Davos Drama, DOGE's Social Security Scandal, and Netflix Goes All-Cash for Warner Bros

18:42Kara Swisher:So I think, you know, I think that's, you're seeing a lot of visuals like that, a lot of gas being put out. And then that tiny Bovino, the guy who's running it there, who is, there was the best thread of all time, I think, where it said, you know, he looks like, they look like they drive a Subaru. And so he's just, he's just a cheap, he looks like a ridiculous tiny little man. Okay, Scott, let's go on a quick break. When we come back, we'll talk about the revelation that, shocker, Doge misused social security data, which we told you they would.

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20:24Kara Swisher:Support for this show comes from Harvey AI. Law is a craft forged through repetition, sharpened by judgment, perfected in the details most people never see. Practice Makes Perfect is Harvey's belief in relentless refinement, in turning complexity into clarity, pressure into precision, and experience into advantage. Legal work isn't just knowing the law. It's about applying it carefully, consistently, and under real stakes. Harvey is an AI platform built specifically for legal practice, helping teams analyze large volumes of documents, drafts with precision, and collaborate securely across complex matters.

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21:19Kara Swisher:Scott, we're back with more news. Doge employees shared Social Security data, according to court filings. The filings show that the political advocacy group contacted members of the Doge Social Security team asking for an analysis of state voter rolls. One of the employees signed an agreement with the group who aimed to, quote, find evidence of voter fraud and overturn election results in certain states. No accountability. This is something we talked about on Pivot, saying this is probably exactly what's happening. It's very dangerous. This data is being shared. Who knows what else? And I think at some point we will find out exactly what was taken and misused.

21:51Kara Swisher:And speaking of Doge, Elon has dropped$10 million in support of a pro-Trump Republican Kentucky Senate candidate Nate Morris, who is running to succeed retiring old person Mitch McConnell. You know, he's trying to do this. He tried to do it in Wisconsin. So I don't know what you think about the Doge thing. I think it's just, of course, this is what they did. And hopefully they will be prosecuted. Yeah, I just want to backtrack for a second to ICE because— Well, we're going to get to ICE in a second. We're going to have a whole section on ICE, but go ahead. In terms of those, like you called this, you don't give your—I'm much more promiscuous with my data than you, and you said I would never give them my data.

22:28But unfortunately, the Social Security agents, you have to give them your data. I mean, the government knows your HIV status.

22:35Kara Swisher:Yep, exactly. You know, the government knows how much money you have, what you do with your money, who you send it to. You know, they have kind of access to pretty much everything. Unique data that they need for these LLMs, by the way. Unique data. And I don't – I actually believe in the government's right to collect data. But I think you have to match that with really stringent laws that if you're going to violate that privacy, it has to be under threat of, like, domestic – you know, terrorism or something. Well, they have no accountability here. Well, yeah, nothing's going to happen, right? I don't think so.

23:05Kara Swisher:I don't believe that. I think we're going to, there's going to be forensics on this later, and we're going to understand it. It's not fully, but what they did here. And I do know of tech people taking account of what happened in cryptocurrency, what's happening here. And at some point, there will be a reckoning. But do you think people will be punished for this? I don't know. I don't think Elon Musk will necessarily be unless there's, you know, signs of, you know, take the stuff and run, I suppose. I mean, but he's just barreling on, even though Tesla sales or Cybertruck sales, they sold 20 ,000 last year.

23:39Kara Swisher:They're supposed to sell 250 ,000. I can't believe they sold 20 ,000. But, you know, he keeps rolling on. I think he'll keep rolling on because he can collect money for Grok. Or he'll keep doing—I just did a show today on CSAM, which is essentially child pornography. And he'll just keep rolling on, even though it's shameful what's happening. The other thing, Netflix has officially updated its Warner Brothers. offer to an all-cash deal replacing the original cash and stock structure. The latest agreement reduces the amount of debt put on Warner's spinoff Discovery Global by$260 million. The two companies say the new structure should allow Warner shareholders to vote on the deal by April.

24:17Kara Swisher:At the same time, Netflix narrowly beat Wall Street expectations in its latest earnings. The company posted$2.4 billion in fourth quarter profit, up 29 % over the year. But the growth is slowing. Revenue is projected to grow only about 13 % this year compared to 16 % last year. It's still working well. Netflix shares hit a 52-week low during the trading this week, which is why they went to all stock. I think it's just a matter of price with this Warner Brothers deal. It looks like Netflix has the inside edge at this moment, but I don't know any thoughts. Well, they continue. The expectations are so huge, even though the revenue and earnings topped estimates up 18 and 31 percent year on year, respectively.

24:56The stock's been down, and they're a third of a billion paid global subscribers. There are a few takeaways from the year. The content spend ratio is almost less than it's ever been, which is good for shareholders.

25:09Kara Swisher:Yeah, you have noted that. Well, in 2015, Netflix spent 85 cents per$1 of revenue, right? Now they're spending 38 cents, a 55 % decrease, which says, all right, we're going to dominate the market. We're going to take advantage of our cheap capital, overspend on content no one can keep up with us. then we're going to aggregate an unprecedented number of paid subscribers, and we're going to let revenue continue to grow and hold our spending flat. It's a great strategy. Some people would argue it's predatory pricing. The advertising business, still not a big business. I've always been against it.

25:41This year it counted for 3 % of Netflix total revenue, despite the fact that advertising revenues were up two and a half fold from 2024. I think it's bad for the brand, but it's probably very high margin. And in terms of watch time, as a share of television watch time, Netflix is sitting at 9 % while YouTube is at 12.7. A combined Netflix Warner Brothers entity would garner or register about 10.4 % of all watch time.

26:06Kara Swisher:So I'm still under YouTube. Yeah, it's much more, like all watch time is not created equal, right? Because just like HBO watch time is very impactful and cultural. It just, you know, watching, keeping up with the Kardashians, no one's going to be at the Academy Awards from that. Anyways, but those two, they're kind of Genghis and Kong and then the Seven Dwarves. So if they're number two at 10.4 would be, the number three, Disney Plus, is at just 4.7. And I've said this, I like Ted Sarandos a lot. I'm not a huge fan. I don't know. I'm sort of neutral on the Ellisons. I don't know him. I'm a huge fan of Ted Sarandos.

26:43I would rather see Paramount own this for any other reason than I I think we just need more bulking up of competitors.

26:51Kara Swisher:That's what a lot of people think, yeah. I just think they're terrible owners. Yeah, you just don't. I can understand that viewpoint. You trust Ted more than you trust the Ellisons. I get that. Here's what I think. You know, a lot of people are making a lot of noise in Hollywood about like, oh, he's against theaters and Dave will save it. Dave is not capable of saving it, for one, the theatrical experience. And to me, I'm a consumer person. Consumers, if they wanted to go to the theater, they'd go to the fucking theater. and they don't. They go to theater when they want to and the theater experience is declined because of theaters, not because of consumers and not because of Ted Sarandos.

27:25Kara Swisher:So blaming him for that is just, he's just doing his, he's just following the trends and consumers have spoken. No rich Ellison person is going to save it. I don't care how many, you know, James Camerons or Chris Nolens scream about it. If you make movies that people want to see in the theaters, they will. That's it. And so I'm not going to put that on him. I'm just not. I just, it's his business to do what is best for his business. And so that's just my opinion. Yeah, well, Carney summarized it, and it's apropos here. Nostalgia is not a strategy. Right, exactly. And show me a director claiming how it's all collective.

27:58We need to go to movies.

27:58Kara Swisher:I'm going to show you someone who gets every Academy Award film link sent to him and watches it in his home theater. You want an interesting stat. And also, what is a theater, what isn't? My 15-year-old, best theater experience of recent memory. He called me. He could not have been more excited. He went and watched the final of Stranger Things in a theater. Yeah, sure. If you watch, it's up to your son. It was just amazing. He was just totally blown away by it. Yeah. Here's a fun stat. Since the first bids were due for Warner Brothers, Netflix stock is down 20%. That's an enormous shedding. And as Asphodel Motoren's shown, only one in three acquisitions ever pay off for shareholders.

28:39Kara Swisher:Yeah. This one's probably a good one for them from the content perspective. They would be able to take advantage of all those things. Well, at what price, though? Right. At some point, everything's a good deal, and at some point, everything's a bad deal. And this is also, the thing about Netflix is they have, and the reason why Apple has been very disciplined and not that acquisitive, Netflix has an outstanding culture. I got that. Did you get that, Deke? Netflix? Yeah, I did. I mean, Ted doesn't know. I should tell Ted this. Ted and Reed kind of changed my approach to business. Mm-hmm. I used to think of compensation as I want to pay people as little as possible, give them equity, and create a nice environment and try and generate profits.

29:21Ultimately, I can sell it, and then everyone is happy because they have equity. But I was always trying to constantly, I don't want to say underpay people. Yeah, underpay. I was always trying to find ways where I could pay less than markets such that I could have a cash flow positive company. Some of that was out of necessity because a lot of these companies I bootstrapped. Netflix had that document that leaked about their culture.

29:41Kara Swisher:Yeah, it didn't leak. And a key component of their culture is they say, we want exceptionally well-compensated employees. But now it's totally switched my mind around compensation. I mean, granted, I'm in a different position now and I can monetize other things, but I try to pay people between 30 % and 50 % more of the market. And what I find is, well, one, if you have the money, it's a good thing to do and stop bitching about income inequality and live up to it. and two it reduce it's like such a luxury because when you owe over when you pay people really well i won't say overcompensate you have no churn and it just is so much it's so nice not to get a call on a friday and i'm hexing myself from one of your key employees managing i'll be calling you on friday and saying oh i'm giving my you know two weeks now oh fuck anyway expect that call on friday from me okay really i'll be called no you're going to semaphore no i'm not you're going You're going to She Knows Media?

30:35Kara Swisher:As if. You're going to She Knows? No. You know, it's interesting what will happen here. I think what it'll be is how much is that stub is worth, that extra part, and comparing them. And it'll come down to money, as we've said again and again and again. I do think Netflix is the superior buyer, largely because I think Paramount has to buy something. That is absolutely true. And if they were better owners, I might be more amenable to it. But I find what they're doing over at CBS, even though it's a small little thing, is soiling themselves on a daily. So even though small decisions are bad, so I don't expect good decisions from them.

31:09Kara Swisher:That's the last thing in media. The FCC says daytime and nighttime talk shows aren't automatically exempt from the political equal time rule anymore. That means if they host a candidate, they may have to offer equal airtime to opposing candidates. Talk shows have previously qualified for an exemption to the rule for like ever. It's clearly aimed at late night hosts like Colbert and Kimmel, maybe Jon Stewart, although Jon Stewart has more and different people on. But this is ridiculous. This is Brandon Carr, that thirsty show, doing it again. I mean, it's the same thing. He failed last time by threatening them.

31:40Kara Swisher:And this is a threat, I suppose, whatever. Yeah, I actually like this law, but this is an abuse of it. I think it's a good law that you try and give people equal time such that one party doesn't weaponize the media. But this is just an abuse of it. And I think where it'll come back to haunt them and why this will go nowhere is someone's going to say, well, what about AM talk radio, which is dominated by Republicans? Correct. That is great. And what is what is TV and what is radio when now radio and podcasts are now TV shows just a lower means of production? So I don't think this is going to hold the test of any sort of legal test that their buddies over at News Corp or Sirius Radio or whoever it is are going to want.

32:19okay you set this precedent we're all we're all in the line of fire yeah bring over the lesbian kara swisher over to newsmax whatever oh as if i talked i would talk to my pillow lady who's

32:32Kara Swisher:getting ratioed by ilan omar every day i'd talk to her i would just to just do the same thing but yeah it's ridiculous it's aimed at colbert and kimra and they'll just have marjorie telegreen on fine brandon you piece of shit anyway um anyhow let's go on a quick break when we come back we'll talk about the latest in Minnesota. By the way, Brandon Carr, I'm going to be following you after you're out of office, just so you know. I'll be watching you.

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34:06it.

34:08Kara Swisher:Scott, we're back with more news. Federal officials launch what they're calling Operation Catch of the Day with ICE officers targeting Somali communities. J.D. Vance is expected to visit Minneapolis as we tape as a show of support to federal immigration enforcement operations there. where ICE agents in Minnesota have detained at least four kids from the same school district this month, including a five-year-old boy, in order to catch his parents. Tensions are already running high following the Renee Good shooting. There was a release of her autopsy. It looks like he shot well after he had to through the head.

34:43Kara Swisher:The first two shots were not great, but they didn't kill her. The third one did, so he didn't have to shoot her. Hundreds of Minnesota businesses are planning to shut down Friday in protest of ICE activity in the state. I happen to be interviewing Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry today, so I'll hear the latest. Where do we go from here? Well, the thing that struck me, I don't know if you saw this, but the best argument, I think, around the Second Amendment or protection of the Second Amendment, even in the face of the original, you know, the original authors or the original founders could not have conceived of what these weapons would do right now, is that every time we have people know where guns are, it's been used to, the Nazis when they rolled into a place just went and found where the guns were registered, took the guns away, and then Nazis showed up and had, there was no ability for civilians to push back.

35:39Okay, so we have guns everywhere. We have a mass police force showing up. Where are the people with the guns? And the answer is they've started showing up in Minnesota and that is there are some neighborhoods, Have you seen this where people are outside on patrols with guns saying, sorry, don't come to my neighborhood? I'm not endorsing this. I think it's, you know, fascism can come from the far right or the far left. But this does feel like they're risking and like they're begging for or prompting for pretty serious violence and an excuse to start firing on civilians. I think, quite frankly, Minnesota leadership looks weak here.

36:18I just would have, I don't, I feel sorry for them. They're flat-footed. I don't know how they respond. But if, if.

36:26Kara Swisher:What do they do? They're abusing citizens. What can they do? Resist these people? They have enormous firepower. I'm not suggesting they show up with zip ties and bullet vests. I just, I quite frankly care. I think Governor Walz looks really weak here. Okay, again, you're focused on the Democrats. I'd like you to focus on the people that are actually. No, I'm focused on actually both sides to be a critical thinker. But a critical thinker would say, what is happening with the people that actually have the guns and are abusing the government power. I'd like your thoughts on that. Well, I've just said, the mass police reminds people of Stasi.

36:55I think it's horrible. And I think that Democratic senators should write up, basically make it clear, we're coming for you and the statute of limitations does not expire for these types of crimes. Having said that, I don't, I feel like no one is really stepping into the void of kind of leadership here and standing up and saying, all right, I mean, and I don't, I empathize with them. I don't know. I'm not sure what I would do. I don't know how you handle this situation. I got to be honest. I don't think this is, I would, I'd be very interested to see. I don't think the leadership of Minnesota, I'm sympathetic to that they're in an impossible position.

37:33Kara Swisher:They've been very vocal. They've been very, they've been very vocal. Well, the mayor has been, that's a good example. I think that's a fair point. So has the Senator Tina Smith. So has Senator Klobuchar. I feel like you're not, they are. What is Senator Klobuchar? She's been all over talking about we're going to come back when this is over. We want to tamp down the violence. At the same time, this over-abusive power, they're saying the things you want. I just, these people have impunity. They just don't stop. If you, you know, and I think the question is the only way to stop them is to attack them, which you can't do.

38:08Kara Swisher:Like you can't do. And, you know, I think the citizens of Minnesota who have that history, like decades of this kind of resistance for a long, long, long, long time are the ones showing the real bravery here. These people you see. Agreed. And I think. But who would you identify as, quote unquote, the leader and pushback of resistance here? Is it the mayor of Minneapolis? Is it the Senate? Is Senator Klobuchar? Who is it? I think a lot of the local officials being very vocal. And I think judges are trying to pull it back. I just think these people just keep going. I think they don't. I think Stephen Miller just says, OK, when they shoot a woman through the head, their next move is, yeah, now you can go into their houses, even if they're not criminals, essentially.

38:50Kara Swisher:And so I just don't know what the response is except shooting at them. And I don't and I think that leads to a really. And that's what that's why they've got these people. These the government is if you're going to behave like thugs, the only response is thuggishness. Right. That actually is effective. And then you're kind of like, let's let me do this on a local level after Fox News said that gangs of deluded white moms were harassing ace agents. Amanda and I made a funny video, but we wanted to ask someone to call in and tell us about their experiences. Let's hear one. These are average citizens.

39:23Kara Swisher:Let's hear one. Hey, Scott and Kara. My name's Annie and I'm a mom who lives in Minneapolis. I've been helping to resist ICE by driving kids to and from school every day. What we need to do is get kids to the classroom to learn. If their parents are too afraid to leave the house and too afraid to go to the bus stop, then this is where we can step in and help. Are these the actions of a leftist terrorist group? I don't think so. I think it's just people deciding that this is the right thing to do. So if that makes me part of the Deluded Wine Moms Club, then I will proudly wear it like a badge of honor.

39:54Kara Swisher:Thanks. One more. Hi, Scott and Kara, and by which I really mean Kara and Amanda, Deluded Wine Moms. I am the mother of a seven-year-old about 25 minutes south of St. Paul, and I got myself tailed by ice on Thursday last week. The crime I committed essentially was taking a photo of the license plate of the Florida plates on only the back of his vehicle and giving him a dirty look, which he very well deserved. about 15 minutes later. He took my picture, I took his picture, and then 15 minutes later, after picking up my child at school, I found a very large black SUV following me very close range for five minutes felt like about an hour.

40:37Kara Swisher:So fun times here. These are, Scott, I mean, people are trying to do things and it reminds me a little bit of - Carrie, don't put words in my mouth. You're making me sound like I don't stand behind the public in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Okay, go ahead, go ahead. I think what the young woman who said that she is shuttling kids to school, I think the efforts to provide food to people who might be harassed by ICE so they don't have to leave their house. I salute the people of Minneapolis doing whatever they can. I'm disappointed that there doesn't appear to be a Democratic leader standing up in Minnesota or anywhere else showing anything resembling.

41:16I mean, we need a leader. We need somebody who is, and I get that this is a very difficult situation, but I feel as if, okay, we need somebody to, and again, I've said this before, why do they know, why are they violating everyone else's privacy? and someone hasn't come out and said, okay, we're smart people. We know how to use the internet. And here are the people that we believe have committed or are accomplices to murder and second degree murder in the Renee Good case. And this is the criminal prosecution papers we're planning to file, which will be outside of the statute of limitations. And so on a ground level -

41:57Kara Swisher:Well, Keith Ellison has said this, the attorney general of the state. It's just, I think what you're talking about is someone like Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries. And I agree with you 100 percent. Newsom has certainly talked about it a lot. Josh Shapiro has talked about it a lot. Anyone, you haven't heard a lot from some of the other presidential candidates, but, you know, I thought that Pritzker stood up quite a bit when they were in Chicago. I think every presidential candidate, I mean, I think every presidential candidate should be in Minneapolis right now. I agree. And saying, and peaceful protests, not threatening anyone physically, but, you know, just there.

42:34And I don't, this is, what's going on here is contrary to the very reason America was founded. The reason we started this experiment was we didn't want to be abused by a monarch who had no checks and no balances and no control. They could just abuse citizens based on what they felt was advantageous for them or their blood sugar level. And that's what's going on here. But I'm disappointed in the Democratic Party that it strikes me. It's like it feels like there needs to be a leader here. And it's not obvious to me who that is.

43:10Kara Swisher:You know, back at, anyway, I was listening to Rachel Maddow's Burn Order, which is about Japanese internment camps, and two groups of people stand out to me. One are Quakers, who threw blankets and everything up over these internment camps, even as the army was lying about what they were, which was, you know, which was astonishing that they did this. which I mean, blankets, does it end it? No, but it helps. Just like these women driving these kids, right? That is critically important for citizens to get out there. And there's a lot of videos of just average citizens who have never come out and is like, I'm sick of this shit.

43:45Kara Swisher:I love that. But one of the people that it reminds me of is this guy, Colorado Governor Ralph Carr. He opposed the Japanese Americans. He called it unconstitutional. He welcomed them to Colorado. It cost them politically. He lost because of all this anti-Japanese sentiment. He thought denying rights based on ancestry was undermining the American system. And he welcomed them. And it was unpopular. And the downfall is political career. Now there's lots of things named after him in Colorado. But he took, it was a price. It was an absolute price for this guy. And the backlash was significant at the time.

44:23Kara Swisher:But if you think about those kind of things, you do need a political figure like this, even if at great cost. And you're absolutely right. And they do have to put their bodies on the line and their political reputations. But to me, this is going to be citizens going to push back here because that's how the Minnesota way. And one thing I really appreciate these moms calling in, this is the kind of stuff you need to do. None of them, they're just exercising their rights as citizens of the United States. And they do not seem particularly dangerous to me. So I think that's a good thing. I'm sorry, I wasn't meaning to put words in your mouth.

44:57Kara Swisher:I just think the focus, unfortunately, it's going to be on citizens going forward. No, and you're right. It's clear I haven't registered nor paid attention to some of, you know, for example, Senator Klobuchar and what they've said. And I do empathize with like, you know, the point is, okay, what exactly do you do with people with federal government who a mandated weaponry. The whole thing is, again, I'm waiting for the Democrat to say, this is where we are going after these folks. I think you are breaking laws. And if you break more laws, we're coming for you. We're keeping names. We're taking, making lists.

45:40Kara Swisher:Yeah, we're taking names. Yeah, I agree with you. And it may take us 36 months before we can do anything, but 36 months goes fast. Yeah, absolutely. I think it's, you know, I think it's sad for the people having to do it, but they're also doing it without stopping. And I get they need money, but there's other ways. People hate them. People hate them. And that's not no way to live. One more quick break. We'll be back for predictions and Kara's wins and fails. Nice.

46:12Kara Swisher:Okay, Scott, let's hear your prediction and then I will say my wins and fails. So, if there is an upside, and I would be impossible to call this an upside, but I do think that there may be some element of distraction around this Greenland shit. I won't even give them that credit. Bottom line is my prediction is that I think we're about to see the U.S. conduct a military strike on Iran. I think you look at the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike force. By the way, none of this is confidential information. It's all been reported. The fueling tankers that basically give you like a gas station in the sky, many of them are relocated to bases in the region.

46:58And some of that just might be, okay, the region is a bit hot right now, so we want additional kinetic power there. But I think, one, I think it's the right thing to do. I think we have an unbelievable opportunity here to topple a regime who's been the primary funder of terror and the most oppressive regime maybe globally in a long time and is really deeply weakened. I interviewed Neil Ferguson yesterday, the historian for the Prof G pod, and I asked him, what is the likelihood the regime survives if we don't intervene in a coordinated strike? And he put it at 90%. He said, they'll just wait it out.

47:34Kara Swisher:Well, they tamped down the protesters. They've tamped down. Well, yeah, when you start killing people, right? Speaking of which. And you can do the right thing for the wrong reasons. I think Trump is going to do this because I think he absolutely loved the macho Tarzan light that Venezuela provided him. Yeah, he was jonesing for something like that. And it gets away from the Epstein files. Again, 34 days. There you go. Turn him over, Pam. Pam, it's a law. Turn him over. Yeah, I agree with you. I think that's exactly right. I am going to do wins and fails. The Oscars weren't released yet. I'm going to do something lighter because this has been a heavy situation despite the the fact that I really enjoy your Davos stories.

48:13Kara Swisher:I'm really, the Oscars came out, a lot of great movies this year, 100%. But I was actually very heartened to see someone like Kate Hudson get an Oscar nomination. I think she's - What's she been nominated for? For Song Song Bo. Oh, you like that. That's supposed to be a cute movie. Delightful movie. I don't think she'll win. Probably Jesse Buckley from Hamnet. There's a bunch of others who are probably more actor-y. But I think she's a hardworking, you know, she's the daughter, obviously, of Goldie Hawn, but she's done some amazing work, and including comedy, more serious stuff, Almost Famous.

48:43Almost Famous or Absolute Famous? What was that called? Almost Famous with Cameron Crowe's movie.

48:47Kara Swisher:She was wonderful in that movie. But I think she's a hardworking, and she's in a Netflix series I like a lot about the LA Lakers, essentially. And she's, I took, as I said, I took my wife Amanda, who was like, oh, Kate Hudson. And then she came out, she goes, that was an astonishing acting. I was not expecting how layered and good that was. And so so anyway, so she was I just feel good for her. Good for her to get in there. I doubt she'll win. But I think it's a nice job. You should see the movie. It's still it's if you feel bad, go see that movie. It's sort of like heated rivalry. You feel bad, watch it.

49:20Kara Swisher:And then I'm just going to two wins again with the heated rivalry. One of the funniest things happening on the Internet. This is not a new thing. are people acting out scenes from heated rivalry in public and putting them on. And they are so funny. They are so, they made me laugh my ass off. There was one where the two guys were doing it in the DMV in front of this woman, and she was just watching the whole thing. And it just, the feeling, one of the things that was really interesting is Esther Perel talked about the reason people like Hedo Ravu, which is sort of the media of the moment, really.

49:51Kara Swisher:And it's because she was saying that it makes you feel better about the outcome, that you're expecting the hit and you don't get the hit, you get the right response from people. And it retrains you to think everybody's not evil, essentially. Like, I know as a gay person watching it, like, I was waiting for someone to get beaten up. I was waiting for some rejection or some ugliness. And all the answers are good. And so I'm going to go watch it at the same time because I was just sitting there waiting for the bad news as a gay person, because it always comes in those depictions and in life. So it was not as much anymore, but definitely in my younger life.

50:29Kara Swisher:So I just thought that was great. That was great too. I'm going to do two wins. I don't have a fan. I know. I don't even see movies anymore. I already know who's going to win the Oscar. Who? Well, you just tell me which film has the following. What? It's a quote-unquote brave film, which means, which is Latin for, it has sad people, foreign accents, accents, subtitles, or it's a biopic where someone discovers racism in the third act. Which movie is that? Is it Hamlet? No. I don't know. One battle after another. I'm asking you, I really don't know. Oh, no. They're all very good movies. These movies that are being nominated are terrific, actually.

51:06Yeah, and all these actors claim they hate sequels unless it's the same movie about Hollywood loving itself, which they remake every year.

51:11Kara Swisher:I wish Sinners would win, but I don't think it will. Is that a good film? You like that? Yes. Yes, I love that movie. I thought it was great. And I wish I, you know, actually, when I was looking at the nominations, I was like, and I don't think that show matters anymore. The Oscars necessarily matter. But they're all good. I was like, oh, I'd have a hard time picking here. Every one of the actors, terrific, supporting. The only thing that has to win is Golden from K-pop Demon Hunters. Thank you. That was the only thing I would have to say. Song of the year. And again, a happy song. I'm going to leave on a happy note.

51:45Kara Swisher:That's what I'm doing. I'm not going to talk about. I like it. Other things like that. Anyway, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions about business, tech, or whatever's on your mind. Go to nymag.com slash pivot to submit a question for the show or call 855-51-PIVOT. Before we go, Scott, you also got a shout out from Michelle Obama on Call Her Daddy podcast. It's such a combination. Call Her Daddy and Michelle Obama. As someone who's done important work on how social media is affecting children, people should go check that episode out. Congratulations. It was very lovely to hear that.

52:17Kara Swisher:I have a lot of people. writing me about you. Meanwhile, Kara Swisher is getting some accolades of her own. Let's play a voicemail I got this week on my phone. If this is Kara Swisher's number, I just wanted to relay that she's a fucking piece of shit. That's it? Oh, thank you for that. That's good. What for? Just call back and tell me what it's for. I really appreciate that. Oh, my God, it's not a number. What did you do that ate? I don't know. I don't know. You have Michelle Obama petting you all over the place saying you're wonderful. I get this. I'm a fucking piece of shit. So just to. Anyway.

52:59That pisses me off because guess what? You know who doesn't get voicemails like that?

53:03Kara Swisher:What? Men. Yeah, they don't. Yeah, they don't. Oh, I get them all the time. Usually from men. Actually, usually from men. But actually, this is a woman. I don't know. Misogyny is sort of a universal practice. It's not limited. It's probably unfair to call her misogyny. Maybe she feels wrong by you or whatever, but I'm not exaggerating. I get a lot of shit posting online. No one ever, like, calls me. Oh, I get it all the time. Yeah, and there's just a different level of, anyways, I don't know. I did seriously think it was my mother at first. That's lucky on Mother's Day. By the way, our producers are, so they can call and leave you a message if you're feeling left out.

53:44Yeah. No, I have to. I like to pay people to leave those kinds of messages for me.

53:49Kara Swisher:Yeah, I know. Well, I just wanted to play it because, you know, lady, if you're going to leave me a fucking asshole message, I'm playing it and using it as content. And also say why. But fuck you. Like, anyway, I don't really care. Anyway, that's the show. Thanks for listening to Pivot. And be sure to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel. We'll be back next week. Scott, Michelle Obama loves you. That's right. Read us out. Today's show is produced by Lara Neiman, Zoe Marcus, Taylor Griffin, and Christine Driscoll. Additional assistance from Kate Gallagher and Brad Sylvester. Ernie Intertad entering this episode.

54:21Manolo Moreno edited the video. Thanks also to Drew Burrows, Mia Silverio, and Dan Chalon. Nishak Kerouz, Vox Media's executive producer of podcasts. Make sure to follow Pivot on your favorite podcast platform. Thanks for listening to Pivot from New York Magazine and Vox Media. You can subscribe to the magazine at nymag.com slash pod. We'll be back next week for another breakdown of all things tech and business.

55:09Kara Swisher:Thank you. Harvey is an AI platform built specifically for legal practice, helping teams analyze large volumes of documents, drafts with precision, and collaborate securely across complex matters. It doesn't replace expertise. It strengthens it, making teams faster, more exacting, more certain. Today, more than half of the AM Law 100 use Harvey as part of their workflow. Learn more at Harvey.ai.