Katie Zacharia, Gone But Never Forgotten
Episode Description
Kara and Scott unpack Elon Musk's role in Ukraine's Starshield disruption, his quarter-billion-dollar midterm spending spree, and the fight against Russian bots. Then, they discuss the new White House press secretary’s painfully awkward debut, with insight from someone who's been there, briefly: Anthony Scaramucci. Plus, Trump’s reversal on livestreaming an execution, a bizarre espionage scandal at OpenAI, and Apple’s latest play for the smart home.
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00:00 Intro 8:16 Elon, Starshield, and Ukraine 11:48 Elon’s Midterm Spending 14:29 Drone and Bot Warfare 25:04 Trump's New Press Secretary 30:40 Execution Livestream Reversal 40:19 OpenAI's Espionage Scandal 44:48 Apple's New HomeView 54:13 Predictions
Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Todd Wiseman
Vox Media's Executive Producer of Podcasts: Nishat Kurwa
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About Pivot
With great power, comes great scrutiny. Every Tuesday and Friday, journalist Kara Swisher and NYU Professor Scott Galloway offer sharp, unfiltered insights into the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics. They make bold predictions, pick winners and losers, and bicker and banter like no one else.
Episodes blend breaking news analysis with bold predictions, sharp debate, and the occasional argument between the two hosts. From New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Brief Summary
Swisher and Galloway debate Musk’s influence on Ukraine, online bots, a proposed execution livestream, and the latest moves from OpenAI, Apple, and Tesla.
Key points
- The joke that missed. The hosts debate a controversial comedy bit, arguing that irreverence has its place but that this one simply wasn't funny. They also discuss fatigue with anti-woke humor and misogyny.
- Ukraine, Starlink, and a dangerous message. The hosts discuss Ukraine's disrupted access to Star Shield and debate who was responsible. One argues the cutoff may have been used to pressure Ukraine into surrender.
- Money meets distribution. The conversation turns to Musk's political spending and influence, with a warning about the power of combining vast wealth with control of a major platform.
- The cost of logging on. The hosts argue that online platforms can make the world seem more divided and that returning to them deserves an honest explanation.
- A briefing that went off-script. The hosts mock the new press secretary's awkward debut, including a stumble between saying “my president” and “my husband.”
- Why not to broadcast an execution. Hillary Clinton warns that streaming an execution could turn the condemned into a martyr and give extremists propaganda. The hosts argue that the spectacle would be both cruel and strategically reckless.
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Episode highlights
- The joke that missedThe hosts debate a controversial comedy bit, arguing that irreverence has its place but that this one simply wasn't funny. They also discuss fatigue with anti-woke humor and misogyny.“The sin was it wasn't funny.”3:54Oct 16, 2026
- Ukraine, Starlink, and a dangerous messageThe hosts discuss Ukraine's disrupted access to Star Shield and debate who was responsible. One argues the cutoff may have been used to pressure Ukraine into surrender.“They're not asking for peace. They're asking for surrender.”8:16Oct 16, 2026
- Money meets distributionThe conversation turns to Musk's political spending and influence, with a warning about the power of combining vast wealth with control of a major platform.“When you combine money with distribution, what you have is the most dangerous combination in politics.”13:22Oct 16, 2026
- The cost of logging onThe hosts argue that online platforms can make the world seem more divided and that returning to them deserves an honest explanation.“I'm just not painting this asshole's fence.”17:53Oct 16, 2026
- A briefing that went off-scriptThe hosts mock the new press secretary's awkward debut, including a stumble between saying “my president” and “my husband.”“So my president, excuse me, my husband.”25:35Oct 16, 2026
- Why not to broadcast an executionHillary Clinton warns that streaming an execution could turn the condemned into a martyr and give extremists propaganda. The hosts argue that the spectacle would be both cruel and strategically reckless.“He's producing a recruitment video.”31:13Oct 16, 2026
- The office is the new espionage thrillerA discussion of corporate espionage argues that the real action is often inside ordinary workplaces, where valuable intellectual property is at stake. The hosts describe how companies and security agencies try to identif“Corporate espionage vastly outnumbers or dwarfs actual espionage.”41:10Oct 16, 2026
- Apple’s smart-home opportunityThe hosts debate whether Apple’s new home tablet can succeed, arguing that the bigger opportunity is bringing fragmented home controls together. They also question whether people want another device in their homes.“The problem here isn't the hardware. The problem is Siri.”45:35Oct 16, 2026
