Recode Daily

Amazon employees first flagged right-wing militia groups products weeks ago, and on Tuesday the company finally took unprecedented action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, Elon Musk became the world’s richest person. Now people are wondering if and how he plans to make his mark in the philanthropic world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The platforms have finally stopped the President from posting on social media. Plus, why the largely unmoderated, conservative friendly platform is back in the news following insurrection at the Capitol. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When they stormed the US Capitol last Wednesday, many pro-Trump rioters posted photos and videos to brag about their actions on social media. Internet sleuths and the police are using that content as evidence to prosecute the mob. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook and Twitter imposed their harshest moderation yet on President Trump’s accounts in the wake of Wednesday’s storming of the US Capitol. Is it too little, too late? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The covid vaccines are rolling out across the world slowly, and you might be asking yourself when you’ll be able to get vaccinated. So are the tech elite in Silicon Valley, but their answers may be different than yours. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this week, over 400 Google employees announced plans to unionize after years of organizing efforts. Recode’s Shirin Ghaffary explains why this moment matters for Google and the larger tech industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you happened to get a smart speaker this holiday season -- like Amazon’s Echo or Google’s Nest -- there are a few questions you might want to ask about your privacy. Recode’s Sara Morrison explains how smart speakers work in your home and how they collect your data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What the resilience of the co-working company tells us about the future of the office. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The postal service is in trouble. It may be hard to imagine such an essential part of society not existing anymore, but agency could run out of money next year. Recode’s deputy editor, Adam Clark Estes explains why and the possibly ways to save it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disney thinks that audiences will actually be returning to the movies in theaters next spring. The company announced plans to release Black Widow, the latest Marvel movie, in early May. Recode’s Peter Kafka explains why Disney is making this call and how their streaming business matches up with Netflix Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russian hackers are believed to be responsible for a new cyber attack into the U.S. government agencies. Recode’s Sara Morrison explains what we know so far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week Elon Musk announced he’ll be moving to Texas. Why should we care? Vox’s Emily Stewart breaks down this growing trend in Big Tech money leaving California for Texas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite a tough year for the travel business, Airbnb went public last week. Recode’s Rani Molla explains how the company recovered from the pandemic and why it’s future looks bright. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two lawsuits filed Wednesday allege that Facebook has become a monopoly. Their remedy? Requiring Facebook to divest from Instagram and WhatsApp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WarnerMedia recently announced that all 17 of their big blockbuster movies slated to debut in 2021 will now be available to stream from home on HBO Max, the same day they are released in movie theatres. Recode Media’s Peter Kafka explains why they made this call, Hollywood’s reaction, and if this signals the end of movie theatres. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week Google allegedly pushed out one of their high-profile employees, an AI ethics researcher named Timnit Gebru. Recode’s Shirin Ghaffary explains what we know about the controversy and why it’s causing concern within the tech community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re used to celebrities and influencers on social media getting us to buy things, but soon the people we follow might be trying to get us in line for a covid vaccine. Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil explains why and how we’ll soon start seeing this trend on social media. Plus what potential pitfalls we could encounter as the rush to get people vaccinated continues? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Between the pandemic and holiday shopping, shipping companies are overwhelmed with e-commerce returns. So some companies are partnering with brick-and-mortar stores to keep costs down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will Zoom continue to be the dominant video conference service after the pandemic ends? Recode’s Rani Molla discusses just how successful the company has been this past year and what plans they have to stay in the game after our need to Zoom decreases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The proliferation of streaming services has given consumers lots of ways to watch TV. But it’s introduced new problems too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the country awaits FDA approval for a coronavirus vaccine, what questions should we be asking about how it will be distributed? Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil discusses some of the challenges vaccine distributors and health care providers may encounter from dry ice shortages to dose tracking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The shift to online learning is worsening education inequality. Vox senior reporter Anna North explains why the education gap widens when classrooms go remote, and some practical low-tech ways educators are trying to make sure students continue to learn despite pandemic conditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recode’s Jason Del Rey explains how the pandemic battered an already-struggling retail industry and the path forward for malls and department stores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil explains the free speech anti-Twitter application where conservatives are going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Email may seem old fashioned these days, but Substack -- an email newsletter service -- is growing in popularity. Recode’s Peter Kafka explains why so many writers are leaving their full-time jobs at media companies to try and make it on their own, bringing their writing straight to your inbox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can now fill your prescription at Amazon's pharmacy. Recode’s Jason Del Rey explains why the e-commerce giant is getting into healthcare. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As president-elect Joe Biden selects his staff, Big Tech allies and reformers are starting to battle over who will be shaping the tech industry. Teddy Schleifer explains why the Biden Administration could look like it did under Obama and why it might be different. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twitter just announced two new features on their platform that appear to mimic other apps like Snapchat and Clubhouse -- but instead of amplifying Twitter’s function as a “public square,” these new tools seem to be aimed at users who seek less exposure. Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil discusses why now and how this could present an even bigger moderation problem for the company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Parents often can't help but post cute pictures of their kids on social media, but should they be more careful about when and how they "sharent"? Leah Plunkett is the author of a book called: “Sharenthood: why we should think before we talk about our kids online.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recode’s Sara Morrison explains how the FCC could restore regulations cut by the Trump administration that made the Internet less fair. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recode’s Rani Molla explains how social media isn’t bringing the country together but pushing it further apart. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s to become of media companies and personalities who built their careers on hating Trump? Recode’s Peter Kafka explains how comedian Sarah Cooper and outlets like The Lincoln Project are going to continue working in a Trumpless world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a Covid-19 vaccine now closer than ever, Big Pharma is gearing up for vaccine approval. But what about big tech? Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil explains how the platforms are preparing for a flurry of new vaccine misinformation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Silicon Valley spent millions of dollars to beat Donald Trump. What will it do now that he’s lost? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California already has some of the toughest data privacy laws in the country and last week proposition 24 made them even stronger. Recode’s Sara Morrison explain why and how it’s already influenced the rest of the country to follow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The controversial and expensive ballot measure --that ensures app-based drivers for Uber, Lyft, and Doordash are classified as independent contractors and not employees -- passed. Recode’s Shirin Ghaffary explains why this matters for labor groups and the gig industry in California and the rest of the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conspiracy theories aren’t new, so why does it feel like we’re seeing more of them these days? Senior Recode reporter, Shirin Ghaffary talks with Peter Kafka about why and how the Trump era conspiracy theories will have long-term consequences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The social network tried to keep conversations focused on local issues. But as Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil explains, national politics took over. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While cell phones aren’t allowed in prisons, they are one of the only communication tools that allows for restorative connection between people who are incarcerated and their loved ones. Arielle Duhaime-Ross talks with Adnan Khan of Re:store Justice about how and why they are being used. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recode’s Adam Clark Estes explains how the US Postal Service has been handling mail-in voting so far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump spends a lot of time talking about issues that do well on Twitter. Vox’s Jane Coaston explains what that reveals about his campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What can the dot-com bubble of the 90s teach us about Silicon Valley in 2020? Go for Broke is a new podcast that’s taking a closer look at “historical moments of irrational confidence,” from the rise of Netscape to the fall of Pets.com. Host, Julia Furlan joins Teddy to talk about the show and why this history still resonates today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recode’s Peter Kafka talks with Teddy about why the video startup is shutting down just six months after it launched. He also makes the case for why the media landscape could use more quibis in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recode's Sara Morrison explains what we know about the emails and the latest indication of foreign interference in the election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez met with 400,000 potential voters online. She murdered a few of them on a spaceship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A little-known Democratic super PAC, Future Forward, is backed by some of Silicon Valley’s biggest donors. And they’re sponsoring TV ads in the final weeks of the presidential campaign to oust President Donald Trump. Recode’s Teddy Schleifer explains why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recode’s Peter Kafka explains the details and larger meaning behind the landmark antitrust lawsuit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hundreds of third-party sellers invested in a hit toy brand operated by a reputable business coach. Now they say they've been left holding the bag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have people started going back to the office? Recode’s Rani Molla explains what’s changed about our work culture since working from home became the norm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices