Claim OwnershipOn with Kara Swisher
Subscribed: 6,227Played: 216,512
Subscribe
© 2022
Description
It's on. Twice a week, award-winning journalist Kara Swisher gets to the heart of the story through no-holds-barred interviews with power players across business, tech, media, politics and beyond. So why do her guests show up? “Smart people,” says Kara, “like difficult questions.”
Mondays and Thursdays from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
190 Episodes
Reverse
1Trump’s historic felony conviction, a SCOTUS ruling in favor of presidential immunity, and a dumpster fire Biden vs. Trump debate: Those are just a few of the things that have happened on the American democracy front since Kara spoke to historian Heather Cox Richardson in January. In a special Independence Day episode, Kara and Heather replay that conversation, including history lessons from her book Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, and then rejoin at the end. They discuss what Heather thought of the first presidential debate, why she believes changing presidential horses mid-race would be disastrous for Democrats, and how events of the past six months have (or haven't) changed her perspective about American Democracy.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hands with six fingers, mouths with dozens of teeth, hairlines and limbs out of whack: We’ve all seen eye-roll worthy generative AI images. But despite the prevalence of these easy to spot fakes, photography and video media companies like Getty Images are already feeling the impact of AI and trying to integrate the technology without compromising their core business. Kara speaks with Getty CEO Craig Peters about why he can promise users of the Getty AI Generator “uncapped indemnity”, whether he thinks licensing agreements with OpenAI and similar AI companies are “Faustian” deals with the devil, and how better standards to protect visual truth and authenticity could help the industry remain financially viable in the long run. Plus: how worried should we be about deep fakes impacting the 2024 election?
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The 2024 race is ON and the gloves are coming off: President Biden and former President Donald Trump will go head-to-head tonight, in the first debate of this campaign season [Thursday, 9 pm ET on CNN]. The two are basically tied in the polls, so both candidates are vying for independent voters in a handful of swing states to secure the Oval. Kara hosts a panel of political junkies (Stephanie Ruhle, host of MSNBC's The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle; Eliana Johnson, editor-in-chief at the neoconservative Washington Free Beacon; and veteran Republican strategist Mike Madrid, co-founder of the Lincoln Project and author of a new book The Latino Century, How America's Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy) to discuss the top issues for voters, what could turn the tide for Trump or Biden, and whether this debate – or any – can change hearts and minds.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Actor and Director Griffin Dunne grew up surrounded by Hollywood fame and celebrity — his father was a TV producer, his aunt the renowned writer Joan Didion, his sister a blossoming actress and the late Carrie Fisher his best friend and onetime roommate. But the Dunne family became famous for tragedy when Griffin’s 22-year-old sister Dominique was murdered by her boyfriend. Dunne’s father, Dominick, chronicled the tumult of the murder trial for Vanity Fair, while privately struggling as a closeted homosexual. Kara talks to Dunne about the difficult decision to revisit these moments in his new memoir The Friday Afternoon Club.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Threads/Instagram @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Late spring/early summer is always a busy time for the Supreme Court, but this year, it’s not just the controversial decisions that are making news. The justices themselves have been in headlines — for all the wrong reasons. Kara and an expert panel discuss the ethical lapses, refusals the recuse, and of course, the cases themselves — including the big one, over Trump’s claim to “complete and total” immunity.
The panelists are: Judge Nancy Gertner (retired), a lecturer at Harvard Law School and former US District Court judge for the District of Massachusetts who served on the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court; Kedric Payne, vice president, general counsel, and senior director for ethics at the Campaign Legal Center; and Judge David Tatel (retired), a former judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and author of the new book Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice.
This interview was recorded on Tuesday June 18.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus is most famous for her comedic TV characters Elaine Benes in Seinfeld and Veep’s Selina Meyer. But in recent years, Louis-Dreyfus has been showing her dramatic chops, including in her latest film Tuesday, in which she takes on grief, denial and death. She's also been winning awards as the host of her podcast Wiser Than Me. Kara and Julia discuss how in-depth conversations with iconic older women have radicalized her, her concerns about the commercialization of art films and why she thinks comedy is risky - but still very much possible.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Kara takes the stage with Laurene Powell Jobs at Sixth & I in Washington D.C. to talk about Kara’s recent memoir, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story. In this bonus episode of On, Powell Jobs interviews Swisher about her life as a tech reporter, the incredible influence of tech CEOs, the need for regulation, AI and the best devices of all time.
This episode was originally taped on February 29, 2024 and has been edited for clarity and length. You can find the full version of their conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrSy8XJgjjE
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Kara interviews Mira Murati, Chief Technology Officer at OpenAI, and one of the most powerful people in tech. Murati has helped the company skyrocket to the forefront of the generative AI boom, and Apple’s recent announcement that it will soon put ChatGPT in its iPhones, iPads and laptops will only help increase their reach.
But OpenAI's rapid ascent has included its fair share of growing pains. There was “the blip,” as company insiders refer to the brief ousting of Sam Altman as CEO. (Murati became CEO for two days.) There have also been high-profile departures, an open letter accusing the company of putting product over safety, questions about highly restrictive NDAs, and even controversy over whether the company had stolen Scarlett Johansson's voice. On top of that, many fear that generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, will be used to fuel disinformation during the upcoming presidential election. Kara and Murati talk about all this, and more.
This interview was recorded live at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, DC as part of their new Discovery Series.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Abortion will be a key issue in the election this fall and it's also the focus of two Supreme Court rulings expected later this month. This week, Kara speaks with Cecile Richards, activist and former President of Planned Parenthood, about the fight for reproductive rights in the post-Roe era, where abortion fits into the electoral landscape, the potential outcomes of the two SCOTUS rulings, and how technology is enhancing access to abortion.
On a more personal note, Cecile also talks about her recent brain cancer diagnosis and how it’s impacted her work as a lifelong activist.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Kara sits down to talk with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The social media-savvy congresswoman from the Bronx is a member of the bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, and she recently introduced a bill to combat nonconsensual deepfake pornography.
Kara and AOC discuss the bill, and her opposition to the TikTok ban, along with her take on the overall tech landscape. They also dive into her recent back-and-forth with Marjorie Taylor Greene, her relationship with the Left, Trump vs. Biden and Gaza.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Broad City co-creator Ilana Glazer’s new friendship flick Babes is a no-holds-barred comedy about pregnancy, parenthood and the losses that come with adulthood. Kara talks with Ilana about why women’s bodies are considered “raunchy,” whether YouTube is still a good launch pad for breakout comedians, and how she is rallying Gen Z and Millennial voters to “microdose democracy” through her political non-profit Generator Collective. Plus: why, as a Jewish American, she’s calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When it comes to political comedy, Bill Maher is practically an institution — he’s been hosting a late-night political talk show since 1993 (with a brief hiatus in 2002-03, after Politically Incorrect was canceled following a 9/11 comment). And now the host of Real Time with Bill Maher has a new book out: What This Comedian Said Will Shock You. Kara sat with Bill in his “den of iniquity” to discuss his childhood, politics, the war in Gaza, and, of course, cancel culture.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today, we’re sharing Kara’s recent appearance on Possible, a podcast hosted by Aria Finger and Reid Hoffman from Wonder Media Network. We’ll be back with a new episode of On with Kara Swisher on Thursday, May 30th.
You can follow the Possible podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Tesla is bleeding execs, and it appears to be reaching a crisis point; over at Twitter/X, new reporting shows that Elon uses the platform to cozy up to right-wing leaders around the world and then presses them to enact policies that benefit to his companies; and while SpaceX continues to dominate in space, serious questions remain about the Pentagon’s reliance on the mercurial industrialist with a seeming soft spot for Putin and Xi. So it’s time to gather three of the best reporters covering Musk and get their take on all things Elon.
Kirsten Grind recently joined The New York Times as a tech investigations reporter. Previously, she was at The Wall Street Journal, where she reported on Elon’s drug use and the shockingly acquiescent Tesla board. Tim Higgins is the author of Power Play, Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century, and he writes a weekly column at The Wall Street Journal that is mostly about Elon Musk. And Becky Peterson covers Tesla, SpaceX, and all things Elon at The Information, where she consistently publishes scoops on the inner workings of Elon’s companies.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has been reporting on protests, wars and conflicts for more than 40 years, and he’s used his platform to highlight human rights issues at home and abroad. But despite being a proponent of "ethical journalism", he flinches at being called an “activist”. Kara talks to Nick about the swashbuckling adventures detailed in his new memoir, Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life, his take on the situation in Gaza and the student protests against the war, and why he’s more hopeful than cynical about the state of the world – even with Trump back on the ballot.
This interview was taped on May 14, 2024.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Threads/Instagram @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
David Ignatius, a foreign affairs columnist for The Washington Post and the author of twelve novels, is also a noted expert on Middle East politics, one of the preeminent national security writers in the country, and perhaps, most importantly — the person who first assigned Kara Swisher to cover tech news.
Kara talks to her old boss about his new spy thriller, The Phantom Orbit, the upcoming presidential election, the war in Gaza, and the war in Ukraine.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Threads/Instagram @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
To savvy tech consumers, Walt Mossberg and Marques Brownlee, aka MKBHD, need no introduction. Before he retired in 2017, Walt was the undisputed dean of tech reviewers. As Senator Maria Cantwell, a recent guest and former tech executive put it, “all our product reviews lived or died by Walt Mossberg.”
MKBHD began reviewing tech products on YouTube, as a high schooler, and he now has more than 18 million subscribers to his channel. He has become this generation’s Walt Mossberg, and as Jimmy Donaldson/MrBeast, the king of YouTube, put it, “you’re the video producer that decides what tech everyone in America buys.”
Yet, somehow, the titans of tech reviews had never met before. Kara rights this wrong, and she, Mossberg, and Brownlee discuss the art, philosophy and ethics of reviewing tech, as well as the Tesla Cybertruck, Apple Vision Pro, AI-in-a-box and Taylor Swift.
Click here to listen to Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Author Anne Lamott has penned novels, but is most famous for her confessional memoirs about sobriety, raising her son as a single mother (Operating Instructions), being a liberal Christian and writing (Bird By Bird). Kara and Anne talk about her 20th book, Somehow: Thoughts on Love, why she thinks love is like Wi-Fi, how she dealt with nearly being canceled over a tweet, how to practice radical self-acceptance, and finding forgiveness — even for Donald Trump.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Threads/Instagram @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Thirty-one years after founding Chipotle, Steve Ells is back with what he hopes will be another fast-casual dining revolution: the highly-automated, plant-based food chain, Kernel. Ells says that streamlining and automation will allow him to pay workers well above minimum wage and give them more benefits – all while reducing labor costs. But don’t call it a robot restaurant! Kara and Ells discuss the mechanics and philosophy underpinning Kernel’s concept and the downstream effects of integrating tech into our food.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Threads/Instagram @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In her latest play, Sally & Tom, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks tackles what is, arguably, one of the most complicated and personal chapters in American history: the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, the enslaved woman who gave birth to at least six of his children.
Kara and Parks discuss the play in the context of her past work, as well as our nation's trend of revising history to sand down its rough edges, and why wrestling with our nation’s past is a sign of love.
Sally & Tom is now playing at the Public Theater. You can buy tickets at: https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2324/sally--tom/
Correction: Suzan-Lori Parks' Plays for the Plague Year begins in March 2020. In a previous version of this episode, we said it began in March 2022.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Threads/Instagram as @karaswisher
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States
Maher & Swisher: Best Podcaster ever. Kara was able to get the essence of Bill with patience and skill. Maher, snappy at times, allowed Swisher to guide the interview to accomplish her purpose
I'm tired of Bill Maher.
Yep, totally agree with Kara (in that one can dream about Elon going to Mars and staying there). This guy had a real chance, and the potential, to rise up and give something GOOD and positive, to the world. Instead, he has squandered and IS squandering that opportunity, in a tragic, Shakespearean fashion. He had a uncommon opportunity in front of him, but is showing himself every day, to be a limited, weak, and all-too-common character.
omggg, this interview is such a treat !! thank you, Kara, for chatting with Paul Giamatti the way I wished to have had the opportunity to. Paul "caught my eye" in American Splendor in a totally unexpected way, and ever since ,i was smitten, although he always plays the characters that are really not to be smitten with . but I guess the voice makes a lot of soothing ,too. Simply a great episode, thanks a billion ✨
So are you going to tell us what happened to Nayeema???!!!!
So enjoyed this episode! Keep up the great work; all the best to the ON team in 2024.
I find it strange that Kara cannot easily understand Martina's explanation of why male bodies should not be allowed to compete in any female sports category. It makes perfect sense. This is IN NO WAY transphobic. It is about maintaining a fair playing field, and upholding women's rights. This has to be made crystal-clear to trans athletes who identify as female.
Kara's sick voice is annoying and hard to understand, sounds like reverb is on. How about using some tech to clean it up?
Love your podcast. It is invaluable to me, to find sources like this, that cut through the bullshit. Thanks for your work 🙏
Yikes, Linda's reactions/responses are painful to listen to. Such a clear example of a person who has sold their integrity and their soul along with it. She's trying her best to justify it to the audience...and perhaps to herself.
Conan carried this one. The outro was quite distasteful.
he's Mr. Burns so he's the evil one
Oppenheimer was a disappointment. no need for imax as it could have as easily been a netflix original or TV movie. Great performances but really bad creative choices by director and producers. We get it, he got screwed over but way too much time in the dramatic (zzz) hearings and didn't even really touch on Oppys management of the project or the plates he must have kept in the air. Which didn't allow for audience who isn't familiar with the project to really feel the screwing he got. The choices made by the powers that decided how to tell the story made the film an hour too long. Juice not worth the squeeze. Hype.
Rarely disagree with too many of Kara's takes but Nayeema was absolutely right to push back and hold her feet to the fire at the end. You CAN regulate your way to healthier society. That's literally what the FDA should be doing, but isn't. Tons of governments have strict food regulations (Finland, Japan, Canada, Ireland) AND are also effective in having healthier citizens because of those policies. McDonalds ketchup tastes different on either side of Niagara because Health Canada simply does not allow certain ingredients, or above certain concentrations of additives. Companies always take the path of least resistance no matter the human cost. It's not totalitarian or anti-capitalist to acknowledge that and want your government to want what's best for its citizens, and actually intervene on their behalf (what the FDA doesn't do). Ironically people can now live longer and consume more of that corpo's products. This baked in presumption of failure or incompetence of government is really a
These two are insufferable. Finding excuses for china during a moment of high tension. Way to go.
his vitriol towards meghan stems from the fact that he had a romantic interest in her that wasn't reciprocated. he's been relentlessly trashing her ever since. he's an awful human being
I would never defend Elon or his actions, but you guys do get that he's neurodivergent, not neurotypical like you, right?
"The laws I make they may be wrong, but that depends what side you're on. ... don't question me. I am the law." -- Saucy Jack in Captain Andy https://youtu.be/vy32krRMkEk
is there such a thing as too-many-same-same-slacker-ads? am ready to unsubscribe - so sorry you see me leave.
Thought your intro was a bit self important and your first guest was too. hope the next episode is better.