Guest host Ben Smith joins Kara to discuss Afghanistan's fall to the Taliban, and what it means for news coverage of the region. And: a new business deal aims to bring movies back to movie theaters. But will audiences follow? Also, Friend of Pivot Julie K. Brown joins us to discuss her reporting in Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story.
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Tucker goes to Hungary, the Taliban take Afghanistan, and a Friend of Pivot on why Epstein couldn't have killed himself

Every Tuesday and Friday, tech journalist Kara Swisher and NYU Professor Scott Galloway offer sharp, unfiltered insights into the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics. They make bold predictions, pick winners and losers, and bicker and banter like no one else. After all, with great power comes great scrutiny. From New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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Kara and Scott discuss Tesla's Cybertruck recall, Sony teaming up with Apollo for a Paramount bid, and Netflix's decision to stop reporting subscriber numbers. Then, the TikTok bill moves closer to becoming a law. Will TikTok's parent company go to court to stop a ban? Plus, is China's decision to crack down on popular messaging apps a retaliatory move? Finally, our Friend of Pivot is Dana Mattioli, the Wall Street Journal's Amazon reporter, and author of the new book, "The Everything War: Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power." Dana explains what she learned about Amazon's tactics to stay on top.
Follow Dana at @danamattioli.
Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial.
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Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at nymag.com/pivot.
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TikTok Ban Approaches, China's App Crackdown, and Guest Dana Mattioli

Kara and Scott discuss the new plan to fast-track the TikTok ban bill through Congress, the debate over Caitlin Clark's WNBA salary, and Trump Media's questionable move into streaming. Then, Tesla is asking shareholders to reapprove Elon Musk's multi-billion dollar pay package, despite a judge calling it unfair back in January. Will Elon get his way? Plus, NPR and Google are the latest companies to get publicly called out by employees. How should employers handle criticism and pushback from within? Finally, a listener mail question about who really benefits from dual class stocks.
Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial.
Follow us on TikTok at @pivotpodcast.
Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at nymag.com/pivot.
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TikTok Ban Fast-Tracked, Elon Pay Package Revived, and NPR Bias Accusations

Kara and Scott discuss Google's efforts to avoid paying for news in California, Barry Diller's plan to revitalize The Daily Beast, and Iran's attack on Israel. Then, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are out with first quarter earnings. Is the future looking bright for big banks? Plus, Donald Trump's hush money trial gets underway in Manhattan. How will this case impact the presidential race? Finally, our Friend of Pivot is Charles Duhigg, writer for the New Yorker and author of the new book, "Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection." Charles explains why listening is such an important component of conversations.
Pivot has been nominated for a Webby for Best Business Podcast! Vote here.
Follow Charles at @cduhigg
Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial.
Follow us on TikTok at @pivotpodcast.
Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at nymag.com/pivot.
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Trump on Trial, Big Bank Earnings, and Guest Charles Duhigg

Kara and Scott discuss Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's showstopping appearance at the White House state dinner, David Chang's chili crunch drama, and Meta facing pushback on its political content restrictions. Then, OpenAI prepares to fight numerous legal battles, but do they have a winning strategy? Plus, Paramount Global's proposed merger with Skydance Media is facing opposition from shareholders. Will the deal go through? Finally, our Friend of Pivot is Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post national political reporter, and author of "Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement's Ground War to End Democracy." Isaac explains why Steve Bannon believes the MAGA movement could "rule for a hundred years."

Pivot has been nominated for a Webby for Best Business Podcast! Vote here.

Follow Isaac at @iarnsdorf
Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial.
Follow us on TikTok at @pivotpodcast.
Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at nymag.com/pivot.
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OpenAI Lawyers Up, Paramount's Messy Merger, and Guest Isaac Arnsdorf

Kara and Scott discuss Meta's stock continuing to rise, California businesses challenging Gov. Gavin Newsom on taxes, and Elon Musk's robotaxi announcement. Then, Disney successfully fended off Nelson Peltz in a proxy battle, but where does the company go from here? Plus, could Congress be getting close to actually passing an online privacy bill? Finally, our friend of Pivot is NYU history professor and author of "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present," Ruth Ben-Ghiat. Ruth explains what the autocrats of the past can teach us about Donald Trump.
Follow Ruth at @ruthbenghiat
Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial.
Follow us on TikTok at @pivotpodcast.
Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at nymag.com/pivot.
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Tucker goes to Hungary, the Taliban take Afghanistan, and a Friend of Pivot on why Epstein couldn't have killed himself

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