Kara and Scott talk about Twitter's new feature that allows certain users to post audio recordings. They also get talk about Pinterest reconciling with claims from Black employees that the company has internal racist practices. In big stories, the Department of Justice released a recommendation that portions of Section 230 be repealed. Meanwhile, Basecamp's new email service Hey.com is claiming that Apple has been abusing its power in the App Store. Scott predicts there will be negative impacts ...
Jun 19, 2020•45 min•Ep. 116
Kara and Scott talk about the possibility that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos might speak to the House Judiciary Committee as a part of a broad antitrust investigation into big tech. Meanwhile, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo warns that the state’s reopening might need to be delayed after widespread violations of social distancing orders. Then we hear from personal finance expert Suze Orman about the financial economic crisis facing Americans today and why she fears a wave of foreclosures and asset reposs...
Jun 16, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 115
Kara and Scott talk about Amazon and IBM moving away from their facial recognition technology because of algorithm's known racial biases. They also discuss Biden's petition to Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg to change his hands-off approach with political speech on the platform. They talk about HBOMax taking down "Gone with the Wind" and whether platforms should give more context to historic racism in film. And, as Starbucks shuts down 400 stores in North America, they talk about what the future is...
Jun 12, 2020•44 min•Ep. 114
Kara and Scott talk about a new lawsuit waged by Amazon warehouse workers alleging the company did not follow CDC protocol well enough to stop the spread of COVID-19. They discuss Alexis Ohanian's decision to step down from Reddit's board of the directors in order to leave space to elevate a black person to his empty seat. In Friend of Pivot we hear from Mike Masnick of tech dirt to talk about Section 230, as Trump battles with Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/...
Jun 09, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 113
Kara and Scott talk about Zuckerberg doubling down on Facebook policy that allows Trump to continue posting inflammatory content on the platform. They also discuss a new lawsuit against Google that says the company may be breaking Federal wiretap laws when people use private browser modes. Plus a listener mail question on Amazon bonds and a prediction about the 2020 IPO class. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Jun 05, 2020•46 min•Ep. 112
Kara and Scott talk about how protests have played out across the country and corporations responses. As US citizens take to the streets to protest police officers killing black people, Facebook workers go on strike. Then, they are joined by Friend of Pivot, activist, comedian, writer and producer Baratunde Thurston who clarifies how the protests are playing out on social media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Jun 02, 2020•53 min•Ep. 110
Kara and Scott talk about Twitter's responsibility in fact-checking and regulating Trump tweets as they slap their first misinformation label on one of the president's tweets. They also discuss the future of a "private" space as Elon Musk prepares to launch his SpaceX rocket. Meanwhile, Amazon is having its annual shareholder meeting and some people are hoping they can push the company to be transparent about data around covid-19 deaths of warehouse workers. Plus we hear a listener mail question...
May 29, 2020•55 min•Ep. 110
Kara and Scott talk about Disney open its doors to the NBA as professional sports leagues attempt to resume their seasons. Meanwhile, the New York Stock Exchange will be open to traders again this week. Scott thinks there will be a strong class of IPOs by the end of the years. Then we hear from Caryn Marooney , the former VP of Global Communications at Facebook. She gives an insider's look at Mark Zuckerberg's new work from home policy. Jacinda Arden is Kara's win and Joe Biden's lack of momentu...
May 26, 2020•50 min•Ep. 109
Kara and Scott talk about Spotify's new deal with Joe Rogan and the implications for the podcast industry. They also discuss Amazon reportedly in talks with bankrupt JCPenny about a potential sale. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has been buying up stocks from major companies over the course of the pandemic. In Listener Mail, Kara and Scott talk about TikTok's future as a Disney executive comes on as CEO. Scott predicts that Shopify is going to make a big retail acquisition. Lea...
May 22, 2020•54 min•Ep. 108
Kara and Scott talk about Facebook purchasing Giphy and reports the DOJ is likely to sue Google for antitrust violations in the digital ad space. They also discuss Amazon swooping in to "save" designer fashion by teaming up with Vogue. The "everything store" has been trying to corner this market for years. Then we are joined by Phil Howard the Director of the Oxford Internet Institute, where he studies the spread of misinformation. He takes Kara and Scott through some of the latest conspiracies ...
May 19, 2020•57 min•Ep. 108
Kara and Scott talk about Uber's offer to buy GrubHub, which would give the company a majority of food delivery market share. They talk about whether this merger would be good for Uber (yes) and whether it would be bad for the commonwealth (also, yes). Meanwhile, Elon Musk is reopening the Tesla factory in California, and his mother is texting Kara about how harsh she's being on her son. In Listener Mail we get a question about companies taking back their upfront ad deals with the major televisi...
May 15, 2020•58 min•Ep. 107
Kara and Scott talk about Amazon in talks to acquire AMC theaters, Uber earnings and how education will change with white collar workers at home. Scott thinks this may be an opportunity for public schools to gain more resources. Then MSNBC Anchor Stephanie Ruhle joins the show to break down some of the major policy holes in the CARES Act. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
May 12, 2020•57 min•Ep. 106
Kara and Scott talk about Facebook's new oversight board and whether it will be effective in controlling content on the platform. They discuss layoffs at Airbnb and Uber, as well as Uber's investment in the scooter company, Lime. We take a moment of "Comic Relief" with writer and comedian Sarah Cooper whose videos lip syncing Trump's press conferences have gone viral. Scott predicts that Uber is having fast numbers recovery after Covid-19 declines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast...
May 08, 2020•49 min•Ep. 105
Kara and Scott talk about whether or not Congress should give businesses legal protections against lawsuits from workers who contract COVID-19. They discuss Amazon's earnings and Jeff Bezos' strategy to put $4billion in profits towards vaccinating and socially distancing the company fulfillment supply chain. Also, they talk about whether Bezos should, and whether he will, testify in front of Congress after the House Judiciary Committee asked for his appearance. In Friend of Pivot we hear from An...
May 05, 2020•59 min•Ep. 104
Kara and Scott talk about Facebook earnings during the pandemic and the company's push into e-commerce. They discuss Uber's reported lay-offs and other issues facing the ride-share company as their longtime CTO steps down. In Listener Mail and fan from New Zealand asks what the US can do to salvage our brand after our failure to deal with COVID-19 effectively. In predictions, Scott says Amazon is about to be the 2nd most valuable company in the world and that Sonos will get acquired. Meanwhile, ...
May 01, 2020•50 min•Ep. 103
Kara and Scott talk about Senate Democrats being vocal about breaking up Amazon, after a report that the company lied to the House Judiciary Committee. They talk about the Wall Street Journal investigation into Amazon's use of data from third-party sellers. Meanwhile, France upholds a ruling that is keeping Amazon warehouses in the country shuttered until they address workers' health protection concerns. Privacy expert Alex Stamos joins the show to talk about the $5 billion FTC/Facebook settleme...
Apr 28, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 102
Kara and Scott talk about Netflix's biggest quarter yet. The company doubled its projections for how many new subscribers it would acquire. They discuss Facebook's single biggest company investment into Jio – an Indian service provider. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos is back at the wheel at Amazon. Kara and Scott talk about Jeff Bezos' most recent letter to shareholders, as Amazon get an even bigger hold on US commerce. A listener asks if face-masks will become high fashion and if that can save more reta...
Apr 24, 2020•54 min•Ep. 101
Kara and Scott talk about Marc Andreessen's manifesto to Silicon Valley. They also discuss the PPP and the big companies that applied for those loans. They dig into Facebook and Google's digital ad market hit in the past weeks, but Scott doubts it slows the companies' growth. Kara asks Scott if he thinks media companies should be part of the next round of Federal bailouts? In Friend of Pivot, we hear from New York Magazine Senior Writer Rebecca Traister about women's leadership in COVID-19, Femi...
Apr 21, 2020•52 min•Ep. 100
Kara and Scott evaluate President Trump's recent business decisions from defunding the W.H.O., to his "council to reopen America", and the public/private partnership. They also talk about the possible end of Vision Fund after SoftBank tells investors they may have lost $16.7 billion this year. A court in France is ordering Amazon to halt operations until they can address worker safety concerns. In Listener Mail, we get a question about whether robots will start replacing essential workers. In pr...
Apr 17, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 99
Kara and Scott talk about tech giants Google and Apple teaming up to track COVID-19 cases on iPhones and Androids. They also discuss the hurdles ride share drivers are experiencing as they attempt to apply for unemployment insurance; outdated Labor Department guidelines and a lack of data is slowing that process. As Congress thinks about a fourth bail out package, the US Postal Service is asking for funds. Kara and Scott talk about whether USPS should be privatized. Friend of Pivot, economist, f...
Apr 14, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 98
Kara and Scott talk about Jack Dorsey's $1 billion donation to fight COVID-19, as well as other tech billionaire's contributions to fight the virus. They think that those contributions can't fill the void of a well funded government through tax dollars. They give an update on Zoom's privacy issues as the company takes on Alex Stamos, Facebook's former security chief. In Listener Mail, Kara and Scott get a question about the massive video game industry as Amazon starts producing its own video gam...
Apr 10, 2020•54 min•Ep. 97
Kara and Scott talk about privacy issues at Zoom as we move our doctor's appointments, work, therapy, social lives and school onto the platform. They discuss how tech regulations may slow under the cloud cover of COVID-19, the future of CCPA and Silicon Valley lobbyists. In Friend of Pivot, we hear from the former Director of the National Economic Council under President's Clinton and Obama, Gene Sperling . He talks about the 6.6 million people who filed for unemployment in March, the current re...
Apr 07, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 96
Kara and Scott talk about Sean Hannity defending his work at Fox News (after Kara called him out for spreading misinformation in the early days of COVID-19). They discuss how the big tech companies are dealing with fact-checking politicians for public health information accuracy. Meanwhile, Softbank is scrapping its buy out of Adam Neumann's shares at WeWork. Also, Kara and Scott talk about several labor strikes that took place this week -- will COVID-19 be a reckoning for corporate America? In ...
Apr 03, 2020•53 min•Ep. 95
Kara and Scott talk about Internet slow downs and how companies are coping as the country starts living their work and personal lives online. They discuss reports that the government is using mobile advertiser geo-location data on your phone to track social distancing and the spread of COVID-19. Friend of Pivot, renowned therapist and podcast host Esther Perel joins Kara and Scott to talk about dealing with grief in a moment of instability, how to be a better partner and colleague during the loc...
Mar 31, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 94
Kara and Scott talk about Zoom's immense stock value in this moment and what the company should do with new power. They discuss what is to come with streaming platforms and media outlets as the 2020 Olympics joins the slew of live sports postponements due to COVID-19. Also, will the WFH movement be the final nail in the weWork coffin? In Listener Mail, Kara and Scott talk about guardrails and bailouts in the recently passed stimulus package. In predictions, Scott expects to see new stock lows in...
Mar 27, 2020•57 min•Ep. 93
Kara and Scott talk about the stimulus package in limbo and the Defense Production Act. They break down how tech companies like Lyft, Airbnb and Tesla are pivoting in the COVID-19 crisis. They think Airbnb probably won’t go public this year. In Friend of Pivot, we talk to New York City Speaker Corey Johnson about how New York City is the US epicenter for COVID-19 cases. He discusses the possibility of rent freezes, the new “PAUSE” order and how small businesses are faring in the upheaval. In win...
Mar 24, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 92
Kara and Scott talk about stimulus packages and possible emergency checks to deal with the US economic crisis. We hear a bite from Andrew Yang about why implementing universal basic income in this situation is the next phase of capitalism. As Israel joins Iran and China in using data location to stop the spread of COVID-19, Kara and Scott talk about whether this is a move the United States should attempt. In listener mail, we get a question about whether this "work-from-home-moment" will become ...
Mar 20, 2020•53 min•Ep. 91
Kara and Scott talk about the announced public/private partnerships between major companies and the federal government. They discuss the Trump administration’s misinformation about a Google website that will be developed to triage Covid-19 cases. They touch on changes at Facebook’s board, Kenneth Chenault is the latest to depart. In Friends of Pivot, we hear from a person living under quarantine in Milan, Italy. Then Kara’s brother Dr. Jeff Swisher comes on to talk about how he and hospitals are...
Mar 17, 2020•55 min•Ep. 90
Kara and Scott talk about COVID-19, what tech could do to help, and what we need to see from leadership. We hear from Ron Klain, who was the "Ebola czar" under the Obama administration about why we need COVID-19 tests and what the hold up is in getting them. In other news, Kara and Scott discuss this week's Congressional hearing on antitrust and why Yelp thinks Google's search results are biased towards their own products. In Listener Mail we get a question about whether Amazon should roll out C...
Mar 13, 2020•37 min•Ep. 89
Kara and Scott talk about the deal reached at Twitter, the fate of Jack Dorsey and his tenure as CEO. They discuss how big tech companies have been stepping up to take care of gig-workers as COVID-19 spreads; Silicon Valley's approach has been drastically different from the government's, thus far. Facebook takes some action on misleading Trump campaign ads connected to the 2020 Census ... but Kara and Scott think one ad is not enough. In Friend of Pivot we hear from podcast host and author Amina...
Mar 10, 2020•52 min•Ep. 88
