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Charlie Kirk Assassination Fuels Rage and Retaliation | Pivot

Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway unpack the rage and division following Charlie Kirk’s assassination — and who’s fueling it, plus how Trump and the far right are cracking down on Kirk's critics. They also dig into the Trump administration’s “framework” for a TikTok deal, Paramount’s bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, OpenAI’s restructured partnership with Microsoft, and Tucker Carlson’s latest conspiracy theories. #pivot #podcast #karaswisher #scottgalloway #charliekirk #tylerrobinson #socialmedia #trump #tiktok #china #paramount #openai #samaltman #tuckercarlson Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:23 New Details on Charlie Kirk Suspect 8:43 People Losing Jobs Over Kirk Posts 14:45 Utah Gov Denounces Social Media 22:40 Trump Makes a TikTok Deal? 25:08 OpenAI’s Future 30:09 Tucker Carlson Questions Sam Altman 35:18 Paramount’s Acquisitions 44:04 The End of Quarterly Earnings? 47:52 Wins and Fails Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Corinne Ruff Kate Gallagher Video Producer: Jim Mackil Vox Media's Executive Producer of Podcasts: Nishat Kurwa Subscribe to Pivot on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pivot/id1073226719 Subscribe to Pivot on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MU3RFGELZxPT9XHVwTNPR Follow us on Instagram and Threads at: https://www.instagram.com/pivotpodcastofficial Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@PIVOTPODCAST Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or email pivot@voxmedia.com

Scott GallowayhostKara SwisherhostGuestguest
Sep 15, 202559mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Charlie Kirk killing sparks rage, blame games, and tech backlash

  1. Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway dissect the political and media reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assassination, blasting both right-wing ‘violence entrepreneurs’ and broader efforts to weaponize the killing for fundraising and cancel campaigns.
  2. They argue that most modern political violence involves disenfranchised, extremely online young men rather than coherent extremists, and they place significant blame on rage-driven social media algorithms and Section 230 protections.
  3. The conversation then moves to governance failures (FBI leadership, social media policy, cancel culture), broader AI and tech power plays (TikTok, OpenAI, Oracle, Hollywood), and how AI is poised to reshape entire industries.
  4. They close by highlighting New Mexico’s universal childcare as a rare policy ‘win’ that boosts economic growth and by calling for structural reforms around tech, public markets, and support for young people.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Stop speculating about the shooter’s identity and motive without facts.

Swisher and Galloway reject early narratives about the killer’s gender identity, politics, or relationships, arguing that unverified details (e.g., a transitioning roommate) are being weaponized for partisan gain and should be left to the trial and investigation.

Focus on the real common denominator: extremely online, isolated young men.

They note that most mass and political shooters are young men who are deeply online, socially isolated, and often not formally part of extremist groups, suggesting interventions should prioritize mentorship, relationships, economic opportunity, and mental health rather than partisan blame.

Hold rage-driven platforms accountable for algorithmic amplification.

Galloway calls for removing Section 230 protections from algorithmically elevated content, arguing that social platforms profit from outrage the way fossil fuel firms profited from carbon, creating ‘rage’ as an externality that leads to violence and self‑harm.

Recognize ‘violence entrepreneurs’ and ‘conflict entrepreneurs’ on all sides.

They describe politicians, media figures, and big tech executives (e.g., Elon Musk, Trump allies, right‑wing activists) as monetizing violence and division through fundraising appeals, doxxing, and inflammatory rhetoric while claiming to defend free speech.

Beware online conspiracies that collapse into character assassination.

The hosts criticize Elon Musk’s promotion of a ‘trans terror cell’ theory and Tucker Carlson’s insinuations that Sam Altman may be tied to a whistleblower’s death, framing these as irresponsible attempts to drive clicks and undermine institutional trust.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Let’s assume his roommate was transitioning. So the fuck what? What does that have to do with anything?

— Scott Galloway

These are the free speech warriors… and now they are doing cancel culture in full.

— Kara Swisher

They are almost always not political extremists, but extremely online.

— Scott Galloway

Conflict entrepreneurs… have figured out how to hack our brains, get us addicted to outrage, which is the same chemical that you get from taking fentanyl.

— Spencer Cox (quoted and endorsed by Scott Galloway and Kara Swisher)

How do we grow our economy? Simple. Universal childcare.

— Scott Galloway

Political and media reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assassinationExtremely online young men, social isolation, and political violenceSocial media algorithms, Section 230, and ‘conflict/violence entrepreneurship’Free speech, cancel culture, and right-wing doxxing and firingsElon Musk, online conspiracies, and trans scapegoatingAI power dynamics: TikTok, OpenAI–Microsoft, Oracle, and HollywoodEconomic policy ideas: universal childcare, public markets, and regulation

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