Former Sony Entertainment CEO and current Snap Inc. Chairman Michael Lynton joins Mixed Signals to revisit the decision that led to one of the most consequential hacks in history: approving The Interview, the Seth Rogen–James Franco comedy that provoked a cyberattack from North Korea. Max and Ben ask why he broke his own greenlight process, and how he managed the fallout as private emails were leaked and careers were upended. They also dive into Lynton’s new book with Josh Steiner, and why he was frustrated by the US federal government’s inaction on its own TikTok ban.

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Douglas Scott Wreden and Aiden McCaig of the Lemonade Stand podcast join Ben and Max to explain how they turned gaming audiences into a loyal following for business, tech, and politics—and what it says about the future of media.

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Introducing The CEO Signal, a new show from SEMAFOR hosted by Penny Pritzker and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson.

In each episode, they sit down with global CEOs to discuss the moments of judgment that define leadership — how they interpret the forces shaping their industries, weigh difficult choices, and make decisions when the stakes are high.

The CEO Signal builds on the SEMAFOR's CEO Signal newsletter, the briefing read by many of the world’s leading chief executives, bringing those insights into direct conversations about leadership, strategy, and the forces shaping the global economy.

Watch the full conversations on The CEO Signal with Penny Pritzker and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson.

Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg joins Mixed Signals on the one-year anniversary of the scoop known as "Signalgate" — when he was accidentally added to a top-secret Trump administration group chat. Max and Ben ask if anything actually changed after the scandal, how Donald Trump reacted to the story, and why the president invited Goldberg to the Oval Office afterwards. Goldberg also talks about falling out with Benjamin Netanyahu, The Washington Post’s struggles under Jeff Bezos, and why he believes The Atlantic’s mix of magazine storytelling and newspaper reporting is the key to its success.

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Twitch streamer Hasan Piker joins Mixed Signals for a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to be the internet’s most prominent leftist streamer. Max and Ben ask him about the scale of his audience, the grind of broadcasting seven days a week, and whether constant livestreaming changes the way he thinks. Piker also talks about collaborating with Democratic politicians like Zoran Mamdani, and dialing back his rhetoric as he edges closer to real political power.

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A note from Ben Smith: If you're listening to Mixed Signals' coverage of the radical changes to the world of media, I think you'll really enjoy Semafor's newest show, Compound Interest from Semafor Business, that casts a light on how pressure from technology and from Wall Street is radically shifting virtually every business.

On Compound Interest, our brilliant colleagues Liz Hoffman and Rohan Goswami are talking to people at the front lines of those changes — starting with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who used to run a ride-hailing service and now says he's running a platform to be "the operating system for your daily life."

You can listen to Compound Interest from Semafor Business wherever you get your podcasts, or watch it on YouTube.

Former BBC News boss Deborah Turness joins Mixed Signals for her first public interview since resigning amid a controversy over an editorial mishap involving a Donald Trump speech. She talks about whether the BBC is truly impartial, how she handled newsroom blind spots around rising populist movements like the UK's Reform party, and why she believes public media can survive a polarized age. The interview was recorded at Semafor’s Trust In Media summit, which can be watched in full on Semafor’s YouTube channel.

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Former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer join Mixed Signals to talk about their leap from the Situation Room to the podcast studio. They explain why they started The Long Game, what they learned about media while running US foreign policy, and how the war in Ukraine became as much an information battle as a military one. The conversation ranges from Gaza and Al Jazeera to AI-generated propaganda, reactions to the Munich Security Conference, and whether Democrats ever figured out how to explain foreign policy to the American middle class.

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Gus Wenner, chairman of Rolling Stone and son of the magazine’s legendary founder, has spent years balancing the brand’s print heritage with its digital transformation. On this week’s Mixed Signals, Ben and Max talk with Wenner about his new holding company, Wenner Media Ventures, and why he thinks algorithms  disrespect audiences. They also discuss the venture’s investment in the hit video series Track Star, his defense of Rolling Stone’s most provocative journalism, and his potential future media investments.

When now-President Donald Trump decided to put on an apron and serve customers at a McDonald’s drive-thru on the 2024 campaign trail, it put Tariq Hassan, then McDonald’s chief marketer, in a tight spot. On this week’s Mixed Signals, Ben and Max sit down with the former Golden Arches CMO to discuss the Trump episode, why he thinks ad makers should engage with journalists, and what goes into a good celebrity Super Bowl ad.