The Decoded Podcast

With Trump’s own crypto interests looming over the industry and Democrats poised for a return to power, crypto’s founding rebels are confronting an uncomfortable reality: The movement that set out to upend the financial establishment is becoming part of it.

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Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who once called government a “giant bonfire of partisanship” and spent years on the political sidelines, has emerged as a force in the midterms — and it could signal more to come from the centibillionaire. 

This year alone, Brin spent an unprecedented $100 million — about 40 times what he put into politics in the previous two decades — to try to defeat a proposed tax on California billionaires that has become a top priority for many in Silicon Valley.

Plus, Today is the last day to respond to a call for public comment from Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Michael Selig on a possible framework for futures contracts for compute — akin to how farmers use financial markets to hedge swings in crop prices

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American voters across the political spectrum now assume most tech CEOs are conservative, according to new results from The POLITICO Poll. The results, first revealed in Decoded, could complicate not only the prospects of Republicans trying to break from Donald Trump in the midterms or 2028 amid rising backlash to Big Tech and AI. Plus, AI researchers and other industry employees emerged as a powerful political bloc this year. Tech’s traditional megadonors are still the ones bankrolling the broader fight for control of Congress in the lead-up to the November midterms.
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As U.S. tech giants worry about the power of their advanced AI models, they are pressing governments around the world for new rules that would slow them down. But Europe, fearful of missing the next wave of innovation, doesn’t want to hear it. And at this week’s International AI Summit in Dublin, Ireland, its officials insisted no new rules are needed as they rush to catch up with America’s tech sector. Decoded discusses how the tech leaders and EU officials are finding a path forward in the age of AI.

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Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith delivered a broadside Wednesday against President Donald Trump’s push to block the path to permanent residency for highly-skilled immigrants, warning the White House that its plan could cripple the U.S. tech sector for over a generation in an exclusive interview with Decoded. Plus, Decoded can exclusively report that a bank backed by tech billionaire and prominent Trump donor Palmer Luckey has just tapped Biden alum Marcia Fudge to help the bank build out it's community banking efforts.

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The Big Bank earnings calls that kicked off Tuesday offer a preview for how CEOs are couching their optimism to account for the financial realities that will shape the industry’s future. Plus, a Democratic candidate for governor unveiled a new AI safety plan aiming at protecting young children from artificial intelligence

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A new super PAC created by two longtime Democratic operatives is launching its “opening salvo” this week, spending $4 million across four key House races to portray Republicans as beholden to the artificial intelligence lobby, Decoded can exclusively report. Plus, an exclusive  interview with Scott Kupor, one of the Vice Chairs on the White House’s Super Intelligence Task Force, on the goals of the group.

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Democratic megadonor and venture capitalist Ron Conway regrets funding an influential Big Tech political group that has fought strict AI rules, according to former Obama Press Secretary Jay Carney, who leads communications for Conway’s new AI policy initiative. Plus, The White House reaction on Friday to newly-disclosed autonomous behavior from Anthropic’s AI models was immediate, forceful — and quite different from its nonchalant response to similar actions by OpenAI agents revealed late last month.

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Silicon Valley is stressing over the uncertainty around how artificial intelligence will be regulated. Decoded spoke to SoFi CEO Anthony Noto about how he's preparing his businesses for an AI-driven economy. Plus, Vice President JD Vance announced that Microsoft would no longer be able to sponsor green cards for employees on skilled worker visas.

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Tech billionaire Peter Thiel is sharpening his warnings about the Antichrist — which he sees as someone who could harm technological development — as AI races ahead and public concern over its risks grow, according to exclusive recordings obtained by Decoded. Plus, a top trade group for the “metaverse”  shuts its doors after eight years.

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