Chris Balfe is the CEO of Red Seat Ventures, the company behind some of the biggest names in podcasting, including Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, Bill O’Reilly, and, more recently, Kill Tony. Since we last spoke, Red Seat has been acquired by Fox, making it one of the company’s biggest bets on the creator economy.
So I asked him what that actually means—for F ... Show More
Jul 8
"We’re in a Race Against Time," Joe Kahn on Running the New York Times in the Age of AI Slop
Joe Kahn runs the New York Times newsroom, which means he runs the most powerful news operation in the world. He joins me to talk about what that power is for — and why he thinks the Times’ next big transformation is video, and why the paper is in “a race against time” to compete ... Show More
1h 4m
Jul 1
Encore: Inside Joe Weisenthal's brain
We originally published this interview with Bloomberg's Joe Weisenthal on Feb. 11, 2026, and it's one of my favorite chats of the year. We'll be back with a new conversation on July 8. If Joe Weisenthal didn’t exist, the internet would have to invent him. Because Joe Weisenthal i ... Show More
58m 16s
Jun 24
The Ad Industry's Weirdest Tradition
The Rebooting's Brian Morrissey joins me from Cannes, where OpenAI is pitching advertisers, creators are becoming media brands, and thousands of people are still flying across the Atlantic to meet with people they could see back home. We talk about what's changed in advertising, ... Show More
29m 21s
Mar 2021
Tony Hsieh, Jeff Bezos's Twitter fingers, and Big Tech in Congress (again)
This week, Kara and Scott chat about the Wall Street Journal's deep dive on Tony Hsieh, Jeff Bezo's twitter fingers, and the future of unions. Then, Friend of Pivot Zephyr Teachout joins us to talk about Cuomo Corruption and how monopoly power is "white power."
Learn more about y ... Show More
56m 5s
Jun 2024
Is the NY Times Just a Gaming Platform?
Even the Grey Lady struggles to profit from the news. This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Semafor founder Ben Smith to discuss media profit models, the impact of Google’s AI on the news biz, and the TikTok-ification of information. In the Plus ... Show More
43m 47s
Aug 2023
Streaming goes up, Zoom comes down
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz break down the chaotic and increasingly more expensive state of streaming video. Are we just recreating cable TV? And afterwards, the crew explores the wild world enterprise software. Further reading: Disney Plus and Hulu are ... Show More
1h 32m
Mar 2020
Recode Decode: Jason Calacanis
Inside CEO and This Week in Startups host Jason Calacanis talks with Kara Swisher about the future of Uber after its troubled IPO, why one of the tech giants should buy Tesla, and Jeff Bezos' Achilles heel: His lack of generosity. Calacanis, who was an early investor in Uber, als ... Show More
1h 6m
Sep 2023
Writers Strike Deal, Betting Against the FTC, and Guest Mathias Döpfner
Kara and Scott discuss the tentative deal between Hollywood writers and studios, and what it means for the future of the industry. They also talk about GOP attacks on misinformation researchers, as well as the hedge fund making billions betting against FTC Chair Lina Khan. Friend ... Show More
1h 13m
Aug 2023
Tech Money in Politics, SBF, and Billion-Dollar Barbie with Co-Host Teddy Schleifer
Puck's Teddy Schleifer is Kara's co-host, chatting about Sam Bankman-Fried’s legal woes, Barbie hitting $1 billion, and the Musk v. Zuckerberg cage fight. Then, Donald Trump’s response to his latest indictment, and the money behind the presidential candidates. Then we’re joined b ... Show More
1h 14m
Apr 2022
The Poison Pill, The State of Streaming and Guest William D. Cohan
Kara and Scott discuss the Twitter board's “poison pill” approach to fend of Elon’s bid. Friend of Pivot William D. Cohan joins to discuss whether or not Elon has the cash. Also, Alex Jones’ Info Wars has declared bankruptcy, and Tucker Carlson’s new documentary trailer is raisin ... Show More
1h 3m
Jul 2023
The X Factor, AI Guardrails, and a Barbenheimer Post-Mortem
Kara and Scott discuss a huge weekend at the box office, and Jeff Bezos' renewed interest in The Washington Post. Plus, WTF is Elon doing with his Twitter re-brand? Also, Big Tech agrees to some AI safety commitments, will they be enough? Friend of Pivot Alondra Nelson led the de ... Show More
1h 10m