Land of the Giants: How Tesla Became the Elon Musk Co.

In 2014, when Lisa Su took over as CEO of Advanced Micro Devices, AMD was on the verge of bankruptcy. Su bet hard on hardware and not only pulled the semiconductor company back from the brink, but also led it to surpass its historical rival, Intel, in market cap. Since the launch of ChatGPT made high-powered chips like AMDs “sexy” again, demand for chips has intensified exponentially, but so has the public spotlight on the industry — including from the federal government.  In a live conversation, at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, as part of their inaugural Discovery Series, Kara talks to Su about her strategy in face of the Trump administration’s tariff and export control threats, how to safeguard the US in the global AI race, and what she says when male tech leaders brag about the size of their GPUs. Listen to more from On with Kara Swisher here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara and Scott discuss rising tensions between India and Pakistan, OpenAI abandoning its for-profit plans, and President Trump’s meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Then, Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard’s sloppy passwords, the Gates Foundation’s end date, and the latest earnings from Disney and Uber. Plus, Kara and Scott react to your predictions! Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial. Follow us on Bluesky at @pivotpod.bsky.social. Follow us on TikTok at @pivotpodcast. Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara and Scott discuss President Trump saying he doesn't know if he's required to uphold the Constitution, and his plan to put tariffs on movies made overseas. Then, Warren Buffett's surprise announcement that he's stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, after 60 years at the helm. Plus, Apple and Amazon earnings, Elon's new city in Texas, and Mark Zuckerberg explains why he prefers to "rawdog" reality. Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial. Follow us on Bluesky at @pivotpod.bsky.social. Follow us on TikTok at @pivotpodcast. Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara and Scott discuss a report that Tesla’s board considered replacing Musk as CEO, President Trump’s contentious ABC interview, and Apple’s violation of an order in the Epic Games antitrust case. Then, Microsoft and Meta earnings are in, and Trump is blaming former President Biden for the economy. Plus, Jeff Bezos bends the knee to the Trump administration. Send us your predictions! Calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or visit nymag.com/pivot. Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial. Follow us on Bluesky at @pivotpod.bsky.social. Follow us on TikTok at @pivotpodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara and Scott break down Alphabet's strong earnings, and why the company continues to dominate. Then, the Trump meme coin grift that's raising serious corruption questions. Plus, Trump appears to flip on Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says all the tariff chaos is just "strategic uncertainty," and the new, affordable, all-American EV truck. Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial.Follow us on Bluesky at @pivotpod.bsky.socialFollow us on TikTok at @pivotpodcast.Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara and Scott discuss Elon Musk's decision to step back from DOGE focus on Tesla, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom’s testimony in the Meta antitrust trial, and late Zappos co-founder Tony Hsieh’s newly found will. Plus, Sarah Palin loses her defamation retrial against the New York Times, and another whiplash week on Wall Street. Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial. Follow us on Bluesky at @pivotpod.bsky.social. Follow us on TikTok at @pivotpodcast. Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara and Scott discuss Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth getting caught up in another Signal scandal, Tesla’s latest setbacks, and whether Google will have to spin off Chrome. Then, they dive into a busy few days for the Trump administration — from getting blocked on deportations by the Supreme Court, to reportedly planning an overhaul of the State Department, to taking suggestions on how spark the next baby boom. Plus, do Netflix’s Q1 earnings prove the streaming giant is tariff-proof? Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial. Follow us on Bluesky at @pivotpod.bsky.social. Follow us on TikTok at @pivotpodcast. Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara and Scott discuss President Trump lashing out at Fed Chair Jerome Powell, The White House asking the IRS to revoke Harvard’s tax exempt status, and Elon Musk trying to build an army of super-babies. Then, Nvidia says it will start producing AI supercomputers in the U.S., Mark Zuckerberg takes the witness stand, and a federal judge rules that Google acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in some online advertising technology. Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial. Follow us on Bluesky at @pivotpod.bsky.social. Follow us on TikTok at @pivotpodcast. Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara and Scott discuss the latest tariff confusion, with Trump flip flopping on tech exemptions, and warning of more tariffs to come. Then, the FTC's blockbuster antitrust trial against Meta gets underway. Will Meta eventually have to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp? Plus, Blue Origin's all-female flight lifts off, and Bill Maher goes to Washington for dinner with Trump. Help Pivot win Best Business Podcast at the Webbys! Vote here Follow us on Instagram and Threads at @pivotpodcastofficial. Follow us on Bluesky at @pivotpod.bsky.social Follow us on TikTok at @pivotpodcast. Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at nymag.com/pivot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How can AI help us understand and master deeply complex systems—from the game Go, which has 10 to the power 170 possible positions a player could pursue, or proteins, which, on average, can fold in 10 to the power 300 possible ways? This week, Reid and Aria are joined by Demis Hassabis. Demis is a British artificial intelligence researcher, co-founder, and CEO of the AI company, DeepMind. Under his leadership, DeepMind developed Alpha Go, the first AI to defeat a human world champion in Go and later created AlphaFold, which solved the 50-year-old protein folding problem. He's considered one of the most influential figures in AI. Demis, Reid, and Aria discuss game theory, medicine, multimodality, and the nature of innovation and creativity. For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Listen to more from Possible here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices