From the Recode Daily archives (Oct. 5, 2020): The pandemic has boosted demand for satellite Internet connections. Recode's Adam Clark Estes explains why companies like SpaceX and Amazon are racing to build a new broadband network among the stars. 

Read Adam's story here.

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From the Recode Daily archives (Feb. 19, 2021): The platform, which calls itself the social network for neighborhoods, was once used for things like selling used bikes, asking neighbors for an extra stick of butter, or passive aggressive complaints about street parking etiquette. Now, Nextdoor is overrun with misinformation and false theories about the pandemic and the ongoing vaccine rollout. 

Read Rebecca's story here.

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From the Recode Daily archives (Nov. 30, 2020): Recode’s Jason Del Rey explains how the pandemic battered an already-struggling retail industry and the path forward for malls and department stores.

Read Jason's story here.

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For office workers, working from home generally went better than expected. Recode’s Rani Molla explains how a year of remote work will change office life, even as the Covid-19 pandemic subsides. Read Rani’s story here.

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Instacart is a gig economy app, similar to Uber or Airbnb, but for grocery deliveries. It has two sets of users: the people who order groceries, and the people who shop for them, deliver them and hope for a five-star rating in return. 

Recode’s Peter Kafka talks with Ehud Sopher, a New York filmmaker who works full-time for Instacart and earns a commission for every completed order. Sopher recently wrote a first-person essay for Vox.com about a four-star rating he received, which in the world of Instacart shoppers, meant that he was effectively facing a massive pay cut. He explains why customers deserve more transparency from Instacart about the financial repercussions of how they rate shoppers and drivers. 

References: You can read Sopher's story on Vox.com

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Over the weekend, Recode’s Teddy Schleifer talked with Sam Bankman-Fried, a young cryptocurrency zealot who, seemingly out of nowhere, has a net worth of $10 billion. He cut a low profile until last year, when he became one of Silicon Valley’s biggest contributors to groups supporting Joe Biden, at least in terms of disclosed giving. Bankman-Fried, like many entrepreneurs, thinks obsessively about becoming rich. But he has a two-part plan: First, make a tremendous amount of money by any means necessary. Next, give it all away. 

References: Read Teddy’s full Q&A here

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By now, you’ve probably heard of the influencer economy — high-profile figures on social media platforms who get paid to, you know, influence their followers. Brands will pay them to post ads for trendy things like fashion or beauty products and for much more obscure things like medical devices. But as more people hop on the influencer train, we are seeing more means of making money. Vox’s Rebecca Jennings, who covers internet culture for The Goods, is here to explain.

References: You can read more of Rebecca’s work in her TikTok newsletter every Tuesday.

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Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil explains how the pandemic caused a shortage of the semiconductors needed to manufacture everything from computers to cars.

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Land of the Giants host Shirin Ghaffary and co-host Alex Kantrowitz explain how a secret contract with the US Department of Defense prompted a showdown between Google and its engineers.

This is a preview of Land of the Giants Season 3, Episode 5: A Military Contract Tests Google’s Open Culture. Check out the full episode here.

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Tech billionaire Peter Thiel just made his biggest political donation to date: $10 million to a super PAC backing potential US Senate candidate J.D. Vance in Ohio. Vance is best known for his hit memoir Hillbilly Elegy, so what makes him an appealing political figure to Thiel? Recode's Teddy Schleifer explains.

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