Kara Swisher Slams Tech CEOs’ “Grotesque” Dinner with Trump | Pivot

Kara and Scott discuss Trump rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War, and his "grotesque" dinner with Big Tech leaders. Then, how Tesla's new pay package could make Elon a trillionaire. Plus, RFK Jr.'s continued chaos, and Anthropic's $1.5 billion copyright settlement. #pivot #podcast #karaswisher #scottgalloway #donaldtrump #departmentofwar #bigtech #elonmusk #rfkjr #anthropic #ai Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:48 Trump’s Department of War Rebrand 10:17 US Tech Companies Gain $420B 18:06 Trump’s Big Tech Dinner 25:39 Elon’s $1 Trillion Pay Package 34:46 RFK Jr. Creates Chaos 40:13 Anthropic Settles 47:30 Wins and Fails Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Kate Gallagher Audio Engineer: Ernie Indradat 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 at https://podcasts.voxmedia.com/show/pivot

Kara SwisherhostScott Gallowayhost

Sep 9, 202558mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: September 9, 2025
Duration: 58m
Channel: Pivot
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Kara and Scott discuss Trump rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War, and his "grotesque" dinner with Big Tech leaders. Then, how Tesla's new pay package could make Elon a trillionaire. Plus, RFK Jr.'s continued chaos, and Anthropic's $1.5 billion copyright settlement. #pivot #podcast #karaswisher #scottgalloway #donaldtrump #departmentofwar #bigtech #elonmusk #rfkjr #anthropic #ai Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:48 Trump’s Department of War Rebrand 10:17 US Tech Companies Gain $420B 18:06 Trump’s Big Tech Dinner 25:39 Elon’s $1 Trillion Pay Package 34:46 RFK Jr. Creates Chaos 40:13 Anthropic Settles 47:30 Wins and Fails Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Kate Gallagher Audio Engineer: Ernie Indradat 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 at https://podcasts.voxmedia.com/show/pivot

SPEAKERS

Kara Swisher
host
Scott Galloway
host
Narrator
other

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Pivot, featuring Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway, Kara Swisher Slams Tech CEOs’ “Grotesque” Dinner with Trump | Pivot explores kara Swisher Skewers Tech’s Trump Kowtow, War Rebrand, And AI Boom Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway dissect Trump’s symbolic rebrand of the Department of Defense to the “Department of War,” arguing it’s dangerous, performative machismo that undermines modern deterrence-based defense and recruitment. They warn that AI-driven efficiencies, especially in legal and white‑collar work, imply either severe overvaluation of Big Tech or looming mass job losses without adequate retraining or safety nets. The hosts condemn tech CEOs’ highly deferential White House dinner with Trump as morally grotesque and strategically shortsighted, while debating Elon Musk’s proposed trillion‑dollar Tesla pay package as both wildly unlikely to vest and a missed opportunity for serious tax policy reform. They also cover RFK Jr.’s anti‑vaccine influence, Anthropic’s massive copyright settlement, and broader failures of elites and institutions to protect public health, workers, and creators.

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