How private equity kills companies and communities
Today, I’m talking with journalist Megan Greenwell about her new book Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream. It comes out June 10th. It's fantastic and maddening in equal measure. I highly recommend it.
In this episode, we discussed the genesis of Megan’s interest in the subject and its genesis in media — including her time as editor-in-chief of the website Deadspin, which underwent a very public PE takeover of its parent company. We also talk a lot about the healthcare industry, another major pillar of Megan’s book. I'm excited to hear what you think of this one.
Links:
Bad Company | HarperCollins
Private equity bought out your doctor and bankrupted Toys ‘R’ Us | Decoder
Private equity Is gutting America — and getting away with it | NYT
I was fired from Deadspin for refusing to ‘stick to sports’ | NYT
Will private equity be the next ‘Big Short’? | Marketplace
The profit-obsessed monster destroying American ERs | Vox
Why your vet bill is so high | The Atlantic
The investment firms leave behind a barren wasteland’ | Politico
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinde
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
49:21
Google CEO Sundar Pichai on the next phase of AI
In what's become a bit of a Decoder tradition, I spoke with Google CEO Sundar Pichai in person after I/O. The conference this year was all about AI, particularly a slew of actual AI products, not just models and capabilities.
To Sundar, this marks the beginning of a new era for search and the web overall. So I had to ask: what happens to the web when AI tools and eventually agents do most of the browsing for us? It was a very Decoder conversation. Read the full transcript here.
Links:
Help us plan the future of Decoder! | AUDIENCE SURVEY
The 15 biggest announcements at Google I/O 2025 | Verge
We tried on Google’s prototype AI smart glasses | Verge
AI Mode is obviously the future of Google Search | Verge
News publishers call Google’s AI Mode ‘theft’ | Verge
Details leak about Jony Ive’s OpenAI device | Verge
DOJ says Google must sell Chrome to crack open monopoly | Verge
Google Zero is here — now what? | Verge
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is okay reinventing the bus | Decoder
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
46:24
Why Uber's CEO is okay with reinventing the bus
Today, I’m talking with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. We recorded this conversation on the same day Uber announced a big set of product updates, including new options for shared rides. Dara was in New York for all that, so he came to our studio and we did this one together, which always makes for a great episode.
If you’ve been listening to Decoder recently, you know that I’m very curious about how service apps like Uber will handle things like AI agents. Dara had a lot of thoughts there. There’s a lot in this one, and Dara didn’t hold back. I think you’re going to like it.
Links:
Uber’s new bus-like feature is nearly 50 percent cheaper than UberX | Verge
An interview with Dara Khosrowshahi | Stratechery
Uber preps for Waymo’s robotaxi launch in Atlanta | Verge
Uber ends year in the black for the first time ever | Verge
Uber’s not out of the woods yet | Verge
UberX Share brings carpooling back to NYC and eight other cities | Verge
Uber CEO vows to be ‘hardcore’ about costs, slow hiring | Verge
Transcript
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
1:01:58
Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott on how AI can save the web, not destroy it
Today, I’m talking with Kevin Scott, the chief technology officer of Microsoft, and one of the company’s AI leaders. Kevin is one of my favorite repeat Decoder guests, and he joined the show this time to talk about the future of search.
Microsoft just announced an open-source tool for websites to integrate AI powered natural language search with just a little bit of effort, in a way that lets them actually run whatever models they want and keep control of their data. I saw some demos before Kevin and I chatted, and the improvements over the bad local search on most sites was obvious. So we talked about what this will mean for AI, for search engines, and for the future of the web.
Links:
Microsoft’s plan to fix the web: letting every website run AI search for cheap | Verge
Microsoft Build 2025: news and announcements from the developer conference | Verge
Introducing the Model Context Protocol | Anthropic
Copyright Office head fired after reporting AI training isn’t always fair use | Ars Technica
Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott on how AI and art will coexist in the future | Decoder
Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott thinks Sydney might make a comeback | Decoder
Microsoft’s CTO explains how AI can help health care in the US right now | Vergecast
Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/669409
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. This episode was edited by Xander Adams.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
1:14:38
Workday's new product head hopes he can make you like Workday
Today, I’m talking with Gerrit Kazmaier, the brand-new president of product and technology at Workday. Gerrit’s new on the job, maybe a little bit braver than most, and to his credit he came on the show and took the heat. We spent a lot of time talking about what enterprise software really is, what it does and why it has a reputation of being so deeply frustrating for so many people.
Links:
Workday names Gerrit Kazmaier president of product and technology | Workday
AI Index Report | Stanford HAI
IBM AI Study | IBM
How generative AI will impact the future of work | Workday
Workday launches platform for companies to manage all of their AI agents | TechCrunch
Everyone hates Workday | Business Insider
Judge: Workday must face novel AI bias lawsuit | Reuters
Workday lays off 1,750, 8.5% of employees, in AI push | Associated Press
Why Workday's CEO made a layoff decision to invest in AI | FastCompany
Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/667538
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Decoder is a show from The Verge about big ideas — and other problems. Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks to a diverse cast of innovators and policymakers at the frontiers of business and technology to reveal how they’re navigating an ever-changing landscape, what keeps them up at night, and what it all means for our shared future.
Ireland