Recode Decode: Why tech is "flunking" the diversity test

Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger are resigning from the company, six years after Facebook bought it for $1 billion. Recode reports that they had grown "increasingly frustrated and agitated with [Facebook CEO Mark] Zuckerberg and Facebook’s increased influence over the app." Here's a bonus episode of Recode Decode — Kara Swisher's interview with then-CEO Systrom from June 2017 — in which he talks at length about why he and Krieger did not leave soon after the acquisition. The episode's original summary is below... *** Instagram CEO and co-founder Kevin Systrom talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about why he's still working at Facebook five years after it bought his company for $1 billion. Systrom shares what he has learned from the executives there and why he insisted from day one that his new colleagues not call Instagram a "photo-sharing app" — which surprised Mark Zuckerberg. He also addresses allegations that Instagram has "copied" features from Snapchat, saying no tech product is completely original and that it's better for consumers if companies in the same space are constantly trying to one-up each other. Later in the show, Systrom explains why he feels personally responsible to make the internet a safer place, and what he's doing toward that goal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

25 Sep 20181h 8min

Jim Yong Kim, the president of the World Bank Group, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how big data can prevent famines around the world and how to engage tech leaders in solving huge problems. In this episode: (01:46) Kim's background at WHO, at Dartmouth and as an enemy of the World Bank; (09:01) Job automation and the future of work; (13:19) Why African leaders can't copy their way to prosperity; (19:41) Working with LinkedIn and Airbnb, and the value of tourism; (24:57) Marc Benioff, Sal Khan and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid; (27:58) Zipline's blood delivery breakthrough; (29:45) Which countries are investing in human capital?; (37:32) The Famine Action Mechanism; (43:08) Can generosity undo the techlash?; and (46:27) Kim's wishlist for tech companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

24 Sep 201853min

In this bonus episode of Recode Decode, you get two interviews for the price of one, both conducted by Recode's Kara Swisher at the Lesbians Who Tech Summit in New York City. First, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman and HuffPost editor in chief Lydia Polgreen talk about "Trump, technology and the future of news." In the second half of the show (28:02), actor Jane Lynch ("Glee," "Party Down") talks about the future of entertainment and technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

22 Sep 201858min

Journalist and author Nancy Jo Sales talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her new HBO documentary, "Swiped: Hooking Up in the Digital Age." In this episode:03:41 - How Sales started writing about teenage culture08:20 - The psychological impact of the internet10:38 - "What's Tinder?"12:31 - Cheerleading tech and platforms' responsibility19:25 - Why Sales made "Swiped"25:07 - The gamification of dating29:13 - Harassment and sexual assault37:13 - Can dating apps offer more than casual sex?40:11 - Technology addiction and the paradigm of convenience45:54 - VR sex and sex robots52:26 - Is there a positive side? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

19 Sep 201857min

Kai-Fu Lee, the CEO of Sinovation Ventures and former president of Google China, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his new book, "AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order." In this episode:00:55 - Lee's background & Google China03:32 - Why he left Google05:41 - Why American companies struggled to compete in China09:46 - It's not all because of the government12:23 - Investing in artificial intelligence18:42 - What "AI Superpowers" means21:15 - Data and privacy in China vs. the West25:17 - Where AI is going next30:17 - How Lee thinks about American tech companies33:09 - The impact of AI on jobs40:10 - The political implications of those job changes43:30 - The responsibilities of tech creators and investors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

17 Sep 201849min

Former deputy CTO of the United States Nicole Wong talks with Recode’s Kara Swisher about the future of tech policy and why content moderation is more complicated than many people think. In this episode:01:29 - How Wong became a First Amendment lawyer04:12 - Why she took a job at Google07:05 - "You can’t be the lawyer that says no all the time.”08:30 - Why she left Google09:34 - The White House phone call12:19 - Making the government more technologically literate14:42 - Post-government life17:48 - Congress, Sheryl Sandberg and Jack Dorsey21:26 - “You don’t create solutions in a hearing”26:33 - Is it time for a "slow food movement for the Internet?”31:01 - Algorithmic “bias” and the danger of blunt instruments34:46 - The social media “cleaners” in the Philippines41:22 - Techlash44:11 - China’s quicker road to tech dominance46:17- With no American CTO, who’s in charge?48:30 - Google and China 52:59 - Diversity in tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

12 Sep 201856min

Mark Leibovich, the chief national correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his new book, "Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times." In this episode:02:07 - Leibovich’s short stint as a tech reporter04:06 - “This Town” and burning bridges in Washington06:00 - How he got into writing about the NFL 07:58 - The goal of reporting and writing “Big Game”10:12 - The fault lines emerging in America’s football addiction11:58 - Football will survive in spite of the owners18:47 - Why these are “dangerous times” for the NFL19:52 - Donald Trump’s football dreams21:55 - “The kneeling thing”24:17 - The impact of Colin Kaepernick’s protests on the NFL27:22 - The other dangers to the league29:01 - Smarter helmets and cord-cutting37:18 - Robots playing football and other tech40:35 - Where does football go next?43:18 - Returning to politics and the “Trump swamp”45:51 - Working at the “failing New York Times” next to Maggie Haberman48:11 - Should we change the way we cover politics and sports?52:05 - Who does Leibovich love and hate in the NFL? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10 Sep 201852min

April Underwood, the chief product officer at workplace collaboration platform Slack, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her career, diversity in Silicon Valley and the future of work. In this episode:02:06 - How Underwood got from Texas to tech05:36 - Moving to Oregon to work for Intel, and back to Texas07:09 - What does a product manager actually do?09:32 - Organizing content at Google11:01 - Why she left Google for Twitter15:50 - Why Slack is better than email20:02 - AOL at Work and the danger of outages24:15 - Slack’s growing valuation and staying independent27:55 - How Slack works and how it integrates with other services32:34 - Security and innovation35:43 - The biggest obstacles Slack faces40:45 - The features users are asking for the most45:45 - #Angels and “the gap table"49:55 - How does Slack fare on diversity?51:22 - Is Silicon Valley getting better at diversity and inclusion?53:13 - “Where we are now is the dark timeline"56:52 - What would Underwood do if she were running Twitter?58:43 - The future of work Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

5 Sep 20181h 2min