Quip CEO and Twitter board member Bret Taylor talks with Recode's Kara Swisher and Kurt Wagner about the reality of trying and sometimes failing as an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. A former Facebook CTO, he reflects on how Mark Zuckerberg's company culture balanced good execution with a willingness to fail. Taylor also discusses Quip's $750 million acquisition by Salesforce, how Twitter is responding to abuse and why so many Silicon Valley companies have trouble with diversity. Learn more abou...
Aug 29, 2016•56 min•Ep 72•Transcript available on Metacast Walker & Company Brands founder and CEO Tristan Walker talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how technology can disrupt the health and beauty industry. Walker & Company's shaving brand, Bevel, is aimed at people of color who are underserved by the big cosmetics companies, and Walker says he plans to focus even more on personalized products those competitors can't deliver. An alumnus of Twitter, Foursquare and Andreessen Horowitz, he also discusses his problems with tech companies' "culture fit,...
Aug 22, 2016•52 min•Ep 71•Transcript available on Metacast Atlassian co-CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about co-founding an enterprise software company in Sydney, Australia, in 2002. Cannon-Brookes reflects on Atlassian's successful American IPO and the differences between his team and tech companies that start in other parts of the world. Rather than trying to beat Silicon Valley at its own game, he says, the right approach for Australia is to nurture its own tech talent while building bridges across the ocean. Learn more abou...
Aug 15, 2016•38 min•Ep 70•Transcript available on Metacast Sallie Krawcheck, formerly the CFO of Citi Group and the CEO of Merrill Lynch, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about launching Ellevest, a new online investment platform for women. Krawcheck says the male-dominated world of finance overlooks the needs of female customers, and that women invest differently. She also discusses the 20-20 hindsight of the 2008 financial crisis, the danger of another downturn and why being an entrepreneur is "harder than running Merrill Lynch." Learn more about your...
Aug 08, 2016•42 min•Ep 69•Transcript available on Metacast Eric Jackson, a longtime activist investor in Yahoo and the managing director of SpringOwl Asset Management, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the momentous deal that will sell Yahoo's core business to Verizon for nearly $5 billion. Jackson reflects on how he came to be a champion, and then a critic, of Yahoo's final CEO, Marissa Mayer, and whether saving the pioneering internet company was doomed from the start. He also suggests that the end of an independent Yahoo carries some lessons for...
Aug 01, 2016•39 min•Ep 68•Transcript available on Metacast Antonio García-Martinez, author of the new tell-all book, "Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley," talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about starting a company, getting acquired by Twitter, and defecting to Facebook one year before its IPO. García-Martinez knew from the start that he wanted to write a book, and the end result doesn't mince words with its subjects. He says one of the big takeaways from "Chaos Monkeys" is that Silicon Valley constantly lies to itself, an...
Jul 25, 2016•42 min•Ep 67•Transcript available on Metacast Peloton CTO Yony Feng talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how the indoor cycling company is trying to shake up in-home exercise programs with its custom fitness bike, which sells for $2,000. Peloton broadcasts 12 live spinning classes to those bikes every day and challenges its bike owners to compete for a spot on its global leaderboards. Feng discusses how the bike compares to other techie fitness gear and why Peloton may be interested in virtual reality — just not right now. Learn more abou...
Jul 18, 2016•34 min•Ep 66•Transcript available on Metacast "Hamilton" lead producer Jeffrey Seller talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how the hit Broadway musical goes forward now that three of its stars — Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr. and Phillipa Soo — have taken their final bows. Seller says he avoids or doesn't understand much of Silicon Valley's tech obsessions, and praises the power of live theater as an antidote to gadget addiction. He explains how "Hamilton" and Ticketmaster have tried to thwart ticket-buying bots behind the scenes, an...
Jul 11, 2016•50 min•Ep 65•Transcript available on Metacast NBC Olympics President Gary Zenkel talks with Recode's Ina Fried about how the network is building on the digital reach of the Summer Games via livestreaming, virtual reality, Snapchat and more. Zenkel says NBC and Samsung expect to produce two to three hours of virtual reality content per day throughout the Games. He also addresses concerns about the Zika virus and politics in Rio de Janeiro, but says he's not worried about their effect on the Olympics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit p...
Jul 04, 2016•47 min•Ep 64•Transcript available on Metacast Donna Dubinsky and Jeff Hawkins — the co-founders of Palm, Handspring and Numenta — talk with Recode's Kara Swisher about their efforts to decode the human brain. They say everything that makes us human, from language to art to engineering, derives from the same learning algorithm, and Numenta hopes to ultimately teach that algorithm to a machine. Dubinsky and Hawkins explain why we shouldn't be afraid that machines will take over the world and why they believe artificial intelligence will drive...
Jun 27, 2016•44 min•Ep 63•Transcript available on Metacast Coursera president and co-founder Daphne Koller talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how she helped build the popular online learning platform after a successful early experiment at Stanford University. Koller says the future of higher education is a mixture of online and offline learning, with people continually going back to school in some form throughout their lives, rather than stopping in their 20s. She discusses whether universities themselves are at risk of going extinct and whether tec...
Jun 20, 2016•40 min•Ep 62•Transcript available on Metacast Chelsea Handler, the host of Netflix's new talk show "Chelsea," chats with Recode's Kara Swisher about going digital after seven years on the cable channel E! She runs "Chelsea" like a normal TV show, just not a late-night one, because her viewers might watch at any time, in any order. Handler says re-entering the public eye meant adjusting to changes in social media (hello, Snapchat!) and discusses what she thinks of transgender bathroom rights, Donald Trump and Tesla's Elon Musk. Learn more ab...
Jun 13, 2016•43 min•Ep 61•Transcript available on Metacast Reality TV star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about why she doesn't use Facebook, but loves Snapchat. Kardashian credits her family's career success to social media and has successfully tapped digital partners at Whalerock to develop a paid-subscription app and the emoji app Kimojis, which has rocketed to the top of the charts on both iPhone and Android. Coming soon: Kimojis merch. She also chats about her penchant for naked selfies, being a parent and her husb...
Jun 06, 2016•34 min•Ep 60•Transcript available on Metacast Maverick Carter, the business manager for basketball superstar LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, talks to Recode's Kurt Wagner about how the internet has radically changed athletes' place in the media world. Athletes are no longer reliant on newspapers and TV networks to tell their stories, which means that they -- and the people they trust -- can hone and craft the narrative more than ever before. Carter also talks about what he learned working at Nike, the controversial live TV special ...
May 30, 2016•42 min•Ep 59•Transcript available on Metacast JPMorgan Chase president, chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how big banks are both competing against and collaborating with Silicon Valley. He explains why tech company IPOs have sharply declined in 2016 but says he's certain they will return. Dimon also reflects on the anger directed at banks throughout the 2016 election and what the next president needs to do to make things right. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 23, 2016•40 min•Ep 58•Transcript available on Metacast U.S. Rep. and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi sits down with Recode's Kara Swisher to talk about the 2016 election, immigration reform and how Congress is trying to work with and learn from the tech industry. Pelosi says she's certain that Hillary Clinton will defeat Donald Trump in the presidential race and explains why she sides with Apple in its ongoing encryption battle against the FBI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 16, 2016•47 min•Ep 57•Transcript available on Metacast On this special episode of "Recode Decode," we celebrate the relaunch of Recode.net with an extended interview between Recode co-founders Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg. In 1991, Mossberg was laughed out of the Secretary of State's office for announcing that he would start writing about technology. Three media companies and 25 years later, he reflects on the changing landscape of tech journalism. Plus: Kara and Walt preview the upcoming Code Conference and look back on a decade of conference hig...
May 09, 2016•48 min•Ep 56•Transcript available on Metacast Former Texas State Senator Wendy Davis -- most famous for her filibuster to stop legislation that would severely restrict abortions in that state -- talks with Kara Swisher about her new digital initiative Deeds Not Words, which hopes to mobilize young women into political action. She discusses her history of confronting misogyny and discrimination, both in real life and online, and why progress in women's rights has been so slow. Davis thinks women must forcefully call out attempts to silence t...
May 02, 2016•44 min•Ep 55•Transcript available on Metacast Khosla Ventures investment partner Keith Rabois talks with Kara Swisher about building PayPal before the dot-com crash and the entrepreneurial lessons he applied from that company to later jobs at LinkedIn, Slide, Google and Square. Now, as a venture capitalist, he sees himself as a consulting psychologist for many companies in his portfolio. He also discusses why investors who once feared missing the next Uber are now rejecting startups with high burn rates. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...
Apr 25, 2016•51 min•Ep 54•Transcript available on Metacast Investor and former America Online CEO Steve Case, the author of a new book called "The Third Wave," talks with Kara Swisher about how companies like AOL made on-ramps to the Internet and where we'll find the next big ideas. He dissects why the notorious AOL Time Warner merger failed and explores what the big market leaders need to do to stay on top. America can create millions of new jobs, he argues, by expanding the startup mentality nationwide, including to non-tech sectors. Learn more about ...
Apr 18, 2016•50 min•Ep 53•Transcript available on Metacast Warby Parker co-founders and co-CEOs Dave Gilboa and Neil Blumenthal talk with Re/code's Senior Commerce Editor Jason Del Rey about how they challenged the incumbents of the eyewear business, which is dominated by one company, Luxottica. They explain why they expanded beyond their online sales business into old-fashioned retail stores and why, even in the digital age, a strong brand name is vitally important for fashion. Plus: Where did the name "Warby Parker" come from? Learn more about your ad...
Apr 11, 2016•40 min•Ep 52•Transcript available on Metacast Kara Swisher talks with 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki about why the personal genomics company's mission is unchanged after a battle with the FDA. Wojcicki argues that understanding one's own genetic traits is part of a broader trend of consumers taking control of their health. She also discusses being a famous female tech executive, what she thinks of 23andMe's embattled peer Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos and why she doesn't read her own press (especially when it is about her relationship with New Yo...
Apr 04, 2016•56 min•Ep 51•Transcript available on Metacast Lending Club CEO Renaud Laplanche talks with Kara Swisher about the benefits of online financial services in a world that no longer needs old-fashioned bank branches. He also explains why Lending Club's stock has been slipping for two years and is currently at half its IPO share price. Plus: Why the venture capitalist honeymoon with private financial tech companies might be ending and why Laplanche is bracing for a general market downturn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.c...
Mar 28, 2016•39 min•Ep 50•Transcript available on Metacast Social Capital founder Chamath Palihapitiya talks with Kara Swisher about working on Winamp, AOL Instant Messenger and Facebook before becoming an outspoken investor. In today's Silicon Valley, he says, old investment firms are dying and the next hundred-billion-dollar companies will be more diverse and open-minded. He also evaluates Twitter, Yahoo and the racial animosity of Donald Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 21, 2016•1 hr 9 min•Ep 49•Transcript available on Metacast Tanium CEO Orion Hindawi talks with Re/code's Arik Hesseldahl about why it's easier than ever for hackers to strike at companies and governments, and why those who cling to obsolete security solutions are putting everyone at risk. Hindawi says we're hearing about more security breaches, but that doesn't necessarily mean more are happening. Plus: Why the coconut-water-drinking corporate culture in Silicon Valley is wasteful, irresponsible and headed for a fall. Learn more about your ad choices. V...
Mar 14, 2016•48 min•Ep 48•Transcript available on Metacast U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter talks with Kara Swisher about his efforts to unite the Pentagon and Silicon Valley behind common goals, including a new "innovation advisory board" chaired by Eric Schmidt. He also explains why he is a strong supporter of encryption, why he almost never uses a cell phone and why he does not want to cede control of the Internet to countries like China and Russia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 07, 2016•37 min•Ep 47•Transcript available on Metacast HotelTonight CEO Sam Shank talks with Kara Swisher about taking only 10 weeks to launch an online travel app. He explains how the startup worked to avoid being perceived as "another Groupon" and why he believes big hotel chains such as Hilton and Marriott are in danger. Plus: Despite turmoil in the markets, will HotelTonight go public? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 29, 2016•34 min•Ep 46•Transcript available on Metacast California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom talks with Kara Swisher about why the government's approach to technology needs to be completely reimagined. A former mayor of San Francisco, Newsom argues that tech companies need to take an active role in fixing socioeconomic problems caused by their success. He also talks about self-driving cars, virtual reality sports and working with Napster co-founder Sean Parker to legalize marijuana. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/ad...
Feb 22, 2016•51 min•Ep 45•Transcript available on Metacast Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi talks with Kara Swisher about how he discovered his love for programming, and how Steve Jobs' death spurred him to create a non-profit that would spread that love to others. He argues that, just as students learn chemistry but don't all become chemists, education should reform to make young people digitally literate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 15, 2016•35 min•Ep 44•Transcript available on Metacast Andrew Jarecki joins Peter Kafka to talk about the success of true-crime documentary series such as "Making a Murderer," "Serial" and the show he directed, "The Jinx." He also discusses his history in tech as the founder of MovieFone and a new application called KnowMe, which makes it easier to share visual stories about your life from your phone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 11, 2016•33 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast