'60 Minutes' Meltdown, Trump's Intel Chief Pick, and Apple’s Next Big Bet

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Try Odil for free at Odil.com. That's Odil.com .com. This is Pivot from New York Magazine in the Vox Media Podcast Network. I'm Kara Swisher.

And I'm Scott Calway. Oh, Scott, you so owe me. I do owe you, you kind of came through. It's playing for the people. I came through, you delivered one of my heroes.

Yeah, I did, right to you on a silver gold platter. So we're fifth and last final city of our five city property markets tour and in New York. Obviously important because you know, this is what I consider, I don't know, the center of the universe. Yeah, the center of the universe important and sold out and we start talking about Iran.

“And the voice of God comes over and it's Kara Swisher going, you don't know what you're”

talking about. And then she comes out and everyone goes crazy, people like Pivot, like Sarah and she goes, you don't know what you're trying like, well, that's not helpful. Who should we have and she goes, well, I brought a friend and then Secretary Clinton comes walking.

Yeah. And she got a stand, she got like a two minute standing obeys. She did. People like her. Yeah, people like her.

And she was, you know, I'm curious to get your thoughts, but Ael was very intimidated because you were, you didn't interject, I noticed, but go ahead. But, too, I got really sad. I just thought, it took me back to 10 years. Yeah.

How would the nation be different if we had elected to someone this intelligent. So Secretary Clinton, like, and you don't know, right, maybe America needed to just, maybe America needed a weirdness to bounce back stronger, which is my silver lining here, hopefully. But it is be interesting to try and game theory out how the world would look different right now.

Yeah, you just never know.

She might have gotten us a war who knows. I mean, what was really interesting was how she thinks in paragraphs, like her intelligence is so I was, the reason I thought she'd be good for this is because we don't know what we're talking about. We're talking about it.

She does. She's been in a room with these people, whether it's Ukraine, she's been in that deal. She's been, she understands, can really game it out, too, and, and, and really doesn't understand. One of the things that, you know, she, she doesn't get the credit for how pressing

it she was about Donald Trump, too. She called all of it. Like, if you go back, the thing she was saying about him, and it wasn't just campaign for a parry, she was, like, nearly perfect accuracy of what would happen because she's

such a, and one of the things that's amazing about her is that, you know, she's gone through

shit, and she's done some things, you know, look, she's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, all manner of stuff, and I think you can be in public office without the stuff hanging off of you in some fashion, and, and, and she shouldn't, you know, have to answer for her husband all the time, by the way, especially, you know, remember the Epstein stuff.

She's like, what, why am I even here? I didn't, I didn't sleep under age, young women or whatever, but I thought she was, which

“she did, displays as an incredible, she does her fucking homework, I guess that's what”

I'm trying to get out. Yeah, there's definitely, again, I think hard work character and confidence, I'm hoping it makes a comeback. She was known when she was a senator from New York.

really hard. She does.

And I also said at the, when she left the stage when we're talking about her, talk a lot

about role models for young men in an absence of great role models that are kind of at the federal level. And, you know, masculinity and femininity are social constructs, and we get to fill them with whatever associations we want. And we talk about, we talk about her being a great role model for young women.

“I think it's a great role model for young men, service rights, intellect, working hard.”

She's amazing. She, she just brings it, and it's really, and she's actually, I hate to say, softened up, but she's starting to get that at Hillary Clinton backstage, starting to be on stage now. Which has got zero facts to go.

She gives zero. And also, just something you brought up, and that is, I do think a lot of times, I think some calls for sexism or calling out sexism to sometimes over done, in one instance where it's underdone or doesn't get enough reporting. If she had been on Epstein's Island, people wouldn't be harassing Bill, trying asking him

to explain why she was on the island. Right. Yeah, totally. It's like, no one would, you know, if Graham Plattenhurst wife had been sexting, no one would be getting him a hard time.

There is a, there is a, that double standards is on full display when she gave testimony which is so much. Village idiot represented a bobert started asking about her husband in Epstein. It's like, well, okay. Ask him.

Ask him. You have the power of subpoena. Whatever the hell it is. Ask him. Yeah, she was good.

I love, I love that Hillary. Do that. I'm glad it was great. I'm glad that you had a successful run. You know what I did today?

What'd you do? I was on the view. Oh, you're on the view. Yeah. Your guest host.

How was that? You want to chair? Good. I'm going to do it again tomorrow. I was middle chair.

It was so much. But I love that. What'd be, I like the whole team of them, Sonny and Alyssa, and I didn't know Sarah. She was amazing. And it was great.

I have Joy Bahar seat, Joy Bahar seat. She's doing some show in Paris or some writers festival or something. And I love that team. And as I've said, they're so professional.

It was, you know what, you know, I always complain about going on the cable shows where they

yell at each other and unlike it, these are good conversations, actually. They're really good conversations. And I really appreciate it.

“And people try to come, and I think it's because of what Big Goldberg is.”

They try to come to some sort of, not agreement, but just like, she doesn't tolerate shitty conversations. And I really appreciate that. I like it. And the whole, the entire show, was so well produced and I just enjoyed it.

That's quite a bit. And it was funny because this guy who's in, I'm going to, Galzotin, he's in the new he-man movie and he was on a bunch of great movies. And she's very, very handsome and all the audience started screaming for him and it was fantastic.

We found, they have live audience, which I like too. Yeah. Like I said, they give great TV. They're very good at what they do. Yeah.

I would, I love the ladies of the view. And I love that. That's a good seat for you. It is a good seat for me. Maybe I'll just stay there.

I never leave. There you go. We'll see. I'm going to live interview by the way of on with Keroswisher at the Rebecca Film Festival here in New York on Monday, June 8th.

That's next week. I'll be talking to comedian, actor, and podcast by near Mark Marin, which I'm very excited about. He's the original gangster of podcasting. He's great.

He's amazing. He's also an actor, comic, and everything else. Tickets are available now at trip backoffilm.com/audio. Anyway, I like being in New York. I like it.

Are you, are you staying for a little bit? Yeah.

“I'm going to, I think I'm going to be here a week and then I go to Stockholm.”

And then, yeah, so I bought away. It's beautiful. It's beautiful. I don't. It's so funny.

There's always predictions.

Pandemic's head, much of hedge funders leave, crime goes up, and everyone talks about the death in New York. I walk around New York right now. I know. There's a line to get in the Birkenstock store.

There was a line at the soft ice cream store the other. Like, I was trying mixed jankers bonuses or at all time highs. Crime by the way in New York? Is that historic lows? I mean, if this is what the next, the next might win the final.

Right. But if this is what a decline looks like, I'd love to see what prosperity looks like. And I've said for a long time that you don't recognize you're in a golden age until 20 or 30 years later, I think people are going to look back on New York in this era, post-COVID new restaurants.

And the ultimate luxury item, I said this last night at the podcast or on the tour, the ultimate luxury item is in a home and aspen or a gulf stream. It's being 28 and having figuring out a way to live in New York and knowing that every time you leave your house, your life could change. You could find someone to fund your business.

You could find a co-founder. You could find just something credible inspiring piece of art or culture. You could find someone you end up marrying on New York. It's a great city on earth. It really is.

And I love a lot of cities. But it is the greatest city on earth. And people talk about ingenuity being a function of technology, it's not.

And density.

And the reality is in New York, there's 8 million people getting in each other's way.

And I say that as a feature not a bug. You can't help but not bump off of people constantly here.

“And it's the opposite of what else, I think America, especially on people, is a lack”

of bumping off of other people. I agree. I get so annoyed by the fog inside walks here now, but I'm kind of liking them. I'm like, oh my god, can I get up the street without a name? Everywhere.

Everywhere. There's two types of... I guess mom Dommy didn't kill the city. Oh well. I'll still time.

Anyway, there's two types of people in New York. Rich kids and people trying really hard that are really talented. And workers and anyway, we love New York and we're here. We're appearing in New York. We're not gonna be hanging out, but we are appearing.

I guess you don't want to come to my ward tomorrow. I'm getting an award, a legal award, Lambda. They already tried to hit me up for money. Oh, okay. Can I tell you this story?

Yeah, sure, very quick. Hi. Good news. Cara's being honored by Lambda. We'd like you to donate $100,000 and we'll put a paddle up with a $100,000 number

on it. I wrote back, I'm like, you're clearly not in fundraising. You know, don't just shove your tongue down my throat.

I mean, tell me I'm pretty first.

I'll say, I'll surround you with beautiful lesbians at a table who will fuck you. Yeah. I wrote back and I'm like, thanks, but I'm gonna pass. Yeah, good. That's okay.

I'm sorry, Cara. I like you, but I don't like you that much. Anyway, it's a great award. Actually, Preparara is gonna be giving it to me. Had they known you were in New York, they might have asked you.

But Preit is gonna do it because he's that kind of thing. Yeah, that's an upgrade. He's more credible. Anyway, the big story in media this week is 60 minutes corresponded. Scott Palace out at CBS.

Palace fire and came after a QCBS news chief Barry Weiss. A murdering 60 minutes, according to a leaked audio from staff, meaning also told the shows. New EP Nick Filton, a longtime tech journalist in film America, someone I know. That is qualifications run 60 minutes.

It's run 60 minutes or slender. That is accurate. Filton sent Perry a letter on Tuesday saying he'd been terminated for cause effective immediately. It was terribly written letter Nick.

It really was embarrassment to you. Barry Weiss later sent an editorial call that Perry was fired because the foundation of trusted and broken after his firing. No, Kelly wrote in a statement in competence and unprofessionalism in the new management. Every topic.

He also wrote a response to her letter and what she was saying to the staff. And then recounted word for word. He looks like he must have taken notes during the whole thing.

Exactly what happened and said basically call them liars about that they didn't try to get together.

I thought, Kelly, they should not mess with this guy. He's a really good reporter and they are. They're being disingenuous. I think Mendatius actually. This is the guy Tom, whatever his name is.

They're just they're really they're. Lathering themselves in dishonor 60 minutes has been on the air since 1968. I just you know, you're not a media person. This is of course illuminating media people. One of my disappointments here is the journalism is getting lost in all of this drama.

This is not this is not nobody's talking about the stories, which is what 60 minutes has been astonishing about. And the fact that they could just that he was asking normal questions. Why did you fire all these really good people, including Tonya Simon, who ran the show and took it to New Heights?

Why did you fire these other correspondence? Also Cecilia Vega and Sharon Alfonci. Why did you fire them? And they wouldn't give an answer.

“And I think it's very appropriate that he asked.”

And they were trying to act like he was that he was throwing a tantrum. He absolutely was not. That I'm sorry he wasn't. He was being a reporter. So your thoughts.

Yeah I don't. So you know my view. I think media and journalists tend to take them more precious than they are. And I don't buy the notion that journalism is. I understand that the chill that the Trump administration is trying to put on different outlets.

And I have heard from producers that it has created a chill. But I've said this before. I wish the Washington Post would just go away already. I'm sick of talking about it because I do think the most talented journalists. I think there's a huge ecosystem of interesting companies doing great work.

And 60 minutes. I think the world would survive without it. Having said that, I just look at it through a business lens. We're in an industry that's instructional decline and you have a product that's up 9% year on year.

You don't fuck with it. Right. And Billy and doing well digitally. That was just very disingenuous in their memos. It's doing very well digitally actually.

I think it's literally like okay. Phil Jackson's job at the Chicago Bulls wasn't to be the boss and disrupt the bulls. It was to get along with Michael Jordan. Right. The job of CBS management right now is to get along with 60 minutes.

“I think it's a little more serious than that because I think you're leaving out the Trump thing.”

Each of these people have said that these particular managers are trying to fuck with the stories to try to shade them. Pele is making this allegation. Sharon made this allegation publicly. Cecilia Vega made this.

These are very professional people. These are the top of their game.

It's not like whiny right.

They're not being whiny right. Just they're like, what are you doing? Like these are they're doing great work. Yeah. And then you fuck with them.

Like because and then excuses. And by the way, I'm sorry. I don't know Barry wise. I do know Nick building. None.

You are not qualified compared to these people. I wouldn't be qualified to run this right. Like the fact that they think they can give instructions to these people. I wouldn't have the arrogance to think I was better than them. And the excuse they're using is that.

Well, we're going to we're going to fix it before it goes downhill. That's third excuse. Well, it's inevitably going to go downhill and therefore we're going to fix it. Let me tell you. I have more digital experience than both of you.

And you are you have don't know what you're talking about because first of all, you're being disingenuous about their digital stuff, which is doing okay. And secondly, this is not the way to do it by wrecking it. This wreck it in order to save the village. We're going to bomb the village to save the village.

This is nonsense on every level. And I am someone who knows more than both of them put together. And I still have room for more. And I'm a I'm an actual journalist. Nick is a journalist.

I'm still higher on the food chain than he is. I'm sorry. And one of the things is that they're not talking about the journalism.

And these three people that they fired and talking assignment are amazing journalists.

And they should thank them for their existence. And instead because they need to shade things with the try and I do believe these reporters. They're trying to shade the news in in in service of Trump. And therefore there are minions to the powerful owners who own them, which are the Allisons.

And that's where the real problem is is these people are these people are have a whole Another game going on. And it's it's to take a product like this that is not broken and break it is.

“It's at some point you have to wonder what it's all about.”

They've decided to perform open heart surgery on the healthiest person in the franchise. Yeah, it's absolutely to put it. And I don't know Nick well, but I've been on this podcast. I think he's a talented person. He's a talented journalist.

I don't. But in my view, I'm not sure a journalist should be running it. I think it should be a Jeff Sarker like character who's tremendous respect for journalism. But quite frankly, she's just a really strong manager. I think the person that shows up to 60 minutes says,

"How can I help? Well done. It call me when, how, how can I help?" But the narrative they're putting out there is the following. You disrupt from a point of strength. Okay, as someone who teaches strategy, these people don't, they're using the wrong words.

Disrupters are small companies that go after fat and comments and start eating up from a small niche. And typically, to say that is to say that will CBS News, which is hemorrhaging people, should stay the course then. What I think the word he's looking for, there's some excuse if he said, "It's an amazing place.

We want to continue what we're doing. But we're also just, we don't ever want to be fat and happy. We want to innovate. He's using the wrong words. The last thing you do at the one place that's working is disrupt it.

That's not, that's not what you do. But I want to move on. I've got an idea and I'm literally going to text Ted Serrandos. I think there's an enormous opportunity. If I were Ted Serrandos.

They hire all these people in. I would call Scott Kelly, an Anderson Cooper and saying going to pay each of you ten million dollars. You hire whoever the fuck you want including executive producer. And Netflix is going to put out something called the hour.

And it's going to be every week. Yeah, that's our online. Yeah, I think it's a great. We are going to move on.

“This is the only thing I have to say is, this is not how you fix.”

This is not what you do.

And by the way, here's what I, the advice I would give is,

let's see what you can do. So far, the results are bad at CBS. Everything's going down, down, down. Your shows are losing people. The other shows, by the way ABC and NBC are gaining.

So you're doing something. Your changes are not working. Secondly, and again, I like Nick built and I do. I do. I know a lot of people.

He's very controversial. You get a lot of attacks. I like Nick built and he needs to show results. If you're going to do something, don't come in and tell everybody. Like give them lectures about digital disruption.

Make changes. Make them with respect. And just, let's see the results. This feels so crystalic-dion that the kick-up talking more than he was doing. And so I feel like results are all that matter.

Get in there. Do good journalism. And then come out the other side. And otherwise, and again, I'm sorry. I'm not qualified to run this place.

And these people should not be running this place. That's, I don't know what else to say. To be fair. And you know these people better than I do.

“I think Nick, I think they poured honey on Nick and sent him hunting for him.”

Correct. I think they sent him in too. They sent him into an impossible situation. Right. And I would like to hear Nick say to this story quite frankly.

And I think he's coming on the pod. Mm-hmm. But look, the only way this person is successful is to show up and say just a few things.

that are hurting my journalism.

I will, I will be your heat shield. All right. That's not happening here. I agree. But I think he needs to say that.

And if he can't, if he can't say that, he shouldn't take the job. And too, I recognize this institution is more storied and more credible than my resume right now. I am a talented, thoughtful person. I'm going to do my best to provide you with the resources and the ideas should you want them to make this an even stronger institution. But you call me.

I get it. I still don't, I think qualifications matter.

“And you need to hire someone who is more qualifications in this area who's done television”

who's managed big teams. That's, I'm sorry. You don't just give a job. Like you just don't, you just don't. And again, full of great interesting ideas.

I don't agree with you. But you don't give a job to someone who doesn't have the experience to run it. And I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that there have probably been people with less or qualifications who've also been asked to run important media properties. This isn't about, this isn't as much about his qualifications.

It's about the context and how they've gone about this. If this had been a different situation at different time and someone with that, qualifications had come in and said, look, I promised to protect you from outside political influence that gets in the way of your journalism. I've realized I'm in over my head.

I hope your patient with me. I'm going to do my best to help you continue. I think that person could be successful, distinct of their lack of a qualification. He was working for people who haven't been accused of meddling. You know, I mean, and the eldest son.

But that's not him. That's a bigger issue. But he's worked. He took the job with them. So anyway, it's not Nick's fault.

You're absolutely right. But what you're saying is it's doomed. Anyone's doomed. And that might be a fair point that there's no way for anyone to be successful not real right now.

I think in this case, it is. I think they have another. There's another game of foot here. That is nothing to do with. They want to wreck this thing.

That's my, that's it. You're saying it's being, it's being turned into. And this is, this is the most damning thing. Several people have said of exit the organization. It's being perverted and queer from a great journalistic operation.

That is arguably one of the most successful. The, perhaps is the most successful TV show of its kind in history.

It's being used basically to become propaganda for the Trump administration.

That's correct. That's correct. And I, I, for I usually go away from those things. But it feels like Edward Armero.

“Remember when he got screwed, you know what I mean?”

Like this is, it has that feel to it. Anyway, we'll see where it goes. But let me just tell you Scott and I don't know Scott. I, I, I don't know Cecilia, although I, I'm Fort Lingford a meter.

I think Sharon's like, is terrific. They're all terrific journalists. And I believe them. I'm sorry. I believe them over.

They just really good. And all the people there. And I've talked a lot to people at that. Netflix presents the hour. Yeah.

I love it. The hour. Yeah. They're going to be just 59 minutes. Thirty-six hundred seconds.

Thirty-six hundred seconds. You know, this, this is idea of lack of qualifications. I'm sorry. I'm sort of obsessed with it.

“President Trump named Bill Polty, who runs the federal housing finance agency”

as the new acting director of national intelligence. He's replacing Tulsi Gabbard, who's stepping down. Polty is best known for accusing several of Trump's enemies of mortgage fraud, and none of which went anywhere, including New York, A.G. Leticia James.

He has no known experience in intelligence. I'm not sure he's intelligent. Defense or national security. He's called Little Trump. That's his qualifications.

It's unclear whether Trump will ask the Senate to confirm Polty by law. Anyone nominated for this role must have extensive national security expertise. Republicans are attacking him. You saw several Republicans saying he has no expertise. Democrats, especially like our friend Mark Warner, is losing his mind over this.

This, this, this, this is not the same. Nick is very competent, but this guy is incompetent. This guy is incompetent. At this job, and all he does is, like, you know, he's, he likes steps on a rake every five minutes and hits his head.

I mean, and the same thing with Todd Blanch, who Trump caved on his slush fund, acting attorney general, Todd Blanch. Trump's personal attorney says the DOJ is abandoning plans

for that $1.8 billion fund to compensate.

People who claim they're unfairly investigated. It was a rare instance of congressional Republicans pushing back and winning. Trump is still getting cart blanch on his tax issues through the steel. I can't believe that. Why we're giving him free a free pass there.

Hear thoughts? So some context. The reason a position was created the director of national intelligence was after 9/11. Policy makers concluded that there was a lack of coordination amongst our 18 intelligence agencies. So there was, there was really, there was really great intelligence pre 9/11

that something like this might happen. But the lack of coordination meant the right information didn't bubble up to the right people in time. And I don't think it's fair to call him an incompetent. He's just not qualified, which is kind of the same thing.

But I incompet to this task. Agreed.

So let's just, let's just review the past directors of national intelligence

their background. So let's start with Tulsi Gabbard to be fair. Combat veteran, military officer, member of Congress, House Armed Services Committee. Avril Haines, deputy CIA director, deputy national security advisor, John Rackliffe, congressman, house intelligence committee member,

former federal prosecutor. No, head of the CIA, by the way. Dan Coat, senator ambassador to Germany, member of the Senate intelligence committee. James Clapper, former undersecretary defense for intelligence, decades of military intelligence, Dennis Blair, four star admiral,

former commander of U.S. specific command overseeing Indo-Pacific military operations. Mike McConnell, former director of the NSA, vice admiral, career intelligence professional, John Nagropon, 40 year diplomat, ambassador to Iraq, UN ambassador director of national intelligence created after 9/11 reforms.

And Bill Palty, I'm going to say this, he's a rich kid. Bill's fucking homes and Fort Myers. Yeah, that's right. And he might be a nice man. He might be very competent.

He might be a brilliant businessman. He's 38. And he picks out sub-zero for homes and retirement communities and still. That's a big job. That's a big job, Scott.

Well, okay. No, I'm teasing. It's not a notion that we're going to put. Look, this is going to put our, our, our servicemen and service women in in in hard way danger unnecessarily and recklessly too.

Do you think the most odd or M.I.6 are going to continue to share information with our intelligence agencies? They must be cheering in Russia and China right now. They must be cheering. This is, this is again, one of the most dangerous thing.

“And also, I, I think the American public is guilty of this.”

I don't think the American, I think the American public is taken for granted. The depth, experience, and commitment of what is the best performing organization in the world and that is the US government and how deep the expertise is. Expertise. Yes.

A people who decide to forgo a lot of wealth and lifestyle to go to work for our, our intelligence community, our government, our diplomatic core, our defense department. And we're putting in in one of the most dangerous thing that is now starting to bubble up as we see in missteps in Iran and other places. There are prepared for their meetings or selling in Jared Kushner and Steve Wittkov.

They are, this is what Hillary was saying. They're running circles around us. The Iranians send in like very qualified people to these negotiations. And instead, we send in people that didn't have any idea. They were going to close the straight of our moves.

Like, why would it occur to them since they're not, this is, this lack of expertise. And I'm, it is a real thing. It's like, you know, it's like someone coming to me and saying,

“I think you need to lead the New York next to victory.”

It's like, no, like, I have no qualifications to do so. And this kind of thing, the reason you started two reasons, I think, is one, he's called Little Trump. He's, listen, I don't think he's a nice person. I've seen him interview, he seems like an idiot.

But besides, he seems like a pompous ass. I think he was selected, so Trump can control the whole thing. He has to put these unqualified minions into place.

It's always the case with anyone who puts someone who's not qualified in place,

which is they want to control the situation. And Trump himself is unqualified to run this situation too, by the way. And this is what happens. And at very dangerous, same thing with Todd Blanch, he was his lawyer. And now he's doing his gut work for him, essentially.

This, this slush fund, are you kidding? Like, giving him, you know, cart bonds and in taxes. Terrorist immunization fund? Correct, that's correct. Yeah, the private militia fund is what I call it.

Yeah, I never missed an opportunity to try and sound important. I've been on a bunch of public boards and a general unwritten rule. So think about it. The CEO answers to a board that's supposed to be a fiduciary for all shareholders. The president, everyone needs a boss.

Everyone should and does answer to somebody. The president no longer answers to co-equal branches of government. Republican Congress has been neutered, you know. The speaker of the house is basically just doing, he's just doing the dirty work for the president. He's not, he's not in any way, giving his Republican colleagues a seat at the table here.

He's trying to run rough shot over them based on what the president wants. The Supreme Court, I would argue, has been politicized.

“I think a series of appointments have created certain decisions that I would argue.”

Don't have a hell of a lot of fidelity to the constitution. But to conservative values or what the president wants.

Not always, I do think they do hold a line on some things, but I would argue that it is no longer oversight for the president.

The only people that provide any sort of checks and balance for Trump right now are voters. And the first thing you notice on a board, one of the first things you notice with experience board members in terms of how they evaluate a CEO is a lot of CEOs.

And you end up with a talented CEO who has a really weak infrastructure of senior managers. And one of the first tests on a board to see if a CEO is a good CEO is how often is he bringing in highlighting and praising other senior managers and if he were or she were to get hit by a bus. If you're running a public company and there are two or three people that could potentially be the CEO, you are not a CEO. And you see it all the time, you see these CEOs who all of a sudden start shooting talented people who are recruited away to go be the CEO of another company because it was clear they were not.

Your job as a CEO is immediately say to the most talented people, I'm going to be here three, four, eight years and if you stick around, there's a shot you're going to be CEO and I'm going to help prepare you to be CEO of this company or somewhere.

It's got it always happens this way, they always sort of amass power, they don't want to be replaced, they shoot their minions in the head just so they can.

Five words with some CEOs who are very good at maturing maturing managers and recognized its responsibility to move. I think Apple has five potential CEOs to manage more common is the CEO who cannot be replaced. But a good board, a good board, makes that part of the compensation criteria. Right, are you are you putting in place really strong succession planning here? The president, I mean it's just it's just insane, there is absolutely, I just love the fact that everyone's talking about Rubio or Vance.

President Trump is fucking Chernobyl. If you stick around him long enough, you die of political leukemia. The notion that he gives a shit. He does, he does not write people long. He would rather see the Republican party burn to die.

“I, that's what I now believe because he doesn't care, he doesn't care about it.”

If a shit about the Republican party or ideas.

I'm like waiting for him to like invade, I don't know, new work or something.

He, he wants everyone to go, oh, he wants everyone to say, oh, this Republican party is nothing without Trump. He would rather see them go down in flames. He'd rather see AOC president than JD van. He wants it to go down in flames because he wants it not to outlive him. Anyway, it really interesting time, but please people who aren't qualified don't, don't, don't, don't, don't.

Lisa National Security. And I say go for jobs, you're not qualified for unless it's the DNI. That may just tell you, guess what, you would do a better job is director of National Security. You keep saying that as an example of how terrible Trump administration is this after I run for mayor of Los Angeles. That's the last job you could be a good job.

I think it'd be good at that anyway. Yeah, that mayor of Los Angeles has no power. It's a terrible job. It's almost impossible to govern.

Exactly. That's why we need to put you there because you could swan around with a rich people and you love an Oscar party.

I do like that. I do like swan.

“Can I just say speaking of Oscar parties?”

So I was at this dinner for the Trebekah Film Festival and Batman they were sitting two doors down. Like two seats down. Yeah. And she would listen to pivot. And she's lovely.

And she's lovely. And she leans over Bloomberg to me and she goes, let me just tell you something. And her blood made the voice and she goes, I don't want you to get a big head. You went to the Oscar party, Kara. And I'm like, oh, I didn't go to the Oscar party.

I said that. I said, bit middler. It was Scott that went to the Oscar party and she goes, oh, you know, she does that voice of her. She goes, oh, I still don't want you to get a big head. And I'm like, I didn't go to the Oscar party.

I stayed home. I watched the Oscar with my kids.

“It's like, what did totally I got accused of scot things by that.”

Well, it makes me feel any better about 1130. I got anxious and I went home and rated the minibar and drank myself to sleep. Okay, all right. Anyway, let's go on a quick break. When we come back, California, primary results. Support for the show comes from Anthrop.

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and David Auburn's Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece, proof. One of the best American dramas of the 20th century brought thrillingly back to life, raves the Chicago Tribune. Deadline declares, Iowa Debory is utterly captivating,

leading one of the best cast on Broadway right now. An entertainment weekly says, Don Cheeto's portrayal is filled with sparks of genius. The Wall Street Journal says proof is a jolt of energizing surprise. The strictly limited engagement is on Broadway at the Booth Theatre,

through July 19th only. Tickets from $99 are available now at proofBroadway.com. Scott, we're back with more news. Let's get into the primaries of California. What a fucking mess this is.

As we recorded Wednesday, Bouts for California's Governor's Race are still being counted with the Republican Steve Hilton and Democratic Xavier of the Sarah in the lead in Los Angeles Mayor, Karen Bass holds the lead in results, but it became the city's first sitting mayor since 2005

to fail to earn 50% of votes required to avoid a runoff. As we tape the race for the second runoff spot is too close to call with Spencer Fred currently in the lead. Let's listen to a clip we got from co-founder, run for something Amanda Littman about the situation.

Hi, Kara, hi Scott. So I will say it's still a little early to have some hot takes on the California election results. We'll know more at the end of the day today on Wednesday. However, a few things I am noticing,

how much money does or does not matter.

You know, Tom Steier spent upwards of $200 million of his own

dollars on this campaign, maybe more. Seems like unless the results come back differently in the ballots are counting now, he's not going to make it to November. Meanwhile, down in LA, Spencer Fred,

even if he doesn't make it all the way to the runoff, we'll see how these ballots come in for Nick. Yeah, really modeled a new way of doing this. Meg of viral user generated AI videos, breaking through with really authentic video,

capitalizing on the, as a candidate, agnostic media ecosystem the right has built. We have to be prepared for this. We cannot just spend our way into victory. We have to capture attention in order to win.

That means interesting candidates. That means engaging messages. That means sometimes a little bit more risk tolerance. We've got to be willing to lean in and be a little bit more unscripted. And that's something that is very, very hard for Democrats to do.

“But is the only way we're going to be able to capture the voters”

who need this fall? Interesting. That's very smart. I agree with her. I got to say, we talked with this little sort of about Graham Plattener,

the same thing is that you can expect perfection or results, essentially. Thoughts on this? Thoughts on this situation, California? My son voted for Tom Stier.

Interesting, I think. You shouldn't say that, but I think that's who we voted. Yeah, but I actually like, people, the story will be about Tom Stier,

couldn't spend a quarter of a billion dollars to get into a runoff.

It reminds me a little bit of Meg Whitman's campaign for that. Oh yeah, do you remember that? In that is on paper, they're very attractive candidates. But for whatever reason they just don't resonate with voters. And I actually think it's a good thing when the biggest funder it doesn't win.

I think that's actually a positive. But the biggest loser in this wasn't Tom Stier. It's the California Democratic establishment. California is the blueist, large state in America. Yet the dominant issues weren't about bodily autonomy,

Trump or democracy. It was affordability, housing, energy costs, insurance, homelessness. And when voters are talking about quality of life issues and cost-aliving, ideology takes a backseat to competence and Democrats are not perceived as the party. That is true of copyrights, canny.

And national candidates need to take a page here and start a JB Pritzker. It's really focused on shit like upgrading the bond rating of Illinois bonds. That shit's important. It's boring, but it's really important. So Stier, the story will be Stier just proved money is overrated right now.

If you're not a compelling candidate.

“And Hilden's success is a symptom, not the story.”

He's not winning against California. He became conservative overnight. He's benefiting again from something much more dangerous for Democrats who think the current model

So what does California have right now?

The highest housing cost in America, some of the highest energy prices, or system homelessness, despite enormous spending. Net out migration over much of the last decade. And these are governance problems, not ideological problems. And Hilden and to a lesser extent,

Pratt are vessels for that frustration.

“I think that's a very candy way to put it.”

They aren't, they aren't something fresh. They're not rushing towards them, they're reacting against something. This is why mothers voted for Trump, who have traditionally voted democratic. If you're sons in the basement playing video games and vaping, you don't give a flag fuck about territorial sovereignty and Ukraine or transgender rights.

And at some point, when there are homeless people everywhere, despite reports, it's costing taxpayers $70,000 per homeless person. You don't care about how thoughtful you don't want someone cosplaying Obama. You want someone who says, I'm going to come in,

and I'm going to be a lifestyle mayor, and focus on competence and getting shit done.

And by the way, anyone who does an ounce of due diligence around, which I've done a little, I've just started doing around what it means to govern an L.A. All of the ship posting and criticism. A lot of it fair, the Mayor Baskets, a lot of it is unfair, because some of it is about bureaucracy at the FEMA level.

Yeah. Good, whoever wins out the mayor of L.A., a lot of it. It's actually the president of the L.A. County and the Board of Supervisors that I've all the power. L.A. similar to, you could argue about California has become ungovernable. But until Democrats at an executive level start showing,

they can improve the quality of people's life and offer them good value for the money. Every state is a product. You pay for it in taxes, you expect a product. And right now, there's just no getting around a democratically run products, aren't gaining share, they're losing share.

Some of these, let me be fair, homelessness is an intractable problem. It's one of these most difficult problems in California gets because of the weather and because people want to go there, Los Angeles particularly. It's a great place to be homeless compared to, like, I don't know, Montana or somewhere else. It is really bad.

It is, but there's all these problems, like, where do you begin because it's such, and it's also an interrelated problem. So they have the worst problem of the worst of a terrible problem that's already hard to fix. And even if you had minor homelessness.

“But again, it's a complicated, multifaceted issue that you have to do peace by peace.”

And I don't think any, I mean, I don't think if Spencer Pratt is just going to arrest them. That's not going to work. That's not going to, that's not going to fix any. It's not going to work. And, and by the way, your house burning down isn't a qualification to be made.

No, not at all, not at all. But he is candy. She's right. She's good. He's good at the start.

Oh, he's, by the way, he's run and out standing campaign. Outstanding. The, well, see where it goes. The, the silver lining here is Bacera. And that is, he might be exactly what Democrats need.

He isn't exciting. And quite frankly, that's probably why he won. If you were to summarize, you know, Democrats have spent a decade searching for charisma right now. It appears voters are searching for confidence.

Daniel Luria is that he does videos every single day from a different restaurant in San Francisco. It goes somewhere and makes a mistake. Not talking about Israel. He's not talking about transgender rights. He's not talking about Bali autonomy.

He's not talking about Trump.

“He's just like, how do I get immunity to get people to work?”

Right. But then he's also doing happy ones too. Like I just went to this great Korean restaurant again. He's very good. He's, I would, I would go.

So I followed Daniel Luria's lead in a lot of these things. You don't have to be a douche nozzle, like Spencer Pratt. He's basically a douche nozzle. Daniel's getting stuff done and using social media. And it really says I'd pay attention to what he's doing.

Because he's not a compelling, like, wow personality. I mean, he is. He's lovely. By the way, but he's, he's not like, like, show, you know, hand waving at all. But I think he does use social media.

He feels like upper middle management. Yeah, and he's also very caught. He seems confident. He gets things done.

He, he's always on social media.

I look at him. Anyway, maybe he'll be Governor Calvary. Just to come back to California, the race became a choice between celebrity, Hilton, Money, Stire, and Experience. And experience appears to be winning.

And the national lesson that Democrats need to draw from this is the democratic party. Keeps assuming every election is a referendum on Trump. Increasingly, voters are treating elections as a referendum on whether they can afford groceries insurance, electricity, and a mortgage. And what your governor can do about that.

None of us can't, or mayor, can do about it. Anyway, last year, here, Apple's smart glasses are now expected to launch in late 2027 after the company hit some delays. More glasses from Apple's got. Apple is reportedly following the playbook cylinder to Apple watch, focusing on driving

mainstreamed off in both glasses and sunglasses. These are things that look like glasses.

bullies glasses could eventually evolve into a health device and incorporate augmented reality.

Now, I know you've been critical of the Oculus and Apple vision pro.

These are big heavy units. These would be more like what Matt has with their ray bands or their other different things. So I am feeling Apple's going to come right up the back up the metal and take it all. They're just like with the watch.

“I think they'll design the best glasses.”

They'll work the best. And this is a way it goes mainstream. If this thing is to go mainstream. You're exactly right. They weren't the first in the iPod. There's in my colleague it and why you're stern is now at the touch school.

Peter Golder. He taught me something that stuck with me that I thought was just a brilliant observation and it's the focus of his research. And that is the innovator doesn't win from a shareholder perspective. The innovator gets mud on their face and arrows in their back.

It's the second mouse. It's the person that learns from the innovator who weighs a lot of capital and energy and comes in and it's the second mouse that gets the cheese. Apple is essentially built the most valuable company in the world. Number two, on a second mouse strategy.

And that is essentially met up built this market, but Apple is going to collect the rent. And this is not a mixed reality headset. That shit was like a prophylactic, right? That was just stupid. Just stupid.

It met up has done the hard work.

Ray Band reportedly sold about 7 million units and 25

and owns 85% of the category. And Apple is now entering after consumer behavior. Has already been validated. Right. Yeah.

People, Apple is the most aspirational brand globally. It says, I'm one of the one billion people who are the most creative and wealthy people on the planet. And it is the ultimate luxury item is an iPhone in terms of ubiquity globally. It means you can afford a $1,400 piece of equipment that does the exact same thing at $300 right free phone does because you consider yourself part of the creative class and you have some

you know, risk if you will economically. So palm built the smartphone market, blackberry validated it, Apple captured it. Yeah. Fossil and swatch built watches. Apple captured it.

Number on cue. The first wireless earbuds? No, you don't. I don't. Yeah.

They were, I had them. Oh, y'all, they were a whole bunch of early, art wireless earbuds. And Apple came in and stole it, but it was called Ankeo. I had them. There were a bunch before the AirPods that we showed a bunch of them at the, the, the, our conference.

“This is, this is what I think is going to happen.”

Meta spent tens of billions proving people were computers on their face. Apple will show up late. Charge 40% more and take 80% of the profits here. And people with the mistake people make is that people think the valley's greatest business model is invention. It's not.

It's letting someone else prove to me. Yep. Yep. Same thing with the AirPods.

They didn't, they weren't the first to those.

That's the way music devices. They just were the best. They'll come in with beautiful glasses. They're not going to need Ray Ban. They'll design something gorgeous.

And you'll want to wear them. They look beautiful. And if it's distinctly Apple. You wear them. I'll wear them.

And they'll, you will do it. like 90 sets of them in your house because you'll lose. - Oh look what I have here. - Yeah, one of my eight sets of AirPods that I consistently lose. - Yeah, yep.

And the member when AirPods were thought is ugly when they're for any way. They're gonna take this area, I think, and if they shut, it has to be more than cameras. It's gotta give you information and talk to you and record things and everything else.

It's gotta have more. I have a pair of the Ray Bands. I don't find them useful at all. I don't, I don't, I just don't, it doesn't. - You like them, I kid, my kids are the one.

- Dude, but it doesn't work that well with my other with my app. - I will say it's like another one of the wearables that ends up in a drawer. - Yes, that's where it is. But if they could give me enough stuff to do with it,

I'd rather, like, 'cause I use my AirPods now for everything. Like, I don't ever look at my phone, you know, anyway. All right, let's go on a quick break and we come back. We'll talk about Trump quietly signing his AI executive order. - Support for the show comes from Odo.

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So why not you? Try Odo for free at Odo.com. That's OdoO.com. Scott, we're back present in Trump is finally signed his AI executive order and it's a paler shade of white.

After scrapping a previous version last minute a few weeks ago,

and it asks AI companies to voluntarily submit

their most powerful models to the government for review

“30 days rather than I think it's 90 day review window”

it was in an earlier version. But Trump projected that thing. It would get in the way of competition with China. The revised order comes after a White House meeting on Monday with Trump, Scott Bess and Pete Hegset.

And former AI's are David Sachs who gave his blessing to the new timeline. David Sachs had gotten in the way of the previous one. I'll note, Sam Altman is in DC this week, making them around.

It's just dumb. It's just, it does nothing. And that's my thoughts on it, your thoughts? Well, the elites in the Trump administration think the regulation is controversial.

But you know who's ahead of them is the American public. But I don't think it's controversial. This is one of the few issues where Republicans, Democrats, parents, unions and, you know, churchgoers, all agreed. I think this is the next great populist movement for better

for worse. It won't be any immigration or anti-globalization. It'll be anti-AI, Kara. And this is an enormous opportunity for a Democrat

or a Republican that figures out that the first,

the first person that really goes into a populist movement around regulating AI is going to have the political equivalent of speech from property here. This is the next big populist movement. Yep.

I agree with you. I think that's absolutely true. I think you're 100% true. Anyway, it's a really interesting. But this, this one did nothing.

This one did nothing. A whole lot of nothing and David Sachs got his way. Congratulations, David. There were others who are much more concerned in that administration as well.

They should be. All right, Scott. One more quick break. We'll be back for predictions. Okay, Scott, let's hear a prediction.

I shall go first. I just want to say, Missouri is reducing state funding for Dalai Parton's imagination library and early child reading program. The males' free books to children.

My children get them. They're wonderful. And Dalai went on to complain about this online very in a very friendly way. But this is a great program.

And so reducing funding for kids getting books is the most idiotic thing I've ever seen. And I predict Dalai Parton will prevail here. And the money will get to this group. Your thoughts, Scott?

Well, first just a comment on that. I was watching Bill Mar and they asked, Neil deGrasse Tyson, who, if aliens landed, who would you want to speak to that person or who would be best selected to speak to aliens?

And he said a great mathematician would make a lot of sense because is that any alien that gets to earth would understand math. And that would be our common bridge in terms of vocabulary. Which made a lot of sense to me.

But I immediately thought, no joke. Dalai Parton. Send Dalai Parton. Send Dalai Fucking Parton. She's super likable on a lot of levels.

Kind of represents, represents pretty well. That does the first that went into my mind.

“Is it a valiant show up when we need a spokesperson?”

Send Dalai Parton. She can sing. She's likable. She's smart. It's smart.

Charitable. Tells a good story. Boo. Yeah. You know, I don't know.

Has. And I won't get any other attributes. It kind of represents America. She talks about him. You can say boobs with her.

She talks. Anyways. But I thought, yeah, Dalai Parton. That's who she represents. Well, give her her book money.

You fuckers in Missouri. Anyway, go ahead. So my prediction is more boring. I think you're about to see the mother of all capital front running. What do I mean about that?

As everyone obsesses over the evaluation of open AI, SpaceX and anthropic. You're about to see Alphabet's already announced it. The next will be Amazon. Then it might be in video.

Then it might be Apple. They're going to front run all these guys. They're going to cut the line and say, You want to give cheap capital to companies in AI. Our company is lower risk.

Not as much upside, but much lower risk. Google this.

Alphabet just announced an $80 billion offering.

They're like, if there's a, if there's a quarter of a trillion Dollars out there, a dumb money or cheap money. Looking to get into AI, they're cutting the line. And they're going to suck the oxygen or some of the oxygen to out of the room with the IPM.

Because you know it correctly. There's not enough money in the for all of these things. I saw that from Alphabet yesterday. I'm like, oh my god, that's such fucking genius. Playing what they're doing.

They're raising money by. Well, usually these companies will do a dead offering at this point. Because they use typically access such cheap debt.

“But I think Alphabet said, my God, these guys,”

there's, there's people out there willing to invest at 20, 30, a hundred times revenues to buy go buy and video chips and build that AI infrastructure. They're like, I think we'll take that. And so Alphabet, who's CEO or CFO, is incredibly smart,

said, no, we'll go get 80 billion of that cheap capital. And it's so smart, it's so kind of, if you will.

if I'm Alphabet and I have Gemini,

“and I think you know, open AI and anthropic R competitors,”

I'm just going to kick 'em in the nuts. Yeah, yeah. And I'm going to step on their oxygen line before we've been hooked up. But we need to serve it, they are as good, right?

It's not like, why should they get them on it? Care the better. They're best. They're best outside. These companies have a question.

They get them on it. And they have great management teams.

So they've basically, they're front running the IPOs here.

I wish I thought of this. I think it's such genius,

“but my prediction is Alphabet's starting.”

I bet the CFOs of Apple, Microsoft, CoreWeave, Nvidia, have all got their pencils out. And it says, why do we get some of that? Yeah. Why don't we, if there's a quarter of a trillion dollars

on the sidelines waiting to invest in AI, hey, come over here. I got an idea. To my little store.

And by the way, we have other businesses

to support it a few. Yeah. On the west outside here. If things don't work out in AI, we still got YouTube and iPhones.

And we still got PowerPoint. Yeah, excellent. Okay, that's a great one. I love that. That's a great one.

Excellent. That's an excellent prediction. Anyway, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions about business, tech, or whatever's on your mind.

Go to nmag.com/pivot. Just submit a question for the show. I'll call 85551pivot. Okay, that's the show. Thanks for listening.

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It's got congratulations on a tour with Ed Nelson. Thank you. Did a great really, really nice tip of course. Great partner. I really, you totally made the tour.

So thank you. Thank you. You deserve it. It was a great tour. And it was a really nice to see all your fans.

Alright, we'll be back next week. Today's show was produced by Lairan Amin. So I'm Marcus Taylor Griffin and Todd Wiseman. Brandon McFarlane, engineer of this episode. Thanks, also, to Joe Gross, Mr. Vera, and Dan Chilon.

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