Recode Daily

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. Host: Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) Enjoyed this episode? Rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode by subscribing in your favorite podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Host: Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) Enjoyed this episode? Rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode by subscribing in your favorite podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil explains how the pandemic caused a shortage of the semiconductors needed to manufacture everything from computers to cars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook has a long history as a home of the antivax movement. For years, users have built communities with other antivaxxers on Facebook, creating a large foothold within the movement online. But with the Covid-19 pandemic, Facebook wants to be a leader in the Covid-19 vaccination campaign. With its tumultuous history with antivaxxers, can Facebook ever be seen as an authority figure? References: Read Rebecca’s story here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Covid-19 vaccine rollout continues, finding an appointment is competitive. Very competitive. So the federal government is working with national pharmacy chains like Walgreens and CVS to help distribute more vaccines. But to make an appointment, you may need to share some of your personal data. References: Read Sara Morrison’s story here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Jack Dorsey's tweets and NBA highlight reels to Beeple and Nyan Cat, digital art powered by cryptocurrency has exploded in value. Is it an artistic revolution, or a speculative bubble?Read Terry’s piece on NFTs at Vox.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recode’s Jason Del Rey explains why President Biden’s early hires signal an administration serious about taking on Big Tech. REFERENCES: Read Jason’s story on Lina Khan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Covid vaccines have a short shelf life -- just six hours after getting thawed -- and some vaccine sites are reporting extras they have to throw away at the end of the day. How the founder of ZocDoc is now helping connect people with leftover vaccines with a new website called Dr. B. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S-P-A-C. It’s an acronym we’ve been seeing everywhere. But what is it? Don’t worry, we had the same question. The quick answer is SPACs are a new(ish) part of the stock market and investment ecosystem. But since we like to explain things here at Vox, we asked Recode reporter Rani Molla to help us catch up with the trend that’s taking Wall Street by storm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paramount+ launched last week, becoming the latest platform to join the crowded pool of streaming services. But even with more options to choose from, users are paying for fewer of them: With streaming options at an all-time high, US consumers only pay for an average of 1.25 services. Today on Recode Daily, we dig into Paramount+ and what this new platform means for the streaming wars. References Read Rani’s story about Paramount+ and the streaming wars Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google is wading into the fight over privacy. It will no longer use third-party cookies to track users around the internet, but as Recode’s Sara Morrison explains, this change won’t impact the company's healthy supply of data from search. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re posting more. We’re posting less. And some of us aren’t posting at all anymore. Recode’s Rani Molla explains the past year in social media usage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden announced he’s supporting a union drive at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama -- which could be the first Amazon warehouse to unionize in the U.S.. Why is his pro-union message so surprising? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly a month after a military coup in Myanmar, Facebook announced a ban on Facebook and Instagram accounts run by the Myanmarese military. The social media platform functions as the de facto internet in Myanmar, and has been used by the military for its propaganda campaigns and by pro-democracy activists to organize protests. Facebook took a pro-democracy side, but is the move too little too late? Joining today to discuss is Alex Ward, a White House reporter for Vox and co-host of the Worldly podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The latest season of Land of the Giants explains the rise of Google from a company with idealistic goals of creative experimentation and making useful products to a worldwide powerhouse with enormous impact on our lives. This is an excerpt from Episode 2: Chrome and the Android Wars. Listen here: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Current and former employees describe a culture of bias, disrespect, and demotions at the e-commerce giant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Democratic political strategist is raising $65 million to compete with conservative media. Recode’s Teddy Schleifer explains how the Good Information Project wants to combat right-wing misinformation on the Internet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s an urgent gap in the vaccine supply chain. Scientists are racing to make sure a certain ingredient doesn’t dry up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that billionaire investor Patrick Soon-Shiong was exploring a sale of the LA Times. Soon-Shiong denied this in a Tweet, but the report stirred up an ongoing conversation about billionaires and media ownership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. is well underway with its Covid-19 vaccine rollout, but so far, things have not been running smoothly. Across many states, there’s no one-place to go to sign up for a vaccine. In the absence of a centralized platform, local governments have been turning to private tools to help make appointments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The GameStop saga prompted a congressional hearing and regulatory investigations. But the takeaways aren’t straightforward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 proper street parking. Now, Nextdoor is overrun with misinformation and false theories about the pandemic and the ongoing vaccine rollout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the trendy success of Clubhouse continues, users have some questions about their privacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Billionaires say they gave a lot of money in 2020. Recode’s Teddy Schleifer argues that they should be more transparent about how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine waking up one day to find Google and all of its services gone. Gmail, search, Google Drive, YouTube, Google Home, Google Maps — all gone. In Australia, a world without Google might not be far off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From General Motors to Apple, Tesla may soon have some serious competition Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang is running for mayor of New York City. His campaign just cut ties with Shervin Pishevar, a one of their fundraisers who was once a big deal in Silicon Valley before being and, several years ago, was accused of sexual misconduct. The oversight by Yang’s team not only raises questions about his campaign, but Silicon Valley’s actions after MeToo accusations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re on social media, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about Clubhouse. The invite-only social networking platform is buzzy in Silicon Valley but elusive to the public. So what even is Clubhouse? The Goods’ Terry Nguyen joins Recode’s Teddy Schliefer to explain how the app works, who and what you’ll find on it, and how the company is thinking about moderation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that Jeff Bezos is leaving his role as Amazon’s CEO, everyone’s wondering what the future holds for one of the wealthiest people in the world. Will he finally step up in the philanthropy world? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the Recode Daily archives (Feb. 8, 2021): The latest innovation in pandemic scamming is fake vaccine doses and vaccine cards. Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil explains the tactics and how to avoid getting scammed. Read Rebecca's story here. Host: Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) Enjoyed this episode? Rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode by subscribing in your favorite podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite being fierce competitors, the two tech giants need each other. Most recently they’ve been fighting over mobile operating system user privacy and Facebook is looking ready to sue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recode’s Jason Del Rey talks about Bezos’s complicated legacy as Amazon’s founder and CEO and how his successor, Andy Jassy might run things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil explains the digital barriers hampering vaccine distribution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the GameStop story continues, a lot of people are asking what is or isn’t legal. Wall Street appears to be entering new territory and the rules aren’t so clear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As private organizations step up to help distribute the vaccine, privacy advocates worry that medical data may be shared or sold. Recode’s Sara Morrison explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a new poll from Vox and Data for Progress, a majority of Democrats and Republicans agreed that Big Tech companies like Google and Facebook should be broken up. Recode's Rani Molla explains this rare bipartisan consensus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A closer look at how Reddit users are gaming GameStop stock and how this story could end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How social media bans are actually very effective at fighting extremism and why blocking Trump and other extremists from posting on social media is not a violation of the First Amendment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Investment advice on tiktok and other apps are making the stock market more accessible to the average person, but at what costs? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden has named Jessica Rosenworcel as acting chair of the FCC, following Trump-appointee Ajit Pai’s departure. Recode’s Sara Morrison explains what this might mean for the future of the agency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Online extremists had been using the Internet to organize for decades. Trump was their ticket to the mainstream. What will they do now that he’s gone? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recode’s Jason Del Rey breaks down where things stand with antitrust lawsuits against tech giants and how a democratic congress and White House could shape their outcome. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Executive decisions or employee pressure? Recode’s Peter Kafka explains how tech platforms decided to police the president—and who polices them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The most downloaded app in the Apple or Google app stores right now is the encrypted messaging app, Signal. Recode’s Rani Molla explains the three reasons why there’s been a sudden uptick in downloads and why people seem to trust it more than WhatsApp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recode’s Rani Molla explains how the company is making it harder for insurrectionists and militias to attend Biden’s inauguration Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices