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 ...
This is David Pierce, editor-at-large at The Verge. Nilay is off this week for a much-deserved break. So I’m filling in for him, and the Decoder team thought this would be a good opportunity to switch gears a little bit from the political apocalypse beat and talk about something completely different. So today we’re diving into the video game industry and discussing a particular set of very thorny problems facing Microsoft and its Xbox division.
I invited Ash Parrish, The Verge’s video game reporter, to discuss the issues facing Xbox, Microsoft’s big ambitions with its Game Pass subscription service, and why the game industry hasn’t had its Netflix or Spotify moment yet.
Links:
Xbox continues its push beyond consoles with new ad campaign | Verge
The next Xbox is going to be very different | Verge
2025 looks like a great year for Xbox | Verge
Microsoft prepares to take Xbox everywhere | Verge
Microsoft and Google are fighting over the future of Xbox | Verge
Microsoft was the No.1 games publisher in the world last month | VGC
Xbox games in Game Pass ‘can lose 80% of premium sales’ | VGC
Phil Spencer: No ‘red lines’ over Xbox games coming to Switch, PlayStation | Eurogamer
Microsoft’s Xbox turmoil isn’t slowing down | Verge
Microsoft says Game Pass is profitable as subscription growth slows | 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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58:55
The FCC is a now a weapon in Trump’s war on free speech
The First Amendment, protecting free speech and free media, is a pillar of US law. It is, famously, the first one. We don’t usually tolerate government interference with speech.
So it’s been disconcerting these first few weeks of the second Trump administration to realize suddenly, there’s a nonzero chance the government will punish our work. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is absolutely determined to turn all that talk about the media being the enemy of the people into concrete legal action — incredibly serious, unprecedented attacks on free speech.
Links:
Carr’s emerging agenda and its dangerous effects | Tech Policy Press
Trump’s MAGA enforcer is having ‘the time of his life’ | The Daily Beast
FCC to investigate Comcast for having DEI programs | The Verge
Trump amends CBS ’60 Minutes’ lawsuit & demands $20 billion | LA Times
No Apology Over Trump Lawsuit, ‘60 Minutes’ Top Producer Says | New York Times
The FCC is investigating NPR and PBS | The Verge
ABC News to pay $15 million to settle Trump defamation suit | Wall Street Journal
Top Trump donor wants SCOTUS to reverse press protection | The New Republic
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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51:01
Sen. Ron Wyden is here to stop Elon Musk
Today, I’m talking with Senator Ron Wyden, a democrat and the senior senator from Oregon. He’s been in the Senate for almost 30 years, which makes him one of longest serving members of the institution. We scheduled this interview with Senator Wyden a while ago — he’s got a new book out called “It Takes Chutzpah: How to Fight Fearlessly for Progressive Change.”
But recent events made it vastly more important to talk about the state of our federal government – and specifically, what Elon Musk and DOGE are doing as they seize power in various federal agencies. So right up front and very bluntly, I wanted to ask Wyden: What is even going on? And can even he and his fellow senators keep up with it?
Links:
It Takes Chutzpah | Hachette Book Group
DOGE wreaked havoc on the government in just one week | Verge
“For all practical purposes, I’d call that a coup.” | Verge
Elon Musk’s presidency is just getting started | Decoder
Elon Musk’s computer coup | Vergecast
Can anyone stop President Musk? | Verge
Demand for GAO to investigate what Elon is doing at Treasury [PDF]
Senator Has Dire Warning About Letting Elon Musk Run Wild | New Republic
“Trump and Bessent are asking you not to believe what’s playing out right in front of your eyes.” | Wyden (Bluesky)
“My message to Musk is simple: get your hands off our money and get the hell out.” Wyden (Bluesky)
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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1:02:36
Elon Musk's presidency is just getting started
Today, we’re discussing a very big problem with extremely far-reaching consequences: Do we still have a functional federal government here in the United States? And how much of it has been handed entirely to Elon Musk?
If you’ve been following the news, you know there’s a lot here that’s unfolding very fast, but I wanted to know how all these changes are affecting the people who’ve so far been the most newly supportive of Trump because they have the most to lose – the money, the billionaires. So I invited New York Times reporter Teddy Schleiffer, who’s been covering this closely every day since the inauguration, on the show to help break it down.
Links:
Inside Musk's aggressive incursion into the federal government | NYT
‘The biggest heist in American history’: DC is just waking up to Musk’s takeover | Verge
‘Scared and betrayed’ — workers are reeling from chaos at federal agencies | Verge
Treasury Department sued over DOGE takeover | Verge
Can anyone stop President Musk? | Verge
Elon Musk’s team one has access to Treasury’s payments system | NYT
Elon Musk’s bureaucratic coup | Atlantic
Trump: Elon Musk won't do anything 'without our approval' | NBC News
The young, inexperienced engineers aiding Musk’s government takeover | Wired
USDS head Mina Hsiang wants big tech to help fix government (2023) | 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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45:02
Bookshop CEO Andy Hunter's crusade to save books from Amazon
Andy Hunter is the CEO of Bookshop.org, a website he launched in 2020 that lets local bookshops sell all over the country. He always meant it to compete directly with Amazon, and the timing of that launch right into the teeth of the pandemic meant it was able to start strong and grow quickly.
Now Bookshop is selling ebooks, which is another market hugely dominated by Amazon. For Andy and Bookshop to get what they want, they’re probably going to have to gear up for a big fight. It’s kind of the app store question all over again, just like the big cases Epic had against Apple and Google, and it's all prime Decoder territory.
Links:
Bookshop is launching an ebook store to take on Amazon | The Verge
As greenwashing soars, some question B Corp certification | BBC
‘The Goliath is Amazon’: After 100 years, B&N wants to go back to its roots | Decoder
How Bookshop survives and thrives in Amazon’s world | Wired
Apple to pay $450M after Supreme Court denies price-fixing appeal [2016] | The Verge
Epic Games vs Apple | The Verge
Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/604809
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. This episode was edited by Xander Adams.
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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