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
26
A jury says Meta and Google hurt a kid. What now?
Why nuclear options like age limits and repealing Section 230 won’t make social media safer.
46 min
27
Okta's CEO is betting big on AI agent identity
Why Todd McKinnon thinks it’s “naive” not to prepare for the SaaSpocalypse.
62 min
28
Everyone hates Ticketmaster. Why'd Trump go eas...
The Trump DOJ settled with Live Nation. But dozens of states are keeping the Ticketmaster antitrust fight alive.
33 min
29
Confronting the CEO of the AI company that impe...
Superhuman CEO Shishir Mehrotra on the difference between attribution and impersonation, and what AI companies should owe creators.
71 min
30
Paramount's $110 billion Warner Bros. gamble
To take on Netflix and YouTube, Paramount has to break the Warner Bros. curse.
45 min
31
Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone on reviving the web's hom...
How Yahoo escaped its Verizon death spiral and became profitable again
73 min
32
Anthropic doesn't trust the Pentagon, and neith...
Techdirt’s Mike Masnick on the NSA, surveillance, and why we can’t take the government at its word.
44 min
33
Hasbro's CEO lets AI Peppa Pig help design toys
Chris Cocks on AI, K-Pop Demon Hunters, and why Harry Potter still matters
67 min
34
Prediction markets want to be the news
Why controversial gambling platforms Polymarket and Kalshi are cosplaying as the news.
41 min
35
Zillow's CEO on growth during a housing crisis
Zillow’s Jeremy Wacksman on affordability, AI listings, and the future of the real estate.
61 min
36
Inside Xbox's executive shakeup
Xbox boss Phil Spencer is retiring, and the future of one of the video game industry’s major pillars looks more uncertain than ever.
38 min
37
Hank Green lets loose on YouTube, billionaires,...
The former Complexly owner lets loose on YouTube, AI, and why he turned his educational company into a non-profit.
66 min
38
Money no longer matters to AI's top talent
The AI industry is rife with defections, FOMO, and radical mission statements. It’s about to get supercharged.
37 min
39
Let's talk about Ring, lost dogs, and the surve...
How the camera maker’s Search Party feature, advertised during the Super Bowl, turned it into a symbol for AI surveillance.
22 min
40
The surprising case for AI judges
A new AI arbitration system promises to solve disputes faster and keep things fair. Could it work for court?
68 min
41
Siemens CEO's mission to automate everything
Roland Busch on AI-powered factories, tariffs in the Trump era, trade and the future of NATO.
58 min
42
Reality is losing the deepfake war
Why AI labeling efforts are falling flat in the face of slop, disinformation, and messy metadata standards.
44 min
43
Docusign's CEO on the dangers of trusting AI to...
Docusign’s Allan Thygesen says “not providing an AI service isn't really an option.”
61 min
44
Netflix is eating Hollywood — because it has to
What the bidding war over Warner Bros. Discovery says about the future of Hollywood.
51 min
45
Experian's tech chief defends credit scores: 'W...
Alex Lintner, tech head of the global credit reporting company, on AI, privacy, and what data brokerages really do.
65 min
46
Why nobody's stopping Grok
How Elon Musk and xAi are putting a nail in the coffin of content moderation.
61 min
47
Razer CEO on AI in game dev, Grok, and anime wa...
Razer chief Min-Liang Tan on confronting the AI backlash in gaming.
61 min
48
Rewind: How private equity kills companies and ...
Author Megan Greenwell on her book Bad Company and the scourge of private equity.
47 min
49
Dropout CEO Sam Reich on the business of subscr...
“I wish that I could plant a forest full of weird trees on the internet.”
60 min
50
What’s next for Netflix and Paramount in the Wa...
Channels host Peter Kafka interviews Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw about the biggest story in entertainment.
39 min