Decoder with Nilay Patel

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.

Business
Technology
226
Recode Decode: Ryan Murphy
TV producer Ryan Murphy — who created or produced shows like Glee, 911, and American Horror Story — talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his new Netflix miniseries, Hollywood, which blends real history with fictional characters to imagine a more inclusive "what-if" version of the postwar film business.
61 min
227
Recode Decode: Dave Asprey
Bulletproof founder and former CEO Dave Asprey talks about the invention and current state of “biohacking," how his blog for “bulletproof executives” grew into a global lifestyle, and the most important ways to track and improve one’s life.
65 min
228
Recode Decode: Nikole Hannah-Jones
New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how the coronavirus pandemic is magnifying inequality in the US, and our historical failure to treat essential workers — from meat-packing plants to checkout counters to delivery drivers — with the respect and protection they deserve.
50 min
229
Recode Decode: Sarah Kendzior
Bestselling author and "Gaslit Nation" co-host Sarah Kendzior talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her new book, "Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America"; what pundits get wrong about propaganda and election interference; and the “insane way” journalists treat Donald Trump’s Twitter bully pulpit.
58 min
230
Recode Decode: Tim Ferriss
Bestselling author and podcaster Tim Ferriss talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his advice for people coping with the coronavirus quarantine, which includes giving yourself slack for being unproductive, afraid, and fatigued; the crucial difference between fast decisions and rushed ones; and why the pandemic crisis is a "natural culling of the herd" for businesses in a "bloated capitalist system" that have no resilience.
67 min
231
Recode Decode: Mark Cuban
Investor, Dallas Mavericks owner, and "Shark Tank" co-host Mark Cuban talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about what capitalism and entrepreneurship looks like in a post-coronavirus world; whether he's planning to run for political office, and what his platform would be if he did; and what it will take for professional sports to come back.
61 min
232
Recode Decode: Mayor London Breed
San Francisco Mayor London Breed talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about why she was one of the first local leaders in the US to act on the spread of covid-19, how she thinks about the slow and dishonest response from President Trump, and what long-term recovery will look like for SF and beyond.
61 min
233
Recode Decode: Jeffrey Katzenberg
Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the first week of the short-form video app — which was intended for on-the-go consumers, but still racked up 1.7 million downloads, even though most of the world is currently staying at home.
60 min
234
Recode Decode: Sarah Frier
Bloomberg technology reporter Sarah Frier talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her new book, "No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram."
50 min
235
Recode Decode: Adam Grant
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant, the author of "Originals" and host of the podcast "WorkLife," talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the benefits of working from home, and how work will change during the COVID-19 quarantine — and after.
54 min
236
Recode Decode: Niall Ferguson
Historian Niall Ferguson, the author of bestselling books such as "The Ascent of Money" and "The Square and the Tower," talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his new PBS series, "Networld," which explores the history and science of networks.
53 min
237
Recode Decode: Kevin Systrom
Instagram co-founder and former CEO Kevin Systrom talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the data analysis he has conducted and publicized about the global spread of coronavirus, and what it tells us the future looks like.
49 min
238
Recode Decode: David Plouffe
Former Obama advisor David Plouffe — who since leaving the White House has worked with Uber, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, and Acronym — talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his new book, A Citizen's Guide to Beating Donald Trump.
57 min
239
Recode Decode: Stewart Butterfield
Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how coronavirus changed everything for Slack and its customers, the sudden transition to "work from home" across the country, and how the company is handling a surge in usage at the same time that other plans and resources are being constrained.
55 min
240
Recode Decode: Gary Vaynerchuk
VaynerMedia CEO Gary Vaynerchuk
66 min
241
Recode Decode: Deepak Chopra
Dr. Deepak Chopra talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how to cope with the global threat posed by coronavirus, the parallel "pandemic of panic," and how to not be overwhelmed by fear and anxiety.
56 min
242
Recode Decode: Chamath Palihapitiya
Social Capital CEO Chamath Palihapitiya talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how long it will take to recover from the coronavirus crisis, its impact on startups, and how the US government should and will react — including by repatriating cash from flush tech companies like Apple.
61 min
243
Recode Decode: Ben Hubbard
Ben Hubbard, the Beirut bureau chief for the New York Times, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his new book, "MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed Bin Salman."
56 min
244
Recode Decode: Andrew Yang
Former 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the growing popularity of government programs to send money directly to people affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
58 min
245
Recode Decode: "After Truth"
Recode's Kara Swisher talks with three of the brains behind the new HBO documentary After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News: Director Andrew Rossi, who previously directed Page One: Inside the New York Times; executive producer Brian Stelter, who hosts Reliable Sources on CNN; and co-producer Adam McGill.
51 min
246
Recode Decode: Maggie Haberman
Maggie Haberman, the White House correspondent for the New York Times, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how the rest of the country has bypassed Trump's failure to lead on the coronavirus outbreak; his exposure to COVID-19 at Mar-a-Lago and refusal to self-quarantine; and the toxic cocktail of practices in his administration: Infighting, tiptoeing, and sucking up.
54 min
247
Recode Decode: Ron Klain
"Epidemic" co-host Ron Klain, who led the White House's ebola response under President Obama, talks to Recode's Kara Swisher about how the COVID-19 outbreak will strain America's healthcare system; how President Trump downplayed the crisis, rattling public confidence and delaying the country's response; and the way people who work in the gig economy — including Uber drivers and food delivery workers — will be especially hurt by the situation.
62 min
248
Recode Decode: Dr. Lloyd Minor
Dr. Lloyd Minor, the dean of Stanford University's School of Medicine, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the novel coronavirus outbreak and his new book, "Discovering Precision Health: Predict, Prevent, and Cure to Advance Health and Well-Being."
44 min
249
Recode Decode: Mark Lemley
Stanford Law School professor Mark Lemley talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about Silicon Valley's obsession with startups getting an "exit" — usually an acquisition by one of the tech giants — and why that trend is suffocating innovation.
42 min
250
Recode Decode: Aicha Evans and Jesse Levinson
Zoox CEO Aicha Evans and CTO Jesse Levinson talk with Recode's Kara Swisher about their development of a fully autonomous robo-taxi, which will be designed for multiple passengers to share and is planned to hit public roads before the end of 2021.
59 min