The case for breaking up Google has never been stronger
Today we’re talking about the very real possibility that Google might be broken up by the United States government. And to do that, I’m talking to Jonathan Kanter, the former assistant attorney general for antitrust under the Biden administration. Kanter left the DOJ after Trump was elected, but he was the architect of the major antitrust cases the Trump administration continues to pursue against Google. That means he’s much more free to share his thoughts on what it took to build and win both of these cases and what should happen next.
Links:
Google loses ad tech monopoly case | Verge
Google is in more danger than ever of being broken up | Verge
OpenAI tells judge it would buy Chrome from Google | Verge
The high stakes of Google’s monopoly trial | Verge
DOJ says Google must sell Chrome to crack open search monopoly | Verge
Google makes history with rapid-fire antitrust losses | NYT
Read the antitrust ruling against Google | NYT
Google ad monopoly ruling's surprise winner: OpenAI | Axios
DOJ antitrust chief is ‘overjoyed’ after Google monopoly verdict | Decoder
DOJ’s Kanter says the antitrust fight against Big Tech is just beginning | 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
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1:12:18
Verizon’s consumer chief: Net neutrality ‘went literally nowhere’
As CEO of Verizon's consumer division, Sowmyanarayan Sampath oversees the biggest part of the company, which does business with roughly a third of the entire country. He's a longtime Verge reader, so we talked very directly about whether the huge 5G investment had actually paid off, and whether – whether the “race” we were supposedly in with China was actually worth it, and what kinds of new apps and services actually come to light.
And while Verizon fought tooth and nail against regulations like net neutrality, the current Trump administration isn’t nearly as hands-off when it comes to things like holding up deals because of DEI policies — something that’s happening to Verizon right now. So I had to ask Sampath if he was going to push back on that kind of government overreach as hard as Verizon has in the past.
Links:
The US government makes a $42 million bet on OpenRAN | The Verge
FCC scrutinizes Verizon’s $9.6 billion Frontier deal over DEI | USA Today
Verizon offers a three-year price lock — but there’s a catch | The Verge
T-Mobile updates its DEI policy to get Lumos deal approved | Fierce Network
We don’t need net neutrality; we need competition (2014) | Ars Technica
Wireless and cable industries sue to kill net neutrality (2015) | The Verge
Everything Verizon says in this terrible video against net neutrality (2017) | The Verge
Report: Most Americans have no real choice in internet providers | ILSR
T-Mobile’s merger promises couldn’t make a carrier out of Dish | The Verge
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
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1:12:39
How Trump’s tariffs actually work on the ground
One of the ways I’ve been trying to sort out the chaos of tariffs and trade wars is by talking to the people behind the software that makes the global trade system go. So today I wanted to bring back one of my favorite Decoder guests: Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen, whose software manages the logistics of moving things around the world, from factory to doorstep.
We didn’t get too much into the numbers — those tariff percentages keep changing — so instead Ryan and I really focused on how this system works, how it’s supposed to work, and how it’s working now, if it’s working at all.
Links:
Flexport Tariff Live Blog | Flexport
US tariffs: how Trump’s tax is hitting Big Tech and beyond | Verge
How much will Trump’s tariffs cost U.S. importers? | NYT
How much are tariffs on Chinese goods? It’s tricky | NYT
How Trump’s tariff chaos is already changing global trade | Decoder
Can software simplify the supply chain? Ryan Petersen thinks so | Decoder
Why Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen took his company back | Decoder
The U.S.-China decoupling arrives | Axios
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
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1:07:24
Are prediction markets gambling? Robinhood's Vlad Tenev is betting not
Today, I’m talking with Vlad Tenev, the co-founder and CEO of Robinhood, which started as a way to open up stock trading. But the company’s ambitions have grown over time – and they’re getting bigger. Just a day before Vlad and I talked, Robinhood announced it would soon be offering bank accounts and wealth management services, which would really allow Robinhood to be involved with your money at every possible level.
So I was very interested to sit down with Vlad and really hash out where Robinhood is going, and why he’s so adamant that certain big ideas, like prediction markets based around everything from sports games to presidential elections, are going to play a pivotal role in the future of finance.
Links:
Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev on markets for everything | Hard Fork
Robinhood is launching bank accounts | Verge
Kalshi sues Nevada and New Jersey regulators | Esports Insider
Kalshi CEO: ‘State law doesn’t really apply’ to us | TechCrunch
Robinhood debuts a sports gambling hub | Verge
The SEC has ended its investigation into Robinhood crypto | Verge
Robinhood admits it’s just a gambling app | Verge
Massachusetts regulator subpoenas Robinhood over sports betting | CNN
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
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1:19:01
Why DOGE is killing the agency that stops banks from ripping you off
Rohit Chopra was the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau head until the end of January, when President Donald Trump fired him and Elon Musk’s DOGE began trying to dismantle the agency. The CFPB has been pretty popular since it was founded in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to protect consumers, so shutting it down has kicked off a bunch of controversies — not least of which was whether Trump and Musk even had the power to do it.
This all led me to ask several times who made the decision to fire him, who is currently responsible for the various policies of our government, and whether any of those things add up to a clear plan. Some of the most powerful executives in the world answer questions like this on Decoder all the time. But Rohit just didn’t know — and that should probably be as worrying as anything.
Links:
Trump fires CFPB director Rohit Chopra | Associated Press
Trump orders CFPB to stop work, closes building | Associated Press
CFPB workers reinstated after court order but still can’t work | The Verge
Trump admin to appeal order blocking CFPB shutdown | Bloomberg Law
A shady tech bootcamp may be sneaking back online | The Verge
CFPB won’t enforce long-awaited payday lending rule | Bloomberg Law
CFPB seeks to vacate redlining settlement, refund lender | Banking Dive
CFPB signals it will drop rule regulating BNPL like credit cards | PYMTS
CFPB drops fraud lawsuit against banks, Zelle | CNBC
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.
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