Dex Hunter-Torricke: Translating the Titans of Tech

In this episode, Trevor sits down with author and strategist Dex Hunter-Torricke, who has spent years behind the scenes with some of the most powerful people in tech, including Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Eric Schmidt, and has seen influence move from institutions into the hands of a few companies and the people running them. Together, they explore what that shift feels like from the inside, how much power is concentrated at the top, accountability and the lack of it, and what it means when the people shaping the future are also writing the rules as they go. With hundreds of new sales every week, you can eat well for less at Whole Foods Market. If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the channel here: http://bit.ly/SubscribeTrevorNoah Or follow the podcast on your other favorite platforms... SiriusXM Apple Podcasts - https://bit.ly/WhatNowOnApplePodcasts Spotify - https://bit.ly/WhatNowOnSpotify 00:00:00 - The Trial That Changed Everything 00:00:58 - The Name With a Secret Origin 00:02:12 - Tech Giants and the Dutch East India Company 00:04:29 - Growing Up the Only Brown Kid in Town 00:07:37 - Why the UN Doesn't Actually Work 00:11:13 - Why He Studied Russia Before It Was Cool 00:12:53 - Was Russia Always the Villain 00:19:33 - Tech in 2010 Was Still Kind of Punk 00:23:23 - Wait You're In That Book 00:32:34 - The Refugee Photo That Changed Everything 00:40:08 - The Algorithm Is a Choice 00:41:55 - They Weren't Evil Just Apathetic and That's Worse 00:49:16 - Then He Went to Work for Elon 00:58:47 - From Space Dreams to War Machines 00:59:10 - The AI Reckoning Nobody Is Ready For

Trevor Noahhost

Apr 9, 20261h 13mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: April 9, 2026
Duration: 1h 13m
Channel: What Now? With Trevor Noah
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In this episode, Trevor sits down with author and strategist Dex Hunter-Torricke, who has spent years behind the scenes with some of the most powerful people in tech, including Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Eric Schmidt, and has seen influence move from institutions into the hands of a few companies and the people running them. Together, they explore what that shift feels like from the inside, how much power is concentrated at the top, accountability and the lack of it, and what it means when the people shaping the future are also writing the rules as they go. With hundreds of new sales every week, you can eat well for less at Whole Foods Market. If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the channel here: http://bit.ly/SubscribeTrevorNoah Or follow the podcast on your other favorite platforms... SiriusXM Apple Podcasts - https://bit.ly/WhatNowOnApplePodcasts Spotify - https://bit.ly/WhatNowOnSpotify 00:00:00 - The Trial That Changed Everything 00:00:58 - The Name With a Secret Origin 00:02:12 - Tech Giants and the Dutch East India Company 00:04:29 - Growing Up the Only Brown Kid in Town 00:07:37 - Why the UN Doesn't Actually Work 00:11:13 - Why He Studied Russia Before It Was Cool 00:12:53 - Was Russia Always the Villain 00:19:33 - Tech in 2010 Was Still Kind of Punk 00:23:23 - Wait You're In That Book 00:32:34 - The Refugee Photo That Changed Everything 00:40:08 - The Algorithm Is a Choice 00:41:55 - They Weren't Evil Just Apathetic and That's Worse 00:49:16 - Then He Went to Work for Elon 00:58:47 - From Space Dreams to War Machines 00:59:10 - The AI Reckoning Nobody Is Ready For

SPEAKERS

Trevor Noah
host
Comedian and TV host of the podcast “What Now? With Trevor Noah.”

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of What Now? With Trevor Noah, featuring Trevor Noah and Trevor Noah, Dex Hunter-Torricke: Translating the Titans of Tech explores inside Big Tech’s conscience crisis: from optimism to AI alarmism Hunter-Torricke traces his path from an idealistic UN career to speechwriting for Google and Facebook, arguing that the UN was structurally built to prevent World War III, not to “solve the world.”

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