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
1
Ronan Farrow on Sam Altman's "unconstrained" re...
The head of OpenAI has a reputation for deception. The New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow explains why that matters.
57 min
2
Can Puck’s CEO reinvent the news business for t...
Sarah Personette’s big bet on the place where influencers and reporters might meet
70 min
3
The AI industry's existential race for profits
It’s a make-or-break year for Anthropic and OpenAI, which are facing more pressure than ever to make more cash than they burn.
35 min
4
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins wants data centers in s...
Chuck Robbins on energy, infrastructure, and why AI is writing Cisco code.
53 min
5
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
6
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
7
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
8
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
9
Paramount's $110 billion Warner Bros. gamble
To take on Netflix and YouTube, Paramount has to break the Warner Bros. curse.
45 min
10
Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone on reviving the web's hom...
How Yahoo escaped its Verizon death spiral and became profitable again
73 min
11
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
12
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
13
Prediction markets want to be the news
Why controversial gambling platforms Polymarket and Kalshi are cosplaying as the news.
41 min
14
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
15
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
16
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
17
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
18
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
19
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
20
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
21
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
22
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
23
Netflix is eating Hollywood — because it has to
What the bidding war over Warner Bros. Discovery says about the future of Hollywood.
51 min
24
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
25
Why nobody's stopping Grok
How Elon Musk and xAi are putting a nail in the coffin of content moderation.
61 min