Channels with Peter Kafka

Documentary director Alex Gibney talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about The Inventor: Out For Blood In Silicon Valley, a new film about the fall of Theranos and its CEO Elizabeth Holmes. In this episode: Why making the documentary wasn't as straightforward as you might think; John Carreyrou and the other journalists in the documentary; the outsized power of corporations; the prevalence of fraud and the "fake it til you make it" mentality; how Holmes and her deputies shaped Theranos' public image; how Gibney assembles a documentary; Richard Plepler's departure from HBO; Holmes' motivations and the psychology of lying; and Gibney's next documentaries. Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Mar 201936min

Mark Cuban talks with Recode's Peter Kafka in this live interview recorded at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. In this episode: Who can beat Trump in 2020?; why Cuban was spotted talking with Steve Bannon in 2016; behind the scenes of Shark Tank; how the TV business has changed and what happens now that tech is getting into TV; the moats protecting legacy TV studios and Time Warner's new owner AT&T; the potential of 5G for sports and entertainment; should sports streaming rights be broken up?; online sports gambling; sexual harassment at the Dallas Mavericks; what areas in tech is Cuban most excited about now?; why everyone has to understand AI; Elon Musk and the SEC; how much do regular people really care about privacy?; and why "treating people equally doesn't mean treating everybody the same." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

12 Mar 201946min

The New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about her recent investigation into the links between the Trump administration and Fox News, The Making of the Fox News White House. She says Congress should investigate one of the things her reporting uncovered, an alleged attempt by Trump to use the Justice Department to sabotage the AT&T-Time Warner merger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

8 Mar 201913min

Overtime CEO Dan Porter talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about how his company is turning non-professional athletes into stars — and some common mistakes media founders make. In this episode: Porter's background; why it's not accurate to say Overtime covers "high school sports"; what it is focusing on and how it's reaching a young audience; how it helps non-professional athletes build a following online; why it still makes sense to distribute digital content everywhere; building a bond with Overtime's audience; how it makes money now and how it will in the future; why are VCs investing in sports media?; how Porter met his then-22-year-old co-founder, Zack Weiner; how Porter thought about raising money; putting together a house for eSports athletes; how the process of starting a startup has changed in the past decade; building a company on other people's platforms; is Hollywood ready for the tech invasion? Subscribe to Casey Newton's newsletter - The Interface: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/caseynewton Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Vox Media is conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Mar 201951min

J2 Global CEO Vivek Shah talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about running the company that owns a portfolio of digital brands, including Mashable, PCMag and Speedtest. In this episode: What J2 Global is; the importance of having multiple revenue streams in media; how Shah turned Ziff Davis around; why much of J2's business is built around performance marketing and affiliate commerce; buying Mashable and returning it to profitability; bidding for Gawker Media and what J2 would have done with it; making the cultures of acquired media companies fit within the larger company; the silver lining of the media industry's troubles; what J2 wants to buy; why Speedtest is so valuable; is increasing awareness of and regulation around privacy a problem for that business?; Humble Bundle and the most important equation for building a subscription business; and why "we are the largest internet company that many people have never heard of." Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Feb 201943min

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about the potential of 5G internet, AT&T's 2018 acquisition of Time Warner and how the company is thinking about sports gambling in the U.S. In this episode: What does 5G internet actually mean for consumers?; when will 5G be ubiquitous in major cities?; why it will eventually replace home broadband; the rise of professional sports gambling; cord cutting and the TV rights to broadcast sports; buying sports games a la carte and leagues becoming direct distributors; competing in video-on-demand with Apple, Netflix and Disney; integrating the cultures of AT&T and Time Warner. Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

21 Feb 201930min

Bryce Roberts, the "recovering venture capitalist" who founded Indie.vc, talks with Recode's Peter Kafka about why more entrepreneurs should be asking if venture capital is right for them. In this episode: Roberts' past investments; how VCs have controlled the definition of "entrepreneur" and why that's a problem; how Indie.vc works and what it looks for in applicants; is venture capital really that bad?; Gimlet's sale to Spotify; the connection between venture capital and layoffs at digital media companies; Shade Room's Angie Nwandu and the unusually diverse group of founders Indie.vc has backed; are traditional venture capitalists threatened by Roberts?; and why Tavi Gevinson shut down Rookie. Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Feb 201947min

Gimlet co-founders Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber talk with Recode's Peter Kafka about selling their company to Spotify. Then later in the show, Fortune Media Group CEO Alan Murray sits down with Peter to talk about selling Fortune to a Thai billionaire and navigating its transition into new digital challenges. In the Gimlet interview: "We didn't leak the story, I don't know who did"; Blumberg and Lieber's interactions with Gimlet staff since Recode's scoop on Friday; why the acquisition makes sense; how Spotify became a distribution partner and when acquisition talks started; could Gimlet have remained independent?; how much did Blumberg and Lieber's ability to personally profit influence the decision to sell?; listeners who invested in Gimlet's crowdfunding seed round will see a return; will Gimlet's existing shows become Spotify exclusives? And in the Murray interview: Fortune's acquisition and the end of Time Inc.; why it's hard to destroy legacy media brands; why it would be a problem if Time Magazine owner Marc Benioff had also bought Fortune; who is Fortune's new owner, Chatchaval Jiaravanon?; the "death sentence" of working with its old owner, Time Warner; how has Fortune changed since Jiaravanon bought it?; developing and scaling up live events to make them both accessible and valuable; advertising-supported businesses and Fortune's competitors; Murray's background at the Wall Street Journal and why Rupert Murdoch is "the best thing that could have happened" to the paper; developing the WSJ's ultimately unsuccessful iPad app, The Daily; President Trump's lies and attacks on journalism; and and how other media outlets are alienating his supporters. Thanks to Microsoft Azure for sponsoring this episode. Get started with a free account and 12 months of popular free services at Azure.com/trial today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Feb 20191h 5min