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.
What this show covers
Tech policyAI regulationAI safetyAISurveillanceSam AltmanOpenAIdata centerswireless carriersspectrumStarlinkSpaceXtelecomPrivacyFlock Safety
What listeners will find here
Can SpaceX really become your next phone company?
SpaceX’s push into wireless takes center stage as telecom analyst Walter Piecyk breaks down its spectrum deal and mobile ambitions. The episode explores whether Starlink can become a major carrier, why incumbents may be underestimating the threat, and what Musk’s entry could mean for a disliked industry.
Benn Jordan argues the Flock fight is really about a much wider surveillance system
Surveillance and privacy are at the center of this conversation with Benn Jordan, whose investigations into Flock Safety helped make him a prominent critic of automatic license plate readers. The episode looks at his congressional testimony and why he sees Flock as part of a much bigger debate.
A revisit of Ronan Farrow’s probing look at Sam Altman and AI oversight
This episode revisits Nilay’s conversation with Ronan Farrow about Farrow and Andrew Marantz’s feature on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. It frames that reporting against a moment when efforts toward meaningful federal AI oversight have stalled again.
Can Skydance do what AOL, AT&T, and Discovery couldn’t at Warner Bros.?
Warner Bros. is changing hands again, this time through David Ellison’s Skydance, and the episode asks whether this owner has any better shot than the last few. Peter Kafka joins to argue that Skydance still doesn’t seem to have a clear business plan, while sketching out what may happen next.
Why Meta’s free Muse may put OpenAI on the defensive
Consumer-friendly AI agents are moving from niche tools to mass-market products with Meta’s Muse, OpenAI’s Dots, and xAI’s Grok Bot. Nilay Patel and Hayden Field dig into pricing, distribution, and the bigger questions of capability, privacy, and trust shaping this new race.
Episodes
More like Decoder with Nilay Patel
The a16z Show
Andreessen Horowitz
The Other Hand
Jim Power & Chris Johns
All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg
All-In Podcast, LLC
Times Tech
The Sunday Times
Big Technology Podcast
Alex Kantrowitz
Limitless: An AI Podcast
Limitless
Sources with Alex Heath
Alex Heath
Les Echos de l'IA
Les Echos
Search Engine
PJ Vogt
No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups
Conviction