Decoder with Nilay Patel
The Verge • Business, Technology
The Verge • Business, Technology
Decoder with Nilay Patel
The Verge • Business, Technology
The Verge • Business, Technology

About

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.

Episodes

  • Why the Grammys need to change, with CEO Harvey Mason Jr
    Harvey Mason, Jr is CEO of the Recording Academy, the nonprofit organization most famous for the Grammy Awards. We spoke right before this year's Grammy nominations came out, and you'll hear us talk a whole lot about the changes he's tried to make with how the awarding membership works.I always say to watch what’s happening to the music industry because it’s a preview into what will happen to every other creative industry five years later. My chat with Harvey really drove the point home: AI, diversity, streaming distribution... it's all here, and all the tensions that come with.Links:  2025 Grammy nominations: The complete list | NPR The Grammys Move From CBS To Disney In Major 10-Year Deal | Deadline Recording Academy boots Grammy voters | Los Angeles Times Chappell Roan and the problem with fandom | Vox Grammys CEO: Music that contains AI-created elements is eligible | AP News Deborah Dugan Grammys Controversy: What to Know | Time For Taylor Swift, the Future of Music Is a Love Story | Wall Street Journal (2014) AI is on a collision course with music | Decoder Elvis Costello defends Olivia Rodrigo over ‘Brutal’ plagiarism claim | BBC Why Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen thinks AI is the future | Decoder Transcript: 
  • Return-to-office mandates are more than "backdoor layoffs"
    Big tech companies want workers back at their desks. Is it about productivity, headcount reduction, or something else?
  • Why GM ditched CarPlay, with software boss Baris Cetinok
    GM’s new SVP of software and services on the importance of building in-car experiences.
  • “It’s the First Amendment, stupid”
    The bizarre fight between Trump and broadcast TV
  • Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky on what founder mode really means
    The head of Airbnb on the gospel of Steve Jobs and being “in the details.”
  • The AI arms race to build digital god
    Understanding the AI industry’s latest, grandest manifesto — and what AGI might do for humanity.
  • Intuit asked us to delete part of this Decoder episode
    The maker of TurboTax disagrees with its controversial reputation for lobbying.
  • How influencers are changing advertising with Digitas CEO Amy Lanzi
    The head of the major North America agency on the rise of the influencer as creative director.
  • Duolingo CEO Luis Von Ahn wants you addicted to learning
    How he thinks AI and gamification can supercharge language learning
  • The impossible dream of good workplace software
    Can AI actually change our love-hate relationship with our tools?
  • Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu isn't thinking too far ahead
    Rabbit's Large Action Model is here, sort of — but everyone else is coming fast.
  • The toxic transformation of Warcraft maker Blizzard
    Journalist Jason Schreier discusses his new book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment.
  • NBCU's streaming chief isn't worried about you canceling cable
    Matt Strauss, head of Peacock and global streaming, has plans to keep you watching
  • Why Mark Zuckerberg wants to end the smartphone era
    The Meta CEO wants to get into AR and out of politics.
  • Arc creator Josh Miller on why you need a better browser than Chrome
    The Browser Company cofounder thinks it's time to modernize the browser and reinvent the web
  • Why Google is back in court for another monopoly showdown
    It's round two in DOJ vs. Google; will Google take another L?
  • How Philips CEO Roy Jakobs is turning the company around after major recall
    Lightbulbs and electronics defined a century of Royal Philips. Can AI and healthcare define its next era?
  • Why AI image editing isn’t “just like Photoshop”
    Analyzing the arguments used to downplay what AI is doing to photography — and to our relationship with visual truth.
  • Anthropic’s Mike Krieger wants to build AI products that are worth the hype
    Anthropic’s new chief product officer discusses the promise and limits of chatbots like Claude, and what’s next for generative AI.
  • How the Wayback Machine is fighting linkrot
    As more sites collapse and shutter, the internet has become full of roads to nowhere.