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.
38 Subscribers
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Decoder with Nilay Patel
38 Subscribers
Reviews
false psychology
5 out of 5 stars
Has not disappointed once
You guys are all on point with current news regarding a multitude of industries. Journalists that belong on NPR.. thank you all!
jswhitney7
5 out of 5 stars
Decoder is essential for staying aware in almost all industries
Nilay is an excellent host, and hearing such a variety of personalities and perspectives is so important to stay aware and informed on what is happening across many industries. Hearing the insights from leaders in these companies gives you such an understanding on why things are. Nilay does such a great job at pushing these folks and asking right questions. Probably the only podcast I try to push on my coworkers and colleagues.
pantlu1591
1 out of 5 stars
Below average show with predictable boring content
Sorry Nilay. The content has been trending downhill for months.
R-o-b
5 out of 5 stars
Solid questions.
Nilay presses great questions like “Is taking down big tech the right goal for a civil rights org?” Look forward to hearing more.
JWPowell
2 out of 5 stars
Show lacks a consistent them
This show really lacks a consistent theme. It’s kind of a hodgepodge of auto executives and liberal attorneys. Some episodes can be interesting, but many are very boring. Nilay Patel is an excellent interviewer; however, this show is in need of an overhaul.
sonos is amazing
5 out of 5 stars
A must listen for insightful perspectives, great learning time and general fun
Thank you for bringing such relevant guests and for producing one of the few top notch podcasts out there. I love the show and the value that it brings to listeners. Keep up the great work.
SWUtah
5 out of 5 stars
One of my favorites
Excellent interviewer and interesting subjects and guests.
Chill Baby
5 out of 5 stars
Awesome and informative!
One of the best pod casts I have listened to in the last year. Extremely informative! Great lineup of guests. Host is great at questioning the guest. Listening to all the shows I have missed.
Andelpink
4 out of 5 stars
Great Podcast but…
Nilay is a great host, he does a superb job interviewing people. Decoder has some of of the most interesting people in the tech and business worlds on regularly. Im excited to see who they have an each week. Having said that, it’s evident that this show is heavily influenced by liberal ideology. I question if Nilay truly believes in some of the principles he advocates for on the show. I have a feeling that the people writing his checks are influencing that aspect of the show. That’s why I only give it four stars.
Sqoddfather
5 out of 5 stars
Top Tier Podcasting
Ultra-thoughtful. Impossibly interesting. Smart, but not stuffy. Nilay is an inspiration.
JCTX2010
5 out of 5 stars
Wow!
I stumbled on Decoder somehow and I am so glad I did! Nilay has a knack for asking questions that illicit more in-depth answered than your standard interview. I learn something new from every episode. One of my favorites!
Kasia Rymar
1 out of 5 stars
Interjections
I turned this on to listen to John Carreyrou’s interview from 2018. Kara Swisher’s constant interjections and attempts at trying to finish his thoughts and sentences is unbelieveably annoying. Take a note from Joe Rogan and let your guests speak without interrupting them. I won’t listen to another other episode. John is brilliant.
ASobering
5 out of 5 stars
Entertaining, insightful, and actionable! 🔥
This podcast is so insightful and I’ve enjoyed every episode I’ve listened to so far! Nilay is a very skilled interviewer - he does such a great job of sharing his wisdom and I love how he leads meaningful conversations with industry leaders who bring so much experience and actionable insight to the table. Highly recommend checking this show out - you won’t be disappointed!
Tampa Bay 327
5 out of 5 stars
One of the best.
One of the best podcasts.
0010010
5 out of 5 stars
High Quality
Nilay is a superb interviewer. He obviously comes in prepared and informed, but he is willing to let a conversation flow and move in any direction if it’s interesting or relevant. They pick interesting guests, but the conversations are more wide ranging than you would think from the episodes titles.
Tanker57
5 out of 5 stars
FYPM was a good episode
L3 was a good guest and I’m positive will be a great CEO one day. She’s not quite polished yet but she has passion for making her niche in life the best it can be for her clients. I really enjoyed the interview and I thought Nilay was appropriately respectful of L3’s nervousness or inexperience. Keep up the good work and best to FYPM and team.
KatherineKatie123
1 out of 5 stars
Listening to Kara Swisher is maddening
The host Kara interrupts constantly, and the guests can't get a word in. I couldn't even make it 20 minutes through an episode.
lvivianka
2 out of 5 stars
Kara interrupts and shows off
Listening to the John Carreyrou episode. Kara constantly interrupts to make annoying comments to show how much she knows or who she knows. Detracts from the guest and show. Just let the guest speak without constantly feeling the need to name drop. Like, we assume you know a lot about Silicon Valley and you know many prominent people there. You don’t need to prove it by interrupting!!!!
Tom Ressler
5 out of 5 stars
Nilay is great!
The host is superb, interesting guests, and interviews are informative and entertaining
malfoxley
5 out of 5 stars
Great show!
Nilay, host of the Decoder podcast, highlights all aspects of innovation, tech and more in this can’t miss podcast! The host and expert guests offer insightful advice and information that is helpful to anyone that listens!
Leonickx
5 out of 5 stars
Truly Excellent
Excellent in every way Knowledge and expertise of the host Clear and precise delivery Superb sound quality Relevance and importance of topics covered Outstanding caliber of guests Five stars are not enough!
kerpan
5 out of 5 stars
Nilay!
Nilay is the real deal. Great interviewer. Great hard-hitting questions without being over the top or rude. I love the fact that he’s a JD - because it brings a rich and unique perspective to elevate or expand the conversation. I look forward to Decoder and Vergecast every week. Bravo!
Wide Awake and Dreaming
2 out of 5 stars
Don’t talk over your guests
Swisher is the most irritating interviewer I’ve come across in a long time. She acts as if the guests are on to validate her.
Max Bess
5 out of 5 stars
Great interviewer
Nilay is terrific. Unfortunately being a 1 on 1 podcast it sometimes is missing chemistry if the guest is bland (Spotify episode). It almost makes me wish Dieter would be on just to jump in 2-3 times with an provoking question. Regardless Nilay is not afraid to push guests on some of their egregious acts (John Deer CTO) whereas most would just give softball interviews and ignore their issues. Love hearing from C-suite execs, great for getting an idea about the company for investment purposes as well. On a personal note Nilay has really helped me as a young professional learn how to act in interviews and how to ask engaging questions. Terrific podcast alongside the Vergecast.
LXSherman
5 out of 5 stars
Decoder
Nilay is a terrific interviewer. Obviously does his homework. Frames incisive, insightful questions. And let’s his subjects hang themselves without interruption or or snarky asides (like some unnamed Vox podcast hosts). Case in point was Polestar’s CEO dismissal of privacy concerns with using Android/Google Maps in his OS stack by analogy to his similar comfort to using externally sourced AM radios in 1980 Volvos. Oh my, Ingenlath is totally a car guy. Thanks for letting your listeners form their own conclusions!
Gringhdb
1 out of 5 stars
Kara can’t stop interrupting with immature comments
She is condescending and closed minded as a host
Caitcarp
5 out of 5 stars
Strong programming and well interviewed
Decoder has become my go-to for cultural business and tech news this year. The conversations are prescient and interesting and Nilay does a great job storytelling thru his questions. Highly recommend.
Niissh
5 out of 5 stars
Feedback for Nilay
I love vergcast and decoder, and Nilay is my bestfriend in my head. I am an avid and loyal lister. But Nilay, I feel like you are too bias in some interviews and low key mean to some of the guest. Maybe I am sensitive but I think you should be a bit more objective and push for guests to prove their points vs you stating yours. Nonetheless - you as my favorite BFF
Scotty(not G)
4 out of 5 stars
Spotify CLO blows it
Not sure who let Horacio Guiterrez on to Decoder. He might be a great lawyer, but he made a horrible case against Apple. He sounded like a whiny child, he is missing the point that consumers trust Apple more than Spotify and almost every other tech company. More innovation is good, but typical SV attitude, is that Innovtion in itself is positive and want consumers want..
Potato_is_good
5 out of 5 stars
Great show!
All around a terrific podcast. The guests are experienced and very knowledgable in thier industries and in business, and Nilay knows how to take advantage of this to get the most takeaways out of them. Always looking forward to the next episode
twingreatwaves
5 out of 5 stars
Great Pod
Love the show Nilay! Sometimes I go into an episode thinking it might be boring based off the industry of the guest, but am pleasantly surprised. I enjoy your thoughtful questions and outlook on things. And on top of that you’re in the Vergecast every week too! Thank you for the work you put into these 2 wonderful pods!
Hdi200
5 out of 5 stars
Incredible podcast.
Amazing insights from some of the biggest names in tech. Nilay does a great job asking thought-provoking and insightful questions I always learn something new listening to this podcast. A must listen for sure.
RyanLacker
5 out of 5 stars
The robots are coming!!
Awesome podcast with some really great insights! Can't wait to hear more!
mmontoya1996
5 out of 5 stars
Made for Modern Times
This show has really evolved over the years and the deep dives into new, modern, and necessary topics really make this a timely piece that explores all aspects of problems and ideas.
NYCtraveler2009
5 out of 5 stars
Timely Topics
Just started listening to this podcast and have enjoyed every minute. Nilay’s fast-paced discussions and his ability to link business, tech, and current events held my interest through the whole hour. I have now subscribed and look forward to the weekly show.
LppCo
5 out of 5 stars
Love this podcast
This is a great podcast. Informative, interesting, and timely, delivered in a way that is pleasant and fun to listen to.
libvirt
1 out of 5 stars
Propaganda Machine for Big Tech
I’m a long time listener, that previously found the show informative and balanced. Now, that Big Tech is flexing muscles by removing apps, user reviews, etc.. This show sounds like it’s been edited by Google and Facebook’s PR department before getting uploaded. If you’re scared to continue giving honest opinions about technology and the industry, just be transparent. Unfortunately, the show now uses it’s influence to keep listeners in the dark, shameful.
rdhagg
2 out of 5 stars
“Mhmm, mhmm” “right, right”
I listened to the interview with CNN.com editor in chief and Swisher has a bad habit of going “mhmm, mhmm” “right, right” the entire time. It’s very very very distracting from the person speaking and I often found it hard to concentrate on what they were saying.
F4LSE
4 out of 5 stars
Awesome Podcast!
I really enjoy this podcast. Nilay is very knowledgeable and resourceful and that allows him keep the conversations interesting with the guests. This podcast is definitely at a different level.
E-Beach
5 out of 5 stars
New and Improved!
I’m a holdover subscriber from Recode Decode with Kara Swisher and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality of Nilay’s conversations. Always learning something new!
Dr Lewis
1 out of 5 stars
Terrible interview with Melissa Grady
An hour in and I’ve learned nothing except she is a master of corporate double speak but I will circle back” to that.
AGLJ
5 out of 5 stars
Deep Learning
Really enjoy the depth of the subject matter and the interviewer’s ability to go to that level of depth. I often have to listen more than once to his interviews as to let your mind wonder means you will miss some key details. That’s a great sign to me on the level of rich content. Thank you.
chris03210372
1 out of 5 stars
Some of us don’t care about politics
Just another podcast where the person rambles endlessly about how much they hate trump... not much talk about anything else. How about talking about tech instead ?
k245jz
5 out of 5 stars
A fresh spin on an old favorite
I have always been pretty skeptical of new hosts taking over already beloved and established shows, but I love the new Recode Decode. Nilay feels like a great nod to Kara’s hard-hitting interview style, while still adding his own twist and personality to the show. I learn something new every time I listen, and am excited to see what’s in the pipeline.
Irina w
2 out of 5 stars
Host interrupts too much
Really wanted to like this podcast, but way too much interruption by the host. Two stars because the guests are pretty awesome people
jamison steininger
1 out of 5 stars
Ads, ads, ads
Oh niley........ No thanks to many ads, even between the ad breaks there are more ads because these episodes are all in some way ads for companies Disguised as actual interviews.. It's the equivalent of YouTubers having to say that there video is an ad. I think it's unfair and condescending to think I would want to sit threw someone trying to do an 45min ad. Just like the video where this company clearly doesn't understand(take advantage) their audience about building computers.... This podcast show has done the equivalent. This podcast is very elitist and arrogant. Only thing that could be better is if they played less ads.
BeeBopBazz
1 out of 5 stars
Turned it off within 5 minutes
The host did not push back against Mark Cuban’s baseless claim that Democrats in Congress have acted just as disrespectfully towards our government and institutions as the Republicans who are currently still dangerously refusing to accept the results of a democratic election. We as a society need to stop giving shows like this to cowardly interviewers. What a disgrace.
Gray Mitchell
5 out of 5 stars
Why
Just like when they took reset and made it recode daily now they took recode decode and made it this
N ochoa
1 out of 5 stars
RIP Recode Decode
I wish they started a entirely new podcast bummed that they took over Recode Decode.
Bob22984
1 out of 5 stars
Don’t understand her style
The host is unnecessarily argumentative and belittling of her any guest who doesn’t see completely eye to eye on her views. She consistently cuts off her guests who try to make a complex argument and it’s clear that she doesn’t understand or even want to understand the point being made. Thankfully there are far better podcasts that accomplish what she’s trying to here. I’d highly recommend looking elsewhere.
racanna831
5 out of 5 stars
Snowden
Not sure why you were so defensive and argumentative to this guest? He is absolutely right in what he did and requested. How sweet our government is to promise to not torture him. Ridiculous and disgusting
newsjunqui
5 out of 5 stars
Hillary Clinton
Great chemistry between Hillary & Kara! Made me laugh out loud, made me think.
J.Alexander Guevara
5 out of 5 stars
Will miss the pod
As a Christian, first gen Latino born in the US that only has a HS degree under his belt, I’m probably not the target demo for this pod : - ) Loved the pod bcuz it always made me feel like I was being challenged intellectually. Not all topics were for me, but it def had things I needed to let my mind marinate on so I can act more thoughtfully in the “wonderful” world/time we are living in. P.s. Kara, te quiero mucho! Sigue peleando la buena batalla!!
PhD71
5 out of 5 stars
Great interviews
I realize we all have opinions, but I didn’t understand the “interrupting cow” review. I haven’t really noticed you talking over or interrupting guests. I also think that a lot of the time you ARE the smartest person in the room. I highly recommend.
PGH newbie
1 out of 5 stars
Interrupting cow
Please let your guests speak without interruption, Kara. Don’t need to be the smartest wo(man) in the room. Just started listening to the podcast and don’t like your style. Sad.
Black Squirrels
3 out of 5 stars
Nope.
We get it Kara! You are suuuper smart. No need to clarify that YOU know the answer but are simply asking a question for the edification of your dummy audience. As others mentioned, the constant interjections are irritating. Maybe a good journalist but not a very good interviewer. I appreciate holding the tech world’s feet to the fire but this podcast isn’t for me. Such a shame since the subject matter is very interesting.
MoAlpha
3 out of 5 stars
Annoying.
Great subjects and Kara is smart, but what a horrible interviewer! She can’t shut up!
Lyrical SF
5 out of 5 stars
Wow
Best podcast interview this year. Fascinating.
jwall911
1 out of 5 stars
Just a bunch of fake news and tech hate
Sadly Journalism is no longer a thing at recode, focused on hating tech rather than providing balanced reporting, if I wanted slanted news I’d just go to Fox News. Amazon google Facebook all evil but not apple lol only in a world where you provide one side of the picture. You talk about social media promoting controversial news to get more click. Sounds exactly like the strategy of this podcast
Couponless
5 out of 5 stars
Don’t go!
Devastated that this podcast is stopping. Don’t know where I’ll get my Swisher-fix!
flychicken
5 out of 5 stars
Louie is great!
I’ve been teaching HS for 30 years. It was awesome to hear Louie’s take today. I think you need to do a weekly 10-15 minute slot with him and maybe one of his friends.
Christopher126
5 out of 5 stars
Well done Kara!
Great job, Kara. Very fine interview with Joh Meacham. Really enjoyed a thoughtful and interesting discussion. Exactly what a good podcast is all about. A great guest and a great interviewer. :) Chris
PollyWollyB
2 out of 5 stars
New Host Please
I love the content of the podcasts, but the host ruins the listening experience.
Visc@B@rc@1
5 out of 5 stars
Glad I Got an Early Tix
The Swisher Bullet Bandwagon is going straight to the top. The new representation got to work really quickly. Let’s hope it does not lead to over saturating the media market. God speed Tiger Queen.
Djm2516
5 out of 5 stars
Nikole Hannah Jones
OMG. My two favorite journalists on the same podcast. This interview is FIRE!!!
SueNathan
4 out of 5 stars
Love ReCode DeCode
Kara’s not just a random interviewer - this show is about having a real conversation and her contribution is key. Great change from journalists who simply allow guests to babble on and sell whatever they’re hyping at the moment. Keep talking, interrupting, challenging and yes - disrupting! Go Girl!
New to Dallas TLC
4 out of 5 stars
Great style and substance
I really enjoyed the interview with Mark Cuban. I am a new listener to the show. Kara is a good interviewer and I like the personality she brings to this format. Smart, but doesn’t take herself too seriously. I like that she includes the listeners by asking their questions as part of the show and mentions them by name. Some discussion is a bit “inside baseball”. I think she gets the expression even if she doesn’t know sports. I look forward to listening to more shows.
BernieBro420
3 out of 5 stars
Love the podcast-- but let the guests SPEAK
Huge fan of Kara and her insight into so many industries. But please, for the love of God, let your guests finish their sentences and full thoughts! Still, your interview with Zuckerberg is iconic
emfo
3 out of 5 stars
Let your guests talk!
Great guests and I like that Swisher isn't afraid to ask tough questions. However, she's always talking over her guests, trying to finish their sentences (often getting corrected since she gets it wrong), and cannot let any smart point pass without pointing out that she said/wrote that first. When the guest tries to explain the background to something, Swisher interrupts with an ”I already know that.” The listener might not! Swisher is clearly smart and knowledgeable, but please stop trying to prove that and instead be genuinely curious about your guests and let your listeners learn from them too!
Wise-Orphan
1 out of 5 stars
Host needs to learn how to listen
She is opinionated and talks over her guests and tells them what she thinks is best for them. Listened to the Edward Snowden interview and I won’t be back. Snowden is very patient no matter how often she interrupted but by the end of the interview I think he was done with her. I know I am.
Zoe 12334566
2 out of 5 stars
Talking over guests
Why do you have guests on when all you really want is to hear yourself talk over them?! Someone writes a book you are interested in, but you don’t let them freely share their work. You clearly know a lot. Let your questions be smart and insightful, instead of trying to answer the question rather than letting your guest talk. I have unsubscribed.
like satie
1 out of 5 stars
free ad for jeff!!
Did Jeff give you free subscription for live. That was a boring interview listening to an advertisement for his new venture. Ugh
bellamydm
1 out of 5 stars
Host’s ego ruins the interviews
Too bad that the host of this podcast takes every opportunity to upstage every guest and try and show that she knows more than the guest.
piankhi
5 out of 5 stars
Favorite
Simply one of my top 3 podcasts! Actually it’s like I have three different number 1’s all depending on my thirst at the moment. Intellectual, tech, social media and trends tied to business and life, when that’s what I want to hear (which I often do) this is a key source I look to so keep em coming!
Rookie Taxer
5 out of 5 stars
Love the Host and Guests
This show is a great listen. Kara Swisher is an experienced, knowledgeable host with a long history of San Francisco tech journalism. I love that she is not afraid to jump in and use her voice. She has a style that is pointed, and she has built a reputation among the tech community as a person who will confront a person — which is off putting for some, but I like it. If you would like to her advertisements from her guests there are plenty of PR videos you can watch on YouTube. If you want something with a little more edge give this a listen.
Sunny Wunder
5 out of 5 stars
Deepak Chopra
Loved Karen’s interview with Deepak. She didn’t interrupt him as much as she does with her other guest.
Maggieoc4270oc
5 out of 5 stars
Great
I love Kara and I’ll listen to anything she has to say. Please please Vox stop these T Mobile and low quality advertising. It’s infuriating
Joey in NJ
1 out of 5 stars
So basically this a Trump bashing podcast.
I have heardKara complain she has to step over homeless people get out her door, but no mention of the Democrat/Lefty’s policies that put them on her stoop! Instead, every episode is a Trump bashing fest. How leftist and loving!
User3789
3 out of 5 stars
Love the content but...
I echo the same comment I see frequently ~ not just interrupting, but the non-stop “mmm hmm”, “right”, “uh huh”, “yup”. So distracting. And I’m sorry but when you have an expert in their field state a simple fact you do not need to confirm they are correct with “Right”. It sounds like you are marking an exam. However, I must end on: Kara is great, knowledgeable, I love her POV. Now, just trust your guest, and trust your audience.
GreySkies15
4 out of 5 stars
Great content. Mediocre hosting.
Love the content of the podcast. Every time I see a subject I think “this could be interesting” and it surpasses my expectations. Kara’s enthusiasm is shown but the constant interruptions from her take away from the conversations with the guests. She’s knowledgeable about all the topics covered and always finds an interesting question to ask guests. Take out the interruptions and it’d be perfect.
MainJeffers
1 out of 5 stars
What a podcast
This is a very difficult podcast to listen to, and that is true for one simple reason. Kara Swisher has the personality of an I flushed toilet, and every comment she makes and question she asks of her guests reveal that truth. It will never reach the achievement of a truly popular podcast because her grating personality obscures any insight that might be gleaned from it.
TJJJJJ481
3 out of 5 stars
PLEASE Stop Interrupting Guests
Excellent guests, but the interruption of every single guest really sours my opinion on the podcast. Can someone please get through to Kara and let her know that her interviewing “style” is awful?
StayLitCase.com
1 out of 5 stars
Seems hateful.
It's weird. It seems like you were trying to get Steven Levy to join in on your Mark Zuckerberg bashing and took joy seeing Mark down. A bit to personal.
STL------56
2 out of 5 stars
Let your guests speak, Kara!
Holy moly I can’t believe this host can’t let her guests finish their thoughts. It’s all the more frustrating since the guests are super interesting. Great topics, great guests, but let them freaking talk! It’s headache-inducing to have the constant interruptions.
efloyd15
2 out of 5 stars
Topics and guests great; interview technique deficient
The podcast has great topics and guests, but Kara needs to intern with Terry Gross to improve her interviewing technique. She has definite routes she wants various segments of her interviews to go, but instead of prefacing and directing her questions to elicit the information she wants, she tends to ask open-ended questions that give interviewees free range, then she interrupts them multiple times in her efforts to direct the conversation, and the effect is distracting and often-times even jarring. I listen to the podcast for topics I have a really strong interest in, but I skip many I’d like to listen to because listening isn’t fun or pleasant.
evanseesred
4 out of 5 stars
Great guests, fantastic topics...
There’s a scene in the show The Office where the company goes on a booze cruise and, wanting to appear like he knows everything, Michael Scott continuously talks over the Captain in agreement during his introduction and safety training. Listening to this podcast is a similar experience. Kara is whip-smart and genuinely funny, but I’d enjoy this show much more if she’d just give the guests some room to breath and explain their ideas more fully. I love the guests and the topics they’re there to talk about — but Kara, please let them speak. It’s like she is a student always trying to impress the teacher with her knowledge of the topic. We get it, YOU know all about this stuff. Maybe don’t interrupt and cut the guests off just cause you know where they’re going with it.
1647598
1 out of 5 stars
Host interrupts
Host interrupts and finishes guests’ sentences making it too annoying to listen to often.
kaleidopop
1 out of 5 stars
Terrible host
She interrupts all the time and acts like she’s better than everyone. Bad host.
gmin007
2 out of 5 stars
kara please stop talking over your guests
its a fascinating podcasts but two things make it nails on the chalkboard for me. Her humming and hawing to her guests to show she already knows what theyre talking about and her incessant interrupting.
Sargasso C.
2 out of 5 stars
Let your guests do the talking!
First the good—the host is indeed smart, and she has a healthy skepticism towards tech companies that is sadly missing among most tech journalists. But wow, why ask smart people to come on your show and ask them great questions if you’re going to answer them yourself, or talk over their answers to show you know what they’re going to say (and half the time you’re wrong anyway.) It’s truly baffling. To quote the host (all though she was referring to tech)—“I like what it could be.”
Yuwei Zhou
5 out of 5 stars
I really love her characteristics
She is a really good role model for women and wish her podcast never end
Jen G 229
5 out of 5 stars
Came and stayed
Came for the L word Gen Q, stayed for the Ezra Klein ep
gin&chronic
3 out of 5 stars
Outstanding guests, Kara needs to attend podcast host finishing school
I've been a reluctant Recode Decode listener for years, but I can no longer keep this feedback bottled up or I'll surely get an ulcer. Kara Swisher, "Silicon Valley's most revered journalist", deserves credit for landing some fantastic guests, but she leaves much to be desired as a podcast host and interviewer. It's truly painful to listen to at times. She constantly interrupts and cuts off her guests (this is acceptable within reason just to keep the discussion on track but she is a pathological interrupter). She tries to finish her guests' thoughts in an obvious attempt to display her own intelligence and she quite often gets it wrong. She can't go 5 minutes without laying her own claim to a guest's insightful comment or observation as something she already said, or wrote, or told Mark Zuckerberg to his face. She is shamelessly self-referential. I am honestly amazed by the patience displayed by many of her guests in spite of all of the above. Being a subscriber of Recode Decode is like being friends with that guy who knows all of the cool, smart, and rich kids, who goes to all of their parties and can bring you along too, but is the last person you'd ever want to speak to yourself.
Cami Urbina
5 out of 5 stars
This podcast is exhilarating!
Just when I think It can’t get better or more interesting Kara surprises me with the diversity and depth of her guests and topics! I especially love the spotlight on women at the forefront of their fields and interest! Amazing!
Anders Pers
1 out of 5 stars
Take a radio broadcasting class
Swisher is the worst interviewer I’ve heard. It’s impossible to make it through one episode due to the constant interruptions and “look how smart I am” comments. Please listen to Fresh Air once and take notes on how to conduct an interview. Too many good podcasts out there to waste time on this one.
CBad Surfer
5 out of 5 stars
Kara, just slow down a bit and listen
Kara is incredibly smart and quick witted, too quick in many cases that she talks over her guests and answers her own questions. Her guests are top notch! Maybe the best out there as far as business leaders. Rogan has the most diverse guests. Back to Kara, treat your guests like you do with Scott on Pivot, you are more deliberate with Scott and let him speak, do the same with all the CEOs and Venture capitalists on Recode. Other than that, shows great 5 stars!
activelistening101
5 out of 5 stars
Please
Kara, PLEASE stop talking over your guests. Every now and again it gets to be so frequent and intrusive that all I hear is two people very clearly attempting to be heard and get their point in. It’s absolutely exhausting and to many of my friends that I’ve recommended the pod to, is the reason they simply cannot recognize how incredible the show is. It’s unfortunate. Please stop.. (Notice I still give the pod 5 stars, because it clearly deserves it)
cucachoo
5 out of 5 stars
Please stop interrupting your guests.
I’m a fan of you and your podcasts, but please stop interrupting your guests.
Nabby25
2 out of 5 stars
Great guests, but cringy host
I can’t even get through the whole episode because the interviewer keeps interrupting the guests. Before the guest finishes his/her sentence , Kara (host) adds something or starts a new question. This is frustrating for the listener. Let them speak, please.
lemoneek
2 out of 5 stars
Learn to Listen, Please
I thought I’d try this podcast out and the interview with Ben Silbermann of Pinterest was fabulous. I knew none of what this was before, outside of a picture frame idea my niece once got. For my 2nd listen I went to Jason De Parle’s interview and dear goddess I am angry because he’s fantastic and interesting and Kara Swisher interrupts and puts words in his mouth and so I’m outta here. Ask good questions and LISTEN
jerusalem gurl
5 out of 5 stars
Love all your
Communications. But please interrupting your guests we know how smart and charming and funny you are but all that interpretation distracts from you guest’s message.
Isabella Woodhouse
2 out of 5 stars
I will try again sometime
Interviewer needs to listen, not interrupt, and stop interjecting her own personal story so frequently. The constant uh-huhs, etc are disrespectful to the guests.
Mxmsk
3 out of 5 stars
Good podcast is Kara is not the interviewer
Good speakers and content. But Kara’s constant interruptions and trying to show how smart she is, comes in the way of a good podcast. Very evident when she has some one else be the interviewer!
tdscrna
1 out of 5 stars
Gave up
I really wanted to hear Neal Katyal but the constant interruptions made it hard to listen to and follow. I finally gave up.
700 Pages
1 out of 5 stars
Kara Swisher is the WORST INTERVIEWER EVER.
This person is the absolute most condecending, impulsive, insecure bully I ever met or listened to and this was back when she ruined probably one of the most important interviews in the history of Tech (Steve Jobs was explaining the moment he got the idea for an iPhone as we know it). Trying to listen to some of these pod casts has confirmed she's become even worse over time. UNBEARABLE.
i like kittenz
1 out of 5 stars
Take your ADHD meds, please
The amount of persistent interruptions are mind boggling. I simply wanted to hear the Bad Blood episode but was overly distracted by Kara’s constant over talking and impulsive questions prior to the current question being answered. Let the man talk! I won’t listen to any other episodes.
DoodlesCB
5 out of 5 stars
Great podcast
I look forward to every episode. She shines light on things I may have never considered or known and interviews people I may have never heard about or thought twice about.
Ssalkil
2 out of 5 stars
Interrupting and talking over guests
The information is interesting, but why have a guest on your podcast if you are going to constantly talk over them and interrupt them?!?! Let them talk. It is distracting and frankly, rude.
leo156156
1 out of 5 stars
Strikes me as a poor interviewer
Kara’s mind is already made up on every issue. There is no part of her that seems ready to learn new information and change her views based on that new information. I don’t believe she is a valuable asset to critical thinking and she is probably just galvanizing people who agree with her on shoddy philosophical foundations.
Bonnie RV
5 out of 5 stars
Don’t listen to the negative nellies - worth you’re time
Kara does an amazing job asking insightful questions and not letting her guests go downs unnecessary rabbit holes or just stick to the their talking points.
missee26
1 out of 5 stars
Hard pass
I listened to part of one episode and her guest was fun and friendly and she was such a wet blanket, Debbie downer. It really made me dislike her. Unsubscribed immediately
Claybonnyman
4 out of 5 stars
Swisher has grown on me
It’s taken me awhile, and I still think Swisher is at times too quick to interrupt, talk over or redirect a guest, but I really like “Recode Decode.” The topics and guests are relevant and interesting to me more than 90% of the time, and sometimes — not always! — I see that her interruption/redirection is probably a good move to prevent a guest from wandering off down a cul de sac that’s neither very interesting nor enlightening. She’s tough, funny, cynical in just the right dose and heck, just the other day I was thinking, “Why can’t I vote for someone like *this* for president?”
LenaJones77
3 out of 5 stars
Great but :(
I love Kara but unfortunately have to echo some of the other reviews - the interruptions make it really difficult to follow the conversation and listen to the answers of your amazing guests. Even Senator Warner said “please let me finish this one sentence” !
Ekatok
1 out of 5 stars
Let your guest talk
Listening to thus show is very difficult because of constant interruptions. Kara doesn’t let her guests get a sentence out without interrupting them with something having to do with her. It’s not interesting listening to that.
UR Mike
2 out of 5 stars
Recode Decode
Kara Swisher has excellent guests. E.G, Tom Peters. She asked great questions but continually interrupted Tom to move on to another topic or insert some closely held opinion. Sure, Rom was on to pimp his new book, but he tells great stories and always cross references with other resources and books. Kara - shut up and listen!
ppp79
2 out of 5 stars
Needs new host
Kara has so much of knowledge but she interjects herself constantly and makes the show about her rather than about the great guests and topics. Her interjections aren’t useful and don’t help the conversation, for example commenting on how someone has a “dumb last name”. I also feel she doesn’t ask useful questions. She assumes her guests are the good guys and attacks their opponents or competitors. I’d like to see her take a balanced approach, challenge her guests, and present the other side of an argument because right now the conclusions she draws seem disingenuous (which is sad because I agree with almosy all of them) since they aren’t presented fairly.
BerylH
5 out of 5 stars
Excellent tech podcast
Kara is no BS, asking smart and direct questions to a variety of influential tech players.
Hirsnick
5 out of 5 stars
Sasha Baron Cohen
I am listening to Sasha at an ADL Event talking about the weaponization of Facebook! He is so smart, articulate and funny. Do a podcast with him! Brilliant.
pughx021
2 out of 5 stars
Please Stop Interrupting
I really like Kara Swisher, however, she either needs to let her guests speak or stop having them altogether. She’s clearly very knowledgeable but speaking over others makes this podcast very hard to listen to. Her interview with Mayor Pete was especially tough.
american rasta
2 out of 5 stars
Constant interrupting. It’s not tough journalism, it’s just annoying.
Never lets guests finish sentences and constantly interrupts to add some sort of self-proclaimed wisdom. I read the reviews and thought maybe they were being a bit hard. I liked one of the episodes and the idea of the show, but lord... could not give it anymore chances. Should have listened to the reviews.
Sebu91
3 out of 5 stars
Ms. Swisher needs to let guests finish a thought
Interesting guests and good questions asked, but Ms. Swisher keeps cutting guests off as soon as they begin answering a question. She’ll also ask a question and then immediately cut off the guest and pivot to an entirely different subject and question. This is not respectful to the guest or to the listener.
Kalya K.
5 out of 5 stars
Interview
Great podcast! Please interview Christopher Wylie! It’s really important to understand what happened at that level. It’s part of the 2016 nightmare that the media don’t address and yet it was a determining factor, even for the future. Thank you.
gghostryderr
2 out of 5 stars
Condescending and interrupting
I was very interested to hear the Snowden interview but this lady was annoying.
Shanayguy
2 out of 5 stars
I tried...
Tried 3 episodes... but host really is difficult to listen to. She comes off abrasive, snotty, and disingenuous. Interviews are choppy because host pivots and transitions topics poorly. She also doesn’t seem to be listening or helping the flow of discussion. Great topics and guests but not the greatest interviewer.
DenverToQuebec
2 out of 5 stars
Stop interrupting
Fantastic interview topics and people, but can she quit talking all over her interviewees?! It’s incredibly distracting from what has the potential to be a fantastic podcast.
34673826383928102947
2 out of 5 stars
Trump badhing liberal,extremely opinoiated
Theres literally a whole episode about trump,because thats what we came here for,not tech but politics
Kbc610
5 out of 5 stars
Kara Swisher is the voice we need
The world today seems absolutely crackers, with nuclear bombs to blow us all sky high. There’s fools and idiots sitting on the trigger, and capitalists can’t get rich enough or destroy enough lives of the little people in the process, so I’m glad someone as smart, savvy, and relentless as Kara Swisher is putting tough questions to those who are accountable for the current state of affairs.
aydin.eyvazzade
1 out of 5 stars
Interrupting guests!!
Interviewer is terrible interrupting guests. I feel so uncomfortable every single time listening to this show.
Austin_Kocher
1 out of 5 stars
Terrible Interviewer
This could be so good, but Kara Swisher is such a terrible interviewer I just can’t listen.
Zaptrax
3 out of 5 stars
Good but not great
Kara Swisher is a highly experienced and very smart tech journalist. The program attracts many interesting guests. The problem is Kara Swisher. To be blunt, she is very full of herself. She is constantly trying to show her guests and audience how smart she is. She talks too much, interrupts too much and most of the time it is not done to clarify or keep the guest on point but to prove to the world that Kara is the smartest person in the room. When a new Recode Decode podcast arrives I often have a sense of dread that to get the insights of the guest I will have to spend an hour with Ms. Swisher. If you don’t mind this type of personality you might enjoy the podcasts more than I do.
JD Shaw
5 out of 5 stars
This is a GREAT podcast for the Techno Geek oriented.
Kara has great interviews. Mostly Tech people, but occasionally from outside tech when it touches on tech or really important in general. She’s a fast thinker, has a sharp tongue, and is worth your time. She’s one of my favorite commute listens.
rogan_da
4 out of 5 stars
I Really Like Recode and Kara Swisher
The alternative thinking Kara has and the people she interviews highlight and expand my thinking about these cultural impacts that rely on or result from technology. I’ve had this idea for a long time about seeing the social impact of the technologies of communication. I worked at Bell Telephone as a manual switchboard operator while in college. Then moved into sociology as a major because it was an absolutely no brainer natural fit for my developing way of thinking. My work took me into data comm, business operations, financial planning, and on and on. I used my creativity to fund a life’s development and now I’m left with too much experience and no outlet. It’s time. Thanks for the provocation.
MikeSoCal2019
1 out of 5 stars
Kara is confusing
I think she’s pretending to be progressive. My favorite interview was with Carly F.
JoeJitsu412
1 out of 5 stars
Beyond pathetic
Kara Swisher is beyond pathetic
burt514
3 out of 5 stars
Could be so good!
Constantly interrupts guests.
Jamiejames PDX
5 out of 5 stars
There cannot possibly be enough episodes
Fascinating guests, compelling topics, serious without being lifeless and provides a unique window into our culture and world. There's so much to learn out there and this is a wonderful platform for education- about everything and anything!
ElliotRockefeller
1 out of 5 stars
No respect for guests
Why would anyone want to go on her show ? She never reapects them enough to give them the space to finish their sentence , let alone work out complex ideas
goodtimecharlie
5 out of 5 stars
You're so poor all you have is money
This is Kara Swisher's world and we all just live in it. Long live the Queen.
schvitzin spritzer
5 out of 5 stars
Amazing I love this
She gets some of the smartest people to dive deep on their expertise. The CDC episode was by far the coolest and most hopeful insight into cyber security/hacker world. It made me hopeful that there are good tech people out there who want to help humanity be better.
Girl2kk
3 out of 5 stars
Needs to learn basic interviewing skills
Ms. Swisher needs to learn some basic radio interviewing skills, like letting people finish their thoughts and not interrupting. She seems to think she is more interesting and than her guests. She may be, but for the duration of her interview, she needs to pretend as if they are.
Yoshiandelmo
1 out of 5 stars
Kara- read the reviews
If you stopped interrupting your guests, almost every 1 star review would be a 5 star review.
ricekrispies14
1 out of 5 stars
Kara, STOP INTERRUPTING YOUR GUESTS
The show itself is interesting, but Kara never lets her guest finish a full sentence. I was super excited to listen to the episode with Joe Menn about his CDC book but I had to shut it off after 10 minutes because he could barely get 5 words out without her interrupting and sounding self-righteous. KARA PLEASE LET YOUR GUESTS TALK.
grara1872
2 out of 5 stars
Too much interrupting
Just listened to the interview with author Taffy Brodesser-Akner and could barely focus on the guest because Swisher kept interrupting-if not with her own thoughts or clarifications than with “uhums” and “yeps”. Really uncomfortable listening and took away from the otherwise interesting commentary of the guest.
Lipb
2 out of 5 stars
Good in terms of tech and social justice.
Please stay away from international affairs. Kara becomes such an extremist, nationalist, and racist once talking about diplomacy topics. That makes her hypocrisy so obvious. It’s OK to be good at just one thing. And people will appreciate your good work, insights, and bravery to challenge the power.
TeddyDavisMaggie
5 out of 5 stars
Smart, smart woman
I am not a tech person whatsoever but Kara’s podcast is interesting without being too technical. She really holds individuals’ feet to the fire and asks good questions AND follow up questions where you know she is listening and responding in real time not just asking a predetermined list of questions. She also gets great guests.
mjberggr1504
1 out of 5 stars
Worst Interviewer Ever!
The host interrupts her guests to an unprofessional degree. I feel embarrassed for her. This is such a painful listen I had to unsubscribe. Replace the interviewer.
wxgeek88
2 out of 5 stars
Seriously, You Aren’t the Expert on Everything...
I credit your line-up of guests, but your interview with Pete Buttigieg wasn’t tough in a smart way. You talked over him and seemed to be looking for a fight. Won’t be tuning in again...
loubohan296
3 out of 5 stars
Great guests. Subpar host
I listened to one episode and stopped in the middle to look up Kara Swisher because she did not seem on the same intellectual footing to speak to many of her guests. She would interrupt needlessly or often feign understanding and then ask useless questions. I was surprised to read about her illustrious career in tech journalism because I could not see any of that pedigree in this podcast. Maybe she’s better in writing when she has time to do copious prior research, but not on the spot. It’s ok to admit you don’t know things and patiently wait to hear them explained.
SFyogasister
1 out of 5 stars
Interview style
Swisher needs to actually listen to the guests that she interviews. I listened once to the Pete Buttigieg interview and won’t listen again. Love Mayor Pete, don’t like the interviewer’s style.
cokdd
3 out of 5 stars
All the interrupting is wearing thin
I’ve been listening for several months now, but the interrupting is really starting to get to me. It could be such a good show otherwise... great guests, questions that get to the heart of an issue. I’m at a crossroads whether to stay subscribed.
Sirbunsalot
5 out of 5 stars
Mind opening
Excellent educational topics I haven’t found elsewhere. In depth clever interviews. After reading other reviews I found some to be way over critical of the host. It’s like they are out to get her for some personal reason. She does interrupt too much but overall I find her sarcasm funny. Her wit balances out the seriousness of some of the topics.
$@M B@¥
1 out of 5 stars
Poor host
She’s obviously very smart but a terrible interviewer. She will interrupt and talk over guests and is just plain annoying at times.
redwag0n
3 out of 5 stars
Needs to confront framework
I am really disappointed in this Podcast. Kara does best with a good foil. She also needs to step back from her framework. Just because she believes she’s right does not maker her so. She often underestimates the impact of her policies or beliefs and over estimates those she disagrees with. Furthermore more she like simple solutions to complex problems. She has a very newspeak vibe around her as well.
imyourmoderator
2 out of 5 stars
Just...rude
Good guests but oh man, the host is terrible. Nothing to add, cuts guests off from speaking, distracts them from their points. It’s hard to listen to.
Fs9999
3 out of 5 stars
Great topics, but too many interruptions
Love the wide ranging topics and guests interviewed, but after listening to four episodes, I have to give up because Kara cannot stop interrupting her guests. Very few guests get to finish expressing their thoughts before she chimes in with a useless comment. Too bad, I was looking forward to binging all her episodes.
XMR user
1 out of 5 stars
Don’t use Monero
Kara is an authoritarian and globalist. She believes that high ranking Jews are the only people that should have free speech. I listen weekly to hear what fascists want to do using technology.
AriReed
5 out of 5 stars
Great variety of interviewees. Great podcast.
Always interesting, provocative and educational. Kara Swisher is a talented and well-prepared host.
audioz001
1 out of 5 stars
If the dollar store was a podcast this would be it.
The more I listen to her the more I think she either isn’t paying attention to what her guest is saying, or doesn’t understand the words. She asks the most obvious repeatedly asked questions.
tcatz
3 out of 5 stars
Frustrating
This Scott Galloway episode is so great, but the constant interruption and talking over but the host was so frustrating I could barely tolerate listening to the whole thing. Kept knocking him off his point. Ugh let him finish a sentence!!
bearfan1973
3 out of 5 stars
Good content, would be better w/o interruptions
Great speakers, good content that could be great, but Kara repeatedly interrupts her guests and takes them off their talking points. It would be so much better if she would restrain her interruptions.
Charlie Fox64
1 out of 5 stars
(47 U.S.C. § 230)
I appreciate you try to hold Tech accountable on some things, but it really is on your agenda, not what is good for society. Tech Social Media is not a public square. It’s people mainly virtue signaling or passively reading while being under surveillance for being allowed to use the technology. Tech needs to be removed from protection of (47 U.S.C. § 230). If I hear the words “super important “ “do better “ and “have a conversation “, I think I’ll vomit. Maintaining our privacy is what? Making sure you can control , surveil and sell the data ?
flothefrog
5 out of 5 stars
Knowledgeable unfortunately
Yes, Kara is so knowledgeable and so funny so it’s really unfortunate because when you finish listening to an episode you have to return to a very drab life in comparison.
tumblewind
2 out of 5 stars
Guests great; host not so much
Fascinating guests but the egotistical host is annoying and an interruption.
sjgleah
2 out of 5 stars
Jim Sciutto
Kara, please, please PLEASE stop interrupting Jim Sciutto. Thanks, Steve
memoryloader
5 out of 5 stars
Kara Swisher
One of the best podcasts out there. Kara Swisher is a phenomenal host. She is a witty, knowledgeable and fun host. Wish I could give more than five stars.
lavigneam
1 out of 5 stars
Stop Interrupting
Kara constantly interrupts and interjects which completely ruins the flow of the interview and takes the listener out from being able to listen to what the guest has to say. Instead, Kara uses the podcast to boast personal achievements and name drop. Seriously, stop interrupting and let your guest speak. After trying to get through three episodes and making it through 1.15 of them, I’m unsubscribing. What a waste for what seemed like a promising podcast.
Hchl
1 out of 5 stars
Self-obsessed & deadly boring
It’s a chore to slog through all the arrogance and self-importance in the hopes of getting something insightful or vaguely interesting.
JoshVoidMoon
3 out of 5 stars
Interesting topics, but the host isn’t great
I really tried to listen and like this podcast, but Kara keeps talking over and interrupting the guests! It seems like they’re talking fast so they can get their point across before she interrupts them again! This seems more like an informal conversation rather than an interview podcast. Let the guest speak without interjecting for a while.
fun to be fat
1 out of 5 stars
What a Shitshow
It’s a shame I can’t give this podcast 0 stars. Worst podcast host ever. Smug, bitter, resentful, unintelligent,disrespectful...the list could go on forever
Sam766
1 out of 5 stars
Good god..
I’m shocked this podcast exists. I have never heard a more unprofessional, rude, narcissistic interviewer in my life. I can’t believe anyone agrees to be a guest on this show, and I can’t imagine how anyone could stomach listening to more than one episode of this. At times I felt physically dizzy due to the hosts lack of focus and incessant self-serving interruptions. Yiiiiiikes.
ReportThis505
2 out of 5 stars
Interviewees hot, Swisher not
Kara Swisher gets a lot of celebrities on this podcast which is notable in the podcasting world. We get to hear voices like Elon Musk, Sam Harris, and Mark Zuckerberg. I don’t mean to dog pile along with other recent bad reviews, but Swisher isn’t an interviewer. She’s a provoker and an impatient host. She can ask good questions, but then never let them fully answer or explain their positions. For instance, if she didn’t want to hear Sam Harris talk about his point of view, then she should not have had him on. Before he could fully flesh out his philosophy, she interrupted him with her own personal takes and assumptions. I have no problem with interviewers who persistently and confidently ask questions to fully understand something, but Swisher goes to far in letting her own biases take the wheel of the conversation. In the end, the listener learns not much more than how Swisher feels about her guest.
Pat1987638282)5
2 out of 5 stars
Honest at least
She’s honest about her far far leftist views, so two stars for that. Absolutely insane otherwise.
hansen4332
1 out of 5 stars
Full of gimmicks and tricks, no honesty
Welcome to the lefts version of Sean Hannity.
Teddy00012#
1 out of 5 stars
Insufferable
Kara somehow gets top quality guests despite constantly exposing her own biases and inability to understand nuance. She seems to take the amazing platform of podcasting, and ruin it with a style best analogized to television news. She remains a passive listener until the moment where she can send her "zinger" to the guest she dislikes and then move on to the next point.
strummermax
1 out of 5 stars
Incompetent and Condescending
A person who thinks it knows everything does not make a good interviewer - many of these “interviews” are more accurately described as interrogations. Swisher’s constant mid-sentence interruptions and dismissive know-it-all yappy tone reveal it’s lack of intellectual curiosity and common courtesy and it’s desire to promote it’s own “current year” boring orthodoxy over presenting alternative views to it’s own.
Travis rudd
1 out of 5 stars
One of the worst interviewers I’ve ever heard.
Constantly exposes her bias and lack of intellectual honesty. Interrupts her guests CONSTANTLY, even though most are incredibly well versed in their fields and much more knowledgeable than she. She asks subjective questions when tells people they’re wrong. She misinterprets or purposefully misconstrues quotes and situations. Overall just incredibly dishonest and difficult to engage with, and most of her podcasts are really tough to listen because she clearly tries to make the platform about her and her views, and doesn’t let the interviewee even make their points.
Al-547
5 out of 5 stars
Must listen!
Amazing interviews, cuts through talking points and focuses guests on the issues at hand. I always come here for interesting takes and dope topics.
owntckr
1 out of 5 stars
Difficult interview style
The host’s dismissive and almost standoffish attitude during interviews does not create the kind of open dialogue that generates meaningful responses from guests. That isn’t to say that swisher is a talented prosecutor either. Scoffing isn’t going to get anyone to give up a better answer. Listening to these interviews is very frustrating.
The Lawtons
1 out of 5 stars
Not a safe place for ideas
Kara could not have been more petulant and uncharitable in her podcast with Sam Harris. She was snarky, rude, and frequently cut him off to then put words in his mouth. It was a painful podcast to listen to, and I’m only 40 minutes in right now. From what I’ve read in comments elsewhere, it only goes downhill from here. Kara’s emotional attachment to her ideas and beliefs were on full display. She could not have sounded more condescending and just plain rude. I give much credit to Dr.Harris for calmly and dispassionately responding to her aggressive questioning. His patience and intellect is vastly greater than his uncharitable interviewer, Kara Swisher.
CR_589
1 out of 5 stars
Stop interrupting your guests
I agree with the last comment. I’m sorry but the interrupting was a bit much.
itsallticketyboo
1 out of 5 stars
Vox is going off the rails
Podcasts are meant to be long form journalism where you get to hear conversations that explore topics in depth. That's not what this podcast is. Trying to listen to this podcast is an exercise in hearing a person who is a subject matter expert in absolutely nothing act like her ill-informed opinion is actually facts & expertise. Don't waste your time with this one.
Milmadpoc
1 out of 5 stars
Terrible interviewer
Hey Kara, it’s not about you. Stop interrupting and let your guests talk. Most frustrating podcast ever.
Jordan Reviews Podcasts
1 out of 5 stars
Unbelievably bad interviewer
I am just in shock that this person has a podcast. Her extremely frustrating interruptions and bizarrely antagonistic and dismissive manner is incredibly unpleasant to listen to. As someone who has a podcast and has heard myself performing vocal tics I don’t like, like interrupting my cohost, I have tried to improve. It’s not easy to control sometimes. I’d like to think I’ve become more mindful and shown improvement. But there are countless reviews here for months and months justifiably criticizing her and there’s just no effort to improve, and hearing her in this show I’d imagine she would just go “mmhm” 10 times and ignore any reasonable critique. Never listening to another episode. This was absolutely infuriating.
JesusRamones
1 out of 5 stars
Sam Harris episode
On the Sam Harris episode he couldn’t have a sentence without being condescending. She couldn’t even point to something they disagreed on besides “if you’re going to say controversial things you should expect people to lie about your position to disparage you”. Sam Harris isn’t without fault in this he should’ve addressed her ill intentions and addressed those.
Dardalie96
5 out of 5 stars
Kara is so cute!!
Go get em!
Lss659
5 out of 5 stars
Why...
...are these podcasts so large? I can download other 1-1/2 hour podcasts using my phone’s cellular data but so many of these require WiFi to be downloaded. I can’t afford WiFi (and I refuse to buy cable or any of those ridiculously expensive packages that require you to sign long-term contracts with umpteen penalties 😠👎), so I can’t listen to episodes of one of my favorite podcasts. C’mon, Kara, you’re tech-savvy, can you/your team please fix this?
LucasEWE
1 out of 5 stars
Don’t waste your time
Unscrupulous, uninterested interviewer. Frequently talks past guests and fundamentally misguided on important issues inside and outside of tech
Abbabba6555
1 out of 5 stars
Insincere to the point of being misleading
Does she care? Does she not care? Is she tackling big issues, or just mailing it in and adding to the noise? I used to expect more from Kara Swisher.
Andrew Walton
1 out of 5 stars
Lazy idiot host
She doesn’t seem to understand anything
Bkitt68
1 out of 5 stars
Listen to your guest
Kara constantly interrupts her guests with her constant ‘Uh huh’ and ‘Um hmm’ interjections. They don’t bring anything to the conversation and simply make her seem to be waiting for her turn to speak. This is in addition to the points she purposefully interrupts her guest. I don’t know if it is her desire to seem in control, but it is hugely distracting and makes her seem like a bad interviewer. Just be quiet while your guest responds to your questions...
Steven Zuber
1 out of 5 stars
Worst conversational podcast I’ve ever heard
The host constantly interrupts guests and asks questions without giving the guests a chance to answer before interrupting, and changing the topic. I made sure to listen to an entire episode before making a final judgement.
Clarence T
1 out of 5 stars
Irritating
Shrill and annoying
appleknocker
1 out of 5 stars
Great guests...
The interviews are conducted in a way that can be cringe inducing at times. What’s up with the all one-upping?
omaggiej
1 out of 5 stars
Sam Harris
It’s clear that she came to Sam with a bone to pick. Many of the moments she was held up on with him were extremely petty, and odd to dwell on. She interrupted and didn’t let him finish many thoughts that she in fact brought up. Sam is thoughtful and extremely brilliant. She seems immeasurable on many levels compared to him in this interview. I was hoping she would, but she added no value.
3Beasties
2 out of 5 stars
Holy crap-stop interrupting!
I listened to this coming in as feeling conflicted about Sam Harris and never having heard of Kara Swisher. I leave feeling still conflicted about Sam Harris and dumbfounded as to how a person like Ms. Swisher has a podcast since she never stopped jumping in mid-stream and constantly interrupting. So irritating, and snarky in a not charming way. Too many good podcasts out there to make time for her.
G72072
1 out of 5 stars
Not terrible
The interruptions are so tough. Please give room to breath.
frostyandroid
1 out of 5 stars
I just can't do it
I've tried listening to her. I really have. But the constant vapid interruptions have worn me out. Such a shame because she has interesting guests. Kara honestly just needs to shut up for like 2 minutes and let her guests talk.
Curley McGee
1 out of 5 stars
Terrible interviewer
Just listened to her interview with Sam Harris. This review is based solely on that. She is a horrible interviewer, made petty snide remarks the entire time. She tries to fight back against what Sam is saying but anytime he pushes back against her criticisms she side steps to avoid engaging his points.
Swift2
5 out of 5 stars
Kara is the best
I always listen to her. Everybody talks about feeds and leads, she talks about the human nitty-gritty.
KLstil
1 out of 5 stars
Stop interrupting!
I want to like this podcast. I think Kara is smart and fearless, and she picks interesting guests. But a podcast isn’t the best medium for her. She is so overconfident that she doesn’t let them get a word in edgewise. The incessant interrupting makes this podcast hard to listen to, and she comes off immature and as someone who just likes to hear herself talk.
rabidmoderate
5 out of 5 stars
Love Sam Harris. Glad you had him.
But ditto the interruptions
honmatt
2 out of 5 stars
More practice in making productive discussions
First time hearing of this podcast, and the only (and last) episode I have heard is the recent one with Sam Harris. I came here as a Sam Harris fan, and starting off Kara Swisher seemed like a good interviewer. The first 30 minutes, Kara Swisher allowed Sam to discuss his points and justly responded to them. Later she seems to get carried away and starts obnoxiously interrupting and making sassy remarks. It is perfectly fine to disagree with his points, but out of respect for the person interviewed and the listener, you need to let the full point be expressed. She clearly needs to listen to this podcast episode and hopefully learns how to improve having good faith discussions. As a first impression, she appears to be very distasteful by the end.
mcannalea
2 out of 5 stars
Can’t Subscribe
I want to like the podcast because of the guests but I hate how she talks over them. For the love of god, ask your question and then SHUT UP. Stop talking over your guests!!!
TexasTokyo
5 out of 5 stars
Sam Harris
I listen to Harris’ pod weekly. I’m also black, although, I know he thinks that fact doesn’t matter (but I live in the real world). Kara, that was a master-class on how to conduct an interview with someone who is convinced he’s intellectually honest on everything, while at the same time trying to convince the world he’s open (obviously not), yet, being as closed minded as one can be on certain issues. Masterpiece. I like Sam. A lot. However, that interview exposed many of the holes in his game. Dude is soft. The definition of (sports slang coming) so butt hurt by the trivial that he can’t move on. All I hear from his identity clan is “I’ve been so wronged. Listen to the cases of how I’ve been wronged.” Bruh, it’s old. You got anything else in your arsenal besides ‘buy my mindfulness app’? I know you do. I’ve read your work. Get off Twitter and move on to the things that matter. Kara, your silence and occasional injections spoke volumes. While constantly giving his ‘I’m on the side of good’ bonafides, you gave the perfect retorts. Focus on the thing. + If it’s too hot, get out of the kitchen. + Why is he so surprised? And, the most telling, why does he think he’s the one to tell everyone else to just move on. It’s like he thinks everything magically changed recently and the world/ country could simply get over it by taking a few self-actualizing drugs. People are people, not cyborgs. IMO, I think he keeps on this I’m the victim troupe’ because it keeps the bills paid. My guess is, if he moves off it his Jordan P. audience will stop with the monthly payments and he’ll have nothing left. What a waste of a great mind. I’d rather he just get some advertisers and move on. Sam has so much to offer, but he’s totally stuck in a rut. Sam needs to diversify his guest list. Or, he can just keep doing what he’s doing until he fizzles out. What a wasted talent. PS- That interview he did with the mixed college kid also spoke volumes on how little he knows about the topic and how few people he has in his circle to educate him. Is he really looking to challenge his thought. At this point, I don’t see evidence of it, but it’ll keep listening, waiting and hoping. Here’s a list of suggestions: (some aren’t with us any longer, but it’ll give some idea where to start. Cornel West *Dr. Carl Hart **Ph.D. Joy Degruy - (#1 suggestion) Ph.D. George Nelson Preston *Ralph Wiley - Author - Journalists (find a like mind (Bomani Jones) Michael Santiago Render aka Killer Mike- poet, artist Asha Bandele - Author *Graham Bosworth - Lawyer & Former Prosecutor *Paul Butler - Harvard Law & Law Professor at Georgetown Law Center Glenn Loury-American economist ( again. ask him why he left) **James Baldwin Langston Hughes
Dialextic
4 out of 5 stars
Kara, you’re awesome, but give space for guests to speak!
Huge fan of Kara Swisher, I think she’s fearless and hilarious and has a point of view. She has great guests on; maybe give them a sec to breathe though, and take a breath yourself? Kara speaks at 100mph and barely lets the guest start to answer before she talks over them again. Also , WHY ARE THE FILE SIZES FOR THESE EPISODES SO BIG? I often don’t have enough space on my phone for more than 1 Decode Recode; they’re like 160mb while other podcasts are always less than 100, often less than 60mb.
benbrokaw79
1 out of 5 stars
Obnoxious, ignorant.
Not a quality podcast.
I'm just a guitar player
1 out of 5 stars
Not very sophisticated
When faced with a true intellectual, kara Swisher sounds petty and childish.
buddhatim
3 out of 5 stars
Great guests, but ....
If only the host would pay attention to the guest and not be in such a hurry to get back to herself. I listened to two interviews and half way through the second show, I found myself shouting ‘oh will you SHUT UP and let her answer’. Kara is smart, but incredibly rude and the worst interviewer I have ever heard. Too bad, because the show has promise.
not so old lady in maine
5 out of 5 stars
Listen to every episode
Smart, informative, topical..format begins with guest sharing their journey in their field...Kara’s questions direct interview into interesting discussions .... guests are varied and relevant...just listened to Julia Angwin and Hansa Bergwall this week, both fascinating interviews....thoughtful guests, discussions and content
Sicche
5 out of 5 stars
I have grown quite fond of her.
I heard Kara for the fist time during the historic interviews with Mossberg to Steve Jobs and I wondered back then why she was brought over from Walt. I found her questions hard to understand (I am not english mother tongue) and some time I believed the pertinence of her questions were off topic or not relevant. I was wrong and I have grown fond of her style of journalism. She incisive and properly irreverent during her interviews, and that, as far as I am concerned, is one of the a few ways you don’t fall in the bias trap. She brought up several topics ahead of the time like the #metoo movement, discrimination on the work environment, the bad side of the social media over the internet. And many more. Listening to it is interesting, entertaining and educational. Always waiting for the next interview.
Brad...........,
2 out of 5 stars
Not as smart as she thinks she is
She never considers that she may know less than the person she is interviewing, not a great quality in a interviewer. A little bit of humility would go a long way towards making this a better podcast. Exponent is a much better option for tech related news and updates, check them out instead.
Angry (wannabe) bus rider
3 out of 5 stars
Let guests speak
Often interesting topics and speakers but so often, except with those tech folks who know more than you about SV life, KS interjects and interrupts to make some point to highlight what she knows. Ask your smart questions and let the guest talk. If KS listened better I would give this podcast a 5.
floridaswanlady
4 out of 5 stars
Podcasts
Great show. I will continue to listen to podcasts and am grateful for other ways to gain information and insight. I don’t always agree and love it all
rmfrommo
1 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
Listen to interview with John Carreyrou. I was interested in the show until she made some anti-Trump comment early in the show. I knew I was going to subscribe. The subject was great be she constantly interrupted Carreyrou. Would love a show like this without the unnecessary political commentary
brandonh1220
2 out of 5 stars
Stop interrupting!
Just listened to the John Carreyrou interview. He was great and the subject excellent. Kara interrupting and correcting was so annoying. Terrible interviewer.
cc28
5 out of 5 stars
Great show!
Great show!
BBall_fan_in_DC
2 out of 5 stars
Very difficult to listen
Kara is a legendary writer and has booked many great guests. But as an interviewer, she steps all over them with her constant interjections. There's no easy flow to these conversations. I want to listen but have given up.
dogwalker8
5 out of 5 stars
Recode Decode
Love Kara Swisher... Bright, energetic, humorous, on point... Does great interviews. I have half dozen podcasts I never miss..Recode/Decode is FOR CERTAIN, one of them. Thanks to all those who make it possible!!..dogwalker
techgeek411
1 out of 5 stars
What a terrible interviewer!
She interrupts constantly, and keeps trying to inject commentary just so you know how “smart” she is. Thankfully there an unsubscribe button that has solved my problem.
Gordon Zhang
1 out of 5 stars
She’s always trying to prove that she knows something
She has an extreme eager to show that she knows something or someone. This is a sign of her lack of confidence I guess? This mental weakness has destroyed the show, at least degraded it to a very mediocre one.
Diana71292
5 out of 5 stars
Yes, she interrupts, but strategically.
Kara Swisher is the best interviewer in tech. Mad about her tendency to interrupt? It’s because she intentionally stops guests from pivoting to talking points, and will literally stop them if they’re spouting bull. Best tech commentary out there - Kara Swisher is #goals for media commentary on Silicon Valley.
illidoquitous
1 out of 5 stars
Begrudgingly Unsubscribed
The interruptions and holier-than-thou attitude is just too much. She gets quality guests, but it’s unlistenable. The fact that the podcast has been around for 3 years, and since there are several reviews saying the same thing, says she either doesn’t read her reviews or doesn’t care.
Stally boy
1 out of 5 stars
Annoying loves to hear herself talk
Bad interviewer, annoying, an over talker and nuts. I’ll stick with someone who’s sane for my podcasts
russ-M
1 out of 5 stars
Annoying style and too much left wing arrogance
Hard to sort through the tech updates with all the left wing ideas and constant bashing. Young Turks disguised as a tech show. We get it - you despise republicans.
Missy2278
5 out of 5 stars
Great insight and Kara rocks!
Kara Swisher is one of the best journalists out there. I love her direct no BS approach and that she doesn’t join the leagues of sycophants fawning over tech giants. We need a league of Kara’s!!! Scott’s cool too :)
Guywholistenstogoodpodcasts
4 out of 5 stars
Promising, fun, but also annoying
Great guests with a host who dives into interesting topics. The host is funny and engaging, but often tries to steal the show and talk over her guest. The guests often seem annoyed and insulted by her rude behavior. Great show but could be so much better.
spareparts88
5 out of 5 stars
The Best Bar None
Thank you Kara for being the feisty, consummate interrupter.
AMH184
1 out of 5 stars
Lord, save us.
I am horrified by the ridiculous navel-gazing, whining, and selfishness of the tech folks she talks to. God it's depressing.
unyk name
1 out of 5 stars
Mhm. Mhm. Right. Mhm. Right.
Good guests, knowledgeable host, completely unlistenable because of the constant "mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Right."
thc_71
4 out of 5 stars
Have to agree with everyone here...
The topics covered and the guests are absolutely fascinating. Completely top notch in terms of material (5 stars). However, the host interrupts the guests repeatedly and never advances the dialogue. It’s incredibly distracting and not helpful (her clarifications are often obvious, already covered, or the only purpose is to talk about herself “I just wrote an op-ed in the Times about this”). Her ego seems to run front and center. Kind of like listening to a lecture by a subject matter expert who is getting continuously peppered with questions from a twitter feed. Just let them talk!
davewav3
3 out of 5 stars
Mmhmm, right, right, (snark) but go on
Interviewer has distracting vocal ticks. Too many quick little interjections. Seems like she is speed talking and trying to goad her guests to speed up. Is this some sort of t.v./radio thing? Why are they almost out of time? What’s the rush?
igormax
1 out of 5 stars
Checking out
That K has been here ‘in the day’ (and forever) and knows everyone and she knows it all Practice your zen while K interrupts guests just when they where about to start a thought and then don’t follows up. Listen to incoherent Trump-like ramblings by K that don’t make a point and start and end mid-sentence.... yeah , that was cool and I met so and so at the time I was ... me me me Tried, but unsubscribed - waste of time Ps I do respect and follow K since WSJ and think she can be genuinely Smart and clever so not sure what’s up and where it went wrong.
KoMo0420
1 out of 5 stars
Smart interrupter
Kara Swisher is brilliant, but the the interruptions are distracting. In fact, I’m trying to finish an episode, but I had to stop to reduce my rating to 1 star and just quit. I’m unsubscribing now.
IndyBucky
3 out of 5 stars
Stop Interrupting
Great guests, topics, and banter. Stop Interrupting The Guests. Kara would be that much better if she would breathe a bit and let people finish their thoughts. Makes me cringe / feel sorry for the guests.
Dukue
2 out of 5 stars
Is it possible to interrupt people more?
There are great people interviewed but the interruptions by the host are so frustrating to listen to. It’s like trying to finish someone’s sentences but being wrong 85% of the time and taking the attention away from the point actually being made. Please fix!
atlprint
1 out of 5 stars
Barry Diller
Barry Diller is a brilliant man with a fascinating story. I was so looking forward to hearing him on this podcast. Kara ruined, with her constant interruptions, what should have been an insightful look into the mind of a great business visionary. She really needs to objectively listen to this on replay and then I hope she will realize how distracting she is. She seems to be a genuinely good person, she just needs to ask her questions and then get out of the way.
Trug 358
5 out of 5 stars
Awesome!
Kara is so bright and opens new doors through interviews with major players. Great insights that help me be a more informed citizen. Keep up the great work!
ApppleNoMore
1 out of 5 stars
let them talk for god sake!
I can't stand this podcast, the host always interrupt the guest, trying to be smarter. The worst host ever.
Just Me Listening
1 out of 5 stars
Too much Kara
She needs to get out of the way! Her theories are not that thoughtful and her name dropping and pushing her own views gets in the way of hearing from the deeper experience of her guests.
Crimebuff49
1 out of 5 stars
Awful host
Kara’s constant interrupting makes this podcast unlistenable for me.
loslob0s
3 out of 5 stars
K
Eh...
TheCompDoctor
1 out of 5 stars
Stut up and listen to the guests
Kara Swisher is a journalist. She's not an expert in any subject compared to the people that she interviews. Yet she tries to re-empt and pre-anticipate what her guests are saying. She should just shut up and listen and maybe, just maybe one day she'll be as smart and wise as the unfortunate guests she fools into coming on this podcast. The interruptions coupled with the numerous commercials make this show a loser.
Adriankeith
1 out of 5 stars
Incredibly obnoxious.
I don't normally leave reviews for podcasts but this one was just so bad I had to. Its mentioned a handful of other times but somehow this podcast still has 4 stars. Kara is INCREDIBLY rude to her guests. Constantly interrupting to changing the pacing of the conversation with her interjections or questions not letting the interviewee tell the story. I'm surprised her guests just don't get up and walk out since they're never really able to tell the story. I'm not sure what's she's trying to prove but her interview style turned me off within the first 10 minutes. I wanted to listen to the podcast she did with John Carreyrou, author of Bad Blood, the book about Theranos but it was just unbearable. Vox, please find a new host for this podcast. The guests appear to be really great but the constant interruption and interjections are a real turn-off. I don't know if its her attempt to make a name for herself in this medium but man, it's really hard to listen to.
999Haunts
3 out of 5 stars
I Want to Like This.
I think Swisher is a good reporter, but dear gods, I just can't deal with her constantly interrupting the guests, her incessant "mm hmm's," & finishing the thoughts of guests before they can finish it themselves. It comes across as her trying to demonstrate her expertise to the listener. Her guests are top notch, just let them talk, & gently guide the conversation.
Adammmm
2 out of 5 stars
Interrupting
The constant interruptions make the conversation jarring and hectic. Often, the interruptions don’t add anything to the dialogue, instead just breaking the guests line of thought (example: while someone is discussing a topic, she will interrupt them to say “Well let’s talk about __”, the same topic they were already in the middle of saying something about). Total bummer since the guests are so good. They don’t get to form interesting or complex ideas because of the constant interruptions. Too hard to listen to.
BobDobbs305
2 out of 5 stars
Bad Interviewer, Great Guests
This podcaster is condescending to her audience and interrupts the guests a lot.
________________333
1 out of 5 stars
Needs to take a vow of silence
understanding how she is such an icon in the valley. Stick to typing words instead of speaking them....
515mlf
1 out of 5 stars
Off my list
Can no longer support this show. Kara calling minors Nazis has driven me away. My political affiliation has nothing to do with my decision as I’m a Democrat who hates trump. But resorting to names like that against actual minors is not right.
Sadsadsadaad
2 out of 5 stars
Stop interrupting and listening
Some good guests but Cara is incessantly saying mm hmm, right, trying to complete the interviewee's sentence (often incorrectly), and cutting them off to abruptly change the direction of the conversation. Shut up and listen. These are terrible interview habits and makes the show annoying to listen to.
OB Dave
1 out of 5 stars
irritating as hell
Never heard this podcast before. Just finished reading Bad Blood and wanted to hear the interview with John Carreyrou. Holy hell, she's awful. Never once lets the guest finish a question, and keeps trying to insert herself into the narrative. I couldn't finish the podcast, it's just unlistenable. And she needs to lay off the coffee.
anonuser3
2 out of 5 stars
Interesting guests, but difficult to listen to
I agree with many of the other reviewers that there Kara’s interview style makes this difficult to listen to. She comes off as condescending and rude. If you’re looking for a similar type of podcast, I’d recommend How I Built This or Boss Files.
Nora Boston
5 out of 5 stars
Listen to Kara
Kara is an acquired taste and a *treasure*. If you don’t love her right away, keep listening anyway—for weeks. She is a hero that our times very much need. Whatever about her style quirks that may irritate you, she is smart and ethical and going to make her targets behave more ethically as she helps us see what’s what and demand ethical behavior. Thank you to Kara and her team for this work.
adhobvftivdeubdeivce
1 out of 5 stars
POD CAST Episode II: Attack of the Host
I made it through about an episode and a half, but the ‘interrogation’ interview style is just not for me. I’m sure I would love to see some slime like Mark Z, Tim Cook, or Ajit Pai squirm in their seat under fire of Kara Swisher’s hostile (and knowledgeable) line of questioning, but that just isn’t appropriate for all interviews, especially in journalism. Journalism is supposed to be an objective source of factual information, and to her credit, Kara is great at reminding or informing the audience of a lot of facts that interviewees would rather steer clear from. However, she does it in a very rude, distracting, and offensive way. She has a lot of personal opinions and judgements that she doesn’t even try to mask. She’ll really just railroad her guest in the middle of answering a question she just asked to irresponsibly interject some personal opinion or exclamation that no one asked for and that is irrelevant to the facts. In her Reddit interview with guest Christine L-C, I legitimately felt sorry for Christine who was trying to be more objective about her own opinions of Reddit corporate, and I cringed at Kara’s tactless hostility to her guest that was just trying to be informative and helpful. Again, this style of interview is sometimes appropriate. I would love to see her on the House Committee for Energy and Commerce in place of those crusty, obsolete, technically illiterate fools. At least when she railroads Zuckerberg in the middle of his sentence with her personal, political opinion, I would know it is somewhat relevant. However, doing this in journalism is really tacky, and poorly thought out. The only difference between the overbearing host of this podcast and Tomi Lahren or some other fart from Fox news is that Kara actually knew the facts at one point before she let her opinions trample all over them.
ceclistener
1 out of 5 stars
Let the interviewer talk please
Got so frustrated I had to turn it off.
SingItBack
5 out of 5 stars
Always engaging
It’s clear from scrolling through the reviews that Kara is polarizing. I’m just gonna guess she’s aware of this. Personally, I think she’s fantastic and so is this podcast.
newlayoutsux
2 out of 5 stars
She is too political
She interviews some interesting people but I don’t care about her political views, I want to hear the interviews. Those views make her pretty annoying and she talks too much. Might try to listen again but that’s my take from what I’ve heard so far.
Fatypatyyyyyyyy
1 out of 5 stars
Annoying Interruptions
Only listened because she had a good guest on who had some really interesting things to say. But she was constantly interrupting him and most of the time didn’t even have anything meaningful or substantial to add to the conversation. If you are going to host a podcast, learn how to conduct interviews!
gtownwdc
1 out of 5 stars
Interruptions
In 2017 I listened to this podcast, but could barely get through an episode because the host was interrupting the guest so much and I just found it rude and distracting. It’s 2019, and just because the guests she has are so interesting, I decided to give it another shot, hoping her interview style had improved based on the feedback in these reviews. Unfortunately, it’s just as bad if not worse. Kara is constantly interrupting the interview with “mhmm” “right” or by just cutting the guest off mid-sentence and it just makes it painful to try to get through an episode. It’s such a shame because she has such high caliber guests. I’ll try again in 2021.
Mary Ann 007
5 out of 5 stars
Great Interviewer
This podcast is my new favorite thing. Kara Swisher is a great interviewer. She's both funny and doesn't hold back on asking the tough questions or on taking people like Zuckerberg to task. Her interview with Elon Musk is fantastic, but I've listened to a bunch and they're all worth a listen.
Reset itself bad
2 out of 5 stars
Has she listened to herself??
Great guests, but so impossible to listen to, Kara interrupts totally unnecessarily, half the time she’s totally wrong in her factual interruptions. It’s like listening to a smart sixth grader whose talking to his older cousin, putting words into his mouth to show he’s just as smart lol
J-man NYC
4 out of 5 stars
Great interviewer
Kara is a great interviewer, with about 80% of this podcast’s episodes worth a listen - good guests balance it out.
Stevewouldsay
5 out of 5 stars
A Great Podcast
Kara speaks her mind and keeps the conversation interesting. A+ guests, I rarely skip an episode. A podcast I always listen to within a few days of it coming out; this doesn’t sit in the queue. Yes, she speaks over a guest sometimes. But that’s because she recognizes they’re rambling so she’s saving the flow of the conversation. Keep up the great work, Kara!
tkokra
5 out of 5 stars
Kara is amazing!
Great podcast with outstanding interviews with interesting people on relevant tech topics
Best listener 236
5 out of 5 stars
So what she interrupts?
I’ve seen too many people complaining that Kara interrupts. So what? Her interviews are more in line with how people actually have conversations. I suspect some of these people complaining wouldn’t mind if it was a male interviewer interrupting. She passionately holds people to the fire (with a few exceptions) and is always fair. We could all learn something from how direct and blunt she is. Somewhat obnoxious, but she’s always incredibly informed so she can actually ask pointed questions. This is a fantastic podcast.
Cejens1
1 out of 5 stars
Stop Interrupting and LISTEN to your guests
I really wanted to love this podcast, but Kara makes it unbearable with her constant interrupting. Every. Single. Question. It ruins the flow of the conversation. If she would stop interrupting to talk about herself this might be a good podcast. Let your interviewee speak, and as the host shut up and listen.
victorin
5 out of 5 stars
Fast, smart, irreverent!
If you are interested in business news, entrepreneurship, money, and politics, but you are tired of the content from a compliant media and listening to PR-crafted talking points from people in power, then listen Kara’s fast, smart, and irreverent podcast.
KsED1528
5 out of 5 stars
Great
I learn a great deal each episode; interesting guests and hysterical host. However I definitely feel like I am being activated from some sleeper hypnosis during the ads.
Gus McCrae
2 out of 5 stars
Snarky. Bad interviewer.
As others of said, she interrupts a lot. She’s also got a snarky insider Silicon Valley attitude that is unpleasant to listen to. She’s got great insight into tech and business, but it’s hard to see past her negative style.
jbfdyibifejo
5 out of 5 stars
Pushy and annoying
She constantly interrupts her guests and beats the same question to death even when the guest clearly is over it or doesn’t have anything more to say.
Kate Ferdinand
5 out of 5 stars
A tech podcast without the idol worship
A great podcast for learning about the tech industry, how it became what it is, and what’s moving under the waves. You’ll hear about how tech has and is changing the world from someone actually living in the world. If you’re exasperated by uncritical, microcosmic chitchat about gadgets, the podcast is extremely cathartic. It somehow also made me want to go into tech. I <3 Kara.
Phuckingphilistine
5 out of 5 stars
Lots smart people
Talking about interesting intersections
traz23
5 out of 5 stars
Interesting discussions on important topics
Kara is a strong personality but she has great guests discussing important topics in ways that is relevant to all.
wishedItwereBetter
5 out of 5 stars
Too many interruptions!
Too many interruptions. Period.
Fenicea
5 out of 5 stars
Necessity
Have been listening since the beginning and love this podcast. Kara does a fantastic job and this has become a necessary listen for me!
ptbrim
2 out of 5 stars
She’s an awful interviewer
Perhaps Ezra should give her some lessons. I was considering subscribing, but the herky-jerky of her interview style interferes with me immersing into the discussion.
Aminert
1 out of 5 stars
Stop interrupting
Too much interpretation!
Iatg
2 out of 5 stars
Interruption Machine
Kara cannot allow a guest to even start to finish a response. Her constant chirping in has become too annoying for me to listen to any longer. Too bad, because she has great guests. But, she obsessively tries to finish their sentences or override their voices with chatter and “witticism”.
jww127890
1 out of 5 stars
Great guests, frustrating interviewer
Kara makes a big deal about being proud of being an a hole and, like, power to her I guess, but it’s hard to listen to her interrupt her guests constantly. I wish Kafka could interview all her guests.
Hapajawn
2 out of 5 stars
Stop. Interrupting.
Kara is smart, and the guests are interesting, but my god, all she does is interrupt! At first it didn’t bother me too badly but the more episodes I hear the less I can take it. It’s in my podcast rotation less and less as a result. Her constant interjections and interruptions really impact the quality of the listening experience. It’s a bummer.
Terrance B
5 out of 5 stars
A Must Listen and Worth Your Mind
I love her no-non sense approach. She is entertaining, charismatic, and knowledgeable. Now to address what some deem as interrupting. Unless you want to listen to a podcast for 4 hours and/or have somebody completely control the narrative, Kara steers the conversation. I get that some might find it annoying but think of how often we are fed the same story over and over. Kara is trying to reach a point or a conclusion. Personally I am glad she interrupts when somebody goes on a tangent. If you value education, humanities, and a clear sense, you’ll love this podcast. Now listen yourself and review. 😎 ❤️
Shadwell von Bernstein
2 out of 5 stars
No room for contstructive criticism
On the positive, nobody else is covering this type of content and/or has access to these people. This is really valuable and I do learn a lot from this show. While she often touches on important subjects in a unique way, I have heard her say quite frequently she doesn’t care what people think and has no interest in negative reviews. Seems she is able to criticize others for similar behavior (Zuckerberg for example). Confidence is one thing, but anyone not open to constructive criticism is suspect. So, in an exercise of futility, please try to not interrupt people so frequently. It is not pleasant to listen to (and I have to assume gaining listeners is your goal). Perhaps pause and think a bit before offering so many knee jerk unambiguous opinions. You may have many years in the valley, but your knowledge of business and technology are incomplete. So, when you offer these strong opinions, you often sound silly, illogical or uninformed. Name dropping. Yea, we get it, you know all the big shots, you write for the Times… but it is boorish.
pavie64
5 out of 5 stars
The ONLY journalist who gets tech
I’ve been following Kara since the early days of the D conferences (which she never got enough credit for...). She understands tech and she understand the Valley - she sees and calls BS the way most simply cannot. She combines the experience of more than a few burst bubbles and thousands of visionary and ‘visionary’ pitches with the ability to distill away the technical trinkets and techno-celebrity characters to focus in on the broader impact of information technologies on society.
Kathleen Barbro
5 out of 5 stars
My new interview hero
Love the bravado that Kara has to ask the hard questions and not take slack from some powerful people. AND give the lesser ones a voice.
The specialist.
5 out of 5 stars
Blinking along
On point needed conversations. Kara is my spirit animal’s sidekick. I wonder what Ms. Swisher’ spirit animal is anyway?
LessThanLiz
5 out of 5 stars
Thoughtful and engaging interviews.
Kara Swisher doesn’t hold back when she interviews. If that’s not your style, this isn’t your pod. However, if you like challenging and engaging questions and an interviewer who doesn’t waste listener’s time, give this a whirl. What is most distinctive about Swisher’s interviews is two-fold: (1) the people do touch on tech but they’re not exclusively “tech people,” so you learn about a multitude of industries and professionals, and; (2) she evaluates more than business, including ethics, law, public policy, and culture, all viewed through the lens of tech. I listen to this during my runs because it keeps me thinking about something besides when I get to stop. If you ever see someone on a path yelling to herself, it’s me listening to Recode Decode. Highly recommend.
Brian_Honigman
5 out of 5 stars
Kara is my favorite journalist
She’s smart, hard hitting, realistic, funny and in the know and as a result is able to land lots of interviews with other bright minds of our time. Can’t recommend recode decode enough!
MAut92
5 out of 5 stars
Kara is a pro!!
I started listening to Recode to gain a better understanding of tech, the industry, and how it is impacting bigger issues. I get all of those things from this show and more. As an executive in a large corporation, I feel this show really helps develop my knowledge of the industry but also the impact we have on other people and the world. Kara is an amazing professional journalist that is not afraid to ask hard questions or probe difficult topics. She has amazing guests and gets a lot out of them. Every story or interview may not be my favorite topic, but I always learn a lot. I highly recommend recode decode to my colleagues and friends.
SFSandra
5 out of 5 stars
Kara has her finger on the pulse
Kara talks at the intersection of politics and technology; she has the most interesting guests and her interview style - straightforward, probing, analytical - always results in some surprisng perspectives, even from guests you thought you knew. I first saw Kara interviewing Mark Zuckerberg on stage - her kindness to him as he broke into flop sweat, even as she persisted in keeping the pressure on him, was a master class in interviewing.
Artie_D
5 out of 5 stars
Objective. On time. Impactful.
Kara Is the master of journalism and you can tell it from every single episode of the show. If you want to know what’s going on with Silicon Valley today and where it’s heading to, do not miss an episode. In couple weeks you will feel like “Why didn’t I start listening it earlier?” I don’t know many journalists that have as agenda to make tech companies accountable. Thank you, Kara.
Anna1104007
5 out of 5 stars
Kara is one of the best tech journalists today!
What a great podcast!
BenjaminMullin
5 out of 5 stars
Great interviews
Kara brings decades of experience covering tech to the biggest interviews in the sector.
Gase-Doggie-Dogg
5 out of 5 stars
The best show
So good
bayarea18
5 out of 5 stars
Absolutely love it
Big fan of her authenticity
Frankie6868
5 out of 5 stars
My favorite podcast
Kara does a great job interviewing really interesting people and challenging what they say rather than just accepting what they think.
rickyluke
3 out of 5 stars
All about Kara
Kara’s a talent and a force. Would love her to not act like she’s very aware of that fact during her interviews. Often it’s all about her when it should be all about the guests. If she pulls back on egotism we might get a bit more out of the guests. Not saying we aren’t getting value because we are...but is it possible to get more?
catchitect
5 out of 5 stars
Worth the Time
Helpfully dissolves smokescreen that so many leaders in industry want the public to see, and provides a nuanced look at topics confronting her interview subjects. Her confrontational style and acerbic wit are bonuses. Leaders should be held to this kind of account more often.
JustLilOleMeAgain
1 out of 5 stars
First Amendment — Not
Just listened to the ‘cast (aka lovefest) bw Swisher and Jaffer. Lackluster discussion re First Amendment “in the private/public square” of digital media. It’s apparent these two have similar world views and merely want the digital “public squares” operated by the likes of Facebook, Twitter, et al to play nicer...but not change fundamentally. To wit, let’s sue the president of the United States for mismanaging his “private” Twitter account (but not prior office holders?), but let’s also agree that culturally offensive speech should be barred if it “violates the terms of service.” A laughable premise. None of these viewpoints should make you sleep well at night. They have no interest in a global libertarian digital public platform. These are the guardians of your digital free speech. Be very afraid.
napoleon12345678
4 out of 5 stars
Great interviews
Swisher is obnoxious and arrogant and her manners and behavior are not to be condoned. I would urge her to take a moment to consider her presentation. Regardless she gets hard to get guests talking - the sally Yates interview was a recent great.
Dan Tha Gawd
1 out of 5 stars
Awful journalism
This lady has an awful voice and interrupts too often. She asks all the ethos questions with good guests and doesn’t ask what I personally would like to know. I listened to all the guests I’m interested in and just wish they went to a different podcast. Listen to her podcast with Elon for example, I literally LOLed when he said “it’s like you’re not hearing me”.
Supertopher13
1 out of 5 stars
Listen to great guests get interrupted
Kara doesn't want to hear what her guests want to say. She wants them to tell her that she is right. She has no desire to hear her guest's thoughts. If you want to hear those this this is not the podcast for your.
Aaron Dowd
5 out of 5 stars
Great show full of insightful interviews
I really enjoy this show and Kara’s questions.
Taster11
5 out of 5 stars
Five star as far as content
However, I agree with the other reviewer that She interrupts way too much and should keep Her mouth shut, so we the listeners can listen to the brilliant guest she had on. After all , that’s The point of the podcast after all !
Left Seat Warmer
5 out of 5 stars
Awesome Elon Musk interview!
Thanks Kara! I really enjoyed your interview with Elon. Please go for a test drive or borrow a Model 3 and let us know what you think.
Holeshot515
1 out of 5 stars
Ignorant & rude
She continually cuts off her guests in the middle of them answering her questions, especially if they don’t aline with her predetermined answer. Ignorant to all things technical. Why is the show called decoded?? She could not decode and oxygen molecule. One of the worst Elon musk interviews to date. Don’t ask a question if you are too stupid to perform 3rd grade math.
Tblue32
1 out of 5 stars
Antiquate type of Journalism
I only listened to her podcast once. Abtrusive, lack of any emotions. Pragmatic and boring. Although she is utilizing a new platorm this type of journalism it is going the way of fossil fuels. I won't be listening again. Place this on the clearance rack same stuff repackaged. Yuck!
CFW-indy
4 out of 5 stars
Other Reviewers...?
She is an excellent reviewer and does not interrupt. Must be Elon Musk’s lovers (judging by their “fake news” accusation-slinging) saying that. She must ask follow up questions to get at the core of his astoundingly egotistical ramblings, and she doesn’t have all day to do that.
Nstama
1 out of 5 stars
Why? Umhum, Why? Unhum, Why?
Gave this podcast a chance to hear the brilliant Elon Musk. The host repeatedly asks the same questions, clearly frustrating Musk and myself as a listener. The host doesn’t seem to listen to the answers of the guests and “um hum, um hum, um humsss” the entire podcast. Not an engaging interview.
t9werd
1 out of 5 stars
Awful.
This women is unbearable to listen to. God awful
>JD
2 out of 5 stars
Not Journalism. Opinion.
Kara Swisher is not a journalist. To me, journalism, at least proper journalism, removes bias and presents facts for people to consider. Kara aims to not-so-subtley push her own opinions on the listener while playing a conceited game of one-upmanship with the interviewee. Journalists also seek to learn from others, but Kara acts as if she already knows. The people she has the privilege of interviewing (for reasons I'm unable to discern) are fascinating, but she'll take every opportunity to cut them down, dissecting their comments as if they were written word. Even the publisher of the New York Times isn't immune to her backhandedness, receiving a solid minute of "playful" ridicule from Swisher for saying "The Twitter" instead of simply Twitter. This podcast is a self-aggrandizement for Swisher, not actual journalism. I would recommend listening solely for the opinions of her interesting guests and then taking the time to chastise her poor journalistic behavior in the comments. Perhaps then she can be replaced by someone with greater journalistic integrity. And to Kara if she's reading this: Yes, I understand this is my opinion, but of the two of us, only one is pretending to be a true journalist.
jrsdav
3 out of 5 stars
Agree with others - let your guest speak.
I really enjoy the guests and subjects of this show, but listening to her frequently interrupt her guests makes this too difficult to listen to. Let someone finish answering the question you asked them before interrupting.
Nomaderlife
3 out of 5 stars
Abrasive interviewer
Like many of the other reviewers, I’m not a fan of Kara’s rapid-fire, interruptive interview style. Makes me cringe. For example, during the Elon Musk interview, she would constantly cut him off mid-sentence to get on with her next topic. And based on her follow up questions, it was obvious she wasn’t paying attention to what Elon was saying—he even pointed this out to her during the interview which I thought was great. Hopefully Kara takes in the feedback here and makes some positive changes to her interview style.
xainabkahn
5 out of 5 stars
She’s phenomenal
I’m pretty sure it’s the wimpy men who give her bad reviews - not used to a strong woman :)
Kiss My Converse
2 out of 5 stars
Want to like, but interruptions and ego
Great guests, interesting topics, but man it’s hard to get past her interruptions and ego. I’m really trying and want to love it, but it’s tough. I hope that’s something she’s aware of and knows to work on because a lot of people love shows, guests and topics like these.
Jeffinmt
5 out of 5 stars
10/10
Kara Swisher continues to get better and better.
MPisme
2 out of 5 stars
Lives for the gotcha question
There is a difference between asking probing questions and asking questions that seem to be framed to mislead and throw off the interviewee. Maybe I just don’t enjoy this style of interviewing.
Hurt locker
1 out of 5 stars
Annoying
Let the interviewee talk and quitting interrupting them. It sounds like she just wants to hear herself talk and show how much she knows. Newsflash: it’s not about you!
Errored
4 out of 5 stars
Its fine
I'm getting in here before all the masses from Elon appearing on here. from what i heard so far, she asks some tough questions of her guests and is well versed in technology, so she knows what shes talking about. She may interrupt her guests quite a bit, but that's just her way of doing the interviews. Its very "imma let you finish..." but actually gets in good points sometimes. May not be everyone's cup of tea. I'll continue to listen just to hear her talk to big names about issues we will be facing in our future and getting their perspective.
Stuart not Stewart
2 out of 5 stars
Stop interrupting/making confirmation noises!
I think Kara is bright and thoughtful and has awesome guests, but the constant stream of interjections and confirmation noises is too much.
Donut Officer
2 out of 5 stars
Recode
Usually asks great questions and holds CEO’s to the fire. Horrid interview on the Google exec who did the startup in China. Kara was either I’ll-informed (very unusual) or intimidated.
cmpcre
2 out of 5 stars
Good guest, terrible host
Kara Swisher is a know it all and acts as if she knows more than the expert and interrupted the guest repeatedly. Cringe worthy to listen to!!! Stop interrupting every guest please!
Craig55443
2 out of 5 stars
Pivot: Google Data Breach (NOT)
Scott called it a hack, which is totally wrong. It also is not a data breach, since there is no evidence of any personal data leaving Google+. I know everone is calling this a data breach, but I expected more of you Kara. Craig Olson Retired Security Manager
shawnmwaura
2 out of 5 stars
Let your Guests finish their sentence!
Kara you are very eloquent and articulate Host but please let your interviewers finish their sentence.Stop poaching them to fit into your narrative.
Bowwowwowbowwow
5 out of 5 stars
I'm In
Kara Swisher 2020. John Chambers is a dweeb.
TeamCoulter
2 out of 5 stars
2U
Kara Swisher is the most obnoxious moderator as she kept interrupting the CEO so that she could sound smart when I did not tune in to listen to her. The 2U story is great but I wish she wasn't involved in the podcast
Malik7x
1 out of 5 stars
Almost...
Could be better. As a podcast fan, I get to hear a lot of styles. Though the content is top notch (my reason for finding this) the host is a bit annoying with her constant interjections and hearding as if she is the expert instead of letting the guests share at their pace and their content. As a listener, it is irritating. As a guest, it must be annoying.
He who shall remain nameless
2 out of 5 stars
Let your guest talk!
Wanted to like this podcast but the host is stepping on her guests with constant “right”s, “mm hmm”s, and various commentary. The guests don’t get a sentence in that she doesn’t talk over. Brutal.
Lost in the division
5 out of 5 stars
Jim Yong Kim Interview
This interview with Kara Swisher was the most informative sessions I listened to in sometime. Mr Yong Kim explained details about how there are good things happening in our world today. The world, the globe, the planet. Thank you for caring about the human race! This podcast made me hopeful and joyful. I will seek out the good news from here on!
Blizzard1s2d
5 out of 5 stars
Every episode like a Black Mirror distopia
Brilliant and successful and rich. I hate every single person interviewed so far. So many examples of people exploiting of our data, our privacy, our autonomy. So many successful people exploiting the lack of regulations that protect things we may not miss for generations, like morals and autonomy and democracy. Humanity.
shawna321
2 out of 5 stars
Great topics but Kara Swisher is annoying
The topics are very good but Kara Swisher constantly interrupts with a hyperactive interruption of the person being interviewed with a twitch of utterances of “mmmmhmm” and “yeah”. It’s very annoying and it’s hard to listen to the podcast.
SmoothHughes
3 out of 5 stars
Only Listened to One
I listened to the interview with the author of Bad Blood because I had just bought the book. Kara Swisher was a clumsy interviewer but the guest was good. I wouldn't listen to another one unless it was for the guest.
Monoptoman
4 out of 5 stars
Listened
To one with fascinating guest. Seems like intelligent show and host knowledgeable. I would have preferred if host interrupted and completed sentences less. I think hard for some smart people to do. Look forward to more.
Sherryist
1 out of 5 stars
Shut up and Let Them Speak
I came to discover Recode while searching for John Carreyrou articles, I’m a bit fan of his new book. I discovered this podcast as a result and I couldn’t listen for more than 5 minutes. Will you shut up for like a second and let him answer your questions before spouting another statement or idea? Jeez, I want to actually hear from him, NOT you!
Heathwulf
4 out of 5 stars
Incredible guests weak host
Let me start by saying the host of this Podcast is impressive and very intelligent and well connected. She has incredible guests that I am happy to hear from. My only issue (which can be significant for a interview and audio driven medium) is that she seems to interrupt and say what she is thinking as opposed to coaching and guiding the guest. Often right as the guest is articulating something interesting she cuts them off with her own commentary.
NomicAtomy
1 out of 5 stars
“Mmmm hmmm. Right”
I really want to like this podcast but it’s rendered unlistenable by the hosts seeming cluelessness about the audio format. Rather than asking a question and letting the guest respond, she verbally gesticulates over them the entire time they’re talking. “Mmmhmm, mmmhmm, right. Mmhmm. Mmhmm. Right. Mmhmm. Mmhmm. Yeah. Right.” It’s maddeningly unlistenable. Mmhmm. Mmhmm. Right. Mmhmm, mmhmm, right.
SelpSelp
1 out of 5 stars
“Mmmm hmmm. Right”
I really want to like this podcast but it’s rendered unlistenable by the hosts seeming cluelessness about the audio format. Rather than asking a question and letting the guest respond, she verbally gesticulates over them the entire time they’re talking. “Mmmhmm, mmmhmm, right. Mmhmm. Mmhmm. Right. Mmhmm. Mmhmm. Yeah. Right.” It’s maddeningly unlistenable. Mmhmm. Mmhmm. Right. Mmhmm, mmhmm, right.
Fonduzzi
1 out of 5 stars
Kara's verbal tics
Great content that is unlistenable due to the constant "mmhmm", "right", and "yea" coming from Kara while her guests speak. Please get some coaching and fix this and I will update to 5 stars. And it's getting worse. Kara's new thing: finishing her guests sentences. It's unbearable.
Chris Grant
2 out of 5 stars
Needs better editing
This podcast and its subject are promising and needed but the production levels make listening painful. Most podcasts remove the “uh”s and “um”s and mute the interviewers verbal feedback (“yeah... right... yep”), this one does not.
GrayZabel
5 out of 5 stars
Best tech interview show out there
Swisher has a great lineup of voices from across Silicon Valley, and she's an excellent interviewer. If you care about tech in any sense, pick this one up.
Santorini Dave
4 out of 5 stars
Great Guests, Terrible Host
Swisher might be the worst interviewer I’ve ever heard (the sidebar mumble is hard to take). But she does get great guests. Wish Kafka could do the most interesting ones.
QuestSAINTJacobs
3 out of 5 stars
Great guests - Kara is...ok i guess
The guests, topics, and questions are fantastic! But Kara's style of interviewing feels almost rude and overly opinionated. She'll begin asking a new question before the guest is able to finish answering the previous question. I often wonder, does she even care what the answer is? or is she interviewing herself?... You can only take so much of her bulldozing at a time. Good guests though!
Danielwang88
1 out of 5 stars
This woman is so annoying
She keep interrupt the interviewee and have soooo freaking much small talks and distracting side jokes, which are not even funny, comments, celebrity names. Annoying annoying annoying!
Yet another David
2 out of 5 stars
Swisher isn't a pleasure
I had a hard time finding the "Recode Decode" podcast in the first place because Kara Swisher always sounds like she's calling it RICO-DICO, as if it had something to do with the racketeering laws. Once I did find it, I couldn't get past Swisher's interviewing style. Her constant interruptions keep the focus on herself rather than on her guests, and it's just too annoying to listen to. I unsubscribed after two weeks.
tapkap57
5 out of 5 stars
“Right”...
Interviewing great guest but...Constantly interrupts with “right” or some type of vocal affirming gesture! PLEASE Stop! Let the guest speak!
Bill Ryder
1 out of 5 stars
Eyes roll
Cee U Next Tuesday attitude all the way. I would know. It takes one to know one. I don’t have issues with this type of attitude but please don’t pretend to be above the BS when all you are is BS. 🙄 big words and saying Katie Couric doesn’t make you credible. So annoyed.
HumanPumba
1 out of 5 stars
Let the experts speak
It's really a shame...Kara has taken an incredible podcast and interview opportunities and completely ruined it. I listened to one podcast and desperately wish I could mute half the show. Recode has earned an invaluable portion of technology media real estate and I was really hoping to enjoy this show but she is overly condescending, tries too hard to be a know it all, and consistently interrupts the guest ruining any flow to the show. Please just shut up!
lchen001
1 out of 5 stars
Great guests but too many interruptions making it annoying!
I still listen to the show, five stars for great guests in tech but negative points for Kara’s interview style (I think some entry level journalist can possibly do better with respect and listening skills). Yes she is known for challenging guests but there is a difference between no BS and not respecting guests! 1. Too many interruptions now makes me feel embarrassed for the guests. For example, in the Dara K interview in the recent Code Conference, Kara at least interrupted Dara 5 times before he finished the full sentence. Dara was talking about Uber’s direction and strategy, and all of a sudden Kara asked “Do you still consult him (Travis)”, then the whole flow changed. What’s the point of that question? Why not letting the guest finish and asking good following up questions on Uber strategy? Don’t ask the question for the sake of your own curiosity. 2. Because the show doesn’t focus on follow up questions, it stays on the suffice of the topics. For example, diversity / inclusion is a big topic, but there hasn’t been a deep dived discussion around it. The interview strategy has always been (1) interviewer background (2) company strategy (3) tech issues / white men culture (4) privacy issues (5) trump. Over and over again.
Aaactuary
3 out of 5 stars
Annoying interviewer
Great guests and topics. However, Kara can’t let her guest answer a question without trying to finish guests sentence. It appears that I’m not the only one off put by this.
Darwi07
5 out of 5 stars
Excellent topic / guests. Bad interview style
Let the guests speak for God’s sake!
Nothappy123684
1 out of 5 stars
Let the guest talk
Let the guest talk!!!! Get topic. Terrible interview because host could not shut up!!
Shame on Garmin!
1 out of 5 stars
Too much interrupting during the interview
Fascinating guest and topic but I found it difficult to make it through due to the interviewer’s constant annoying interruptions.
Podcast information
- Amount of episodes
- 670
- Subscribers
- 38
- Verified
- No
- Website
- Explicit content
- No
- Episode type
- episodic
- Podcast link
- https://podvine.com/link/..
- Last upload date
- March 16, 2023
- Last fetch date
- March 19, 2023 12:36 PM
- Upload range
- WEEKLY
- Author
- The Verge
- Copyright
- © 2020 Vox Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved
susbcribers
- ‘The Goliath is Amazon’: after 100 years, Barnes & Noble wants to go back to its indie rootsIn this installment of our Centennial Series on companies that are over 100 years old, we are talking to Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt. The last few decades have thrown some hurdles in Barnes & Noble’s way, however. Far from being the monster that inspired the plot of the movie You’ve Got Mail, it’s had to face down a new Goliath called Amazon and the general decline of big-box retail stores. After years of closures and declining revenues, Barnes & Noble was bought out by activist investors in 2019, who installed Daunt as CEO, and he’s managed to turn things around by doing two main things. First, he has decentralized operations of the stores, letting each store act like a local bookshop and giving his booksellers more control over what titles they sell and display. He immediately ended a system that allowed publishers to pay for special placement in bookstores, which he said corrupted the entire system in service of short-term profits. Second, he’s using Barnes & Noble’s scale to build a purchasing and distribution pipeline that serves as the rest of the book industry’s competitor to Amazon. We get into all of it — the culture wars, J.K. Rowling, book ban bills in states across the country, and how Barnes & Noble went from being the bully on the block to competing with Amazon. Links Hedge Fund Buys Barnes & Noble Can Britain’s Top Bookseller Save Barnes & Noble? - The New York Times How Barnes & Noble transformed its brand from corporate bully to lovable neighborhood bookstore Barnes & Noble to expand, marking a new chapter for private equity #BookTok: Is TikTok changing the publishing industry? How book lovers on TikTok are changing the publishing industry Barnes & Noble History Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23406145 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Hadley Robinson and it was edited by Jackson Bierfeldt. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- Why Spotify wants to look like TikTok, with co-president Gustav SöderströmGustav Söderström has worked at Spotify for a long time; his first big project was leading the launch of its mobile app back in 2009. That makes him the perfect company leader to talk to about Spotify’s recent redesign, which introduces a visual, TikTok-like feed for discovering new content on the app’s homepage. As his boss CEO Daniel Ek put it last week, it’s “the biggest change Spotify has undergone since we introduced mobile.” With the title of co-president and chief product and technology officer, Söderström is responsible for not only how Spotify looks and feels but also all the AI work happening behind the scenes to power its increasingly important recommendations. According to Söderström, it turns out that improving those recommendations is actually at the heart of the big redesign. “I think companies that don’t have an efficient user interface for a machine learning world are not going to be able to leverage machine learning,” he told Alex Heath on the newest episode of Decoder. Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napster Spotify is laying off 6 percent of its global workforce, CEO announces Spotify’s new design turns your music and podcasts into a TikTok feed Alex Heath's Tweet Functional versus Unit Organizations Two-Pizza Teams Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23402123 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- Decoder with Nilay Patel Mar 9 · 1h 3m Can Xerox reinvent itself for another 100 years?Intro: Steve Bandrowczak, the CEO of Xerox, an iconic company that got started all the way back in 1906 as a manufacturer of photo paper and is, of course, best known for pioneering the copy machine. Here in 2023, Xerox has moved well beyond paper. It now works with companies large and small to provide IT services: it optimizes workflows, manages data, automates parts of businesses, and yes, still fixes the printers. Steve insists there’s still a lot in the world to print, and selling and servicing printers continues to be where Xerox begins its relationships with most customers. And fixing printers is getting high tech: Steve is excited about his new AR app that walks you through getting the copy machine working again so you don’t have to wait for a technician to come fix it. We also talked about the future of Xerox’s legendary Palo Alto Research Center, or PARC, whether Xerox wants more consolidation, and we even spitball some ideas about how to get Gen Z excited about printers. Links: John Visentin, Xerox C.E.O., Dies at 59 Xerox Ousts CEO In Deal With Icahn Carl Icahn Makes Case for Xerox-HP Union Xerox abandons $35 billion hostile bid for HP Apple Lisa: the ‘OK’ Computer About PARC, a Xerox Company Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23394156 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Hadley Robinson and it was edited by Jackson Bierfeldt. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- How Reddit is getting simpler — and dealing with TikTok, with chief product officer Pali BhatPali Bhat joined Reddit from Google about a year ago — he’s actually Reddit’s first-ever chief product officer, which is pretty surprising considering that Reddit is a series of product experiences: the reading experience, the writing experience, and importantly, the moderation experience. One thing we always say on Decoder is that the real product of any social network is content moderation, and Reddit is maybe the best example of that: every subreddit is shaped by volunteer moderators who use the tools Reddit builds for them. So Pali has a big job bringing all these products together and making them better, all while trying to grow Reddit as a platform. This was a really deep conversation, and it touched on a lot of big Decoder themes. I think you’re going to like it. Okay, Pali Bhat, the chief product officer of Reddit. Here we go. Links: New features aimed at making Reddit easier to use: an update on our product priorities focussed on simplification Reddit’s new features include a TikTok-style video feed Reddit is bringing back r/Place, its April Fools’ Day art experiment How to buy a social network, with Tumblr CEO Matt Mullenweg Microsoft thinks AI can beat Google at search — CEO Satya Nadella explains why AI-generated fiction is flooding literary magazines — but not fooling anyone Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23390325 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- Podcasting? Radio? It’s all one big opportunity for iHeartMedia digital CEO Conal ByrneWe taped this episode live at Hot Pod Summit. That’s our conference for the podcast industry. We have a whole newsletter for podcasters. It’s called Hot Pod, written by our very own Ariel Shapiro. Hot Pod Summit is where we bring that community—of creators, trendsetters and decision makers—together to explore the latest developments in podcasting, audiobooks and more. It was a packed house and a great time. We ended the day by recording our first ever live Decoder with Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia’s digital audio group. Conal oversees podcasting at a giant radio company, and his group accounts for a quarter of iHeart’s revenue, which was a billion dollars last quarter alone. His team makes some of the biggest podcasts around with huge talent like Will Ferrell, Shonda Rhimes, and Charlamagne Tha God who you’ll hear Conal talk about quite a lot. Conal and iHeart digital earned that success by doing some unconventional things. Whereas other big podcasting players like Spotify and Apple have tried to boost revenue through subscriptions or platform exclusivity, Conal shunned those approaches and said he’s going for big audience reach, made possible in part by his ability to run ads and even shows on iHeart’s huge network of traditional radio stations. But, that maverick approach has included some controversial steps as well. Last year, Verge alumni and Bloomberg reporter Ashley Carman reported that iHeart worked with a firm called Jun Group to essentially buy podcast downloads through video games. To many in the industry, that seemed pretty disingenuous. So of course I asked Connell about that and lots more. He was a great guest, super game to answer the questions, especially in front of a live audience. Links: iHeartMedia Buys Stuff Media for $55 Million - WSJ Podcasters Are Buying Millions of Listeners Through Mobile-Game Ads Cost Per Thousand (CPM) Definition and Its Role in Marketing Spotify reportedly paid $200 million for Joe Rogan’s podcast - The Verge Chris Dixon thinks web3 is the future of the internet — is it? - Decoder, The Verge Decoder with Nilay Patel (@decoderpod) Official | TikTok Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23381445 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- Erase browser history: can AI reset the browser battle?Hello and welcome to Decoder. I’m Nilay Patel, editor in chief of The Verge, and Decoder is my show about big ideas, and other problems. Today, I'm talking to Mitchell Baker, the chairwoman and CEO of Mozilla, the organization behind the Firefox browser, the Thunderbird email client, the Pocket newsreader, and a bunch of other interesting internet tools. Now as you all know, Decoder is secretly a podcast about org charts – maybe not so secretly, and Mozilla’s structure is really interesting. Mozilla itself is a nonprofit foundation, but it contains within it something called the Mozilla Corporation, which actually makes Firefox and the rest. Mitchell is the chairwoman of the foundation, and the CEO of the corporation. And the Mozilla Corporation, which they charmingly call MoCo, can make a profit - or it can least be taxed, which is an important distinction you’ll hear Mitchell talk about. I bring this up because Mozilla has been around since 1994 in a variety of structures and business models – it started as a company called Netscape, and Mitchell was one of the first employees in the legal department. Netscape’s product was Netscape Navigator, the first commercial web browser, which of course changed the consumer internet and scared Microsoft so much it did a bunch of anticompetitive things that led to the famous antitrust case. In the meantime, Netscape got sold to AOL, and along the way Mitchell led the somewhat renegade Mozilla Project inside the company which eventually lead to Mozilla the non-profit foundation that eventually launched Firefox. It’s a lot! But now Mitchell is trying to live up to Mozilla’s nonprofit ideals of protecting the open internet while still trying to compete and cooperate with tech giants like Apple and Google. And these are complicated relationships: Google still accounts for a huge percentage of Mozilla’s revenue – it pays hundreds of millions of dollars to be the default search engine in Firefox. And Apple restricts what browser engines can run on the iPhone – Firefox Focus on the iPhone is still running Apple’s webkit engine, something that regulators, particularly in Europe want to change. On top of all that, some big foundational pieces of the web are changing: Microsoft is aggressively rolling out its chatGPT-powered Bing search engine in an effort to displace Google and get people to switch to the Edge browser, and Twitter’s implosion means that Mitchell sees Mastodon as one of Mozilla’s next big opportunities. So how does Mozilla get through this period of change while staying true to itself? And will anyone actually switch browsers again? Turns out – it might be easier to get people to switch on phones, than on desktops. That’s Mozilla’s belief, anyway. Links: Netscape - Wikipedia The State of Mozilla: 2021 — 2022 Annual Report The future of computers is only $4 away, with Raspberry Pi CEO Eben Upton Firefox drops Google as default search engine, signs five-year deal with Yahoo Microsoft thinks AI can beat Google at search — CEO Satya Nadella explains why Microsoft announces new Bing and Edge browser powered by upgraded ChatGPT AI A beginner’s guide to Mastodon, the hot new open-source Twitter clone Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23362385 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- Microsoft thinks AI can beat Google at search — CEO Satya Nadella explains whyI’m coming to you from Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, where just a few hours ago, Microsoft announced that the next version of the Bing search engine would be powered by OpenAI, the company that makes ChatGPT. There’s also a new version of the Edge web browser with OpenAI chat tech in a window that can help you browse and understand web pages. The in-depth presentation showed how OpenAI running in Bing and Edge could radically increase your productivity. They demo’d it making a travel itinerary, posting to LinkedIn, and rewriting code to work in a different programming language. After the presentation, I was able to get some time with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Nadella has been very bullish on AI. He’s previously talked about AI as the next major computing platform. I wanted to talk about this next step in AI, the partnership with OpenAI, and why he thought now was the best time to go after Google search. This is a short interview, but it’s a good one. Okay, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. Here we go. Watch this interview as a video Microsoft announces new Bing and Edge browser powered by upgraded ChatGPT AI All the news from Microsoft’s February AI event Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23354035 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today's episode was produced by Creighton DeSimone, Jackie McDermott, Vjeran Pavic and Becca Farsace and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- How HBO’s creatives survived corporate chaosHBO started as an experiment. It was a way to get people to switch from getting TV over broadcast antennas to cable by offering events you’d otherwise need tickets to see: boxing, plays, movies. That’s where the name Home Box Office comes from. But it grew from there in surprising ways: HBO was a major innovator in satellite distribution, in working with cable operators around the country, and of course in programming. The company’s taste and style has influenced and shaped culture for a generation now. And importantly, HBO did it without any real data: the cable companies owned all the subscribers, so HBO made decisions through instinct and experience. The amazing thing about HBO is that it has stayed true to itself through an absolutely tumultuous set of ownership changes and strategy shifts. If you’re a Decoder listener you know about the chaos of AT&T and HBO Max and the sale to Discovery to create Warner Brothers Discovery, but it’s so much twistier than that. I talked through all of those twists with Felix Gillette and John Koblin, authors of the terrific book It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO. Felix and John also peeled back the curtain on your favorite HBO shows from Sex and the City to Game of Thrones. Before we get into the episode, I have to do our usual set of disclosures: I’m a Netflix executive producer. We made a Netflix show called The Future Of. You should watch it. I’m hopelessly biased in favor of the show we made. Also, Vox Media has a minority investment from Comcast. They don’t like me very much. And I worked at AOL Time Warner. I quit to start The Verge. Ok that’s that. Let’s get into the interview—it’s a good one. Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23352141 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- Decoder with Nilay Patel Jan 31 · 53m Inside the global battle over chip manufacturingA few weeks ago, President Biden was in the Netherlands, where he asked the Dutch government to restrict export from a company called ASML to China. ASML is the only company in the world that makes a specific machine needed to make the most advanced chips. Apple couldn’t make iPhone chips without this one machine from the Netherlands’ biggest company. ASML doesn’t just shape the Dutch economy—it shapes the entire world economy. How did that happen? Chris Miller, Tufts professor and author of Chip War: The Fight For The World’s Most Critical Technology walked me through a lot of this, along with some deep dives into geopolitics and the absolutely fascinating chip manufacturing process. This one has everything: foreign policy, high powered lasers, hotshot executives, monopolies, the fundamental limits of physics, and, of course, Texas. Here we go. Links: US issues sweeping restrictions on chip sales to China Japan and the Netherlands join US with tough chip controls on China Pat Gelsinger came back to turn Intel around — here’s how it’s going Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23342471 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- Taylor Swift and the music industry's next $20I have this theory that music is usually about five years ahead of the rest of media in terms of its relationship to tech—whether that’s new formats based on new tech, like vinyl to CDs; new business models like streaming; or simply being disrupted by new kinds of artists who use new forms of promotion like TikTok in unexpected ways. I’ve always thought that if you can wrap your head around what’s happening to the music industry, you can pretty much see the future of TV or movies or the news or whatever it is, because the music industry just moves that fast. I was talking about this with my friend Charlie Harding, the co-host of Switched on Pop, and he said that he thinks the upcoming Taylor Swift Eras Tour is itself the end of an era in music — that the age of cheap streaming services is coming to an inevitable conclusion, and that something has to change in order for industry to sustain itself in the future. So, in this episode, Charlie and I walk through a brief history of the music business—which, despite its ever-changing business models, is permanently trying to find something to sell you for $20 whether that’s the music itself, all-access streaming, merch, and even NFTs—using Taylor Swift as a case study. We map her big moves against the business of music over time to try to see if this really is the end of an era. And maybe more importantly, to try and figure out if the music industry can sustain and support artists who are not Taylor Swift, because streaming, all by itself, definitely cannot. Links: Switched on Pop Charlie’s first appearance on Decoder: Good 4 who? How music copyright has gone too far - The Verge Why Amazon VP Steve Boom just made the entire music catalog free with Prime - The Verge Spotify launching in the US at 8AM tomorrow, open to all pre-registered users - The Verge Metallica sued Napster 15 years ago today - The Verge Taylor Swift calls Apple Music free trial 'shocking, disappointing' in open letter - The Verge Taylor Swift versus Ticketmaster: the latest on the tour that may break up a giant - The Verge The DOJ has reportedly opened an antitrust investigation into Ticketmaster's owner How fandom built the internet as we know it, with Kaitlyn Tiffany - The Verge Steve Aoki on the blockchain, the metaverse, and the business of music - The Verge Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23322720 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Hadley Robinson, Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters. Our Sr. Audio Director is Andrew Marino and our Executive Producer is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- Breaking free from big tech and big content with authors Cory Doctorow and Rebecca GiblinLast year I spoke with Cory Doctorow and Rebecca Giblin about their new book, Chokepoint Capitalism. It’s a book about artists and technology and platforms, and how different kinds of distribution and creations tools create chokepoints for different companies to capture value that might otherwise go to artists and creators.. In other words, it’s a lot of Decoder stuff. As we were prepping this episode, the Decoder team realized it previews a lot of things we’re going to talk about in 2023: antitrust law. Ticketmaster. Spotify and the future of the music industry. Amazon and the book industry. And, of course, being a creator trying to make a living on all these platforms. This episode is longer than normal, but it was a really great conversation and I'm glad we are sharing it with you. Links: What is Mixer, Ninja’s new exclusive streaming home? Ninja returns to Twitch This was Sony Music's contract with Spotify Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23311918 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- ‘We might be wrong, but we’re not confused’: how Tomer Cohen, chief product officer at LinkedIn, figures out what works bestTomer Cohen is the chief product officer at LinkedIn, and actually, I talked to Tomer twice. Here’s a little secret about Decoder: we do the interviews, and then often, the guest and I just keep chatting for a while. So after my first interview with Tomer, we were hanging out, talking about the perpetual battles between engineers, product managers, and designers. And he said something that completely jumped out at me: “We might be wrong, but we’re not fucking confused.” This isn’t a totally new line — it’s been floating around for a while, you can Google it — but you know I love an f-bomb, and honestly, it’s one of the most simple and clarifying things a manager can say, especially when managing across large teams. So I asked Tomer to come back and really dig in on that idea. On top of that, we’ve been talking a lot about running social networks lately, and LinkedIn is a fascinating social network because it doesn’t have the same engagement-based success metrics as other social platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Tomer doesn’t care about time spent on LinkedIn; the platform is designed to be successful when people get new jobs. That means his ideas for features and user experiences are just really different. Links: Employment Situation Summary (Jobs Report) December Workforce Report 2022 (LinkedIn) Vision to values flowchart ChatGPT proves AI is finally mainstream — and things are only going to get weirder LinkedIn buys California-based SaaS learning platform How big companies kill ideas — and how to fight back, with Tony Fadell RAPID decision making Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23281360 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- How to buy a social network, with Tumblr CEO Matt MullenwegWe have to talk about Twitter, right? Elon Musk bought it. He’s making all these changes, and he’s realizing that content moderation decisions are quite complicated, especially when the stakes are high. But talking about Twitter in a vacuum seems wrong. There are lots of other social networks and community-based products, and they all have basically the same problems: some technical (you have to run the service), some political (you have to comply with various laws and platform regulations around the world), and some social (you have to get millions of users to post for free while making sure what they post is good stuff and not bad stuff). So, we’re doing something a little different this week. First, I’m talking to Matt Mullenweg, who is the CEO of Automattic, which owns WordPress, the blog hosting platform, and Tumblr, the social network, which he purchased from Verizon in 2019. Then, Verge deputy editor Alex Heath and I are going to break down a bunch of what Matt told me and apply it to Twitter to see what we can learn. Okay, Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Tumblr, followed by Alex Heath. Here we go. Links: How WordPress and Tumblr are keeping the internet weird GPL - General Public License Verizon is selling Tumblr to WordPress’ owner Kanye West suspended from Twitter after posting a swastika ‘Martin Scorsese’s lost film’ Goncharov (1973), explained Yahoo acquires Tumblr in $1.1 billion cash deal, promises 'not to screw it up' Verizon is selling Tumblr to WordPress’ owner Turnaround Definition Welcome to Tumblr. Now Go Away. Work With Us / Twitter – Automattic Tumblr will sell you two useless blue check marks for $8 Elon Musk is laying off even more Twitter workers Welcome to hell, Elon Why “Go Nuts, Show Nuts” Doesn't Work in 2022 How America turned against the First Amendment About – SHOSHANA ZUBOFF A Framework for Moderation First Amendment - Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition | Constitution Center America’s Favorite Flimsy Pretext for Limiting Free Speech Brandenburg v. Ohio Elon Musk says Tim Cook told him Apple ‘never considered’ removing Twitter - The Verge The Twitter Files - Matt Taibbi Elon Musk’s promised Twitter exposé on the Hunter Biden story is a flop that doxxed multiple people Twitter Blue is back, letting you buy a blue checkmark again Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23270126 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- Disney’s CEO drama explained, with Julia AlexanderToday, we need to talk about Bob. Two Bobs, actually: Bob Iger, the former and now current CEO of Disney, and Bob Chapek, the man Iger handpicked as his replacement, who flamed out and was fired by the board, and then, on November 20th, was replaced by Bob Iger. Bobs, man. The heart of this whole thing is total Decoder bait. It’s a story about how to structure a company like Disney. Then you add in the complexity of the shift to streaming, the future of TV and movies generally, and the gigantic reputation of a character like Bob Iger, who many people think could plausibly run for president. There’s just a lot going on here. Whenever I need to talk Disney, media, and Bobs, I call one person: Julia Alexander, director of strategy at Parrot Analytics and a former reporter at The Verge. Julia pays a lot of attention to the streaming giants, she’s sourced inside all the companies battling for our attention, and she has a lot to say about the Bobs. Links: Bob Iger steps back in as Disney CEO, replacing Bob Chapek Reed Hastings on Twitter Disney+ launch lineup: Every movie and TV show available to stream on day one - The Verge Bob Iger steps down as Disney CEO, replaced by Bob Chapek - The Verge Disney streaming chief Kevin Mayer resigns to become TikTok CEO - The Verge Disney Plus surpasses 100 million subscribers - The Verge Meta announces huge job cuts affecting 11,000 employees - The Verge Netflix's $6.99 per month ad tier is now live Stranger Things - The Verge Disney’s major reorganization is good news for anyone who loves Disney Plus - The Verge Functional Structure: Advantages and Disadvantages | Indeed.com Pros and Cons of Implementing a Divisional Structure | Indeed.com Disney Proposal to Restructure, on McKinsey’s Advice, Triggered Uproar From Creative Executives - WSJ Disney Shows the Limits of Streaming - WSJ Disney Erases Almost All Its Pandemic Gains After Earnings Miss ‘Strange World’: Beautiful to look at, but not much below the surface - The Washington Post Watch The Future Of | Netflix Official Site Kevin Mayer quits as TikTok CEO due to ongoing political turmoil - The Verge Kevin Mayer Says His Firm Is In Deal Mode After Buying Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar announces exit as Discovery deal nears close - The Verge Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23259187 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- Decoder with Nilay Patel Nov 29 · 1h 18m How Bose compete with AirPods — and why it’s in more cars than ever, with CEO Lila SnyderBose is one of the most recognizable audio brands in the world: it was famous for the Wave radio in the 80s, it invented noise cancellation, you can see its logo on NFL sidelines every Sunday, and of course there are the popular consumer products like the QuietComfort headphones that reviewers like Chris Welch here at The Verge rate as some of the best in the game. Bose is in tons of cars as well: audio systems in GM, Honda, Hyundai, Porsche, and more are developed and tuned by Bose. Bose was founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar Bose, who donated a majority of the shares of the company to MIT, where he was a professor. That means to this day, Bose is a private company with no pressure to go public. However, Bose still has to compete against big tech in talent, products, and compatibility. So today I’m talking to Bose CEO Lila Snyder about Bose’s dependence on platform vendors like Apple and Google, how she thinks about standards like Bluetooth, and where she thinks she can compete and win against AirPods and other products that get preferential treatment on phones. Links: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II review: noise cancellation domination How Amar Bose used research to build better speakers List of Bose shelf stereos Hearing Aids | FDA Digital signal processor Functional organization Bose names its first female CEO as wait continues for new products Amar Bose ’51 makes stock donation to MIT Meta announces huge job cuts affecting 11,000 employees Amazon mass layoffs will reportedly ax 10,000 people this week Elon Musk demands Twitter employees commit to ‘extremely hardcore’ culture or leave The iPhone 7 has no headphone jack Bluetooth Special Interest Group Qualcomm Partners with Meta and Bose Bose gets into hearing aid business with new FDA-cleared SoundControl hearing aids Over-the-counter hearing aids could blur the line with headphones New Bose-Lexie Hearing Aid to Enter the Over-the-Counter Market Lexie Partners with Bose to Offer Lexie B1 Powered by Bose Hearing Aids Bose Frames Tempo review: the specs to beat Bose discontinues its niche Sport Open Earbuds BMW starts selling heated seat subscriptions for $18 a month Seven CEOs and one secretary of transportation on the future of cars Why Amazon VP Steve Boom just made the entire music catalog free with Prime Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23246668 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- On with Kara Swisher: Can Chris Licht Turn CNN Around?Chris Licht faces an uphill battle at CNN. He got the CEO gig in the midst of a prickly merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery and right after the shocking exit of beloved long-time boss, Jeff Zucker. In his first six months, he’s shut down CNN+, ousted Brian Stelter, and shuffled anchors around, including Don Lemon and Jake Tapper. This week, the network chief held an internal town hall meeting where he faced a staff of thousands and discussed upcoming layoffs. Shortly afterwards, he sat down with Kara — who grilled him, of course. She asks Licht whether he has any real actual power or if he’s simply executing orders from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav — who is in search of cuts, as the company stares down the barrel at $50 billion in debt — and billionaire board member, John Malone, who has said he’d like to see more “centrist” programming from CNN. They discuss Licht’s vision for the newsroom, his plan to build trust with journalists who fear losing jobs, and how CNN will cover Donald Trump during the 2024 election. Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema discuss the challenges facing journalism in an era of disinformation. Stay tuned for Kara’s closing rant on “citizen journalism” and Elon’s latest broadside against the press. You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.0 comments0
- Phil Spencer really wants you to know that native Call of Duty will stay on PlayStationPhil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, is in charge of Xbox and all the game studios that Microsoft has acquired over the years. Phil came to talk to us hours before the European Commission announced an in-depth investigation into Microsoft’s proposed 68.7 billion dollar acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which makes the enormous Call of Duty series, as well as Candy Crush on phones. So I had the chance to ask Phil: Will he make the concessions that regulators want in order to close this deal? And is the deal really just about Call of Duty, or something else? Is Microsoft committed to keep Call of Duty available on Playstation? Phil’s a candid guy. He’s been on Decoder before. I always enjoy talking to him, and this was a fun one. Links: Microsoft’s Phil Spencer on the new Xbox launch - The Verge Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion - The Verge Why Microsoft bought Bethesda for $7.5 billion Microsoft announces big, multistudio push to create more Xbox exclusives Bethesda’s Starfield and Redfall have been delayed to 2023 Tech antitrust pioneer Lina Khan will officially lead the FTC Sony says Microsoft’s Call of Duty offer was ‘inadequate on many levels’ Microsoft: Xbox game streaming console is ‘years away' This is Microsoft’s Xbox game streaming device Google is shutting down Stadia in January 2023 - The Verge Razer’s Edge is one sharp-looking cloud gaming Android handheld Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld review: terminally online Steam Deck review: it’s not ready Steam Deck, one month later Tech Leaders Discuss the Metaverse’s Future | WSJ Tech Live 2022 Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on the business of Windows Microsoft partners with Meta to bring Teams, Office, Windows, and Xbox to VR EU opens ‘in-depth investigation’ into Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23223230 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- Why Figma is selling to Adobe for $20 billion, with CEO Dylan FieldDylan Field is the co-founder and CEO of Figma, which makes a very popular design tool that allows designers and their collaborators to all work together right in a web browser. You know how multiple people can edit together in Google Docs? Figma is that for design work. We just redesigned The Verge; we used Figma extensively throughout that process. So for years, people have been waiting on the inevitable Figma vs. Adobe standoff since Figma was such a clear upstart competitor to Photoshop and Illustrator and the rest. Well, buckle up because in September, Adobe announced that it was buying Figma for $20 billion. Figma is going to remain independent inside Adobe, but you know, it’s a little weird. So I wanted to talk to Dylan about the deal, why he’s doing it, how he made the decision to sell, and what things he can do as part of Adobe that he couldn’t do as an independent company. Dylan’s also a pretty expansive thinker, so after we talked about his company getting the “fuck you” money from Adobe, we talked about making VR Figma for the metaverse and AGI, which is artificial general intelligence, or the kind of AI that can fully think for itself. This episode takes a turn. I think you’re going to like it. Okay, Dylan Field, CEO of Figma. Here we go. Links: Welcome to the new Verge Adobe to acquire Figma in a deal worth $20 billion A New Collaboration with Adobe Designers worry Adobe won't let Figma flourish WebGL - Wikipedia How big companies kill ideas — and how to fight back, with Tony Fadell - Decoder Dylan Field on Twitter: "Our goal is to be Figma not Adobe" College Dropout Turns Thiel Fellowship Into a $2 Billion Figma Fortune Generative adversarial network (GAN) - Wikipedia GPT-3 - Wikipedia Is VR the next frontier in fitness? - Decoder Artificial general intelligence - Wikipedia Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23209862 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Jackson Bierfeldt. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
- The mystery of Biden’s deadlocked FCCThe Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently short a commissioner, and the Biden Administration and Senate Democrats just can't seem to get that seat filled despite having nominated an amazingly qualified person. Her name is Gigi Sohn. The inability to get Gigi confirmed at the FCC has left the commission deadlocked with two Democrats and two Republicans. That means the commission in charge of regulating all telecom in the United States, including how you get your internet service, is unable to get much done. The Biden administration can't accomplish some of its biggest policy priorities like rural broadband and restoring net neutrality. President Biden first nominated Gigi Sohn to the FCC over a year ago, but the full Senate vote to confirm her just hasn't happened. We’ve been digging into the story for a few months now, trying to figure out what's going on here, and we found a simple but really frustrating answer… Links: Gigi Sohn Author Profile - The Verge Comcast trying to “torpedo” Biden FCC pick Gigi Sohn, advocacy group says The Slime Machine Targeting Dozens of Biden Nominees Attempted acquisition of Tribune Media by Sinclair Broadcast Group The Vergecast: Net neutrality was repealed a year ago. Gigi Sohn explains what’s happened since Confirmation Hearing for FCC and Commerce Department Nominees Biden signs $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act Biden Signs Bill to Help Veterans Exposed to Toxic Burn Pits With the Inflation Reduction Act, the US brings climate goals within reach Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation A Media Censor for the FCC? Hyperpartisan Gigi Sohn Doesn’t Belong at the FCC Gigi Sohn and the Police Gigi Sohn Facebook Tweet Tech antitrust pioneer Lina Khan will officially lead the FTC Confirmation Hearing For FCC Nominee FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel on staying connected during a pandemic Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23201559 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was written and reported by Jackie McDermott. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. Additional mixing by Andrew Marino. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan.0 comments0
