Media and tech aren’t just intersecting — they’re fully intertwined. And to understand how those worlds work, and what they mean for you, veteran journalist Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers - and gets them to spell it out in plain, BS-free English.
Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Hosts Peter Kafka, Ben Smith, and Brian Morrissey discuss the state of legacy media, exploring potential areas of optimism amid industry challenges. They examine how established companies are adapting, focusing on talent deals, the enduring value of brands, digital adaptation strategies, and the impact of AI. The conversation touches on various models, from licensing talent to managing decline, and the future of large publishers like Condé Nast and The New York Times.
Scott Frank used to write great movies, like “Out of Sight.” Now he’s a Netflix guy, and a super successful one: he made “Godless,” a horses-and-everything Western for the streamer, then had a pandemic-era phenomenon with “The Queen’s Gambit.” Now he’s back with “Dept. Q”, his take on the British mystery genre. You can find that one on Netflix’s top 10 lists in the U.S. and around the world. I like talking to Scott on this show — something we started doing way back in 2017 — because he’s happy t...
Jay Graber, CEO of Blue Sky, joins the show to discuss the platform's rapid growth and its dual identity as both a user-friendly app and a foundational decentralized social media protocol. She explains the benefits of decentralization, the history of the protocol idea dating back to early Twitter, and how Blue Sky balances providing a simple user experience with enabling deep customization and development on its open network. Graber also addresses critiques, monetization plans, and why Blue Sky avoids blockchain technology.
Wired Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond discusses her strategy for revitalizing the legacy media brand. She explains how aggressive news coverage, particularly on the 'Doge' (Department of Government Efficiency) and Elon Musk's involvement with the Trump administration, led to a massive subscriber boom. Drummond also touches on balancing journalistic ambition with business sustainability, navigating Condé Nast culture, and the changing relationship between the tech industry and journalism.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram and Threads, discusses Meta's strategic shifts, including changes to content moderation and handling political discourse across their apps. He delves into the complexities of algorithmic ranking, comparing Instagram's approach to TikTok's exploration model, and explains the company's efforts to foster user-driven creativity while adapting to trends like the rise of private messaging. Mosseri also shares the origin story and goals for Threads, addressing its development as a distinct app aiming for a friendlier tone and community focus, while reflecting on the challenges and responsibilities of running massive global platforms.
Patrick McGee, author of "Apple in China," discusses Apple's deep reliance on China for manufacturing and the implications of this dependence. The conversation explores the history of Apple's involvement in China, the transfer of technological know-how, and the political risks associated with this relationship. The episode also touches on potential future scenarios and Apple's attempts to diversify its supply chain.
I wanted to talk to Ian Rogers about his fascinating career. He wanted to talk to me about Ledger, the crypto wallet company he’s working at now. So we did both things. Background: Rogers was an important figure in the digital music business, back when the music business was being fundamentally reshaped by digital. He helped the Beastie Boys get on the internet, long before every band did that. Then he helped bring digital music to millions of people in the MP3 era - first at AOL, then Yahoo — a...
Peter Kafka interviews Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, about their legal battle with Apple over App Store rules. Sweeney argues that Apple's control stifles digital freedoms and innovation, impacting both developers and consumers. He discusses the recent court victory, its implications, and Epic's ongoing commitment to fighting for a more open digital ecosystem.
In this Channels episode, Peter Kafka speaks with Smartly CEO Laura Desmond about the state of the ad business, focusing on potential impacts from tariffs, government regulations, and the evolving digital landscape. Desmond shares insights on how brands are navigating changes in consumer behavior, the shift towards personalized advertising, and the role of AI in shaping future ad strategies. The conversation covers the resilience of digital ad spend, the challenges and opportunities in connected TV, and the potential impact of geopolitical factors on the industry.
Peter Kafka interviews Roblox CEO David Baszucki, discussing the platform's popularity with kids, safety concerns, ambitions for growth, and strategies for navigating the evolving tech landscape. They explore Roblox's approach to user-generated content, IP rights, and revenue sharing with developers, along with the company's vision for expanding its audience and technological capabilities. Baszucki also addresses the challenges of managing a rapidly growing organization and maintaining its core values.
Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News discusses the company's successful business model covering Congress, its expansion into data analytics with NBlock AI, and the current state of legislative gridlock in Washington under the Trump administration. He also touches on potential future scenarios including a possible shift in House control and the ongoing debate surrounding TikTok. Sherman offers insights into the dynamics of power between the executive and legislative branches.
A.G. Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, discusses press freedom, the lawsuit against OpenAI, and navigating economic uncertainty. He emphasizes the importance of independent journalism, the Times' commitment to informing the public, and adapting to technological shifts. The conversation covers challenges facing the news industry and the paper's strategy for maintaining relevance and trust in a polarized world.
This episode of Channels with Peter Kafka features Sara Fischer discussing the evolving relationship between the media and the Trump administration, highlighting tactics like lawsuits, FCC investigations, and the pursuit of favorable coverage. They explore the strategic calculations of media companies and Big Tech as they navigate this complex landscape, and end with a discussion of local journalism's challenges and potential paths forward.
Call it symbiosis. Call it co-dependency. However you want to characterize it, there’s zero debate that Big TV and Big Sports are deeply intertwined. So if the TV business is shrinking, what happens to sports? That’s the main question I had for John Ourand, the longtime sports business reporter who’s now at Puck. But I had lots of related ones, like: Now that (some) college students are getting paid to play sports, how does that affect the TV product itself? What’s happening to the local sports ...
This episode explores the creative and economic decisions behind podcasting, featuring PJ Vogt of "Search Engine" discussing his lean, independent approach after "Reply All," and Zach Mack on his deeply personal podcast, "Alternate Realities," which documents his father's embrace of conspiracy theories and its impact on their family. They delve into the changing podcast landscape, the value of audience support, and the balance between artistic integrity and financial sustainability.
Peter Kafka interviews Twitch CEO Dan Clancy about the platform's history, community, moderation policies, competition, monetization, and the future of live streaming. Clancy emphasizes Twitch's unique focus on community and creator relationships, distinguishing it from other video platforms. He also addresses challenges like content moderation, profitability, and the evolving role of AI.
We had to stop recording this one for a minute, because Matt Belloni got a text. More on that below. Big picture: Matt is a longtime Hollywood reporter - and lawyer before that - who now has the industry's ear via his writing at Puck and his The Town podcast. I asked him to talk about what lies ahead for the Oscars, the out-of-step TV production that still has big audiences and prestige; and the current state of Hollywood, the business. Also discussed here: Awards party catering, and the most po...
David Enrich discusses his book, "Murder the Truth," and the threats to free speech and the First Amendment, particularly New York Times v. Sullivan. The conversation explores how powerful figures like Trump are challenging libel laws and the implications for journalism and public discourse. It also covers potential Supreme Court cases and the role of local news in protecting free speech.
Everyone knows that video games are giant, fast-growing business that's going to swamp traditional media. Except that's not true: The games business is now in a prolonged and confusing funk. Investor and analyst Matthew Ball has been diving deep into the industry, so I asked him to take a stab at explaining what's going on. Bonus question: When does the face computer's moment finally arrive? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A decade ago BuzzFeed was the bleeding edge of digital media, and Serious People thought it was going to be a threat to the likes of the New York Times. Many rounds of layoffs and asset sales later, BuzzFeed is a much more modest operation. But say this for Jonah Peretti: He continues to pitch Very Big Ideas for his company. Now the BuzzFeed CEO thinks he can create an internet that doesn’t run on content that makes you feel lousy, and that he can also create his own social network. I am… skepti...
It’s hard to remember now. But just a few years ago, sports betting was illegal in almost all of United States. And sports leagues and the media companies that worked with them wanted nothing to do with anything that even referenced gambling. Things are very, very different now! And it happened so quickly that very few people have stopped to ask what any of this means for America, and what it will mean down the road. Those questions — and the reasons why so few of us are posing them — turn out t...
I haven’t checked in with Jessica Lessin in some time — and I have to say I picked a pretty good time to catch up with her. Because Silicon Valley is undergoing something meaningful right now, and she’s in a great position to tell us more about it: Lessin is a veteran technology reporter who founded The Information in 2013, and it has been a go-to for anyone who wants serious reporting about tech in the Bay Area and around the world, ever since. Discussed in this episode: What’s really animating...
TikTok banned itself for less than a day. Now it’s back in the U.S. - despite a law that says it shouldn’t be operating. We’re not going to weigh in on all of the… weirdness around the last few days on this episode, in part because we don’t know how it’s going to play out. But in the meantime I wanted to talk to someone who knows how TikTok actually works — from a content creator’s perspective, at least. Adam Faze runs Gymnasium, a small production studio that specializes in TikTok videos, and s...
Why didn’t Meta’s stock move when Mark Zuckerberg announced his pro-MAGA pivot? Why do big media companies want to dump their cable TV networks — but hang on to their broadcast TV networks? What’s going to happen in Google’s antitrust case?These are all good questions, right? I think so, too. So I posed them, along with many more, to MoffettNathanson’s Michael Nathanson, one of the sharpest Wall Street analysts covering tech and media. We cover a lot of ground in a short time, and I think you’ll...
I’m a lucky man. Whenever I’m baffled by the internet, and social media, I turn to my co-worker Katie Notopoulos, who is there to explain it to me. That’s because Katie’s job at Business Insider is to explain how the internet works — how the people who run big internet platforms want it to work, and what the people who actually use those platforms do on it, for better and for worse. So that’s what we’re talking about today, to help ease us into the new year. Discussed here: Why Katie still loves...
I don’t love a lot of year-end #content . But I do love talking to Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw every year, to help put the year in media in perspective, and to think about what might be coming in 2025. And that’s exactly what we did here. Enjoy it now, or over your break. We’ll see you again in January. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Newsletters are not a new idea. Yet every few years the media business rediscovers them, anyway — either as a way to quickly launch a startup with bigger ambitions, or as a standalone business. Tim Huelskamp took the second route in 2017, when he co-founded 1440 — a newsletter that promises to quickly bring you the most important news of the day. Again — not a new idea. But Huelskamp seems to have figured out how to build something pretty big: He says 1440 has 4 million readers, and is turning a...
You probably shouldn't know Renee DiResta's name: She's a researcher who studies online bad behavior, not a celebrity. But the work DiReata did studying the "stop the steal" movement after 2020 has made her famous in some corners of the internet, and not in a good way: She's been harassed, pelted with subpoenas and sued twice. Now things could get really unpleasant for her. Donald Trump's victory means that a lot of people who have target dDiResta in the past are newly ascendant. But she tells m...
Lots of people start media companies using money from rich people. Jason Koebler and his colleagues did it themselves, using a grand total of $4,000. That was back in the summer of 2023. Now 404 Media, the tech news + investigations site they started after leaving Vice Media, is a success story. Koebler tells us how they started, how it’s going, and what he’d like to do next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Bari Weiss all used to work for big mainstream media companies. Now they’re on the internet, building their own companies, with the help of Chris Balfe. Balfe’s Red Seat Ventures helps online creators set up shop, produce programming, and — crucially — helps them monetize through ad sales and/or subscriptions. Balfe got his start working with Glenn Beck when the former Fox News star left and started his own online business. I always assumed we’d see other high-pro...
