POLITICO Tech

The POLITICO Tech podcast is your download on the disruption that technology is bringing to politics and policy. New episodes on Thursdays.

Tech News
Politics
Daily News
1
An exit interview with Trump’s AI policy adviser
20 min
2
Data will soon be less secure. What can Washing...
20 min
3
Silicon Valley enters the space race
20 min
4
Trump’s AI plan is a gift to Silicon Valley — w...
19 min
5
The Vatican’s AI battle
22 min
6
Do Americans need digital IDs?
19 min
7
Apple’s China dilemma
24 min
8
The Trumpification of the FCC
18 min
9
Joseph Gordon-Levitt on AI, Hollywood and ownin...
27 min
10
Can the South win the AI race?
21 min
11
The Republican case against Trump’s research cuts
25 min
12
Trump’s crypto conflicts, explained
19 min
13
The ‘big, beautiful bill' to ban state AI laws
16 min
14
‘Compute, not crude’: How American AI is defini...
23 min
15
OpenAI reversed its restructuring plans. Critic...
20 min
16
Trump's rocky start with Silicon Valley
19 min
17
Mark Zuckerberg’s big week in court
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg spent hours in a Washington courtroom this week answering questions about his decision to buy Instagram and WhatsApp more than a decade ago — and whether the social media empire he now oversees is a monopoly. Losing the high-stakes lawsuit, which was brought by the Federal Trade Commission, could ultimately lead to Meta being broken up. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly unpacks Meta’s week in court with former Republican FTC Chair Bill Kovacic.
18 min
18
Roblox’s CEO on tariffs, TikTok and keeping kid...
Washington is looking to regulate how kids use the internet with legislation that could alter how online platforms collect data, monitor content and design features. Roblox has a lot at stake in that debate — with some 90 million daily users, many of them young kids, who flock to the platform to play games and socialize. On POLITICO Tech, Roblox CEO Dave Baszucki joins host Steven Overly to discuss how the company aims to stay ahead of regulation. Plus, his take on the recent tariff turmoil and his bid to buy TikTok.
18 min
19
‘Gloves off’: A former Trump trade official on ...
After days of stock market mayhem, President Donald Trump pulled back most of the tariffs he slapped on U.S. trade partners. But not China. Trump upped his tariffs on China to 125 percent — the latest shot in a rapidly escalating trade war. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly talks to Nazak Nikakhtar, a former Commerce Department official during Trump’s first term and law partner at Wiley, about the ways in which the tech industry is vulnerable to Beijing’s retaliation, and why she thinks the economic pain from these sky-high tariffs is necessary.
20 min
20
What Elon Musk’s pending exit means for Washington
What’s Washington without Elon Musk? That’s a question many Republicans are hoping to answer in the weeks ahead after President Donald Trump told allies that Musk’s time in the White House is soon coming to an end. But getting the world’s richest man and designated small-government crusader to move on will be complicated, even if Musk does have a slumping business empire to run. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly is joined by POLITICO Capitol Bureau Chief Rachael Bade and POLITICO contributor Issie Lapowsky to break down the political and business pressure Musk is under, and why he’ll stick around as a political power player long after leaving D.C.
20 min
21
Will Trump’s tariffs ‘liberate’ Silicon Valley?
“Liberation Day” arrived at the White House and President Donald Trump, as promised, slapped sweeping tariffs on the world. But what comes next may be less predictable — especially for tech. From the TikTok sale to digital services taxes, tech issues are now a bargaining chip as countries negotiate with the Trump administration to ease tariffs. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly chats with Michael Froman, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations and former U.S. trade representative, about what Liberation Day could mean for Silicon Valley.
15 min
22
The great tech race heading toward Greenland
Greenland’s “Great Race” isn’t just a dog sled competition. It’s increasingly a hunt for critical minerals and AI data centers — two national security priorities for President Donald Trump and a business opportunity being pursued by some in his orbit. On POLITICO Tech, E&E News reporter Hannah Northey joins host Steven Overly in the wake of Vice President JD Vance’s controversial visit to explain why Greenland could help address major tech challenges facing the U.S.
15 min
23
Why you shouldn’t share ‘war plans’ on Signal
Were the messages “war plans” or “attack plans”? Was the information classified, sensitive or something in between? If you put aside the spin around Signalgate, security experts warn secret military operations shouldn’t be shared on commercial messaging apps like Signal in the first place. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly discusses the tech implications of this week’s White House fiasco with Graham Brookie, the Atlantic Council’s vice president of technology programs and a former National Security Council adviser.
18 min
24
‘Nothing is off the table’: The U.S.-UK tech ta...
President Donald Trump has many U.S. allies on edge, but you wouldn’t know it from talking to Peter Kyle, the UK’s secretary of state for science, innovation and technology. He’s a relentless believer that the UK and U.S. will join forces on artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies. But his rosy vision faces real obstacles, like the Trump administration’s criticism of the UK’s digital taxes, and its free speech record. Plus, Elon Musk's very vocal disdain for Prime Minister Keir Starmer. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly called up Secretary Kyle at the end of his recent West Coast visit to discuss.
18 min
25
‘American Dynamism’ meets ‘America First’
Silicon Valley’s bet that a Trump administration would be friendly to tech has a big payoff: Vice President JD Vance. At the American Dynamism Summit this week, Vance spoke at length about bolstering U.S. innovation and manufacturing, and bridging the divide between so-called “populists” and “techno-optimists.” The summit was hosted by venture capital firm Andreesen Horowitz, which became the tech-for-Trump poster child during the election. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly sits down with Katherine Boyle, the co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz’s American Dynamism practice.
18 min