Land of the Giants
66 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 months ago - ★★★★★ - 2.1K ratingsBig tech is transforming every aspect of our world. But how? And at what cost? This season of Land of the Giants – The Twitter Fantasy – will tell the story of Twitter (X) at a crucial moment for the platform, exactly one year after Elon Musk took over. Hosted by Vox senior correspondent Peter Kafka, the four-episode season will survey the company's outsize influence on politics and culture. How did Twitter become the Internet’s town square, for better and for worse? And where is it heading, now that Elon’s in charge?
From Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network. New episodes drop every Wednesday.
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Episodes
Elon Saves Humanity
November 15, 2023 09:00 - 46 minutesIn October 2022, Elon Musk made the world’s most expensive impulse purchase. His reasons for buying Twitter were murky at best, but in the story he tells now, he’s saving civilization. In the final episode of this season, we look at Twitter today, inside Elon’s fantasy. What happens when the world’s richest man buys the global town square - and announces that we are doing it all wrong? Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka) Follow Land of the Giants on your favorite podcast app to get future seaso...
Havoc On the Platform, and Off
November 08, 2023 09:00 - 49 minutesTwitter employees had always imagined the platform would be used for social good. Their idea was that free expression on the internet would lead to good things. But after the 2016 U.S. election, that notion would be put under stress. And Twitter would have to grapple with the question: what happens when its powerful superuser - who also happens to be the most powerful person in the world - creates havoc on the platform? Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka) Be the first to hear next week's episod...
A Million Different Twitters
November 01, 2023 08:00 - 49 minutesTwitter was created by its users, who invented features like the retweet and hashtag. These features helped create vibrant communities like Black Twitter and Comedy Twitter, but eventually, some groups exploited Twitter’s virality in order to intimidate and harass others online. In this episode: how Twitter became the best and worst place on the internet. EDITOR'S NOTE: This episode contains descriptions of sexual harassment and of graphic threats of violence. This section begins 9 minutes af...
What We All Got Wrong About Twitter
October 25, 2023 08:00 - 41 minutesTwitter began life as an accident. In the beginning, even its founders weren’t sure what it was: the internet’s town square, a real-time information source, or the next Facebook, maybe? Twitter's power has always been misunderstood -- by its leaders, by its users, and lately, by the world's richest person. Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka) Be the first to hear next week's episode by following Land of the Giants on your favorite podcast app Follow @voxdotcom for more coverage of X/Twitter and...
The Twitter Fantasy
October 17, 2023 22:30 - 2 minutesA year ago, in what was essentially the world’s most expensive impulse purchase, Elon Musk bought Twitter. That made him Twitter’s most important user. But he’s certainly not the only one to fall for its spell - a spell that promises attention, connection, and power. This season will explore why Twitter’s cultural and political influence far exceeds its size, and how its biggest users shaped it, for better and worse. Hosted by Vox senior correspondent Peter Kafka. Episodes drop every Wednesda...
The Global Race for EV Adoption
August 30, 2023 12:36 - 31 minutesTesla has spurred the EV revolution around the world, most notably in China. So why is the US so far behind on EV adoption, when it's the birthplace of Tesla? What went wrong here? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Self-Driving Experiment
August 23, 2023 08:00 - 35 minutesSeven years ago, Elon Musk stood on stage and said he “would consider autonomous driving to be basically a solved problem.” He also said Teslas could “drive with greater safety than a person right now.” That statement wasn’t true. But Musk has continued making this claim. Meanwhile, several other companies have made major strides on autonomous driving. Can Tesla catch up? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Human Cost of Ultra Hardcore
August 16, 2023 08:00 - 37 minutes“Please prepare yourself for a level of intensity that is greater than anything most of you have ever experienced before,” Elon Musk once wrote in an email to employees at Tesla. The subject line, “ultra hardcore,” also operates as an edict - go hard or go anywhere else. But this “ultra hardcore” philosophy has led to injuries, scandals and lawsuits. Are the costs of “ultra hardcore” worth it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Tesla vs. The Competition
August 09, 2023 08:00 - 35 minutesA few years ago Tesla owned roughly 80% of the EV market. But now, the company’s share is down to 60%. And some projections whittle it down even further - to just 18% - by 2026. It appears the competition has caught up… or has it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How Tesla Became the Elon Musk Co.
August 02, 2023 08:00 - 36 minutesNot many people can name the original founders of Tesla. So how did two guys who wanted to build an electric car create a company synonymous with Elon Musk? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Electric Car Goes Mainstream
July 26, 2023 08:00 - 29 minutesBefore Teslas were everywhere, they were playthings for the rich and famous. Building its first affordable car made Tesla a breakout success, but it nearly bankrupted the company. This is the story of how the Model 3 changed Tesla and the entire auto industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
‘The Tesla Shock Wave’ Has Arrived
July 19, 2023 08:00 - 2 minutesAbout a decade ago, Tesla did something extraordinary: it started making electric cars people actually wanted to drive. They were fast. They were high-tech, and eventually, Tesla reset the future of cars. Now, with the entire industry racing to go electric, can Tesla continue to lead the charge against the best carmakers in the world? ‘The Tesla Shock Wave’ arrives July 26th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
AI to IRL: The Future of Dating
February 15, 2023 11:19 - 38 minutesLooking ahead, where is dating headed? Is it leaning into artificial intelligence or dating chat bots? Or is it unplugging and trying to meet people the old-fashioned way – in real life? And with Gen Z skeptical of dating apps, will tech continue to manage the dating experience? Hosted by Sangeeta Singh Kurtz (@sangeetaskurtz) and Lakshmi Rengarajan (@Shmi_So_Far) Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear next week's episode by hitting the plus sign in your favorite podcast app Follow @TheC...
Can Niche Dating Apps Save Us?
February 08, 2023 09:54 - 43 minutesWelcome to the wide world of niche dating apps. There's an app for almost every group -- Muslims, vegans, the kink community, cat lovers, farmers, rock climbers, and many more. All aimed at helping specific communities find "their people." But do these apps work, and are they sustainable as a business? Hosted by Sangeeta Singh Kurtz (@sangeetaskurtz) and Lakshmi Rengarajan (@Shmi_So_Far) Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear next week's episode by hitting the plus sign in your favorite p...
Bumble, the Girlboss of Dating Apps
February 01, 2023 09:00 - 43 minutesBumble is the second most downloaded dating app in the U.S., behind Tinder. Dubbed the "feminist dating app," the "anti-Tinder" was designed to make dating feel better, safer, and less creepy for women. But does Bumble deliver on its promise? In today's episode, the story of how Bumble came to rival the power of Tinder and Match Group by harnessing the brand power of feminism. Hosted by Sangeeta Singh Kurtz (@sangeetaskurtz) and Lakshmi Rengarajan (@Shmi_So_Far) Subscribe for free. Be the ...
The Secret Algorithms That Control Your Love Life
January 25, 2023 09:00 - 30 minutesDating app execs don’t like to explain how their matchmaking algorithms work– they’ll claim it’s too hard to explain, or that they just can’t talk about it, Fight Club style. But critics say that if daters really knew how basic the algorithms are, they might not put so much blind faith into them. In this episode, we dive into just how these algorithms work and speak with daters trying to hack the code that controls their love lives. Hosted by Sangeeta Singh Kurtz (@sangeetaskurtz) and Lakshm...
The Hidden Hand Behind Your Swipes
January 18, 2023 10:03 - 40 minutesTinder, Hinge, OkCupid, The League. If you’ve ever wondered why using these different dating apps feels similar, it may be because they’re all owned by Match Group, the company that helped start online dating in the 90s, and now owns two-thirds of the dating app market. Today, Match is a dating app conglomerate with millions of users and over 45 brands around the world. That’s billions of dollars worth of swipes and subscriptions. But does paying for what Match Group calls “superpowers” — thi...
Tinder Changed the Game
January 11, 2023 09:00 - 38 minutesWhen Tinder launched in 2012, it changed dating culture and our expectations around dating forever by leveraging the iPhone and gamifying the dating experience. But did the rise of dating apps make finding romance easier or harder, and what are the consequences of playing a game that never ends? Hosted by Sangeeta Singh Kurtz (@sangeetaskurtz) and Lakshmi Rengarajan (@Shmi_So_Far) Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear next week's episode by hitting the plus sign in your favorite podcast ...
Dating Games
January 04, 2023 09:00 - 2 minutesThis season, The Verge and New York Magazine's The Cut trace the evolution of the multi-billion dollar dating app industry. Through conversations with industry leaders, experts, and users, hosts Sangeeta Singh Kurtz and Lakshmi Rengarajan explore the modern dating landscape forged by companies like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge, and their impact on our hopes for connection. Looking at the past decade of dating, we're asking the question: are the goals of dating app companies aligned with our roma...
Zuckerberg's Biggest Bet
August 31, 2022 08:00 - 32 minutesMark Zuckerberg has a vision for the future -- that in a few years, we’ll be living our digital lives in a blend of augmented and virtual reality. The metaverse. To pursue that vision, Zuckerberg’s renamed his entire company and invested billions of dollars in a bid to make Meta the leader of the next tech platform. In our season finale: what are the chances his bet pays off, and why it would give Meta more power than ever. Hosted by Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffary) and Alex Heath (@alexehe...
It's A WhatsApp World
August 24, 2022 08:00 - 36 minutesMeta’s most expensive acquisition ever and one of the most used communication apps in the world: WhatsApp. With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp is embedded in the social, economic, and political infrastructure of countries across the globe. For better and worse. The story of WhatsApp’s incredible power, as told through its largest market: India. NOTE: There are descriptions of graphic acts of violence in this episode. If you want to skip these descriptions, the section begins at 20:45 and ends...
Facebook's Plan To Be Cool Again
August 17, 2022 08:00 - 31 minutesFacebook defined an era of social media built on our connections, our social lives. We’re watching that era come to a close. Now, your main feeds of both Facebook and Instagram will use AI to start increasingly recommending content from people you don't follow. Kind of like another major app you may have heard of – TikTok. Hosted by Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffary) and Alex Heath (@alexeheath) Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear next week's episode by hitting the plus sign in your fav...
The Facebook Election
August 10, 2022 08:00 - 33 minutesFacebook used to brag about how its tools helped politicians swing elections. Now, the platform’s relationship to politics is much more complicated. Today: the story of how one politician again and again forced Zuckerberg to confront his own role in democracy. This episode hosted by Alex Heath (@alexeheath) Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear next week's episode by hitting the plus sign in your favorite podcast app Follow @recode and @verge for more coverage of Meta and Big Tech Lear...
Why Instagram Broke Its Square
July 27, 2022 08:00 - 37 minutesWhen Mark Zuckerberg bought Instagram in 2012, he promised he would be hands-off with the company’s curated aesthetic and simple features. But as Facebook scaled the startup into a social media juggernaut, tensions flared. Instagram’s founders would leave, and it’s now a very different app than when it first started. But are the changes setting the company up to compete in the future? Or is Instagram losing the magic that made it great in the first place? Hosted by Shirin Ghaffary (@shiring...
Don't Be Afraid To Break Things
July 20, 2022 08:00 - 38 minutesIf our first episode brought you into the beginning of Zuckerberg’s vision for connecting at scale, this story is about the consequences of pursuing that vision at full speed. In the 2000s, Facebook made a big bet to become a platform for developers – and all social activity across the web. It would bring us FarmVille and “Log In With Facebook.” But years later, it would lead the company into one of its biggest scandals: Cambridge Analytica. Hosted by Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffary) and Al...
"Facebook Gets A Facelift"
July 13, 2022 08:00 - 28 minutesLong before Mark Zuckerberg renamed Facebook Meta and made an unprecedented pivot into the metaverse, he invented a feature that turned Facebook into a social network behemoth. The News Feed, which put your friends’ status updates onto your homepage, changed the way we interact online. It was a strong statement of Zuckerberg’s values: that connecting, and sharing, at scale would be de-facto good for the world. It was also his first public controversy. Hosted by Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffa...
The Facebook / Meta Disruption
July 06, 2022 08:00 - 3 minutesLand of the Giants: The Facebook/ Meta Disruption explores how the social media juggernaut has arrived at this unprecedented moment of transition. Senior reporters Shirin Ghaffary of Recode and Alex Heath of The Verge speak with top Meta executives and some of its biggest critics and ask how the company has shaped our lives, and what lies ahead. New episodes begin Wednesday, July 13th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
One App Store to Rule Them All
October 27, 2021 08:00 - 33 minutesApple has always maintained it knows what’s best for its customers. But now governments and developers are trying to change the way Apple runs its highly profitable iPhone App Store. What happens if Apple can no longer hold its tight grip on the iPhone and the way we interact with the world? Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka) Enjoyed this episode? Rate us ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Want to get in touch? Tweet @recode Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next sea...
Apple Saved Music. Why Not TV?
October 20, 2021 08:00 - 33 minutesBack in the early 2000s, file sharing services like Napster devastated the music industry. Steve Jobs threw it a lifeline with the iTunes Store, offering people an easy way to download songs legally. That saved the music industry and made Apple a dominant player in the music biz...for a time. Twenty years later, the television industry is going through a similar upheaval, but this time, Apple isn’t leading the way. What happened to Apple’s golden touch? Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka) Enjoy...
Apple's China Problem
October 13, 2021 13:16 - 34 minutesMuch of Apple’s success is built around its relationship with China, which is both one of Apple’s largest markets as well as where most of its products are manufactured. It’s a complicated relationship that has seen Apple make compromises with an authoritarian regime over privacy and human rights in pursuit of huge profits. This episode is produced in collaboration with reporter Wayne Ma and the technology and business publication ‘The Information.’ Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka) Enjoyed ...
"He's No Steve Jobs"
October 06, 2021 08:00 - 37 minutesSteve Jobs co-founded Apple and infused it with his love of product design and attention to detail. His successor, Tim Cook, is widely perceived as lacking Jobs’ vision and innovation. But he managed to do something Jobs never could: make Apple the most valuable company on the planet. So who are these two men, and how have their leadership styles shaped the company that shapes our lives? Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka) Enjoyed this episode? Rate us ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Pod...
How Apple Got Its Groove Back
September 29, 2021 08:00 - 42 minutesIn 1997 Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy and falling far behind its biggest competitor, Microsoft. But that all changed when Apple started building revolutionary new devices that strayed from its roots as a computer company. The iPod and the iPhone propelled Apple from an underdog to the company that dominates the way we think about consumer electronics today. Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka) Enjoyed this episode? Rate us ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Want to get in t...
This Changes Everything
September 22, 2021 08:00 - 34 minutesIn 2007 Steve Jobs took the stage and introduced something that would change our lives forever -- a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone, and a breakthrough internet communicator...aka, the iPhone. Now we live in a world that Apple has completely reshaped. The iPhone created entirely new industries, wiped out giant competitors, and changed the way all of us live. Here’s how Apple did it. Hosted by Peter Kafka (@pkafka) Enjoyed this episode? Rate us ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ...
'The Apple Revolution' is here
September 15, 2021 08:00 - 3 minutesFrom its beginnings as a niche personal computer company, Apple became the preeminent maker of consumer tech products, a cultural trendsetter, and the most valuable company in the world. And along the way, it changed the way we live. Hosted by Recode’s Peter Kafka. New episodes come out on Wednesdays starting September 22nd. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Virtual Future of Restaurants
July 13, 2021 08:30 - 37 minutesThere's a secret world of restaurants that you can only find when you open up the delivery apps. This brave new world of ghost kitchens and virtual brands has allowed traditional restaurants to access new revenue streams. And these new models are using data to shape new concepts and menus. But when tech reimagines what a restaurant even is, is the soul of an entire industry at stake? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Who's Driving Whom?
July 06, 2021 08:30 - 38 minutesWithout delivery workers, there is no DoorDash or UberEats or Grubhub. And workers in this slice of the gig economy get access to a level of flexibility that most people in traditional employment situations can only dream of. But how much control do delivery workers really have over their schedules, their pay and the terms of their employment? These questions are at the heart of a political battle playing out across the country with stakes that are deeply personal for delivery drivers nationw...
The Race for Your Dollars
June 29, 2021 08:30 - 43 minutesThe restaurant delivery industry is worth more than $100 billion. But none of the major apps are profitable. In this episode, the key battles that have shaped the delivery wars from the point of view of founders, company executives and venture capitalists. And a key question: With billions invested, rockstar IPOs and a pandemic that exploded the growth of the industry, why aren’t these companies profitable? Hosts : Ahmed Ali Akbar (@radbrowndads) & Jason Del Rey (@delrey) Enjoyed this episo...
The Cost of Convenience
June 22, 2021 08:30 - 33 minutesRestaurant delivery apps have made it possible for many of us to order pretty much anything we want to eat with the click of a button. And during the pandemic that convenience became even more valuable. But at what cost? Some restaurant owners say they now need the apps to survive, but resent what they feel to be forced partnerships. And other restaurant owners are finding ways to take the power back. From Recode and the Vox Media Podcast Network in partnership with Eater. Host: Ahmed Ali Ak...
Delivery Wars
June 15, 2021 02:00 - 3 minutesBig tech is changing every aspect of our world. But how? And at what cost? In this special four-part series, Recode teams up with Eater to unbox the evolving world of food delivery. Find out how the rise of investor-backed third-party delivery apps has dramatically changed consumer behavior, helped create a modern gig workforce, disrupted small businesses, and potentially changed our relationship with food forever. New episodes every Tuesday starting June 22. From Recode, Eater, and the Vox M...
Should We Break Up Google?
March 30, 2021 09:00 - 47 minutesGoogle is now facing antitrust scrutiny at a level it's never experienced before, from both sides of the political aisle. Which means we’re in an unprecedented moment that could define the company, our economy, and our daily lives for years to come. In our season finale, we explore the arguments for and against breaking up or regulating Google. And we explain why it’s virtually impossible to go online now without dropping a coin into Google’s pocket. Hosts: Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffary) ...
Googlers vs. Google
March 23, 2021 08:00 - 49 minutesOn December 2nd, 2020, Dr. Timnit Gebru - co-lead of Google’s Ethical AI team - got an email that said Google had accepted her resignation. A resignation she didn’t think she made. Her exit is just the latest sign of the crisis unfolding within Google — a loss of trust between many of its employees and leadership. This week, what led to Gebru’s exit - and what it means for us, Google’s users. Because when enough people who work inside Google don't even trust each other -- how can we? Hosts: ...
A Military Contract Tests Google's Open Culture
March 16, 2021 08:00 - 42 minutesOne of Google’s long points of pride was its open, collaborative, and transparent company culture. But many Googlers feel like that's slipping away. Over our next two episodes, we’ll tell the story of a breakdown of trust inside Google — between management and employees. Starting with a covert contract Google made with the Department of Defense. Hosts: Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffary) and Alex Kantrowitz (@kantrowitz) Enjoyed this episode? Rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐and leave a review on Apple Podcasts....
The Moonshot Factory
March 09, 2021 09:00 - 38 minutesSince they were Stanford grad students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin have had big ideas for technologies that could change the world. Only now, they have Google's nearly limitless resources to turn those ideas into reality. Some of Google's projects seem like a vision from the future. Others have crashed and burned. This is the story of two moonshots, and the world we might live in someday. Hosts: Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffary) and Alex Kantrowitz (@kantrowitz) Enjoyed this episode? Rate u...
Planet YouTube
March 02, 2021 09:00 - 50 minutesWhen Google bought YouTube, it went from being a company that helps users search the Internet, to a company that shapes the Internet itself. With 2 billion users, YouTube generates its own gravitational pull on society and culture worldwide. And as an open platform that allows anyone to upload videos, it's a force that even Google can't quite control. Hosts: Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffary) and Alex Kantrowitz (@kantrowitz) Guest co-host: Peter Kafka (@peterkafka) Enjoyed this episode? Ra...
Chrome and the Android Wars
February 23, 2021 09:00 - 40 minutesToday, nearly all of the world's smartphones are powered by Android. Which means Google is the gatekeeper to the Internet for billions of people. The story of Android is the story of how Google became so big. And it started with an existential threat. With Google in survivalist mode. Hosts: Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffary) and Alex Kantrowitz (@kantrowitz) Enjoyed this episode? Rate us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Want to get in touch? Tweet @recode. Subscribe for free. Be ...
The Search Begins
February 16, 2021 09:00 - 41 minutesSome of the core values that built Google's runaway success — innovative technology to the max, an intellectually playful and open culture, and a corporate aspiration to do good ("Don’t be evil") — set it up for the existential questions it faces today. We examine how two grad students with a plan to search the Internet launched a company that would eventually become the gateway for the Internet for the entire world. Hosts: Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffary) and Alex Kantrowitz (@kantrowitz) ...
The Google Empire
February 09, 2021 09:00 - 3 minutesIn Land of the Giants: The Google Empire, Recode’s Shirin Ghaffary and Big Technology's Alex Kantrowitz explore how a company that began with idealistic goals of creative experimentation and making useful products has turned into a worldwide power with enormous impact on the way we live. New episodes begin Tuesday, February 16th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Go For Broke: Inside the Dot-Com Bubble
October 15, 2020 10:00 - 39 minutesWhile you wait for the next season of Land of the Giants, we have another podcast we think you'll like. Go For Broke is a new series from the Vox Media Podcast Network and Epic Magazine exploring the frenzy of the original dot-com bubble, and what happened when the bubble popped. The first episode covers the rise and fall of Pets.com. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/31ovruD Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/34WWNZI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
World War Stream
August 04, 2020 08:30 - 28 minutesThe "streaming wars" are here, but they're not what you think—or rather, where you think. While competitors are duking it out in the US, Netflix wants to take over the world. Hosts: Peter Kafka & Rani Molla This podcast is a production of Recode by Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network. This episode was produced by Zach Mack, Bridget Armstrong. Our editor is Charlie Herman. Gautam Srikishan engineered and scored this episode. Nishat Kurwa is the Executive Producer. Learn more about your ad c...
Money to burn; why Wall Street loves NFLX
July 28, 2020 08:30 - 28 minutesNetflix owes around $15 billion, yet it continues to spend money billions each year to fund its original programming. Is this a brilliant move to set it apart from the competition or a house of cards ready to collapse? Hosts: Peter Kafka & Rani Molla This podcast is a production of Recode by Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network. This episode was produced by Zach Mack, Bridget Armstrong. Our editor is Charlie Herman. Gautam Srikishan engineered and scored this episode. Nishat Kurwa is the Ex...