Why Elon’s "Flying" Roadster Stunt Is Pure Distraction

Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway

Ask about Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway

Episode Description

Kara and Scott unpack President Trump's latest efforts to play nice with Putin. Then, they break down Elon Musk's promise to give every kid in America a share of SpaceX, along with his Tesla Roadster stunt. Plus, Netflix's major leadership shakeup, Trump's new AI task force, and a brief farewell to Katie Zacharia's brief White House tenure.

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00:00 Intro 00:37 Elon Giving SpaceX Shares to Kids 6:11 Tesla's “Flying” Roadster 15:21 Trump Cozies Up To Putin 24:19 Netflix's Leadership Shakeup 32:14 Trump's New AI Task Force 40:52 Wins and Fails

Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Todd Wiseman

Vox Media's Executive Producer of Podcasts: Nishat Kurwa

Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or email [email protected]

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 criticize Musk’s Tesla stunts, Trump’s Russia policy, Netflix’s leadership shakeup, and an AI task force they say lacks expertise.

Key points

  • SpaceX shares for every kid?. Musk says he’ll give every American child a SpaceX share, but the hosts question whether it’s meaningful generosity or customer acquisition. They argue that direct help and progressive taxes would do more.
  • The Roadster: stunt or product?. The hosts call Tesla’s Roadster reveal a flashy engineering stunt with little practical or commercial value. They also point to years of delays and customer deposits tied up since 2017.
  • Ukraine left off the table. Trump’s Russia policy and a possible summit without Ukraine’s president spark a warning that the country is being abandoned. The hosts frame the move as a moral and strategic failure with consequences beyond Ukraine.
  • Ukraine’s battlefield advantage. The speakers cite a changing casualty ratio and celebrate Ukraine’s ability to strike Russian infrastructure. One calls the Ukrainians “kicking ass.”
  • A sharp rebuke over Russia. The conversation turns to the U.S. relationship with Russia, with one speaker invoking World War II and questioning what might explain Trump’s actions.
  • Netflix’s buffet problem. The speakers debate whether Netflix’s leadership shakeup addresses the real issue: audiences may be changing what they want to watch, with YouTube and shorter-form content gaining ground.

Episode highlights

Tension

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