery (or not), and a post-pandemic boost to business. Plus, the U.S. is celebrating and remembering veterans today; former CIA Director and retired U.S. Army general David Petraeus explains why it’s a good day to thank our servicemen and servicewomen, and an even...

In the wake of Pfizer’s positive vaccine news, markets are rallying on hopes of a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. BET and RLJ Companies founder Bob Johnson is relieved by the news but looking ahead; he discusses the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on Black Americans, and shares his vision for narrowing the racial health and wealth gap under a new administration. Plus, Target has entere...

Ed Clissold, market strategist for Ned Davis Research Group, puts this week’s election in perspective with market and election data going back to 1900. Historically, a Republican incumbent victory prompts a market rally in the short term, but a reversal in the year following. Essayist and “Black Swan” investor Nassim Nicholas Taleb outlined the risks of a pandemic earlier in 2020, and now says the...

In what Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla calls “likely the most significant medical advancement in the last 100 years,” BioNtech and Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine may prove to be more than 90% effective in preventing coronavirus. CNBC’s Senior Health and Science Reporter Meg Tirrell breaks the good news with the Squawk Box anchors, and Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla discusses the success, the implications, and...

Legendary investor Leon Cooperman explains his approach to markets amid the ongoing Presidential vote and the Federal Reserve’s approach to stabilizing the economy. The billionaire explains his personal vote for former Vice President Biden and his bet on equities. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi unpacks his company’s latest financial results and his projection for a transportation recovery post-pandemi...

As 2020 election results trickle in, Al Gore’s running mate former Senator Joe Lieberman reflects on the 34 controversial days between Election Day in 2000 and Gore’s final concession. His lessons from that infamous election twenty years ago: at some point, for the good of the country, a peaceful transfer of power must ensue. Pollster and political strategist Frank Luntz considers what’s next for...

As votes are counted across the country, David Rubenstein, co-founder and co-executive chairman of The Carlyle Group, expects market jitters to continue until a clear winner emerges. He and IAC Chairman Barry Diller consider what political division in the U.S. means for the next four years of policy, business, international relations, and the American psyche, regardless of the election outcome. Di...

Election Day 2020 is finally here. At this culmination of America’s anxieties, former Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos discusses social media’s strategies and obligations to curb misinformation ahead of the final results. In a podcast original interview, The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern shares how she found her anxiety fix in a social media blackout. Plus, regardless of the electi...

Dr. Atul Gawande, Chairman of Haven, surgeon, and staff writer for The New Yorker, shares his expectations for coronavirus vaccine supply and American confidence in preventative drugs. CNBC’s Steve Liesman breaks down results from a CNBC All America Survey, revealing American faith in health care companies and the demographic disparities between those who are wary of and confident in a potential v...

Ken Frazier, CEO of drug maker Merck, maps out his timeline for a coronavirus vaccine as cases continue to rise around the world. In a conversation with Yale School of Management’s Jeff Sonnenfeld, Frazier discusses the duty CEOs have to encourage voting, civility, and faith in the democratic process. Politics took precedence at big tech’s big (virtual) day on Capitol Hill. Former White House Chie...

Robinhood, the trading app that took young people and financiers by storm, now boasts 13 million user accounts. Its zero-commission trading model prompted an overhaul of the online brokerage ecosystem, although the company has run into SEC investigations, hackers, and performance outages along the way. In an extended interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin, CEO Vlad Tenev discusses the role Robinhood pl...