Pivot

Kara and Scott talk about Spotify's new deal with Joe Rogan and the implications for the podcast industry. They also discuss Amazon reportedly in talks with bankrupt JCPenny about a potential sale. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has been buying up stocks from major companies over the course of the pandemic. In Listener Mail, Kara and Scott talk about TikTok's future as a Disney executive comes on as CEO. Scott predicts that Shopify is going to make a big retail acquisition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kara and Scott talk about Facebook purchasing Giphy and reports the DOJ is likely to sue Google for antitrust violations in the digital ad space. They also discuss Amazon swooping in to "save" designer fashion by teaming up with Vogue. The "everything store" has been trying to corner this market for years. Then we are joined by Phil Howard the Director of the Oxford Internet Institute, where he studies the spread of misinformation. He takes Kara and Scott through some of the latest conspiracies on the internet and how to stop them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kara and Scott talk about Uber's offer to buy GrubHub, which would give the company a majority of food delivery market share. They talk about whether this merger would be good for Uber (yes) and whether it would be bad for the commonwealth (also, yes). Meanwhile, Elon Musk is reopening the Tesla factory in California, and his mother is texting Kara about how harsh she's being on her son. In Listener Mail we get a question about companies taking back their upfront ad deals with the major television networks and how that will shake things up in the industry. Scott's prediction is that we are about to see mergers in smaller digital media companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kara and Scott talk about Amazon in talks to acquire AMC theaters, Uber earnings and how education will change with white collar workers at home. Scott thinks this may be an opportunity for public schools to gain more resources. Then MSNBC Anchor Stephanie Ruhle joins the show to break down some of the major policy holes in the CARES Act. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kara and Scott talk about Facebook's new oversight board and whether it will be effective in controlling content on the platform. They discuss layoffs at Airbnb and Uber, as well as Uber's investment in the scooter company, Lime. We take a moment of "Comic Relief" with writer and comedian Sarah Cooper whose videos lip syncing Trump's press conferences have gone viral. Scott predicts that Uber is having fast numbers recovery after Covid-19 declines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kara and Scott talk about whether or not Congress should give businesses legal protections against lawsuits from workers who contract COVID-19. They discuss Amazon's earnings and Jeff Bezos' strategy to put $4billion in profits towards vaccinating and socially distancing the company fulfillment supply chain. Also, they talk about whether Bezos should, and whether he will, testify in front of Congress after the House Judiciary Committee asked for his appearance. In Friend of Pivot we hear from Anand Giridharadas about how the American public system might change post-pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kara and Scott talk about Facebook earnings during the pandemic and the company's push into e-commerce. They discuss Uber's reported lay-offs and other issues facing the ride-share company as their longtime CTO steps down. In Listener Mail and fan from New Zealand asks what the US can do to salvage our brand after our failure to deal with COVID-19 effectively. In predictions, Scott says Amazon is about to be the 2nd most valuable company in the world and that Sonos will get acquired. Meanwhile, Kara thinks movie theaters will get bought by and vertically integrated into studio systems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kara and Scott talk about Senate Democrats being vocal about breaking up Amazon, after a report that the company lied to the House Judiciary Committee. They talk about the Wall Street Journal investigation into Amazon's use of data from third-party sellers. Meanwhile, France upholds a ruling that is keeping Amazon warehouses in the country shuttered until they address workers' health protection concerns. Privacy expert Alex Stamos joins the show to talk about the $5 billion FTC/Facebook settlement and Zoom's new approach to privacy. Clorox is Kara's win and fail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kara and Scott talk about Netflix's biggest quarter yet. The company doubled its projections for how many new subscribers it would acquire. They discuss Facebook's single biggest company investment into Jio – an Indian service provider. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos is back at the wheel at Amazon. Kara and Scott talk about Jeff Bezos' most recent letter to shareholders, as Amazon get an even bigger hold on US commerce. A listener asks if face-masks will become high fashion and if that can save more retailers from going bankrupt. Plus Scott gives us some Algebra of Happiness advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kara and Scott talk about Marc Andreessen's manifesto to Silicon Valley. They also discuss the PPP and the big companies that applied for those loans. They dig into Facebook and Google's digital ad market hit in the past weeks, but Scott doubts it slows the companies' growth. Kara asks Scott if he thinks media companies should be part of the next round of Federal bailouts? In Friend of Pivot, we hear from New York Magazine Senior Writer Rebecca Traister about women's leadership in COVID-19, Feminism and the Joe Biden campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices