Recode Decode: Eric Jackson, activist investor, Yahoo
Eric Jackson, a longtime activist investor in Yahoo and the managing director of SpringOwl Asset Management, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the momentous deal that will sell Yahoo's core business to Verizon for nearly $5 billion. Jackson reflects on how he came to be a champion, and then a critic, of Yahoo's final CEO, Marissa Mayer, and whether saving the pioneering internet company was doomed from the start. He also suggests that the end of an independent Yahoo carries some lessons for other tech companies moving forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1 Aug 201638min
Recode Decode: "Chaos Monkeys" author Antonio García-Martinez
Antonio García-Martinez, author of the new tell-all book, "Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley," talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about starting a company, getting acquired by Twitter, and defecting to Facebook one year before its IPO. García-Martinez knew from the start that he wanted to write a book, and the end result doesn't mince words with its subjects. He says one of the big takeaways from "Chaos Monkeys" is that Silicon Valley constantly lies to itself, and that that mass delusion has helped it succeed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
25 Jul 201641min
Recode Decode: Peloton CTO Yony Feng
Peloton CTO Yony Feng talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how the indoor cycling company is trying to shake up in-home exercise programs with its custom fitness bike, which sells for $2,000. Peloton broadcasts 12 live spinning classes to those bikes every day and challenges its bike owners to compete for a spot on its global leaderboards. Feng discusses how the bike compares to other techie fitness gear and why Peloton may be interested in virtual reality — just not right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
18 Jul 201634min
Recode Decode: "Hamilton" producer Jeffrey Seller
"Hamilton" lead producer Jeffrey Seller talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how the hit Broadway musical goes forward now that three of its stars — Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr. and Phillipa Soo — have taken their final bows. Seller says he avoids or doesn't understand much of Silicon Valley's tech obsessions, and praises the power of live theater as an antidote to gadget addiction. He explains how "Hamilton" and Ticketmaster have tried to thwart ticket-buying bots behind the scenes, and reflects on some of his other Broadway productions, including "Rent" and "In the Heights." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
11 Jul 201650min
Recode Decode: Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics
NBC Olympics President Gary Zenkel talks with Recode's Ina Fried about how the network is building on the digital reach of the Summer Games via livestreaming, virtual reality, Snapchat and more. Zenkel says NBC and Samsung expect to produce two to three hours of virtual reality content per day throughout the Games. He also addresses concerns about the Zika virus and politics in Rio de Janeiro, but says he's not worried about their effect on the Olympics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
4 Jul 201646min
Recode Decode: Donna Dubinsky and Jeff Hawkins, co-founders, Numenta
Donna Dubinsky and Jeff Hawkins — the co-founders of Palm, Handspring and Numenta — talk with Recode's Kara Swisher about their efforts to decode the human brain. They say everything that makes us human, from language to art to engineering, derives from the same learning algorithm, and Numenta hopes to ultimately teach that algorithm to a machine. Dubinsky and Hawkins explain why we shouldn't be afraid that machines will take over the world and why they believe artificial intelligence will drive advancements in technology for the rest of the century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
27 Jun 201643min
Recode Decode: Daphne Koller, president, Coursera
Coursera president and co-founder Daphne Koller talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how she helped build the popular online learning platform after a successful early experiment at Stanford University. Koller says the future of higher education is a mixture of online and offline learning, with people continually going back to school in some form throughout their lives, rather than stopping in their 20s. She discusses whether universities themselves are at risk of going extinct and whether technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality could replace a college professor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
20 Jun 201639min
Recode Decode: Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Handler, the host of Netflix's new talk show "Chelsea," chats with Recode's Kara Swisher about going digital after seven years on the cable channel E! She runs "Chelsea" like a normal TV show, just not a late-night one, because her viewers might watch at any time, in any order. Handler says re-entering the public eye meant adjusting to changes in social media (hello, Snapchat!) and discusses what she thinks of transgender bathroom rights, Donald Trump and Tesla's Elon Musk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
13 Jun 201642min
