Recode Decode: General Michael Hayden on Donald Trump’s ‘assault on intelligence’

Tusk Holdings CEO Bradley Tusk talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his unique political consulting firm Tusk Ventures, which trades equity in companies like Uber, FanDuel and DraftKings for regulatory guidance. Tusk previously worked for former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, and explains in detail how Uber undermined the city's current mayor, Bill de Blasio, with a series of blistering attacks last year. He also talks about the tech challenges facing America's next president, including autonomous driving, drone regulation and how sharing-economy workers are classified. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

26 Sep 201655min

In this special bonus episode, Margrethe Vestager, Europe's Commissioner for Competition, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the high-profile cases she has brought against Apple and Google for alleged unfair tax breaks and antitrust violations, respectively. Vestager says "there is a limit to everything," including the assistance successful companies should get from the government, and their access to consumers' data. She rejects President Obama's past allegation of European regulators singling out American companies, and explains why Silicon Valley should be put under the microscope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

20 Sep 201642min

Niantic CEO John Hanke talks with Recode's Kara Swisher and Ina Fried about the company's hit mobile game Pokémon Go and what happens now that the initial hype around it has "stabilized." Future updates to the game will include new types of Pokémon, trading with other players and possibly battling with your friends. Hanke also reflects on his first company Keyhole, which was bought by Google and became Google Earth, and why augmented reality is a more important technology than virtual reality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

19 Sep 201655min

Benchmark general partner Bill Gurley talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about life as a venture capitalist and why he's still worried about a bubble, a topic he has written about extensively. Great entrepreneurs could raise money at any time, Gurley argues, but when funding is easy to come by, it invites in entitled and less talented startup founders, as well as unwanted government regulation. He also discusses sitting on the board of Uber, challenges faced by its CEO, Travis Kalanick, and why the ridesharing company is unlikely to go public "any time in the near future." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

12 Sep 201658min

TaskRabbit CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot chats with Recode's Kara Swisher about how her company and others are changing the definition of work. During her previous stint as TaskRabbit's COO, Brown-Philpot oversaw a major shift in how the company defines itself and made its service far more reliable, at the cost of a yearlong restructuring and employee layoffs. She discusses what's next for the sharing economy and why consolidation may be ahead. Brown-Philpot also talks about being one of the few black female CEOs in tech, and what can be done at all levels of a company to improve the diversity conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6 Sep 201656min

Quip CEO and Twitter board member Bret Taylor talks with Recode's Kara Swisher and Kurt Wagner about the reality of trying and sometimes failing as an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. A former Facebook CTO, he reflects on how Mark Zuckerberg's company culture balanced good execution with a willingness to fail. Taylor also discusses Quip's $750 million acquisition by Salesforce, how Twitter is responding to abuse and why so many Silicon Valley companies have trouble with diversity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

29 Aug 201656min

Walker & Company Brands founder and CEO Tristan Walker talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how technology can disrupt the health and beauty industry. Walker & Company's shaving brand, Bevel, is aimed at people of color who are underserved by the big cosmetics companies, and Walker says he plans to focus even more on personalized products those competitors can't deliver. An alumnus of Twitter, Foursquare and Andreessen Horowitz, he also discusses his problems with tech companies' "culture fit," and why those who say they can't find talented black and Latino tech workers are spouting "complete bullshit." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

22 Aug 201652min

Atlassian co-CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about co-founding an enterprise software company in Sydney, Australia, in 2002. Cannon-Brookes reflects on Atlassian's successful American IPO and the differences between his team and tech companies that start in other parts of the world. Rather than trying to beat Silicon Valley at its own game, he says, the right approach for Australia is to nurture its own tech talent while building bridges across the ocean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

15 Aug 201638min