When he became chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai announced that he was going to take a “weed whacker” to Obama-era regulations. So far, he’s kept his promise, and earned the internet’s ire for reversing the agency’s position on net neutrality. Pai defends his actions and explains how the U.S. can “win” everything from the 5G race to ... Show More
Nov 14
653. Does Horse Racing Have a Future?
<p>Thoroughbred auction prices keep setting records. But tracks are closing, gambling revenues are falling, and the sport is increasingly reliant on subsidies. Is that the kind of long shot anybody wants? (Part three of a series, “<a href="https://freakonomics.com/the-horse-is-us ... Show More
1h 1m
Sep 2023
Tech News: The FCC Says Net Neutrality is Back on the Menu
During the administration of Barack Obama, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) tried to codify net neutrality into US law. Then, during the Trump administration, the new FCC stripped net neutrality out again. This week, the FCC once again tries to establish an official US ... Show More
28m 28s
Nov 2023
Barack Obama on AI, free speech, and the future of the internet
This episode of Decoder with Nilay Patel originally ran in early November. Patel and former President Barack Obama discuss AI and the future of the internet. They talk about President Biden’s recent executive order on AI, the First Amendment, democracy, and if the government coul ... Show More
49m 14s
Mar 2023
China’s military spending to outpace economic growth
<p>Huawei is lobbying to build the Malaysian government’s 5G network, China will aim for an economic expansion of “around 5 per cent” for 2023, Israel has been gripped by a bitter battle between supporters and opponents of proposed judicial reforms, and US President Joe Biden wil ... Show More
10m 22s
Jul 2020
Meet the Guy Who's Hauling All 4 Big Tech CEO's (Virtually) Up to the Hill Next Week, Rep. David Cicilline
Next Monday, the CEO’s of four of the most dominant and important technology companies in the world will testify to Congress:
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and Apple’s Tim Cook will all appear before the House Judiciary Committee’s subc ... Show More
25m 12s
Feb 2021
Reddit traders eye silver, Republicans float smaller relief bill, Mance talks to Bellingcat founder
<p>Reddit traders have targeted silver markets after piling into GameStop shares last week, and Republicans in the US Senate float a stimulus deal a third the size of president Joe Biden’s plan. Plus, the FT’s chief features writer, Henry Mance, spoke with the founder of the inte ... Show More
10m 23s