When Recode’s Peter Kafka advises you not to write your book, WRITE THAT BOOK. That’s the lesson Mike Isaac learned: His book “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber” is now a Showtime series starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Not only that, Showtime announced that Mike’s next, yet-to-be-finished book about Facebook will be the basis of season 2. Peter talks to Mark about what it’s like to shift from the world of reporting to prestige TV drama. Then, host of LinkedIn’s “Hello Monday” podcast, Jessi Hempe...
Feb 24, 2022•52 min•Ep. 381
Make sure no one’s on your home phone while you use your dial-up modem to listen to this week’s show on your 1998 Bondi Blue iMac. Recode Media’s Peter Kafka talks to bestselling Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs author Chuck Klosterman about his new book: The Nineties: A Book. But first, NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik walks us through Sarah Palin’s defamation suit against The New York Times, which was rejected by a jury and a judge this week. Featuring: David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik), N...
Feb 17, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 380
This is (an update about what’s going on at) CNN. Dylan Byers of Puck News joins Recode’s Peter Kafka: They talk about the fallout from former CNN president Jeff Zucker’s resignation and the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger federal regulators approved yesterday. And then for something completely different, it’s the delightful Ben Schwartz! The affable Parks and Rec actor and improviser joins his new pal “PK” for a fun conversation. We talk about his new Apple TV+ show The Afterparty, working for Net...
Feb 10, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 379
First: Neil Young quit Spotify over Joe Rogan, but just a handful of musicians have followed him. Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw assesses whether Spotify’s podcast problems are over, or just beginning. Then, Recode’s Peter Kafka talks to two journalists who left their jobs to start their own media organizations. Lauren Williams was Vox’s editor-in-chief — this week she co-launched Capital B, a nonprofit news site aimed at Black readers. Brian Morrissey was editor-in-chief at Digiday and is now running T...
Feb 03, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 378
Just in time for the NFL playoffs, sports betting is legal in New York. $600 million in bets were placed in the first week alone. Now that it’s legal in more than 30 states, Recode’s Peter Kafka dives into how the business works and how going legit might change the TV sports viewing experience. Getting in on the action: Action Network CEO Patrick Keane and Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson. Featuring: Patrick Keane (@phkeane), CEO of Action Network Richard Johnson (@RJ_Writes), writer for Spo...
Jan 27, 2022•53 min•Ep. 377
It’s the biggest acquisition in Microsoft’s history: $68.7 billion to buy the video game company, Activision Blizzard. First, Axios’ Chief Technology Correspondent, Ina Fried, tells us how Xbox fits into Microsoft’s overall business. She touches on how Activision Blizzard’s scandals impacted the deal, and whether Microsoft’s plan to buy the company that makes Overwatch will get past federal over watchers. For the gaming side, Peter talks to Chris Grant, SVP of Polygon and The Verge. He explains ...
Jan 20, 2022•54 min•Ep. 376
What the hell is Web3, why did everyone start talking about it all at once, and are we going to still be talking about it in a few months? Jarrod Dicker, an investor at the Chernin Group, may know the answers to some of those questions, so he sat down to talk with Recode’s Peter Kafka. For years, Dicker has been in and around crypto — Web3 is really a rebranding of crypto — but he also knows the media business: Prior to Chernin, he was an executive at the Washington Post. He’s bullish on Web3 be...
Jan 13, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 375
CNN’s Oliver Darcy joins Recode’s Peter Kafka to discuss the way conservative media covers - and, importantly, doesn’t cover - the 1/6 riot and its aftermath. Then, NYT’s Erin Griffith reports back from the frontlines of the Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos trial, with tales of 3 AM wake-ups and keyboard mufflers. And she argues that Holmes’ story is Silicon Valley’s story, whether Silicon Valley likes it or not. Featuring: Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy), Senior Media reporter at CNN Erin Griffith (@ering...
Jan 06, 2022•50 min•Ep. 374
2021 was the year everyone who wasn’t already in podcasting jumped in the pool - and everyone who was already there spent more time and money trying to move the industry from promising to profitable. The Verge’s Ashley Carman joins Recode’s Peter Kafka to talk about everyone from Amazon to Apple to Spotify - of course - and talk about what we’re going to see, and listen to, next year. Featuring: Ashley Carman (@ashleyrcarman), Senior Reporter at The Verge and Lead Writer at Hot Pod Host: Peter K...
Dec 27, 2021•38 min•Ep. 373
How do you describe what happened to the media world in 2021? What happened to the movie business, streaming, music, TikTok, and more? Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw joins Recode’s Peter Kafka to sort what changed, what didn’t, and what 2022 might bring. Featuring: Lucas Shaw (@Lucas_Shaw), Reporter for Bloomberg Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business ti...
Dec 20, 2021•46 min•Ep. 372
Jason Kilar does not have opinions about the finale of HBO’s Succession, because he hasn’t seen it yet. The CEO of HBO’s parent company, WarnerMedia, does have opinions about lots of other stuff, though, including the future of movie theaters, the rise of games, and how the ad industry reacts to the streaming world. Kilar is scheduled to leave his post if AT&T’s deal to move WarnerMedia to Discovery goes through next year, which makes this a great time to chat with Recode’s Peter Kafka. Lear...
Dec 15, 2021•51 min•Ep. 371
BuzzFeed used to be an internet experiment. Now it’s a publicly-traded company that expects more than $500 million in revenue this year. CEO Jonah Peretti talks to Recode’s Peter Kafka about the route his company took to the NASDAQ; why he’s not worried about investors who bailed on the company; and the state of labor negotiations with the BuzzFeed News union. Featuring: Jonah Peretti (@peretti), CEO of BuzzFeed Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for ...
Dec 06, 2021•36 min•Ep. 370
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey is no longer the CEO of Twitter. Why did he leave? And what does the choice of his successor, Parag Agrawal, tell us about Twitter’s future? Bloomberg’s Kurt Wagner sits down with Recode’s Peter Kafka to discuss Dorsey's tenure as CEO and the reasons behind his decision to step down. Then the New Yorker’s Sheelah Kolhatkar joins the show to talk about the Biden administration’s campaign to rein in Big Tech. Kolhatkar recently profiled Lina Khan, an antitrust academ...
Dec 02, 2021•45 min•Ep. 369
Rhys Thomas used to make short films for Saturday Night Live. Now he’s making Hawkeye, the newest installment of Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, which debuts on Disney+ this week. Thomas sits down with Recode’s Peter Kafka to give a behind-the-scenes look at producing the series and how his previous work at SNL and IFC’s Documentary Now prepared him for his entry into the superhero world. Featuring: Rhys Thomas (@rhysthom2), Executive Producer of Marvel's Hawkeye Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka),...
Nov 23, 2021•41 min•Ep. 368
HBO has brought us nearly 50 years of riveting movies and TV shows; the behind-the-scenes stories are equally compelling. Journalist James Andrew Miller, who has written definitive oral histories of media institutions like Saturday Night Live and ESPN, tells Recode’s Peter Kafka about his newest work: Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers. Included in their chat: How HBO ascended to power; why attempts to combine the company with Apple and other suitors never happened; what really h...
Nov 18, 2021•58 min•Ep. 367
Twitter is free. But Twitter Blue — a new service for Twitter super-users — costs $3 a month. So what is Twitter Blue and why should you pay for it? Twitter product executive Tony Haile, who joined the company last spring after it acquired his Scroll startup, joins Recode’s Peter Kafka to make the pitch. Featuring: Tony Haile (@arctictony), Senior Director of Product at Twitter Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, ...
Nov 11, 2021•31 min•Ep. 366
Before Mark Zuckerberg told the world he was turning Facebook into a Metaverse company, he called Matthew Ball, one of the Metaverse’s chief evangelists. Now Ball tells Recode’s Peter Kafka what Facebook’s move means. Then Bloomberg Media Group CEO Justin Smith talks about building a $100 million subscriptions business that’s separate - but related to - Bloomberg’s much larger terminal business. And why he loves video - but not podcasts. Featuring: Matthew Ball (@ballmatthew), writer and Venture...
Nov 04, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 365
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen is handing over thousands of documents to reporters like The Verge’s Alex Heath. The next step: Sorting through all of those files, and figuring out how and when to write about them. Heath talks to Recode’s Peter Kafka about the weeks of stories we’ll be reading in the future, and his first one - about Facebook’s rapidly aging user base. And then for something completely different: Saturday Night Live cast member Heidi Gardner joins to talk about her unlikel...
Oct 28, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 364
Neil Vogel had no publishing experience before he took over About.com, the how-to website he turned into Dotdash for owner Barry Diller. Now Vogel is about to become one of the most powerful people in media if he completes a deal to acquire magazine heavyweight Meredith - the people behind People, InStyle, and Better Homes & Gardens. He talks to Recode’s Peter Kafka about merging an online-only operation with a print publisher. Featuring: Neil Vogel (@neilvogel), CEO of Dotdash Host: Peter K...
Oct 21, 2021•32 min•Ep. 363
Steve Jobs co-founded Apple and infused it with his love of product design and attention to detail. His successor, Tim Cook, is widely perceived as lacking Jobs’ vision and innovation. But he managed to do something Jobs never could: make Apple the most valuable company on the planet. So who are these two men, and how have their leadership styles shaped the company that shapes our lives? Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Pet...
Oct 14, 2021•37 min•Ep. 362
Five days after the New York Times’ Ben Smith wrote an astonishing piece about the fakery supporting Ozy Media, the digital publisher announced it was shutting down. What, if anything, does the fiasco tell us about media startups and investors? Smith teases it out with Recode’s Peter Kafka. Then Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch drops by for a progress report on his attempt to turn the magazine giant into a modern entertainment company - and an update on Apple’s News+ service. Featuring: Ben Smith (@be...
Oct 07, 2021•52 min•Ep. 361
More consolidation in Hollywood - but this time it’s talent agency CAA buying rival ICM. Puck’s Dylan Byers sits down with Recode’s Peter Kafka to explain why the streaming boom has created another merger. Then, podcaster and game streaming expert Bijan Stephen joins for an update on Twitch and its new “hate raid” problem - and what the platform and the community are doing to fight back against trolls. Featuring: Dylan Byers (@DylanByers), Senior Correspondent at Puck News Bijan Stephen (@bijans...
Sep 30, 2021•32 min•Ep. 360
Peter Thiel used to be a Silicon Valley investor best-known for early investment in Facebook. But in recent years he seems to have shifted into something different: A Trump-supporting billionaire who wants to remake American politics - and someone who nursed a years-long grudge against Gawker and ultimately bankrupted the publisher and its owner. Bloomberg’s Max Chafkin details Thiel’s story in his new book The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley’s Pursuit of Power; he talks about what an...
Sep 23, 2021•56 min•Ep. 359
Instagram is no longer going to be a photo-sharing app, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri announced earlier this summer. So what is Instagram going to be instead? Mosseri talks to Recode’s Peter Kafka about his plans to emphasize video and commerce for the service, competing with Tik-Tok, and looming regulation. Mosseri also talks about recent revelations in the Wall Street Journal about Instagram’s own research, which suggests the app could be harmful to a segment of its users, particularly teenagers...
Sep 16, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 358
Mark Gurman has been one of the best-sourced Apple reporters since he was in high school. Literally. Now he’s at Bloomberg, with deep insight into Apple’s new product line - new iPhones this year, new “mixed reality” headsets next year - and its political and philosophical ideology - why it's fighting regulation in courtrooms and capitols around the world. He talks to Recode’s Peter Kafka about the future of the world’s most valuable tech company. Featuring: Mark Gurman (@markgurman) Tech Report...
Sep 09, 2021•43 min•Ep. 357
Defector Media launched a year ago as a digital publishing experiment: What if the former staff of Deadspin built and owned their own site, fueled entirely by subscriptions? Now it looks like we have an answer: It’s working, really well. Editor in chief Tom Ley walks Recode’s Peter Kafka through Defector’s financials and argues that a site that runs on readers’ dollars instead of advertisers is more fun to work at and to read. Featuring: Tom Ley (@ToLey88) Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Defec...
Sep 02, 2021•38 min•Ep. 356
What is OnlyFans, and why did OnlyFans abandon and then come back to its primary business model in the span of a week? MEL Magazine’s Magdalene Taylor joins Recode’s Peter Kafka to explain the rise of the NSFW platform, and why some banks are reluctant to work with a company that consumers seem to love. Then BuzzFeed News’ Joe Bernstein talks about his recent story on the disinformation/misinformation industry, which isn’t exactly what we think it is. Featuring: Magdalene Taylor(@magdajtaylor), ...
Aug 26, 2021•40 min•Ep. 355
Nick Khan used to be a CAA agent who represented the WWE. Now he’s president of the pro wrestling company and is pivoting it from a direct-to-consumer strategy into a content studio for the likes of Peacock and Fox. Khan tells Recode’s Peter Kafka why the WWE has abandoned its pioneering streaming model, how he’s managing the company through covid, and what got him into the TV business. Featuring: Nick Khan, WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at ...
Aug 19, 2021•35 min•Ep. 354
The New York Times’ Shira Ovide, writes the popular and incisive “On Tech” newsletter, which means she gets to write about… everything. She sits down with Recode’s Peter Kafka to discuss some her latest stories in her column like why “Tech Can’t Fix Everything”, how society rather than social media itself is more to blame for the spread of misinformation, and the pros and cons of writing a popular newsletter. Featuring: Shira Ovide (@ShiraOvide), tech writer for The New York Times Host: Peter Ka...
Aug 12, 2021•36 min•Ep. 353
Puck News Hollywood expert Matthew Belloni sits down with Recode’s Peter Kafka to discuss the biggest stories in the past week: Reese Witherspoon’s new $900M deal and the lawsuit between Scarlett Johansson and Disney. Then, The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson joins the show to discuss how the media has been reporting on COVID-19 recently, especially now that the concerns of the Delta variant begin to increase. Featuring: Matthew Belloni (@MattBelloni) Hollywood editor at Puck News Derek Thompson (@DKT...
Aug 05, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 352
