Podurama logo

 Podurama

 

Home

 

Trending

 

Personal

 

Your Podcasts

 

New Episodes

 

My Files

 

Favourite Episodes

 

Tags (Folders)

 

Recently Played

 

Bookmarks

 

Followed Playlists

YOUR PLAYLISTS

Decoder with Nilay Patel podcast

…

Decoder with Nilay Patel

…

·

  The Verge  

Decoder is a show from The Verge about big ideas — and other problems. Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks to a diverse cast of innovators and policymakers at the frontiers of business and technology to reveal how they’re navigating an ever-changing landscape, what keeps them up at night, and what it all means for our shared future.

Decoder is a show from The Verge about big ideas — and other problems. Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks to a diverse cast of innovators and policymakers at the frontiers of business and technology to reveal how they’re navigating an ever-changing landscape, what keeps them up at night, and what it all means for our shared future.

 

All

Progress

Duration

Release Date

#739

Disney just fought off a shareholder revolt — but the clock’s still ticking

Today, we're talking about Disney, the massive activist investor revolt it just fought off, and what happens next in the world of streaming. Because what happens to Disney really tells us a lot about what's happening in the entire world of entertainment. Earlier this month, Disney survived an attempted board takeover from businessman Nelson Peltz. While investors ultimately sided with Disney and CEO Bob Iger, the boardroom showdown made something very clear: Disney needs to figure out streaming and get its creative direction back on track.  To help me figure all this out. I brought on my friend Julia Alexander, who is VP of Strategy at Parrot Analytics, a puck news contributor, and most importantly, a former Verge reporter. She's a leading expert on all things Disney, and I always learn something important about the state of the entertainment business when I talk to her.  Links:  ---The Story of Disney+ — [Puck News] (https://puck.news/the-story-of-disney-plus/) ---​​Disney’s CEO drama explained, with Julia Alexander — [Decoder] (https://www.theverge.com/23495146/disney-ceo-bob-iger-julia-alexander-disney-plus-netflix-streaming-chapek-marvel-star-wars) ---Is streaming just becoming cable again? Julia Alexander thinks so — [Decoder] (https://www.theverge.com/23010559/decoder-streaming-platforms-cable-netflix-disney-apple) ---Disney Fends Off Activist Investor for Second Time in 2 Years — [NYT] (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/03/business/disney-peltz-trian-proxy-vote.html) ---For Disney, streaming losses and TV’s decline are a one-two punch — [NYT] (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/09/business/media/disney-earnings.html) ---Disney’s ABC, ESPN weakness adds pressure to make streaming profitable — [WSJ] (https://www.wsj.com/articles/disneys-abc-espn-weakness-adds-pressure-to-make-streaming-profitable-196055c7) ---Disney reportedly wants to bring always-on channels to Disney Plus — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/15/24131034/disney-plus-fast-channels-streaming) ---The Disney Plus-Hulu merger is way more than a streaming bundle — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/27/24112747/disney-plus-hulu-tile-app-streaming) ---Disney’s laying off 7,000 as streaming boom comes to an end — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/8/23590901/disney-layoffs-earnings-streaming-bob-iger) ---The last few years really scared Disney — [Screen Rant] (https://screenrant.com/disney-sequel-strategy-studio-teamup-plan-scared/) Credits:  Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

18 Apr 2024

42 MINS

42:57

18 Apr 2024

#738

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston wants you to embrace AI and remote work

At the absolute most basic, Dropbox is cloud storage for your stuff — but that puts it at the nexus of a huge number of today’s biggest challenges in tech. As the company that helps you organize your stuff in the cloud itself goes all remote, how do we even deal with the concept of “your stuff?” Today I’m talking with Dropbox CEO Drew Houston about those big picture ideas — and why he thinks generative AI really will be transformative for everyone eventually, even if it isn’t yet now. Links:  --- [Dropbox AI and Dash make it easier to find your files from all over the web | The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/21/23767248/dropbox-ai-dash-universal-search) --- [Kids who grew up with search engines could change STEM forever | The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/22684730/students-file-folder-directory-structure-education-gen-z) --- [No, Dropbox's cafeteria didn't get a Michelin star | VentureBeat] (https://venturebeat.com/offbeat/no-dropboxs-cafeteria-didnt-get-a-michelin-star/) --- [It's official: San Francisco's office vacancy rate just set a record | San Francisco Examiner] (https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/business/san-francisco-office-vacancies-reach-record-high-to-end-2023/article_a402aeaa-af51-11ee-bf35-1b852d332ddd.html) --- [Jeff Bezos: This is the 'smartest thing we ever did' at Amazon | CNBC] (https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/14/jeff-bezos-this-is-the-smartest-thing-we-ever-did-at-amazon.html) --- [Dropbox is laying off 500 people and pivoting to AI | The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/27/23700629/dropbox-laying-off-500-people-pivoting-ai) --- [Congress bans staff use of Microsoft's AI Copilot | Axios] (https://www.axios.com/2024/03/29/congress-house-strict-ban-microsoft-copilot-staffers) Transcript: [https://www.theverge.com/e/23892647] (https://www.theverge.com/e/23892647) Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

15 Apr 2024

1 HR 04 MINS

1:04:56

15 Apr 2024

#737

The rise and fall of Vice Media

Today we’re talking about Vice, the media company: Where it came from, what it did, and, ultimately, why it collapsed into a much smaller, sadder version of itself.  This is a lousy time for digital media, and it’s hard to make a profit from putting words on the internet right now. So when Verge senior reporter Liz Lopatto went to go report on what happened, she and I both assumed Vice had been done in by the brutal economics of digital advertising on the web. But the Vice story is more than that — in the word of one executive that talked to Liz, it was a “fucking clown show.”  Links: ---How Vice became 'a fucking clown show' — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/24094310/vice-media-layoffs-bankruptcy-shane-smith) ---Vice is abandoning Vice.com and laying off hundreds — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/22/24080497/vice-media-website-layoffs) ---Vice, decayed digital colossus, files for bankruptcy — [NYT] (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/15/business/media/vice-bankruptcy.html) ---Vice Is Basically Dead — [New York Magazine] (https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/vice-media-is-basically-dead.html) ---Shane Smith and the Final Collapse of Vice News — [The Hollywood Reporter] (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/vice-media-shane-smith-1235837714/) ---At Vice, cutting-edge media and allegations of old-school sexual harassment — [NYT] (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/23/business/media/vice-sexual-harassment.html) ---HBO cancels ‘Vice News Tonight,’ severing relationship with Vice Media — [CNN] (https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/10/media/vice-news-tonight-canceled-hbo/index.html) ---Shane Smith has a secret multimillion-dollar Vice deal — [New York Magazine] (https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/07/shane-smith-has-a-secret-multi-million-dollar-vice-deal.html) Credits:  Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

11 Apr 2024

43 MINS

43:03

11 Apr 2024

#736

Why Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince is the internet’s unlikely defender

Cloudflare is an infrastructure provider basically protecting more than 20% of the entire web from bad actors. When everything is going well, you don't even have to know it exists. It's one of the only defenses — sometimes the only defense — standing between websites and the people who want to take them down. Protecting free speech on the internet around the world, across war zones and hundreds of different kinds of government, is no easy feat. That puts the company, and CEO Matthew Prince, right at the heart of some of Decoder's biggest challenges and themes.  Links:  --- [A Cloudflare outage broke large swathes of the internet | The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/21/23176519/cloudflare-outage-june-2022-discord-shopify-fitbit-peleton) --- [Why security company Cloudflare is protecting U.S. election sites for free | Fast Company] (https://www.fastcompany.com/90204867/why-security-company-cloudflare-is-protecting-u-s-election-sites-for-free) --- [The Daily Stormer just lost the most important company defending it | The Verge (2017)] (https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/16/16157710/cloudflare-daily-stormer-drop-russia-hate-white-nationalism) --- [Cloudflare to revoke 8chan’s service, opening the fringe website up for DDoS attacks | The Verge (2019)] (https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/4/20754310/cloudflare-8chan-fredrick-brennan-ddos-attack) --- [Cloudflare blocks Kiwi Farms due to an ‘immediate threat to human life’ | The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/4/23336772/cloudflare-blocks-kiwifarms-immediate-threat-human-life) --- [Why Cloudflare Let an Extremist Stronghold Burn | Wired] (https://www.wired.com/story/free-speech-issue-cloudflare/) --- [Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince interview on Ukraine cybersecurity | Semafor] (https://www.semafor.com/article/02/22/2023/cloudflare-ceo-matthew-prince-interview-on-ukraine-cybersecurity) --- [3 ways the ‘splinternet’ is damaging society | MIT Sloan] (https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/3-ways-splinternet-damaging-society) Transcript: [https://www.theverge.com/e/23885440] (https://www.theverge.com/e/23885440) Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

08 Apr 2024

1 HR 19 MINS

1:19:20

08 Apr 2024

#735

Why Nintendo sued a Switch emulator out of existence

Hello, and welcome to Decoder. This is David Pierce, editor-at-large at The Verge and co-host of The Vergecast, subbing in for Nilay, who’s out on vacation. Regular Decoder programming returns next week. In the meantime, we have an exciting episode for you today all about video game emulation, which, as it turns out, is a whole lot more complicated than it seems.  Gaming emulation made headlines recently because one of the most widely used programs for emulating the Nintendo Switch, a platform called Yuzu, was effectively sued out of existence. There’s a whole lot going on here, from the history of game emulation to the copyright precedents of emulators to how the threat of game piracy still looms large in the industry. To break down this topic, I brought Verge Senior Editor and resident emulation expert Sean Hollister on the show. Let’s get into it.  Links: ---Nintendo sues Switch emulator Yuzu — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/27/24085075/nintendo-switch-emulator-yuzu-lawsuit) ---Nintendo Switch emulator Yuzu will fold and pay $2.4M to settle its lawsuit — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/4/24090357/nintendo-yuzu-emulator-lawsuit-settlement) ---Steve Jobs announcing a PlayStation emulator for the Mac — [YouTube] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OqMcqRI-xA) ---Fans freak out as Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom leaks two weeks early — [Kotaku] (https://kotaku.com/zelda-tears-kingdom-leak-switch-story-spoilers-1850391411) ---Tears of the Kingdom Was Pirated 1 Million Times, Nintendo Claims — [Kotaku] (https://kotaku.com/nintendo-zelda-tears-kingdom-switch-yuzu-emulate-pirate-1851293463) ---The solid legal theory behind Nintendo’s new emulator takedown effort — [Ars Technica] (https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/05/the-solid-legal-theory-behind-nintendos-new-emulator-takedown-effort/) ---How Nintendo’s destruction of Yuzu is rocking the emulator world — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/24098640/nintendo-emulator-yuzu-lawsuit-switch-aftermath) ---How strong is Nintendo’s legal case against Switch-emulator Yuzu? — [Ars Technica] (https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/02/how-strong-is-nintendos-legal-case-against-switch-emulator-yuzu/3/) Credits:  Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

04 Apr 2024

43 MINS

43:00

04 Apr 2024

#734

Mailchimp CEO Rania Succar on culture, acquisitions, and how big 'small business' really is

Today, I’m talking to Intuit Mailchimp CEO Rania Succar, who took over as CEO in 2022 after a pretty rough patch in the company’s history. In 2021, Intuit acquired the company, and the very next year, co-founder Ben Chestnut stepped down after telling employees that he thought introducing themselves with pronouns in meetings did more harm than good. After that, Rania took over. This is a pretty huge culture change, especially as Mailchimp became more integrated with Intuit. It was also a big challenge for a new leader who came in from the outside. You’ll hear us talk about that transition a lot. Rania and I also got into the weeds of making decisions, which is very Decoder. And, of course, we had to talk about generative AI, which is a big part of the Mailchimp road map. This was a really fun conversation with some honestly scary ideas in it — and it’s all about email. Links: ---Mailchimp employees have complained about inequality for years — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/22300931/mailchimp-company-culture-discrimination-unequal-pay) ---Mailchimp Employees Are Fuming Over $12 Billion Deal — [Business Insider] (https://www.businessinsider.com/insider-weekly-mailchimp-uber-ron-klain-9-2021) ---Did this email cost Mailchimp's billionaire CEO his job? — [Platformer] (https://www.platformer.news/did-this-email-cost-mailchimps-billionaire/) ---Mailchimp is shutting down TinyLetter — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/29/23981363/mailchimp-shutting-down-tinyletter) ---TinyLetter, in memoriam — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/24085737/tinyletter-mailchimp-shut-down-email-newsletters) ---Did Mailchimp censor J.D. Vance? — [Mother Jones] (https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/05/jd-vance-censorship-mailchimp-railway-safety-act/) ---Hackers breached Mailchimp to phish cryptocurrency wallets — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/4/23010317/hackers-mailchimp-trezor-cryptocurrency-phishing) ---Boring, mundane businesses have an exhilarating, viral life on TikTok — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/21440183/tiktok-small-local-business-landscaping-beekeeping-home-renovation) Transcript: [https://www.theverge.com/e/23879556] (https://www.theverge.com/e/23879556) Credits:  Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

01 Apr 2024

1 HR 06 MINS

1:06:13

01 Apr 2024

#733

Can you patent a pizza?

Hey everyone it’s Nilay – I’m on vacation this week, so the Decoder team is taking a short break. We’ll be back next week with both the interview and the new explainer episodes. To tide you over until Monday, we have a bonus episode from our friends at Vox Media and Eater’s Gastropod about an incredible patent battle in the world of pizza.  I’m serious: One of the biggest fights in the pizza industry took place in US court in the ‘90s — an intellectual property dispute about stuffed crust pizza between Pizza Hut and patent holder Anthony “The Big Cheese” Mongiello.  So much of what we talk about on Decoder comes down to IP lawsuits like copyright or patent disputes, and how judges decide those cases and where the law ends up can steer the course of history. And that’s true whether we’re talking about a line of code, the distribution method of an MP3, or, yes, even stuffed crust pizza.  Links:  ---Can You Patent a Pizza? — [Gastropod] (https://gastropod.com/can-you-patent-a-pizza/) ---Ivana and Donald Trump Pizza Hut Commercial — [YouTube] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIEl1xzWK1c) ---The Next Big Thing in Pizza? Try 'Stuffed Crust' — [NYT] (https://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/24/business/the-next-big-thing-in-pizza-try-stuffed-crust.html) ---Who Created the Stuffed Crust Pizza? It's Complicated. — [Eater] (https://www.eater.com/2024/3/14/24094436/who-invented-stuffed-crust-pizza-hut-anthony-mongiello-intellectual-property) ---Method of making a pizza — [Google Patents] (https://patents.google.com/patent/US4661361A/en) Credits:  Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

28 Mar 2024

52 MINS

52:45

28 Mar 2024

#732

Federation is the future of social media, says Bluesky CEO Jay Graber

Today, I’m talking to Jay Graber, the CEO of Bluesky Social, which is a decentralized competitor to Meta’s Threads, Mastodon, and X. Bluesky actually started inside of what was then known as Twitter — it was a [project from then-CEO Jack Dorsey] (https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/11/21010856/twitter-jack-dorsey-bluesky-decentralized-social-network-research-moderation) , who spent his days wandering the earth and saying things like Twitter should be a protocol and not a company. Bluesky was supposed to be that protocol, but Jack spun it out of Twitter in 2021, just before Elon Musk bought the company and renamed it X. Bluesky is now an independent company with a few dozen employees, and it finds itself in the middle of one of the most chaotic moments in the history of social media. There are a lot of companies and ideas competing for space on the post-Twitter internet, and Jay makes a convincing argument that decentralization — the idea that you should be able to take your username and following to different servers as you wish — is the future. Links:  ---Twitter is funding research into a decentralized version of its platform — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/11/21010856/twitter-jack-dorsey-bluesky-decentralized-social-network-research-moderation) ---Bluesky built a decentralized protocol for Twitter — and is working on an app that uses it — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/19/23412482/bluesky-at-protocol-decentralized-twitter-social-networks-app) ---The fediverse, explained — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/24063290/fediverse-explained-activitypub-social-media-open-protocol) ---Bluesky showed everyone’s ass — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/2/23708385/bluesky-weather-report-moderation-app-store) ---Can ActivityPub save the internet? — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/20/23689570/activitypub-protocol-standard-social-network) ---The ‘queer.af’ Mastodon instance disappeared because of the Taliban — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/12/24071036/queer-af-mastodon-taliban-shut-down-afghanistan) ---Usage Of Elon Musk’s X Dropped 30% In The Last Year, Study Suggests — [Forbes] (https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2024/03/06/usage-of-elon-musks-x-dropped-30percent-in-the-last-year-study-suggests/?sh=75686970974f) ---Bluesky snags former Twitter/X Trust & Safety exec cut by Musk — [TechCrunch] (https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/28/bluesky-hires-former-twitter-trust-safety-co-lead-aaron-rodericks/) ---Bluesky and Mastodon users are having a fight that could shape the next generation of social media — [TechCrunch] (https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/14/bluesky-and-mastodon-users-are-having-a-fight-that-could-shape-the-next-generation-of-social-media/) ---Protocols, Not Platforms: A Technological Approach to Free Speech — [Mike Masnick] (https://knightcolumbia.org/content/protocols-not-platforms-a-technological-approach-to-free-speech) Transcript: [https://www.theverge.com/e/23872913] (https://www.theverge.com/e/23872913) Credits:  Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

25 Mar 2024

1 HR 10 MINS

1:10:48

25 Mar 2024

#731

How Europe’s Digital Markets Act is reshaping Big Tech

Both the EU and US have spent the past decade looking at Big Tech and saying, "someone should do something!" In the US, lawmakers are still basically shouting that. But in the EU, regulators did something. The Digital Markets Act was proposed in 2020, signed into law in 2022, and went into effect this month. It's already having an effect on some of the biggest companies in tech, including Apple, Google, and Microsoft. In theory it's a landmark law that will change the way these companies compete, and how their products operate, for years to come. How did we get here, what does the law actually say, and will it work half as well in practice as it does on paper? Verge reporter Jon Porter comes on Decoder to help me break it down.  Links:  --- [The EU's new competition rules are going live — here's how tech giants are responding | The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/6/24091592/eu-dma-competition-compliance-deadline-big-tech-policy-changes) --- [Apple hit with a nearly $2 billion fine following Spotify complaint | The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/4/24005938/european-commission-antitrust-apple-investigation-anti-steering-rules-app-developers) --- [Experts fear the Digital Markets Act won’t address tech monopolies | The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/6/24091695/digital-markets-act-eu-compliance-experts) --- [Dirty tricks or small wins: developers are skeptical of Apple's App Store rules | The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/24051818/apple-app-store-dma-eu-developer-response) --- [Google Search, WhatsApp, and TikTok on list of 22 services targeted by EU’s tough new DMA | The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/6/23859570/european-union-commission-digital-markets-act-gatekeepers-apple-google-meta-microsoft) --- [The EU’s Digital Services Act is now in effect: here’s what that means | The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/23845672/eu-digital-services-act-explained) --- Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

21 Mar 2024

32 MINS

32:30

21 Mar 2024

#730

Figma CEO Dylan Field is optimistic about the future and AI

We’ve got a fun one today — I talked to Figma CEO Dylan Field in front of a live audience at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. And we got into it – we talked about everything from design, to software distribution, to the future of the web, and, of course, AI.  Figma is an fascinating company – the Figma design tool is used by designers at basically every company you can think of. And importantly, it runs on the web. It became such a big deal that Adobe tried to buy it out in 2022 for $20 billion dollars, a deal that only just recently fell through because of regulatory concerns.  So Dylan and I talked a lot about where Figma is now as an independent company, how Figma is structured, where it’s going, and how Dylan’s decisionmaking has changed since the last time he was on the show in 2022. Links: ---Why Figma is selling to Adobe for $20 billion, with CEO Dylan Field — [Decoder] (https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/8/23445821/figma-adobe-acquisition-design-vr-ai-meta) ---Adobe abandons $20 billion acquisition of Figma — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/18/24005996/adobe-figma-acquisition-abandoned-termination-fee) ---Adobe’s Dana Rao on AI, copyright, and the failed Figma deal — [Decoder] (https://www.theverge.com/24027198/adobe-dana-rao-ai-copyright-fair-use-figma-acquisition-deal-decoder-interview) ---Figma’s CEO on life after the company’s failed sale to Adobe — [Command Line] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/16/24075126/figma-ceo-dylan-field-interview-after-adobe) ---Amazon restricts self-publishing due to AI concerns — [The Guardian] (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/sep/20/amazon-restricts-authors-from-self-publishing-more-than-three-books-a-day-after-ai-concerns) ---Wix’s new AI chatbot builds websites in seconds based on prompts — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/4/24090095/wix-ai-website-generator-chatbot) ---Apple is finally allowing full versions of Chrome and Firefox on the iPhone — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/25/24050478/apple-ios-17-4-browser-engines-eu) ---What Is Solarpunk? A Guide to the Environmental Art Movement. — [Built In] (https://builtin.com/greentech/solarpunk) Transcript: [https://www.theverge.com/e/23866201] (https://www.theverge.com/e/23866201) Credits:  Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James.  The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

18 Mar 2024

53 MINS

53:49

18 Mar 2024

#729

Why Google Search feels like it’s gotten worse

If you’ve been listening to Decoder or the Vergecast for a while, you know that I am obsessed with Google Search, the web, and how both of those things might change in the age of AI. But to really understand how something might change, you have to step back and understand what it is right now.  So today I’m talking with Verge platforms reporter Mia Sato about Google Search, the industries it’s created, and more importantly, how relentless search engine optimization, or SEO, has utterly changed the web in its image. Mia and I really dug into this to explain why search results are so terrible now, what Google is trying to do about it, and why this is such an important issue for the future of the internet. Links:  ---How Google is killing independent sites like ours — [HouseFresh] (https://housefresh.com/david-vs-digital-goliaths/) ---How Google perfected the web — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/c/23998379/google-search-seo-algorithm-webpage-optimization) ---The people who ruined the internet — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/features/23931789/seo-search-engine-optimization-experts-google-results) ---A storefront for robots — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/23753963/google-seo-shopify-small-business-ai) ---The end of the Googleverse — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/23846048/google-search-memes-images-pagerank-altavista-seo-keywords) ---The unsettling scourge of obituary spam — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/24065145/ai-obituary-spam-generative-clickbait) ---What happens when Google Search doesn’t have the answers? — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/23712602/google-search-25-years-anniversary-ai-artificial-intelligence) ---The AI takeover of Google Search starts now — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/10/23717120/google-search-ai-results-generated-experience-io) ---AI is killing the old web, and the new web struggles to be born — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/26/23773914/ai-large-language-models-data-scraping-generation-remaking-web) ---Google is starting to squash more spam and AI in search results — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/5/24091099/google-search-high-quality-results-spam-ai-content) ---Ethics Statement — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/ethics-statement) Credits:  Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James.  The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

14 Mar 2024

39 MINS

39:30

14 Mar 2024

#728

How to save culture from the algorithms, with Filterworld author Kyle Chayka

Today, I’m talking to Kyle Chayka, a staff writer for The New Yorker, a regular contributor to The Verge, and author of the new book Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture. Kyle has been writing for years now about how the culture of big social media platforms bleeds into real life, first affecting how things look, and now shaping how and what culture is created and the mechanisms by which that culture spreads all around the world.  If you’ve been listening to Decoder, this is all going to sound very familiar. The core thesis of Kyle’s book — that algorithmic recommendations make everything feel the same — hits at an idea that we’ve talked about countless times on the show: that how content is distributed shapes what content is made. So I was really excited to sit down with Kyle and dig into Filterworld and his thoughts on how this happened and what we might be able to do about it. Links:  ---Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture — [Kyle Chayka] (https://www.kylechayka.com/filterworld) ---Welcome to AirSpace — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2016/8/3/12325104/airbnb-aesthetic-global-minimalism-startup-gentrification) ---The Stanley water bottle craze, explained — [Vox] (https://www.vox.com/culture/24031385/stanley-craze-tumbler-best-water-bottle) ---TikTok and the vibes revival — [The New Yorker] (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/tiktok-and-the-vibes-revival) ---Why the internet isn’t fun anymore — [The New Yorker] (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/why-the-internet-isnt-fun-anymore) ---The age of algorithmic anxiety — [The New Yorker] (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/the-age-of-algorithmic-anxiety) ---Lo-fi beats to quarantine to are booming on YouTube — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/20/21222294/lofi-chillhop-youtube-productivity-community-views-subscribers) ---Taylor Swift has encouraged her fans' numerology habit yet again — [AV Club] (https://www.avclub.com/taylor-swift-numerology-swifties-obsession-1850729453) ---How fandom built the internet as we know it, with Kaitlyn Tiffany — [Decoder] (https://www.theverge.com/23166273/fandom-music-kaitlyn-tiffany-one-direction-harry-styles-k-pop-decoder-podcast-interview) Transcript: [https://www.theverge.com/e/23858379] (https://www.theverge.com/e/23858379) Credits:  Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

11 Mar 2024

1 HR 07 MINS

1:07:39

11 Mar 2024

#727

Why people are falling in love with AI chatbots

Our Thursday episodes are all about big topics in the news, and this week we’re wrapping up our short series on one of the biggest topics of all: generative AI. In our last couple episodes, we talked a lot about some of the biggest, most complicated legal and policy questions surrounding the modern AI industry, including copyright lawsuits and deepfake legislation. But we wanted to end on a more personal note: How is this technology making people feel, and in particular how is it affecting how people communicate and connect? Verge reporter Miya David has covered AI chatbots — specifically AI romance bots — quite a bit, so we invited her onto the show to talk about how generative AI is finding its way into dating. We not only discussed how this technology is affecting dating apps and human relationships, but also how the boom in AI chatbot sophistication is laying the groundwork for a generation of people who might form meaningful relationships with so-called AI companions. Links:  ---Speak, Memory — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/a/luka-artificial-intelligence-memorial-roman-mazurenko-bot) ---A conversation with Bing’s chatbot left me deeply unsettled — [NYT] (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/technology/bing-chatbot-microsoft-chatgpt.html) ---Google suspends engineer who claims its AI is sentient — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/13/23165535/google-suspends-ai-artificial-intelligence-engineer-sentient) ---The law of AI girlfriends — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/16/24040169/let-people-make-their-own-ai-chatbots-and-theyll-find-a-way-to-make-ai-girlfriends) ---Replika’s new AI therapy app tries to bring you to a zen island — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/30/24056106/tomo-replika-blush-generative-ai-mental-health) ---Replika’s new AI app is like Tinder but with sexy chatbots — [Gizmodo] (https://gizmodo.com/blush-ai-chatbot-replika-online-dating-dating-apps-1850514242) ---Don’t date robots; their privacy policies are terrible — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/15/24074063/ai-chatbot-virtual-girlfriend-apps-mozilla-privacy-report) ---AI is shaking up online dating with chatbots that are ‘flirty but not too flirty’ — [CNBC] (https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/14/generative-ai-is-shaking-up-online-dating-with-flirty-chatbots.html) ---Loneliness and suicide mitigation for students using GPT3-enabled chatbots — [Nature] (https://www.nature.com/articles/s44184-023-00047-6) ---Virtual valentine: People are turning to AI in search of emotional connections — [CBS] (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/valentines-day-ai-companion-bot-replika-artificial-intelligence/) Transcript: [https://www.theverge.com/e/23856679] (https://www.theverge.com/e/23856679) Credits:  Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

07 Mar 2024

40 MINS

40:27

07 Mar 2024

#726

Guest host Hank Green makes Nilay Patel explain why websites have a future

On this special episode of Decoder, science educator and YouTuber Hank Green is guest hosting. And the guest? It’s Nilay Patel, who sat down with Hank to discuss building The Verge, the state of media, and the future of the web. Also: whether the fediverse is worth investing in, and how social platforms’ control of distribution has shaped the internet. In the words of Hank: “Nilay has got some weird ideas about the internet. For example, that he’s going to revolutionize the media through blog posts. He keeps saying it, but what the hell does he mean? While I was busy building my business on other people’s platforms, Nilay has built something very rare in the year 2024: a website that publishes content and isn’t behind a paywall yet still makes money. How does he do it? How does he make decisions? How is The Verge structured? The tables have turned.” Links: ---Why Hank Green can’t quit YouTube for TikTok — [Decoder] (https://www.theverge.com/23287496/hank-green-youtube-tiktok-creator-economy-vlogbrothers-socialmedia) ---Platformer’s Casey Newton on surviving the great media collapse and what comes next — [Decoder] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/5/24059524/platformer-casey-newton-substack-moderation-email-newsletters-media-layoffs) ---Just buy this Brother laser printer everyone has, it’s fine — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/23642073/best-printer-2023-brother-laser-wi-fi-its-fine) ---Sports Illustrated Published Articles by Fake, AI-Generated Writers — [Futurism] (https://futurism.com/sports-illustrated-ai-generated-writers) ---The fediverse, explained — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/24063290/fediverse-explained-activitypub-social-media-open-protocol) ---Can ActivityPub save the internet? — [The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/20/23689570/activitypub-protocol-standard-social-network) Transcript: [https://www.theverge.com/e/23851875] (https://www.theverge.com/e/23851875) The Vergecast and Decoder are live at SXSW this weekend, March 8th and 9th. SXSW attendees can see both shows live on the official Vox Media Podcast Stage at the JW Marriott, presented by Atlassian. Learn more at  [voxmedia.com/live] (http://voxmedia.com/live) . Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

04 Mar 2024

1 HR 03 MINS

1:03:23

04 Mar 2024

#725

AI deepfakes are cheap, easy, and coming for the 2024 election

Our new Thursday episodes of Decoder are all about deep dives into big topics in the news, and this week we’re continuing our mini-series on one of the biggest topics of all: generative AI. Last week, we took a look at the wave of copyright lawsuits that might eventually grind this whole industry to a halt. Those are basically a coin flip — and the outcomes are off in the distance, as those cases wind their way through the legal system.  A bigger problem right now is that AI systems are really good at making just believable enough fake images and audio — and with tools like OpenAI’s new Sora, maybe video soon, too. And of course, it’s once again a presidential election year here in the US. So today, Verge policy editor Adi Robertson joins the show to discuss how AI might supercharge disinformation and lies in an election that’s already as contentious as any in our lifetimes — and what might be done about it. Links:  --- [How the Mueller report indicts social networks] (https://www.theverge.com/interface/2019/4/19/18496274/mueller-report-facebook-youtube-twitter-russia) --- [Twitter permanently bans Trump] (https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/8/22218753/twitter-bans-trump-permanently-realdonaldtrump) --- [Meta allows Trump back on Facebook and Instagram] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/25/23540807/donald-trump-meta-facebook-instagram-ban-election-january-6th-twitter-truth-social) --- [No Fakes Act wants to protect actors and singers from unauthorized AI replicas] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/12/23914915/ai-replicas-likeness-law-no-fakes-copyright) --- [White House calls for legislation to stop Taylor Swift AI fakes] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/26/24052261/taylor-swift-ai-fakes-white-house-responds-legislation) --- [Watermarks aren’t the silver bullet for AI misinformation] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/31/23940626/artificial-intelligence-ai-digital-watermarks-biden-executive-order) --- [AI Drake just set an impossible legal trap for Google] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/19/23689879/ai-drake-song-google-youtube-fair-use) --- [Barack Obama on AI, free speech, and the future of the internet] (https://www.theverge.com/23948871/barack-obama-ai-regulation-free-speech-first-amendment-decoder-interview) --- Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

29 Feb 2024

41 MINS

41:16

29 Feb 2024

#724

Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini on how anime took over the world

Today, I’m talking with Rahul Purini, the president of Crunchyroll, a streaming service focused entirely on anime — and really, the biggest anime service still going. Rahul has a long history with anime: he spent more than seven years at Funimation, a company that started in the 90s to distribute Dragon Ball Z to US audiences, before getting the top job at Crunchyroll. Anime might seem like niche content, but it’s not nearly as niche as you might think – our colleagues over at Polygon just ran a huge survey of anime viewers and found that 42% of Gen Z and 25% of millennials watch anime regularly. And Crunchyroll is growing with that audience — like most entertainment providers, the service absolutely exploded during the pandemic, going from 5 million paying subscribers in 2021 to more than 13 million as of last month.  But interestingly Rahul says Crunchyroll’s growth isn’t being driven by more and more people watching anime, but more and more anime fans — especially those watching pirated content — choosing to pay for it. Links:  --- [Anime is huge, and we finally have numbers to prove it — Polygon] (https://www.polygon.com/c/2024/1/22/24034466/anime-viewer-survey-research) --- [Funimation is shutting down — and taking your digital library with it — The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/8/24065940/funimation-shutdown-crunchyroll-digital-library) --- [Sony completes acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T — The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/9/22617356/sony-crunchyroll-att-funimation-acquisition) --- [Funimation’s anime library is moving over to Crunchyroll — The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/1/22956273/crunchyroll-funimation-anime-library-merge-sony) --- [Crunchyroll now has more than 13 Million subscribers — Cord Cutters News] (https://cordcuttersnews.com/anime-streaming-service-crunchyroll-now-has-more-than-13-million-subscribers/) --- [Crunchyroll's CEO Colin Decker leaves company; Rahul Purini becomes new president — Anime News Network] (https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-04-19/crunchyroll-ceo-colin-decker-leaves-company-rahul-purini-becomes-new-president/.184799) --- [PlayStation keeps reminding us why digital ownership sucks — The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/5/23989290/playstation-digital-ownership-sucks) --- [Sony’s Crunchyroll launches free 24-hour streaming channel — Variety] (https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/crunchyroll-anime-free-streaming-channel-1235751199/) --- [Crunchyroll is adding mobile games to its subscription — The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/7/23949187/crunchyroll-mobile-game-subscription-anime) --- [How Is Funimation producing so many simuldubs? — Anime News Network] (https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2018-10-01/.137506) Transcript: [https://www.theverge.com/e/23845221] (https://www.theverge.com/e/23845221) Credits:  Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

26 Feb 2024

1 HR 10 MINS

1:10:11

26 Feb 2024

#723

Is the Apple Vision Pro All That?

The Decoder team is off this week. We’ll be back next week with both the interview and the new explainer episodes; we’re really excited about what’s on the schedule here.  In the meantime, I thought you all might enjoy a conversation I had with Kara Swisher, the Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman about the Apple Vision Pro. All of us have been covering Apple for a very long time, and we had a lot of fun swapping impressions, talking strategy, and sharing what we liked, and didn’t like, about Apple’s $3,500 headset.  Links:  --- [Apple Vision Pro review: magic, until it’s not — The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/24054862/apple-vision-pro-review-vr-ar-headset-features-price) --- [The shine comes off the Vision Pro — The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/24074795/vision-pro-returns-xbox-future-gemini-open-ai-vergecast) --- [Everything we know about Apple’s Vision Pro — The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/23689334/apple-mixed-reality-headset-augmented-virtual-reality-ar-vr-rumors-specs-features) --- [Why some of Apple’s biggest fans are returning their Vision Pros — Bloomberg] (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-02-18/apple-vision-pro-returning-3-500-device-over-comfort-lack-of-apps-and-price-lsrk88mq?srnd=undefined) --- [Apple’s Vision Pro Is an iPad killer, but not anytime soon — Bloomberg] (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-02-11/apple-vision-pro-review-3-499-headset-will-eventually-replace-the-ipad-lshk59z1?srnd=undefined) --- [I worked, cooked and even skied with the new Apple Vision Pro — WSJ] (https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-vision-pro-review-39f2d82e) --- [Vision Pro review: 24 hours in Apple’s mixed-reality headset — WSJ] (https://www.wsj.com/video/series/joanna-stern-personal-technology/vision-pro-review-24-hours-in-apples-mixed-reality-headset/05CD2E77-897D-49A9-A87E-9B8A93E3E45F) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

22 Feb 2024

1 HR 04 MINS

1:04:49

22 Feb 2024

#722

How AI copyright lawsuits could make the whole industry go extinct

Our new Thursday episodes are all about deep dives into big topics in the news, and for the next few weeks we’re going to stay focused on one of the biggest topics of all: generative AI. There’s a lot going on in the world of generative AI, but maybe the biggest is the increasing number of copyright lawsuits being filed against AI companies like OpenAI and StabilityAI. So for this episode, we’re going to talk about those cases, and the main defense the AI companies are relying on: an idea called fair use. To help explain this mess, I talked with Sarah Jeong. Sarah is a former lawyer and a features editor here at The Verge, and she is also one of my very favorite people to talk to about copyright. I promise you we didn’t get totally off the rails nerding out about it, but we went a little off the rails. The first thing we had to figure out was: How big a deal are these AI copyright suits? Links:  --- [The New York Times sues OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement --- The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/27/24016212/new-york-times-openai-microsoft-lawsuit-copyright-infringement) --- [The scary truth about AI copyright is nobody knows what will happen next — The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/23444685/generative-ai-copyright-infringement-legal-fair-use-training-data) --- [How copyright lawsuits could kill OpenAI — Vox] (https://www.vox.com/technology/2024/1/18/24041598/openai-new-york-times-copyright-lawsuit-napster-google-sony) --- [How Adobe is managing the AI copyright dilemma, with general counsel Dana Rao --- The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/24027198/adobe-dana-rao-ai-copyright-fair-use-figma-acquisition-deal-decoder-interview) --- [Generative AI Has a visual plagiarism problem - IEEE Spectrum] (https://spectrum.ieee.org/midjourney-copyright) --- [George Carlin estate sues creators of AI-generated comedy special — THR] (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/ai-generated-george-carlin-special-ignites-copyright-infringement-lawsuit-1235807439/) --- [AI-Generated Taylor Swift porn went viral on Twitter. Here's how it got there — 404 Media] (https://www.404media.co/ai-generated-taylor-swift-porn-twitter/) --- [AI copyright lawsuit hinges on the legal concept of ‘fair use’ — The Washington Post] (https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/01/04/nyt-ai-copyright-lawsuit-fair-use/) --- [Intellectual property experts discuss fair use in the age of AI — Harvard Law School] (https://hls.harvard.edu/today/intellectual-property-experts-discuss-fair-use-in-the-age-of-ai/) --- [OpenAI says it’s “impossible” to create useful AI models without copyrighted material — Ars Technica] (https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/01/openai-says-its-impossible-to-create-useful-ai-models-without-copyrighted-material/) Credits:  Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

15 Feb 2024

40 MINS

40:02

15 Feb 2024

#721

DOJ’s Jonathan Kanter says the antitrust fight against Big Tech is just beginning

Today, I’m talking with Jonathan Kanter, the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division at the Department of Justice. Alongside FTC chair Lina Khan, Jonathan is one of the most prominent figures in the big shift happening in competition and antitrust in the United States. This is a fun episode: we taped this conversation live on stage at the Digital Content Next conference in Charleston, South Carolina a few days ago, so you’ll hear the audience, which was a group of fancy media company executives.  You’ll also hear me joke about Google a few times; fancy media execs are very interested in the cases the DOJ has brought against Google for monopolizing search and advertising tech — and Jonathan was very good at not commenting about pending litigation. But he did have a lot to say about the state of tech regulation, he and Khan’s track record so far, and why he thinks the concepts they’re pushing forward are more accessible than they’ve ever been. Links:  --- [The top Biden lawyer with his sights on Apple and Google — Politico] (https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/17/an-antitrust-revival-dojs-kanter-takes-big-swings-and-misses-to-fight-monopolies-00077304) --- [Judge blocks a merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster — NYT] (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/31/books/penguin-random-house-simon-schuster.html) --- [FTC’s Khan and DOJ’s Kanter beat back deals at fastest clip in decades — Bloomberg] (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-18/biden-antitrust-enforcers-set-new-record-for-merger-challenges) --- [Google will face another antitrust trial September 9th, this time over ad tech — The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/5/24062497/google-will-face-another-antitrust-trial-september-9th-this-time-over-ad-tech) --- [In the Google antitrust trial, defaults are everything and nobody likes Bing — The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/15/23875342/justice-department-google-antitrust-search-trial-week-one-recap) --- [Google Search, Chrome, and Android are all changing thanks to EU antitrust law — The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/17/24041581/google-search-chrome-android-price-comparison-digital-markets-act-eu) --- [Aggregation Theory — Stratechery] (https://stratechery.com/aggregation-theory/) --- [Adobe explains why it abandoned the Figma deal — The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/20/24008189/adobe-figma-deal-eu-explained-decoder) --- [How the EU’s DMA is changing Big Tech — The Verge] (https://www.theverge.com/24040543/eu-dma-digital-markets-act-big-tech-antitrust/archives/2) --- [Epic Games CEO calls out Apple’s DMA rules as ‘malicious compliance’ — TechCrunch] (https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/25/epic-games-ceo-calls-out-apples-dma-rules-as-malicious-compliance-and-full-of-junk-fees/) Transcript: [https://www.theverge.com/e/23831914] (https://www.theverge.com/e/23831914) Credits:  Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today’s episode was produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt and was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

12 Feb 2024

34 MINS

34:29

12 Feb 2024