Attorney General Mra Healey of Massachetts weighs on social media, the Sacklers and Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
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- “I’LL WALK AWAY FROM ANYTHG”: KARA SWISHER CALLS THE SHOTSTHE ULTIMATE MEDIA SIR IS JUGGLG PODSTS, WRG A MEMOIR, AND TEXTG WH “HALF THE PLA.” (“SHE HAS A FFEE BEFORE BED,” SAYS BEN SMH.) SWISHER OPENS UP TO VANY FAIR ABOUT HER REER, CLUDG LEAVG THE NEW YORK TIM, AND LAMENTS JOURNALISTS’ LACK OF BS SAVVY. “IF YOU DON’T UNRSTAND THE ENOMICS OF WHAT’S HAPPENG,” SHE SAYS, “YOU’RE FUCKED.”BY CHARLOTTE KLEMARCH 28, 2023KARA SWISHER’S STARE N MAKE CEOS SQUIRM. LOVELY’S IS PRETTY GOOD TOO.PHOTOGRAPH BY GILLIAN LB. HAIR AND MAKP BY VICTORIA STIL @ THE ARTIST AGENCY.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEKARA SWISHER, ROCKG AVIATORS, AIRPODS, AND A “LBIANS WHO TECH” SWEATSHIRT, ROLLS TO VOX MEDIA’S DC HEADQUARTERS AND GETS RIGHT TO WORK. TODAY’S EPISO OF ON WH KARA SWISHER, A TWICE-WEEKLY PODST THAT LNCHED SEPTEMBER, IS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE REPUBLIN PARTY AFTER THE HOE SPEAKER EE-FOR-ALL, AND SHE’S TAPPED CNN’S MANU RAJU AND THE BULWARK’S CHARLIE SYK TO MAKE SENSE OF THE MS. ONCE THE GUTS E ON MERA, SWISHER APOLOGIZ FOR WEARG SUNGLASS, EXPLAG THAT SHE FOT HER PRCRIPTN PAIR AT HOME.“IT’S VERY DARK BRANDON,” SAYS RAJU.“I HAD BEFORE HIM,” SWISHER SHOOTS BACK. “LET’S BE CLEAR ON THAT SUATN.”SWISHER, AS AN TERVIEWER, SHOWS LTLE TOLERANCE FOR BLOVIATG; SHE GETS TO THE POT. ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE EPISO, SHE LLS FOR A “LIGHTNG ROUND” OF HOE REPUBLINS, ASKG SYK TO “TELL IF THE PERSON IS A TE BELIEVER OR A PHONY.”MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE?“SHE IS A NSPIRACY THEORIST, BATSH-CRAZY BIGOT, AND ANTISEME, AND FOR SOME REASON THAT HAS MA HER A ROCK STAR THE REPUBLIN PARTY,” SAYS SYK, A NEVER TMP–STYLE NSERVATIVE. AND? “SHE’S A BELIEVER—’S BULLSH, BUT SHE BELIEV .”AFTER WRAPPG UP THE PODST, HER THIRD TAPG THAT DAY, SWISHER KEEPS UP A RAPID-FIRE PATTER WH ME. IN THE URSE OF A FEW MUT, SHE BEMOANS THE LACK OF “ENTREPRENRIAL” REPORTERS, RELLS “A BIG FIGHT WH ROGER GOOLL” AFTER THE NFL MISSNER SUGGTED HER SONS PLAY FOOTBALL, AND MENTNS TALKG THE PREV NIGHT WH SUPERAGENT ARI EMANUEL ABOUT BULL RIDG. BUT JT LIKE THAT, SWISHER HAS TO N—NOT TO CNN, WHERE SHE’S BOOKED TO APPEAR THAT NIGHT—BUT FOR DRKS WH EXECUTIV OM CNBC. SHE RECENTLY CLED TO RE-SIGN HER NTRIBUTOR NTRACT WH THE WORK BEE SHE FELT NSTRAED BY S EXCLIVY L “AND THE MONEY WASN’T ENOUGH TO KEEP ME THERE.” NOW THEY’VE E TO TALK TO HER AGA. “I ALWAYS GET APPROACHED BY THE WORKS,” SWISHER TELLS ME. “AND THEY JT NEVER”—SHE LETS OUT AN EXASPERATED SIGH—“THEY NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY WANT TO MAKE.”WHICH IS NOT A PROBLEM SHE SEEMS TO HAVE. BEYOND ON, SWISHER, 60, ALSO HOSTS PIVOT, A TWICE-WEEKLY PODST WH BRASH NYU MARKETG PROFSOR STT GALLOWAY; IS WRG A MEMOIR ABOUT HER BEAT-REPORTG DAYS VERG THE DAWN OF THE WEB; IS WORKG ON A FICTNAL TV SHOW WH ANOTHER VETERAN SILIN VALLEY JOURNALIST; IS ADVISG POST NEWS, A SOCIAL PLATFORM SHE HOP WILL BE A TWTER PETOR; AND IS RAISG FOUR KIDS, TWO OF WHOM ARE TODDLERS. “SHE HAS A FFEE BEFORE BED EVERY NIGHT, AFTER MIDNIGHT,” SEMAFOR’S BEN SMH TEXTS. “THIS SEEMS SOMEHOW EMBLEMATIC TO ME. (IN A GOOD WAY.)”SWISHER, WHO IS FIVE FOOT TWO BUT “WR TALL,” AS SHE LIK TO SAY, HAS RVED A NSIRABLE NICHE FOR HERSELF, CUTTG ACROSS TELEVISN, THE WEB, PODSTS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA—BEG “THE QUEEN OF ALL MEDIA,” AS VETERAN TECH JOURNALIST WALT MOSSBERG PUTS . A FORMER VOX MEDIA LLEAGUE IS LS CHARABLE: “SHE’S ALWAYS BEEN SEARCHG FOR A WAY TO MAKE HER PLATFORM EVEN BIGGER, AND SHE’S DONE THAT. BUT BEGS AND ENDS WH HER. THERE’S NO LEGACY BEYOND THAT.”LEAVG LEGACY ASI FOR THE MOMENT, SWISHER HAS PLOWED A PATH THROUGH THE MEDIA LANDSPE ALONGSI DTRY SHIFTS, OM REPORTG AT A NEWSPAPER TO BLOGGG TO FOUNDG SUCCSFUL WEBS AND NFERENC TO BEG A BRAND UNTO HERSELF—PART OF A TREND OF ELE JOURNALISTS WALKG AWAY OM LEGACY OUTLETS PURSU OF MORE EEDOM AND, POTENTIALLY, PROFS. LAST YEAR SHE GAVE UP A PODST AND LUMN AT THE NEW YORK TIM LARGELY BEE, AS SHE SAYS, “I DON’T NEED MAMA TELLG ME WHAT TO DO.” AND SHE STEPPED BACK OM CO, THE INIC TECH NFERENCE SHE’D ANIZED AND HOSTED FOR THE PAST TWO S. “IT WAS LIKE PATG THE SAME PATG OVER AND OVER AGA,” SHE TELLS ME, “AND I JT WANTED TO MAKE SOMETHG ELSE.”MOST POPULARTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALBY SAN CASEYJIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER ENTERG “FAL DAYS” HEALTH UPDATEBY JACK MCCORDICKMELANIA’S TAKE ON DONALD TMP’S FOURTH INDICTMENT IS BASILLY “SUCKS TO BE YOU, PAL”: REPORTBY BS LEVON IS THE SIXTH PODST SWISHER HAS HOSTED, BUT ’S THE FIRST WHERE SHE OWNS THE IP AND HAS PLETE EDORIAL NTROL. SHE’S RIFFED ON ELON MK AND MARK ZUCKERBERG WHILE EXPANDG HER APERTURE WELL BEYOND SILIN VALLEY, TERVIEWG THE LIK OF DARREN STAR AND GEENA DAVIS, AND EXPLORG TOPICS RANGG OM EDY TO ATH. SWISHER’S BETTG THERE’S AN DIENCE WILLG TO TURN TO HER FOR MORE THAN JT EXPERTISE ON TECH MOGULDOM. “I MENTOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND ALMOST EVERY SGLE ONE OF THEM IS WORRIED ABOUT LOSG THEIR PLACE IF THEY STEP OUT OF LE. AND I’M LIKE, THE ONLY WAY YOU GET HIGHER IS IF YOU STEP OUT OF LE,” SWISHER TELLS ME. “THAT’S THE ONLY WAY. SERLY. UNLS YOU’RE UNTALENTED. AND THEN YOU SHOULD STAY LE.”ON A MONDAY AFTERNOON JANUARY, SWISHER’S HOE IS CHAOTIC, BUT THE GOOD KD, THE KD YOU FD A PLACE WHERE LIFE IS HAPPENG. TOYS ARE STREWN EVERYWHERE AND A BABY IS LGHG AND SOMETIM CRYG AND THE SK IS NNG THE KCHEN, WHERE THE GOLN CHILD—AS SWISHER’S THREE-YEAR-OLD DGHTER IS MONLY REFERRED TO ON HER PODSTS—IS ABOUT TO HAVE A SNACK. THERE’S LOTS OF TALK OF “ELSA CHEE,” WHICH IS STRG CHEE THAT DISNEY HAS BRAND WH FROZEN CHARACTERS. THE GOLN CHILD CRAWLS UP ONTO THE UNTER, WHERE, AT THE OPPOSE END, SWISHER AND HER WIFE, THE JOURNALIST AMANDA KATZ, ARE TCHG UP ON EACH OTHER’S DAY.“HOW WAS THE SRAMUCCI THG? WHO WON?” KATZ ASKS, REFERRG TO A PUBLIC BATE SWISHER DID THAT MORNG WH FANCIER ANTHONY SRAMUCCI ON WHETHER MK—WHOM SWISHER HAS KNOWN AND VERED SCE THE ’90S—IS KILLG TWTER.“I DID, OBVLY,” SAYS SWISHER. “I SAID HE IS, AND ’S KILLG ELON MORE THAN HE’S KILLG .”“AND THEN PIVOT WAS GOOD,” SWISHER SAYS. “STT MA AT LEAST 14 PROSTUTE JOK.”DPE HAVG A MISTROKE A BACK, SWISHER FAMOLY DO NOT LIKE TAKG TIME OFF AND WORKS AROUND THE CLOCK. IN DECEMBER, “SHE HAD HEART SURGERY AND SHE WAS WORKG THE DAY BEFORE AND THE DAY AFTER. THAT’S NOT AN EXAGGERATN,” GALLOWAY TELLS ME. (WHEN I ASK SWISHER HOW THE SURGERY WENT, SHE REPLI, “GOOD, OBVLY.”) HER TURBOCHARGED WORK ETHIC ULD BE TRACED, PART, TO TRAGEDY EARLY LIFE. WHEN SHE WAS FIVE, HER FATHER DIED SUDNLY AT 34 OF PLITNS OM A BRA ANRYSM. FRH OUT OF THE NAVY AND WH THREE KIDS, HE’D JT PURCHASED HIS FIRST HOE AND LAND A GIG AS THE HEAD OF ANTHIA AT THE BROOKLYN JEWISH HOSPAL. “HE THOUGHT HE WAS HEAD FOR THE BIG TIME. HE JT DIED—FELL OVER ONE DAY. AND THAT HAS RMED EVERYTHG I’VE DONE. I’M LIKE, I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS,” SAYS SWISHER, ADDG, “YOU DON’T HAVE TIME, EHER. NOBODY HAS TIME.”SWISHER’S MOTHER REMARRIED SOON AFTER, TO A “CEL” MAN WHOM SWISHER “ULDN’T SAY ENOUGH BAD THGS ABOUT” BUT ADMS WAS A “NNY ENGEER.” WHEN SWISHER WAS SIXTH GRA, THEY MOVED OM LONG ISLAND TO PRCETON, NEW JERSEY, FOR HIS WORK, AND WHEN THE RT OF THE FAY MOVED TO CALIFORNIA A FEW YEARS LATER, SWISHER STAYED BEHD. “I WAS LIKE, I’M THE YEARBOOK EDOR. I HAVE A BOYIEND. FUCK YOU,” SHE RELLS. “I LIVED WH IENDS AND FISHED MY SENR YEAR BY MYSELF, PRETTY MUCH.” (SWISHER KNEW SHE WAS GAY OM AGE FOUR BUT DIDN’T HAVE A GIRLIEND UNTIL LLEGE.)AT GEETOWN’S SCHOOL OF FOREIGN SERVICE, SHE STUDIED PROPAGANDA, AN TN THAT SHAPED HER VIEW OF MISRMATN AND DONALD TMP’S MANIPULATN OF THE MEDIA. “I THK I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO SAY THERE’S REAL DAMAGE GOG ON HERE AND WE HAVE TO START PAYG ATTENTN TO ,” SWISHER SAYS. “YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THAT AND SEE WHAT THEY’RE DOG, EVEN IF YOU CRY AND HATE …. I WAS ALWAYS TERTED THE MOVG OF THE OVERTON WDOW.” SWISHER WANTED TO FOLLOW HER FATHER TO THE ARY. “I THOUGHT I MIGHT GO TO THE CIA,” SHE SAYS. BUT THAT WOULD’VE REQUIRED HER TO LIE ABOUT BEG GAY. “I DIDN’T EVEN TRY.”DURG LLEGE, SHE WORKED AS A STRGER FOR THE WASHGTON POST AFTER PLAG TO THEN METRO EDOR LARRY KRAMER ABOUT A SLOPPY STORY THEY’D PUBLISHED ON A GEETOWN EVENT. YEARS LATER—AFTER STTS AT COLUMBIA JOURNALISM SCHOOL (“A WASTE OF MONEY” THAT SHE WISHED SHE’D “VTED APPLE STOCK” STEAD), THE WASHGTON CY PAPER, AND THE POLIL CHAT-FT THE MCLGHL GROUP (WHOSE HOST, THE LATE JOHN MCLGHL, SHE LATER TTIFIED AGAST A SEXUAL HARASSMENT SE)—SHE RETURNED TO THE POST, WORKG HER WAY UP OM STYLE NEWS AI TO REPORTER ON THE LOL RETAIL BEAT. “THE POST IS WHERE I SIGNIFINTLY STARTED TO E TECHNOLOGY,” SAYS SWISHER, RELLG THE SUSE CELL PHONE SHE ED TO LUG AROUND THE OFFICE.“KARA’S SORT OF NSTANT TEXT NVERSATN WH HALF THE PLA.”SWISHER PUT HERSELF ON THE MAP NATNALLY AT THE POST WHILE VERG THE FG DOT- SAGA OF THE ’90S: AOL AND S EVENTUAL DISASTRO MERGER WH TIME WARNER. “KARA ALWAYS HAD THIS LARGER-THAN-LIFE PERSONALY. I REMEMBER HER [AS] SHORT, FEISTY, THE KD OF PERSON WHO SETS THE ROOM ALIVE,” RELLS THE POST’S DAVID IGNATI, WHO WAS BS EDOR WHEN SWISHER WAS WRG FOR THE SECTN. “SHE WAS A STAR. WE KNEW WE ULDN’T HOLD HER.”MOST POPULARTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALBY SAN CASEYJIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER ENTERG “FAL DAYS” HEALTH UPDATEBY JACK MCCORDICKMELANIA’S TAKE ON DONALD TMP’S FOURTH INDICTMENT IS BASILLY “SUCKS TO BE YOU, PAL”: REPORTBY BS LEVSHE LEFT TO WRE HER FIRST OF TWO BOOKS ON AOL, MEETG MOSSBERG ALONG THE WAY. HE REMEND HER FOR A JOB AT THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, WHERE 2003 THE DUO LNCHED THE ALLTHGSD NFERENCE, A LIVE-JOURNALISM EXTRAVAGANZA FEATURG THE BIGGT NAM TECH. IT WAS AT THIS NFERENCE 2007 THAT BILL GAT AND STEVE JOBS TOOK THE STAGE TOGETHER A HISTORIC JOT TERVIEW AND, A FEW YEARS LATER, WHERE ZUCKERBERG BROKE TO A PROFE SWEAT AMID QUTNS ABOUT FACEBOOK PRIVACY.“KARA’S NEVER AD HOMEM. SHE MIGHT BE SNARKY, BUT SHE DON’T ATTACK PEOPLE; SHE ATTACKS THEIR ACTNS AND THEIR IAS,” MOSSBERG TELLS ME. “PEOPLE FEEL THAT HER TERVIEWS N ELEVATE THEM, AND SOMETIM N HURT THEM, BUT THAT ’S WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSN,” SAYS VETERAN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER TAMMY HADDAD. A RECENT EXAMPLE IS CNN CHIEF EXECUTIVE CHRIS LICHT, WHO, TO PUT DLY, GOT OFF TO A ROUGH START. IT WAS STRATEGIC FOR LICHT TO GIVE HIS FIRST EXTENSIVE TERVIEW TO SWISHER, A SOURCE CLOSE TO THE CNN CHIEF ACKNOWLEDG, AS SWISHER “HAD THE CREDIBILY TO HELP RHAPE THE NARRATIVE BUT ALSO WOULD GIVE THE IMPRSN THAT CHRIS IS PRETTY FEARLS, BEE SHE’S A TOUGH TERVIEWER.”THE SUCCS OF THE NFERENCE NVCED DOW JON TO LET MOSSBERG AND SWISHER START THE ALLTHGSD BLOG. THEY LEFT 2013 TO START THEIR OWN VENTURE, FOR WHICH THEY’D RAISED $10 LN FUNDG, TAKG THE ALLTHGSD STAFF WH THEM AND TRYG, UNSUCCSFULLY, TO TAKE THE BRAND TOO. BUT JOURNAL OWNER RUPERT MURDOCH, SHE SAYS, WANTED $10 LN FOR THE URL. “I WROTE THEM BACK. I SAID, ‘I N BUY FUCKYOURUPERT FOR $10.’ ” SO ALLTHGSD BEME RE AND THE D CONFERENCE BEME THE CO CONFERENCE. ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF LATER, VOX MEDIA PURCHASED RE AN ALL-STOCK AL.CEO JIM BANKOFF, WHO FIRST ENUNTERED SWISHER AS AN AOL EXECUTIVE ON THE OTHER END OF ONE OF HER REPORTG LLS, BASILLY LET HER DO WHATEVER SHE WANTED AT VOX MEDIA. NOT LONG AFTER THE SALE, SWISHER STOPPED NNG RE—“I HATE MANAGG,” SHE SAYS—AND STARTED THE RE DE PODST. WHAT REALLY SOLD HER ON PODSTG WAS THE “EMOTNAL ATTACHMENT” LISTENERS FELT TO HER AS A HOST. PART OF WHAT MAK SWISHER SO PELLG IS HER ABILY TO “MOVE BETWEEN THE PERSONAL AND THE WORK WH EASE,” SAYS NEW YORK TIM CEO MEREDH KOP LEVIEN.SWISHER NOTICED THAT HER “GEEK GUY” DIENCE BEGAN TO EXPAND AFTER VENTURG TO PODSTG, SUCH AS WHEN FOUR WOMEN OF LOR, ALL ENTREPRENRS, APPROACHED HER ON THE MUNI SAN FRANCIS. “KARA, ’S YOU. I N’T BELIEVE . I’M LIKE, THIS IS NOT MY FUCK’ MO,” SWISHER REMEMBERS. (MORE RECENTLY, A FIREFIGHTER “MA A ONE-EIGHTY THE STREET NEW YORK” TO TAKE A SELFIE WH HER, SHE RELLS. “HE’S LIKE, I LOVE YOU…. I KNEW THE NFTS WERE BULLSH, THANK YOU FOR EXPLAG TO ME.”) SHE SIGNED OFF AS HOST OF RE DE JULY 2020, FIVE YEARS AND MORE THAN 500 TERVIEWS LATER. BY THEN SHE’D STARTED PIVOT. THE DYNAMIC IS GALLOWAY AS PROVOTR AND SWISHER REELG HIM . ALSO 2020, PIVOT BEME PART OF NEW YORK MAGAZE, WHICH VOX MEDIA HAD ACQUIRED A YEAR EARLIER.MOST POPULARTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALBY SAN CASEYJIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER ENTERG “FAL DAYS” HEALTH UPDATEBY JACK MCCORDICKMELANIA’S TAKE ON DONALD TMP’S FOURTH INDICTMENT IS BASILLY “SUCKS TO BE YOU, PAL”: REPORTBY BS LEVDPE THE NEW YORK ASSOCIATN, SWISHER, WHO HAS TWO TEENAGE SONS WH HER FIRST WIFE, FORMER GOOGLE EXECUTIVE MEGAN SMH, IS LIVG DC AGA. FOR MOST OF OUR NVERSATN AT HER HOME, SHE WEARS HER SIGNATURE AVIATOR SUNGLASS UNTIL ’S DARK ENOUGH THAT SHE GETS UP TO TURN ON A LAMP. (SHE HAS AN EYE NDN THAT SENSIVY TO LIGHT. “THE AVIATORS ARE A BRAND THG; THE DARK GLASS ARE NOT,” SHE EXPLAS.) AS WE’RE TALKG, WE ARE OCSNALLY TERPTED BY OTHER PIEC OF SWISHER’S LIFE POPPG THROUGH THE DOORWAY—THE T, KATZ, AND THE GOLN CHILD, WHO TO ASK SWISHER TO HELP HER PUT THE SHOE BACK ON HER BARBIE. FIDDLG WH THE PLASTIC SHOE, SWISHER TELLS HER DGHTER, “HONEY, I NEVER PLAYED WH BARBI.” SWISHER TELLS ME SHE DID AN TERVIEW WH THE CEO OF MATTEL AND TOLD HIM SHE HATED BARBIE; AFTERWARD, HE SENT HER A BOX OF THEM. “I LET HER KEEP ONE AND I GAVE THE RT TO CHARY.” THE GOLN CHILD LEAV THE DOLL ON THE TABLE ONT OF SWISHER, WHO PROCEEDS FOR THE NEXT HOUR TO STROKE BARBIE’S HAIR WHILE WE TALK.“THE WORD BRAND— MAK YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE A JAR OF PEANUT BUTTER.”“THE WORD BRAND— MAK YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE A JAR OF PEANUT BUTTER,” SAYS SWISHER, RELLG HOW PEOPLE ED TO LODGE AS AN SULT. “I’M MAKG SOMETHG THAT HAS MY NAME ON , AND BEE OF THE NEW TOOLS AVAILABLE TO THROUGH THE TER, WE N NOW GET OUR VOICE OUT THERE WAYS WE ULDN’T,” SHE SAYS. “I THK I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO SAY THAT TO PEOPLE. AND OBVLY, THE PEOPLE WHO N THE PLAC DO NOT LIKE THAT MSAGE. WHEN I LEFT THE JOURNAL, EVERYONE SUDNLY WAS LIKE, YOU N LEAVE? THEY WERE SHOCKED.” SHE WHISPERS, “I WAS LIKE, YOU N LEAVE.”“I’M TRYG TO TEACH YOU THAT, RIGHT?” SWISHER SAYS TO HER DGHTER, WHO NODS. “YEAH? YOU GONNA DO WHAT YOU WANNA DO?” ANOTHER NOD. “YEAH. GOOD. YOU’RE GONNA WATCH FROZEN ALL THE TIME IS WHAT YOU’RE GONNA DO.” SWISHER, LOWERG HER VOICE, TELLS ME, “IT’S HERO. I TEXTED BOB IGER, I’M LIKE, STOP. YOU PUT ON CHEE. WHAT THE FUCK!”“HONEY, I NEVER PLAYED WH BARBI,” SWISHER TELLS HER DGHTER. SHE LET HER KEEP ONE OM A BOX SENT OVER BY MATTEL’S CEO.PHOTOGRAPH BY GILLIAN LB. HAIR AND MAKP BY VICTORIA STIL @ THE ARTIST AGENCY.WHEN I ASK SWISHER WHETHER THE SUCCS OF PIVOT HAS GIVEN HER THE EEDOM TO TURN DOWN OR LEAVE OTHER PROJECTS, SHE PRACTILLY SNORTS. “I’LL WALK AWAY OM ANYTHG,” SHE SAYS. “I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE I N MAKE SOMETHG ELSE.”CASE POT: THE NEW YORK TIM, WHERE SWISHER LAND AN OPN LUMN 2018. THEN ME SWAY, A TWICE-WEEKLY PODST ABOUT POWER THAT WAS MEANT TO BE A TERRY GROSS–TYPE SHOW—HILLARY CLTON AND JANE GOODALL WERE EARLY GUTS—BUT CHANGED DIRECTN OVER TIME AS BEME MORE REACTIVE TO NEWS. SOME EPISOS MA A SPLASH, LIKE ONE THE AFTERMATH OF THE JANUARY 6 SURRECTN WHICH SWISHER PRSED PARLER CEO JOHN MATZE ON THE RIGHT-WG SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM’S ROLE. APPLE CED HIS MENTS ON SWAY S CISN TO REMOVE PARLER OM S APP STORE. MATZE WAS FIRED A MONTH LATER. BUT THEN SWISHER STARTED TO GET “CHY,” AS SHE PUTS , PARTICULARLY WH THE LUMN, WHICH SHE SAYS N BEE “A LIVE FF” FOR PEOPLE WHO STAY TOO LONG. “I THK MOST PEOPLE HAVE 40 GOOD LUMNS THEM.”MOST POPULARTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALBY SAN CASEYJIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER ENTERG “FAL DAYS” HEALTH UPDATEBY JACK MCCORDICKMELANIA’S TAKE ON DONALD TMP’S FOURTH INDICTMENT IS BASILLY “SUCKS TO BE YOU, PAL”: REPORTBY BS LEVAND THERE WAS TUMULT AT SWAY. SIX PEOPLE LEFT THE TIM AFTER ABOUT A YEAR OR LS OF WORKG ON THE SHOW. “IT WAS TOTALLY KNOWN ACROSS THE OPN D PARTMENT THAT THIS WAS A NIGHTMARE SHOW TO WORK FOR,” SAYS ONE TIM STAFFER, WHO, ALONG WH THREE FORMER OPN D STAFFERS, POTS TO IMPOSSIBLE ADL AND POOR MANAGEMENT. THERE WERE “MONTHS AND MONTHS OF TERVENTNS AND PEOPLE TRYG TO FIX ,” THE STAFFER SAYS. WHEN I ASK SWISHER HOW SHE FELT SHE WAS AS A MANAGER ON SWAY, SHE SAYS SHE WASN’T ONE; SHE WAS TALENT. “NOBODY REPORTED DIRECTLY TO ME,” SAYS SWISHER. “I DIDN’T HIRE THEM. I DIDN’T FIRE THEM. I DIDN’T DO THEIR REVIEWS OR ANYTHG LIKE THAT. I WASN’T VOLVED ANYBODY’S REVIEW, UNFORTUNATELY.”AS FOR THE TURNOVER, SHE SAYS, “I THK WAS THAT THEY DIDN’T HIRE THE RIGHT PEOPLE THE FIRST PLACE,” BEE “I DO NEWS.” I POT OUT THAT SWAY WAS A PRODUCT OF THE OPN SI OF TIM D, NOT S NEWS DIVISN, WHICH SHE DISMISS AS AN IRRELEVANT DISTCTN. “WHEN SOMETHG HAPPENS, I WANT TO DO RIGHT AWAY…THEY JT DIDN’T WANNA MOVE THAT WAY. I TOTALLY GET , I PLETELY RPECT , BUT I JT DIDN’T WANT TO DO THE SLOWER SHOW. I WANTED TO DO THE FAST-BURN SHOW. AND SO WAS A REAL STGGLE.”SWISHER STARTED HOSTG NVERSATNS ON TWTER SPAC. “I WAS MAKG SOMETHG ELSE. WHEN I HAVE FOUR CHILDREN, FOUR PODSTS A WEEK, A LUMN…WHAT DO THAT SAY TO YOU? I’M NOT MAKG WHAT I WANNA MAKE.” SHE WAS ALSO CHAFG AGAST THE TIM’ BURECRACY. “I JT WANTED TO MAKE WHAT I WANTED TO MAKE, AND I DIDN’T WANNA ASK 86 PEOPLE. THEY’RE ALL REALLY SMART. THEY JT AREN’T ME.” (NEW YORK TIM OPN EDOR KATHLEEN KGSBURY APPLD SWISHER’S “UNMISTAKABLE VOICE” AND SAYS THE SECTN WAS “GRATEFUL FOR HER FOUR YEARS OF REPORTG AND MENTARY FOR .”)AS SWISHER WAS GETTG CREASGLY RTLS AT THE TIM, SHE WAS NSIRG OPPORTUNI ELSEWHERE, CLUDG THE WASHGTON POST, WHICH WAS TALKG TO HER ABOUT A ROLE SPANNG PODSTS, LIVE EVENTS, AND LUMNS. “THEY WANTED TO BRG A STAR, AND THEY JT DIDN’T WANNA PAY,” SAYS SWISHER. SHE WENT FURTHT DOWN THE ROAD WH CNN, WHICH WANTED HER TO HOST A SHOW ON CNN+ AND WAS OFFERG “LNS OF DOLLARS,” ACRDG TO SWISHER. GALLOWAY HAD ALREADY SIGNED HIS OWN AL TO HOST A PROGRAM ON THE FORTHG STREAMG SERVICE, BUT SHE WAS WARY GIVEN THE IMPENDG WARNER BROS. DISVERY MERGER. “THEY’RE GONNA HAVE TO CUT SOMETHG BIG AND GUS WHAT’S BIG AND STUPID? THAT,” SHE SAID OF CNN+, WHICH DISVERY QUICKLY KILLED OFF.SWISHER WANTED TO MAKE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF TERVIEW SHOW, LS FORMAL THAN SWAY AND “MORE ABOUT ME,” SWISHER SAYS. “I JT DIDN’T THK I ULD MAKE THERE. THE DIENCE WAS DIFFERENT. THEY WEREN’T ON THE JOKE.” OVER AT NEW YORK, EDOR CHIEF DAVID HASKELL WAS ON THE SAME PAGE. “YOU KNOW, I LISTENED TO . I WAS SOMETIM JEALO OF ,” HE SAYS OF SWAY. “AND THERE WERE WAYS WHICH I ALSO THOUGHT WE MIGHT BE A BETTER HOME FOR HER.” ONCE SHE’D CID TO LEAVE, SWISHER FIRST TOLD LEVIEN, THE TIM’ CEO. “I DIDN’T GO TO THE EDORIAL PEOPLE. I KNEW THEY’D BE HURT…THEY HAVE A VISN OF NOBODY LEAV THE TIM, BUT SHE GOT RIGHT AWAY,” SAYS SWISHER. “IT WAS GOOD TO HAVE HER AT THE TIM FOR THE STRETCH WE HAD HER, AND MAK SENSE TO ME WHY SHE MOVED ON,” SAYS LEVIEN, SCRIBG SWISHER AS A “FORCE THE DTRY.”MOST POPULARTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALBY SAN CASEYJIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER ENTERG “FAL DAYS” HEALTH UPDATEBY JACK MCCORDICKMELANIA’S TAKE ON DONALD TMP’S FOURTH INDICTMENT IS BASILLY “SUCKS TO BE YOU, PAL”: REPORTBY BS LEVOVER LUNCH AT A JAPANE RTRANT CATHEDRAL HEIGHTS, I ASK SWISHER HOW MUCH OF HER CISN TO LEAVE THE TIM HAD TO DO WH OWNERSHIP. “A LOT,” SHE SAYS, BETWEEN B OF SALMON TERIYAKI. “WHAT WAS HAPPENG AT THE TIME IS I FD OUT THAT ALL THE STUFF AT THE JOURNAL, THE ALLTHGSD STUFF, DISAPPEARED OM THE TER,” SAYS SWISHER. “THEY WERE SO RELS WH MY STUFF,” SHE SAYS. “I’VE DONE A THOAND OR MORE TERVIEWS. I OWN NONE OF THEM.” MEANWHILE, THERE SHE WAS AT THE TIM, GROWG SOMETHG ELSE THAT WASN’T HERS. “I ALSO WANTED A PIECE OF THE REVENUE AGA, AND THE TIM IS NOT GONNA DO THAT, SORRY TO TELL YOU,” SHE SAYS. “I WAS WORKG AT A DISUNT AT THE NEW YORK TIM FOR WHAT I MAKE.”AS BANKOFF WAS PREPARG TO LNCH THE VERGE 2011, HE CID TO BREAK THE NEWS A -EXCLIVE WH SWISHER AT ALLTHGSD AND THE LATE DAVID CARR AT THE TIM. “SHE MA VERY CLEAR TO ME THAT IF I WERE TO BURN HER—I.E., HOLD UP RMATN OM HER THAT CARR WAS GETTG—THERE WOULD BE REPERCSNS,” BANKOFF RELLED, LGHG. “I’M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT THOSE REPERCSNS WOULD BE…BUT I KNEW THEN, AND I KNOW NOW, THAT YOU KEEP YOUR WORD WH KARA.”“I ED TO BE SO AGGRSIVE ABOUT THAT STUFF. NOT ANYMORE. I DON’T RE,” SWISHER TELLS ME WHEN I ASK HER ABOUT THIS STORY. “SOPS DON’T MATTER ANYMORE BEE THEY’RE SO EPHEMERAL,” SHE SAYS. STILL, SHE BRISTL AT THE IA THAT SHE’S NOT STILL REPORTG. “I DO REPORTG ALL THE TIME,” SHE TELLS ME. “IT MANIFTS SELF MY TERVIEWS,” SAYS SWISHER. “I’M DOG REPORTED ANALYSIS NOW. I AM NOT DOG PUNDRY.” (EVEN IF SHE’S TONED DOWN HER REPORTG STYLE, SHE’S STILL SEEN AS SOMEONE NOT TO CROSS: MULTIPLE PEOPLE WOULDN’T SPEAK TO ME FOR THIS STORY BEE, THEY REMD ME, SWISHER IS A POWERFUL PERSON.)“SHE’S WILLG TO GET TO THE BRAWL WH ME,” EMANUEL, THE ENAVOR CEO, TOLD ME, LIKENG HIS AND SWISHER’S BACK-AND-FORTHS TO THE “FRIDAY-NIGHT DNERS AT MY HOE THAT I ED TO HAVE—YOU HAD TO E WH A STRONG ARGUMENT AND POTS OF VIEW, AND WILLG TO THROW BLOWS AND TAKE BLOWS.” EMANUEL MET SWISHER MORE THAN A AGO AT A SILIN VALLEY GATHERG. “SHE’S SOMEBODY THAT WHEN I HAVE A QUTN ABOUT THEIR POT OF VIEW, AND I TST THEIR POT OF VIEW, I’LL PICK UP THE PHONE AND SAY, WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THIS?”SWISHER SE HER ROLE NOW LS AS BREAKG NEWS ABOUT TECH PANI THAN TERPRETG THE WORDS AND ACTNS OF THE DTRY TANS SHE KNOWS “VERY WELL.” TAKE MK, FOR EXAMPLE. THEY’RE NOT ON SPEAKG TERMS—HE RECENTLY LLED HER AN ASSHOLE AN EMAIL—AND YET SWISHER HAS STILL MANAGED TO POSN HERSELF AS THE GO-TO ELON EXPERT. SHE’S EVEN FEATURED HERSELF AS THE GUT FOR AN ON EPISO TLED “ELON MK: SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW”; SWISHER’S EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND ON-AIR SIKICK, NAYEEMA RAZA, NDUCTED THE TERVIEW. SWISHER SIARLY SERVED AS TERVIEWEE ON A RECENT ZUCKERBERG EPISO, AND AS WH MK, TAK ON THE ROLE OF TECH DTRY NSCIENCE. “PART OF THE POWER OF HER PODST IS THERE’S A SENSE OF SOMEBODY WHO HAS BEEN HERE THE WHOLE TIME AND IS KD OF FED UP,” SAYS TECH JOURNALIST CASEY NEWTON, WHO NSIRS SWISHER A MENTOR (AS WELL AS A LANDLORD—HE RENTS HER GUT TTAGE SAN FRANCIS).THE OFTEN BLURRY LE BETWEEN SWISHER THE SIR AND SWISHER THE REPORTER IS PRECISELY HER APPEAL. “KARA’S SORT OF NSTANT TEXT NVERSATN WH HALF THE PLA, AND ’S A THRILL TO REALIZE THAT THAT’S WHAT’S BUZZG YOUR POCKET,” SAYS HASKELL. (I GOT MY OWN GLIMPSE OF THIS OVER THE URSE OF REPORTG THIS PIECE, AS I’D GET RANDOM TEXTS OM SWISHER, AT ALL HOURS, WEIGHG ON THE MEDIA TOPIC DU JOUR AND ONCE ACCINTALLY ROPG ME TO A GROUP CHAT WH HER AGENTS.) THOSE WHO SOCIALIZE WH HER THE PAL SCRIBE HER A PERPETUAL STATE OF GATHERG STRG. “SHE KNOWS EVERYBODY, AND SHE GETS VED EVERYWHERE, BEE SHE’S FUN,” SAYS LEGENDARY WASHGTON JOURNALIST AND HOST SALLY QUN, WHOSE LATE HBAND, BEN BRADLEE, HIRED SWISHER TO THE POST. “SHE ALSO HAS AN CREDIBLE BULLSH TECTOR—WHICH IS ALWAYS HELPFUL WASHGTON,” QUN ADDS.SWISHER IS THE MIDDLE OF WRG HER MEMOIR ABOUT VERG THE EARLY DAYS OF THE TER. IT’S TAKG HER A WHILE, BEE, ADDN TO “ALL THE CHILDREN, JOBS, AND HEART SURGERI,” SHE TELLS ME, “I DON’T LIKE THE PEOPLE I’M WRG ABOUT ANYMORE.” (A FEW WEEKS LATER, AT AN ABSURDLY LATE HOUR, SHE TEXTED THAT SHE’D JT FISHED HER CHAPTER ON JEFF BEZOS. “TOMORROW: RUPERT,” SHE ADD.) AS PART OF A TWO-BOOK AL, SWISHER ALSO HOP TO WRE A BOOK WH HER BROTHER, THE DOCTOR JEFEY SWISHER, ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF LIVG FOREVER.MOST POPULARTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALBY SAN CASEYJIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER ENTERG “FAL DAYS” HEALTH UPDATEBY JACK MCCORDICKMELANIA’S TAKE ON DONALD TMP’S FOURTH INDICTMENT IS BASILLY “SUCKS TO BE YOU, PAL”: REPORTBY BS LEVAT THE MOMENT, SHE’S ALSO WORKG ON A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT AOL WH LEFT/RIGHT PRODUCTNS—“IT’S A GREAT NCEPT” AND “I’M THE ONLY ONE WHO N HELP THEM”—AND A SCRIPTED SHOW ABOUT TECH WH BLOOMBERG’S BRAD STONE, WHO IS DOG THE SCREENWRG. THEY HAVE A SHOWNNER, “SO WE’LL SEE IF WE SELL ,” SAYS SWISHER. SHE’S ALSO BEEN ADVISG POST NEWS, A SOCIAL WORK FOUND BY FORMER WAZE CEO NOAM BARD, AND HAS BEEN ENURAGG PEOPLE TO JO ON TWTER. “I WOULD LIKE A VIABLE PETOR [TO TWTER] BY AN ENTREPRENR I RPECT,” SWISHER SAYS. “I HATE THAT THERE’S ONE TWTER.”SWISHER SAYS SHE TRI TO STCTURE HER ALS “WHERE I GET A PIECE OF FOR MY SUCCS.” FOR PIVOT, SHE RECEIVED VOX MEDIA STOCK THAT N BE NVERTED TO SH AFTER FOUR YEARS. WH ON, SHE OWNS THE IP, HAS A MIMUM SALARY, AND THEY SHARE THE REVENUE AFTER STS. “I THK REPORTERS ARE SUPER UNFORTABLE TALKG ABOUT MONEY, AND I’M NOT AT ALL,” SHE SAID. “I REALLY HATE THAT JOURNALISTS DON’T UNRSTAND BS. IF YOU DON’T UNRSTAND THE ENOMICS OF WHAT’S HAPPENG, YOU’RE FUCKED.”“SHE CLEARLY, THROUGH HER JOURNALISM, UNRSTOOD NOT ONLY THE VALUE BUT THE POWER OF TELLECTUAL PROPERTY WHILE VERG WHAT OTHERS WERE DOG THAT SPACE,” DISNEY CEO BOB IGER, WHO HAS BANTERED WH SWISHER BOTH OFFSTAGE AND ON FOR YEARS, TELLS ME. “THERE SHE WAS WH A ONT-ROW SEAT TO THE MG OF GREAT TELLECTUAL PROPERTY—G TECHNOLOGY, REALLY—AS A MEANS OF CREATG VALUE,” HE SAYS, ADDG THAT SWISHER “ EFFECT TURNED THE RULTS OF HER OWN REPORTG ON HERSELF.”IN FEBARY 2022, GALLOWAY AND SWISHER HELD THE GURAL PIVOT CONFERENCE, WHICH THEY BOTH HAVE AN OWNERSHIP STAKE. “IT WAS NOT A FANCIAL SUCCS. IT WAS VERY EXPENSIVE TO PUT ON,” GALLOWAY TELLS ME. THEY’VE HELD OTHER LIVE PIVOT EVENTS—CLUDG GERMANY AND LONDON JANUARY—BUT ARE STILL FIGURG OUT WHAT’S NEXT. ABOUT HALF OF PIVOT’S DIENCE IS GEN Z OR LENNIAL, WH MORE THAN 70 PERCENT THE 18-TO-49 AGE BRACKET, ACRDG TO A VOX MEDIA SPOKPERSON. ONE IA IS GOG TO BS SCHOOLS, WHERE SWISHER SAYS PIVOT HAS “A CRAZY FAN BASE,” AND CREATG SOME SORT OF WORKG OCSN. “SOMETHG ELSE BIS PEOPLE STG A FUCKG BALLROOM,” SHE SAYS.EVEN WH SO MANY PROJECTS SWIRLG THE PRENT, SWISHER HAS AN EYE TOWARD POSTERY. “IN HISTORY, THEY’RE GONNA WATCH THAT GAT AND JOBS TERVIEW. A HUNDRED YEARS OM NOW—THAT’S HOW WE GOT THEM TO DO , REALLY,” SHE TOLD ME. “THEY’RE GONNA WATCH ALL THE TERVIEWS…’S LIKE YOU HAD THOMAS EDISON, AND I CHALLENGED HIM. RATHER THAN WHAT GROWS UP AROUND THEM, THE MYTHOLOGY, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO HEAR THEM BEG TERVIEWED BY SOMEONE WHO WAS GOOD AT TERVIEWG.”CORRECTION: AN EARLIER VERSN OF THIS STORY MISSTATED THE TECHNOLOGY SWISHER ED WHILE WORKG AT THE WASHGTON POST. SHE ED A SUSE CELL PHONE, NOT A KAYPRO PUTER.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALWHY THE GEIA INDICTMENT AGAST TMP AND HIS ALLI IS THE MOST SWEEPG YETIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMER25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSA NEW SLIM AARONS BOOK CAPTUR A LOST WORLDFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)CHARLOTTE KLE
- FLORIDA LOS OUT ON PIVOT CONFERENCE BACKLASH OVER ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ VOTE
“I’LL WALK AWAY FROM ANYTHG”: KARA SWISHER CALLS THE SHOTSTHE ULTIMATE MEDIA SIR IS JUGGLG PODSTS, WRG A MEMOIR, AND TEXTG WH “HALF THE PLA.” (“SHE HAS A FFEE BEFORE BED,” SAYS BEN SMH.) SWISHER OPENS UP TO VANY FAIR ABOUT HER REER, CLUDG LEAVG THE NEW YORK TIM, AND LAMENTS JOURNALISTS’ LACK OF BS SAVVY. “IF YOU DON’T UNRSTAND THE ENOMICS OF WHAT’S HAPPENG,” SHE SAYS, “YOU’RE FUCKED.”BY CHARLOTTE KLEMARCH 28, 2023KARA SWISHER’S STARE N MAKE CEOS SQUIRM. LOVELY’S IS PRETTY GOOD TOO.PHOTOGRAPH BY GILLIAN LB. HAIR AND MAKP BY VICTORIA STIL @ THE ARTIST AGENCY.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEKARA SWISHER, ROCKG AVIATORS, AIRPODS, AND A “LBIANS WHO TECH” SWEATSHIRT, ROLLS TO VOX MEDIA’S DC HEADQUARTERS AND GETS RIGHT TO WORK. TODAY’S EPISO OF ON WH KARA SWISHER, A TWICE-WEEKLY PODST THAT LNCHED SEPTEMBER, IS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE REPUBLIN PARTY AFTER THE HOE SPEAKER EE-FOR-ALL, AND SHE’S TAPPED CNN’S MANU RAJU AND THE BULWARK’S CHARLIE SYK TO MAKE SENSE OF THE MS. ONCE THE GUTS E ON MERA, SWISHER APOLOGIZ FOR WEARG SUNGLASS, EXPLAG THAT SHE FOT HER PRCRIPTN PAIR AT HOME.“IT’S VERY DARK BRANDON,” SAYS RAJU.“I HAD BEFORE HIM,” SWISHER SHOOTS BACK. “LET’S BE CLEAR ON THAT SUATN.”SWISHER, AS AN TERVIEWER, SHOWS LTLE TOLERANCE FOR BLOVIATG; SHE GETS TO THE POT. ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE EPISO, SHE LLS FOR A “LIGHTNG ROUND” OF HOE REPUBLINS, ASKG SYK TO “TELL IF THE PERSON IS A TE BELIEVER OR A PHONY.”MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE?“SHE IS A NSPIRACY THEORIST, BATSH-CRAZY BIGOT, AND ANTISEME, AND FOR SOME REASON THAT HAS MA HER A ROCK STAR THE REPUBLIN PARTY,” SAYS SYK, A NEVER TMP–STYLE NSERVATIVE. AND? “SHE’S A BELIEVER—’S BULLSH, BUT SHE BELIEV .”AFTER WRAPPG UP THE PODST, HER THIRD TAPG THAT DAY, SWISHER KEEPS UP A RAPID-FIRE PATTER WH ME. IN THE URSE OF A FEW MUT, SHE BEMOANS THE LACK OF “ENTREPRENRIAL” REPORTERS, RELLS “A BIG FIGHT WH ROGER GOOLL” AFTER THE NFL MISSNER SUGGTED HER SONS PLAY FOOTBALL, AND MENTNS TALKG THE PREV NIGHT WH SUPERAGENT ARI EMANUEL ABOUT BULL RIDG. BUT JT LIKE THAT, SWISHER HAS TO N—NOT TO CNN, WHERE SHE’S BOOKED TO APPEAR THAT NIGHT—BUT FOR DRKS WH EXECUTIV OM CNBC. SHE RECENTLY CLED TO RE-SIGN HER NTRIBUTOR NTRACT WH THE WORK BEE SHE FELT NSTRAED BY S EXCLIVY L “AND THE MONEY WASN’T ENOUGH TO KEEP ME THERE.” NOW THEY’VE E TO TALK TO HER AGA. “I ALWAYS GET APPROACHED BY THE WORKS,” SWISHER TELLS ME. “AND THEY JT NEVER”—SHE LETS OUT AN EXASPERATED SIGH—“THEY NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY WANT TO MAKE.”WHICH IS NOT A PROBLEM SHE SEEMS TO HAVE. BEYOND ON, SWISHER, 60, ALSO HOSTS PIVOT, A TWICE-WEEKLY PODST WH BRASH NYU MARKETG PROFSOR STT GALLOWAY; IS WRG A MEMOIR ABOUT HER BEAT-REPORTG DAYS VERG THE DAWN OF THE WEB; IS WORKG ON A FICTNAL TV SHOW WH ANOTHER VETERAN SILIN VALLEY JOURNALIST; IS ADVISG POST NEWS, A SOCIAL PLATFORM SHE HOP WILL BE A TWTER PETOR; AND IS RAISG FOUR KIDS, TWO OF WHOM ARE TODDLERS. “SHE HAS A FFEE BEFORE BED EVERY NIGHT, AFTER MIDNIGHT,” SEMAFOR’S BEN SMH TEXTS. “THIS SEEMS SOMEHOW EMBLEMATIC TO ME. (IN A GOOD WAY.)”SWISHER, WHO IS FIVE FOOT TWO BUT “WR TALL,” AS SHE LIK TO SAY, HAS RVED A NSIRABLE NICHE FOR HERSELF, CUTTG ACROSS TELEVISN, THE WEB, PODSTS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA—BEG “THE QUEEN OF ALL MEDIA,” AS VETERAN TECH JOURNALIST WALT MOSSBERG PUTS . A FORMER VOX MEDIA LLEAGUE IS LS CHARABLE: “SHE’S ALWAYS BEEN SEARCHG FOR A WAY TO MAKE HER PLATFORM EVEN BIGGER, AND SHE’S DONE THAT. BUT BEGS AND ENDS WH HER. THERE’S NO LEGACY BEYOND THAT.”LEAVG LEGACY ASI FOR THE MOMENT, SWISHER HAS PLOWED A PATH THROUGH THE MEDIA LANDSPE ALONGSI DTRY SHIFTS, OM REPORTG AT A NEWSPAPER TO BLOGGG TO FOUNDG SUCCSFUL WEBS AND NFERENC TO BEG A BRAND UNTO HERSELF—PART OF A TREND OF ELE JOURNALISTS WALKG AWAY OM LEGACY OUTLETS PURSU OF MORE EEDOM AND, POTENTIALLY, PROFS. LAST YEAR SHE GAVE UP A PODST AND LUMN AT THE NEW YORK TIM LARGELY BEE, AS SHE SAYS, “I DON’T NEED MAMA TELLG ME WHAT TO DO.” AND SHE STEPPED BACK OM CO, THE INIC TECH NFERENCE SHE’D ANIZED AND HOSTED FOR THE PAST TWO S. “IT WAS LIKE PATG THE SAME PATG OVER AND OVER AGA,” SHE TELLS ME, “AND I JT WANTED TO MAKE SOMETHG ELSE.”MOST POPULARTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALBY SAN CASEYJIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER ENTERG “FAL DAYS” HEALTH UPDATEBY JACK MCCORDICKMELANIA’S TAKE ON DONALD TMP’S FOURTH INDICTMENT IS BASILLY “SUCKS TO BE YOU, PAL”: REPORTBY BS LEVON IS THE SIXTH PODST SWISHER HAS HOSTED, BUT ’S THE FIRST WHERE SHE OWNS THE IP AND HAS PLETE EDORIAL NTROL. SHE’S RIFFED ON ELON MK AND MARK ZUCKERBERG WHILE EXPANDG HER APERTURE WELL BEYOND SILIN VALLEY, TERVIEWG THE LIK OF DARREN STAR AND GEENA DAVIS, AND EXPLORG TOPICS RANGG OM EDY TO ATH. SWISHER’S BETTG THERE’S AN DIENCE WILLG TO TURN TO HER FOR MORE THAN JT EXPERTISE ON TECH MOGULDOM. “I MENTOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND ALMOST EVERY SGLE ONE OF THEM IS WORRIED ABOUT LOSG THEIR PLACE IF THEY STEP OUT OF LE. AND I’M LIKE, THE ONLY WAY YOU GET HIGHER IS IF YOU STEP OUT OF LE,” SWISHER TELLS ME. “THAT’S THE ONLY WAY. SERLY. UNLS YOU’RE UNTALENTED. AND THEN YOU SHOULD STAY LE.”ON A MONDAY AFTERNOON JANUARY, SWISHER’S HOE IS CHAOTIC, BUT THE GOOD KD, THE KD YOU FD A PLACE WHERE LIFE IS HAPPENG. TOYS ARE STREWN EVERYWHERE AND A BABY IS LGHG AND SOMETIM CRYG AND THE SK IS NNG THE KCHEN, WHERE THE GOLN CHILD—AS SWISHER’S THREE-YEAR-OLD DGHTER IS MONLY REFERRED TO ON HER PODSTS—IS ABOUT TO HAVE A SNACK. THERE’S LOTS OF TALK OF “ELSA CHEE,” WHICH IS STRG CHEE THAT DISNEY HAS BRAND WH FROZEN CHARACTERS. THE GOLN CHILD CRAWLS UP ONTO THE UNTER, WHERE, AT THE OPPOSE END, SWISHER AND HER WIFE, THE JOURNALIST AMANDA KATZ, ARE TCHG UP ON EACH OTHER’S DAY.“HOW WAS THE SRAMUCCI THG? WHO WON?” KATZ ASKS, REFERRG TO A PUBLIC BATE SWISHER DID THAT MORNG WH FANCIER ANTHONY SRAMUCCI ON WHETHER MK—WHOM SWISHER HAS KNOWN AND VERED SCE THE ’90S—IS KILLG TWTER.“I DID, OBVLY,” SAYS SWISHER. “I SAID HE IS, AND ’S KILLG ELON MORE THAN HE’S KILLG .”“AND THEN PIVOT WAS GOOD,” SWISHER SAYS. “STT MA AT LEAST 14 PROSTUTE JOK.”DPE HAVG A MISTROKE A BACK, SWISHER FAMOLY DO NOT LIKE TAKG TIME OFF AND WORKS AROUND THE CLOCK. IN DECEMBER, “SHE HAD HEART SURGERY AND SHE WAS WORKG THE DAY BEFORE AND THE DAY AFTER. THAT’S NOT AN EXAGGERATN,” GALLOWAY TELLS ME. (WHEN I ASK SWISHER HOW THE SURGERY WENT, SHE REPLI, “GOOD, OBVLY.”) HER TURBOCHARGED WORK ETHIC ULD BE TRACED, PART, TO TRAGEDY EARLY LIFE. WHEN SHE WAS FIVE, HER FATHER DIED SUDNLY AT 34 OF PLITNS OM A BRA ANRYSM. FRH OUT OF THE NAVY AND WH THREE KIDS, HE’D JT PURCHASED HIS FIRST HOE AND LAND A GIG AS THE HEAD OF ANTHIA AT THE BROOKLYN JEWISH HOSPAL. “HE THOUGHT HE WAS HEAD FOR THE BIG TIME. HE JT DIED—FELL OVER ONE DAY. AND THAT HAS RMED EVERYTHG I’VE DONE. I’M LIKE, I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS,” SAYS SWISHER, ADDG, “YOU DON’T HAVE TIME, EHER. NOBODY HAS TIME.”SWISHER’S MOTHER REMARRIED SOON AFTER, TO A “CEL” MAN WHOM SWISHER “ULDN’T SAY ENOUGH BAD THGS ABOUT” BUT ADMS WAS A “NNY ENGEER.” WHEN SWISHER WAS SIXTH GRA, THEY MOVED OM LONG ISLAND TO PRCETON, NEW JERSEY, FOR HIS WORK, AND WHEN THE RT OF THE FAY MOVED TO CALIFORNIA A FEW YEARS LATER, SWISHER STAYED BEHD. “I WAS LIKE, I’M THE YEARBOOK EDOR. I HAVE A BOYIEND. FUCK YOU,” SHE RELLS. “I LIVED WH IENDS AND FISHED MY SENR YEAR BY MYSELF, PRETTY MUCH.” (SWISHER KNEW SHE WAS GAY OM AGE FOUR BUT DIDN’T HAVE A GIRLIEND UNTIL LLEGE.)AT GEETOWN’S SCHOOL OF FOREIGN SERVICE, SHE STUDIED PROPAGANDA, AN TN THAT SHAPED HER VIEW OF MISRMATN AND DONALD TMP’S MANIPULATN OF THE MEDIA. “I THK I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO SAY THERE’S REAL DAMAGE GOG ON HERE AND WE HAVE TO START PAYG ATTENTN TO ,” SWISHER SAYS. “YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THAT AND SEE WHAT THEY’RE DOG, EVEN IF YOU CRY AND HATE …. I WAS ALWAYS TERTED THE MOVG OF THE OVERTON WDOW.” SWISHER WANTED TO FOLLOW HER FATHER TO THE ARY. “I THOUGHT I MIGHT GO TO THE CIA,” SHE SAYS. BUT THAT WOULD’VE REQUIRED HER TO LIE ABOUT BEG GAY. “I DIDN’T EVEN TRY.”DURG LLEGE, SHE WORKED AS A STRGER FOR THE WASHGTON POST AFTER PLAG TO THEN METRO EDOR LARRY KRAMER ABOUT A SLOPPY STORY THEY’D PUBLISHED ON A GEETOWN EVENT. YEARS LATER—AFTER STTS AT COLUMBIA JOURNALISM SCHOOL (“A WASTE OF MONEY” THAT SHE WISHED SHE’D “VTED APPLE STOCK” STEAD), THE WASHGTON CY PAPER, AND THE POLIL CHAT-FT THE MCLGHL GROUP (WHOSE HOST, THE LATE JOHN MCLGHL, SHE LATER TTIFIED AGAST A SEXUAL HARASSMENT SE)—SHE RETURNED TO THE POST, WORKG HER WAY UP OM STYLE NEWS AI TO REPORTER ON THE LOL RETAIL BEAT. “THE POST IS WHERE I SIGNIFINTLY STARTED TO E TECHNOLOGY,” SAYS SWISHER, RELLG THE SUSE CELL PHONE SHE ED TO LUG AROUND THE OFFICE.“KARA’S SORT OF NSTANT TEXT NVERSATN WH HALF THE PLA.”SWISHER PUT HERSELF ON THE MAP NATNALLY AT THE POST WHILE VERG THE FG DOT- SAGA OF THE ’90S: AOL AND S EVENTUAL DISASTRO MERGER WH TIME WARNER. “KARA ALWAYS HAD THIS LARGER-THAN-LIFE PERSONALY. I REMEMBER HER [AS] SHORT, FEISTY, THE KD OF PERSON WHO SETS THE ROOM ALIVE,” RELLS THE POST’S DAVID IGNATI, WHO WAS BS EDOR WHEN SWISHER WAS WRG FOR THE SECTN. “SHE WAS A STAR. WE KNEW WE ULDN’T HOLD HER.”MOST POPULARTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALBY SAN CASEYJIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER ENTERG “FAL DAYS” HEALTH UPDATEBY JACK MCCORDICKMELANIA’S TAKE ON DONALD TMP’S FOURTH INDICTMENT IS BASILLY “SUCKS TO BE YOU, PAL”: REPORTBY BS LEVSHE LEFT TO WRE HER FIRST OF TWO BOOKS ON AOL, MEETG MOSSBERG ALONG THE WAY. HE REMEND HER FOR A JOB AT THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, WHERE 2003 THE DUO LNCHED THE ALLTHGSD NFERENCE, A LIVE-JOURNALISM EXTRAVAGANZA FEATURG THE BIGGT NAM TECH. IT WAS AT THIS NFERENCE 2007 THAT BILL GAT AND STEVE JOBS TOOK THE STAGE TOGETHER A HISTORIC JOT TERVIEW AND, A FEW YEARS LATER, WHERE ZUCKERBERG BROKE TO A PROFE SWEAT AMID QUTNS ABOUT FACEBOOK PRIVACY.“KARA’S NEVER AD HOMEM. SHE MIGHT BE SNARKY, BUT SHE DON’T ATTACK PEOPLE; SHE ATTACKS THEIR ACTNS AND THEIR IAS,” MOSSBERG TELLS ME. “PEOPLE FEEL THAT HER TERVIEWS N ELEVATE THEM, AND SOMETIM N HURT THEM, BUT THAT ’S WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSN,” SAYS VETERAN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER TAMMY HADDAD. A RECENT EXAMPLE IS CNN CHIEF EXECUTIVE CHRIS LICHT, WHO, TO PUT DLY, GOT OFF TO A ROUGH START. IT WAS STRATEGIC FOR LICHT TO GIVE HIS FIRST EXTENSIVE TERVIEW TO SWISHER, A SOURCE CLOSE TO THE CNN CHIEF ACKNOWLEDG, AS SWISHER “HAD THE CREDIBILY TO HELP RHAPE THE NARRATIVE BUT ALSO WOULD GIVE THE IMPRSN THAT CHRIS IS PRETTY FEARLS, BEE SHE’S A TOUGH TERVIEWER.”THE SUCCS OF THE NFERENCE NVCED DOW JON TO LET MOSSBERG AND SWISHER START THE ALLTHGSD BLOG. THEY LEFT 2013 TO START THEIR OWN VENTURE, FOR WHICH THEY’D RAISED $10 LN FUNDG, TAKG THE ALLTHGSD STAFF WH THEM AND TRYG, UNSUCCSFULLY, TO TAKE THE BRAND TOO. BUT JOURNAL OWNER RUPERT MURDOCH, SHE SAYS, WANTED $10 LN FOR THE URL. “I WROTE THEM BACK. I SAID, ‘I N BUY FUCKYOURUPERT FOR $10.’ ” SO ALLTHGSD BEME RE AND THE D CONFERENCE BEME THE CO CONFERENCE. ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF LATER, VOX MEDIA PURCHASED RE AN ALL-STOCK AL.CEO JIM BANKOFF, WHO FIRST ENUNTERED SWISHER AS AN AOL EXECUTIVE ON THE OTHER END OF ONE OF HER REPORTG LLS, BASILLY LET HER DO WHATEVER SHE WANTED AT VOX MEDIA. NOT LONG AFTER THE SALE, SWISHER STOPPED NNG RE—“I HATE MANAGG,” SHE SAYS—AND STARTED THE RE DE PODST. WHAT REALLY SOLD HER ON PODSTG WAS THE “EMOTNAL ATTACHMENT” LISTENERS FELT TO HER AS A HOST. PART OF WHAT MAK SWISHER SO PELLG IS HER ABILY TO “MOVE BETWEEN THE PERSONAL AND THE WORK WH EASE,” SAYS NEW YORK TIM CEO MEREDH KOP LEVIEN.SWISHER NOTICED THAT HER “GEEK GUY” DIENCE BEGAN TO EXPAND AFTER VENTURG TO PODSTG, SUCH AS WHEN FOUR WOMEN OF LOR, ALL ENTREPRENRS, APPROACHED HER ON THE MUNI SAN FRANCIS. “KARA, ’S YOU. I N’T BELIEVE . I’M LIKE, THIS IS NOT MY FUCK’ MO,” SWISHER REMEMBERS. (MORE RECENTLY, A FIREFIGHTER “MA A ONE-EIGHTY THE STREET NEW YORK” TO TAKE A SELFIE WH HER, SHE RELLS. “HE’S LIKE, I LOVE YOU…. I KNEW THE NFTS WERE BULLSH, THANK YOU FOR EXPLAG TO ME.”) SHE SIGNED OFF AS HOST OF RE DE JULY 2020, FIVE YEARS AND MORE THAN 500 TERVIEWS LATER. BY THEN SHE’D STARTED PIVOT. THE DYNAMIC IS GALLOWAY AS PROVOTR AND SWISHER REELG HIM . ALSO 2020, PIVOT BEME PART OF NEW YORK MAGAZE, WHICH VOX MEDIA HAD ACQUIRED A YEAR EARLIER.MOST POPULARTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALBY SAN CASEYJIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER ENTERG “FAL DAYS” HEALTH UPDATEBY JACK MCCORDICKMELANIA’S TAKE ON DONALD TMP’S FOURTH INDICTMENT IS BASILLY “SUCKS TO BE YOU, PAL”: REPORTBY BS LEVDPE THE NEW YORK ASSOCIATN, SWISHER, WHO HAS TWO TEENAGE SONS WH HER FIRST WIFE, FORMER GOOGLE EXECUTIVE MEGAN SMH, IS LIVG DC AGA. FOR MOST OF OUR NVERSATN AT HER HOME, SHE WEARS HER SIGNATURE AVIATOR SUNGLASS UNTIL ’S DARK ENOUGH THAT SHE GETS UP TO TURN ON A LAMP. (SHE HAS AN EYE NDN THAT SENSIVY TO LIGHT. “THE AVIATORS ARE A BRAND THG; THE DARK GLASS ARE NOT,” SHE EXPLAS.) AS WE’RE TALKG, WE ARE OCSNALLY TERPTED BY OTHER PIEC OF SWISHER’S LIFE POPPG THROUGH THE DOORWAY—THE T, KATZ, AND THE GOLN CHILD, WHO TO ASK SWISHER TO HELP HER PUT THE SHOE BACK ON HER BARBIE. FIDDLG WH THE PLASTIC SHOE, SWISHER TELLS HER DGHTER, “HONEY, I NEVER PLAYED WH BARBI.” SWISHER TELLS ME SHE DID AN TERVIEW WH THE CEO OF MATTEL AND TOLD HIM SHE HATED BARBIE; AFTERWARD, HE SENT HER A BOX OF THEM. “I LET HER KEEP ONE AND I GAVE THE RT TO CHARY.” THE GOLN CHILD LEAV THE DOLL ON THE TABLE ONT OF SWISHER, WHO PROCEEDS FOR THE NEXT HOUR TO STROKE BARBIE’S HAIR WHILE WE TALK.“THE WORD BRAND— MAK YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE A JAR OF PEANUT BUTTER.”“THE WORD BRAND— MAK YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE A JAR OF PEANUT BUTTER,” SAYS SWISHER, RELLG HOW PEOPLE ED TO LODGE AS AN SULT. “I’M MAKG SOMETHG THAT HAS MY NAME ON , AND BEE OF THE NEW TOOLS AVAILABLE TO THROUGH THE TER, WE N NOW GET OUR VOICE OUT THERE WAYS WE ULDN’T,” SHE SAYS. “I THK I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO SAY THAT TO PEOPLE. AND OBVLY, THE PEOPLE WHO N THE PLAC DO NOT LIKE THAT MSAGE. WHEN I LEFT THE JOURNAL, EVERYONE SUDNLY WAS LIKE, YOU N LEAVE? THEY WERE SHOCKED.” SHE WHISPERS, “I WAS LIKE, YOU N LEAVE.”“I’M TRYG TO TEACH YOU THAT, RIGHT?” SWISHER SAYS TO HER DGHTER, WHO NODS. “YEAH? YOU GONNA DO WHAT YOU WANNA DO?” ANOTHER NOD. “YEAH. GOOD. YOU’RE GONNA WATCH FROZEN ALL THE TIME IS WHAT YOU’RE GONNA DO.” SWISHER, LOWERG HER VOICE, TELLS ME, “IT’S HERO. I TEXTED BOB IGER, I’M LIKE, STOP. YOU PUT ON CHEE. WHAT THE FUCK!”“HONEY, I NEVER PLAYED WH BARBI,” SWISHER TELLS HER DGHTER. SHE LET HER KEEP ONE OM A BOX SENT OVER BY MATTEL’S CEO.PHOTOGRAPH BY GILLIAN LB. HAIR AND MAKP BY VICTORIA STIL @ THE ARTIST AGENCY.WHEN I ASK SWISHER WHETHER THE SUCCS OF PIVOT HAS GIVEN HER THE EEDOM TO TURN DOWN OR LEAVE OTHER PROJECTS, SHE PRACTILLY SNORTS. “I’LL WALK AWAY OM ANYTHG,” SHE SAYS. “I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE I N MAKE SOMETHG ELSE.”CASE POT: THE NEW YORK TIM, WHERE SWISHER LAND AN OPN LUMN 2018. THEN ME SWAY, A TWICE-WEEKLY PODST ABOUT POWER THAT WAS MEANT TO BE A TERRY GROSS–TYPE SHOW—HILLARY CLTON AND JANE GOODALL WERE EARLY GUTS—BUT CHANGED DIRECTN OVER TIME AS BEME MORE REACTIVE TO NEWS. SOME EPISOS MA A SPLASH, LIKE ONE THE AFTERMATH OF THE JANUARY 6 SURRECTN WHICH SWISHER PRSED PARLER CEO JOHN MATZE ON THE RIGHT-WG SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM’S ROLE. APPLE CED HIS MENTS ON SWAY S CISN TO REMOVE PARLER OM S APP STORE. MATZE WAS FIRED A MONTH LATER. BUT THEN SWISHER STARTED TO GET “CHY,” AS SHE PUTS , PARTICULARLY WH THE LUMN, WHICH SHE SAYS N BEE “A LIVE FF” FOR PEOPLE WHO STAY TOO LONG. “I THK MOST PEOPLE HAVE 40 GOOD LUMNS THEM.”MOST POPULARTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALBY SAN CASEYJIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER ENTERG “FAL DAYS” HEALTH UPDATEBY JACK MCCORDICKMELANIA’S TAKE ON DONALD TMP’S FOURTH INDICTMENT IS BASILLY “SUCKS TO BE YOU, PAL”: REPORTBY BS LEVAND THERE WAS TUMULT AT SWAY. SIX PEOPLE LEFT THE TIM AFTER ABOUT A YEAR OR LS OF WORKG ON THE SHOW. “IT WAS TOTALLY KNOWN ACROSS THE OPN D PARTMENT THAT THIS WAS A NIGHTMARE SHOW TO WORK FOR,” SAYS ONE TIM STAFFER, WHO, ALONG WH THREE FORMER OPN D STAFFERS, POTS TO IMPOSSIBLE ADL AND POOR MANAGEMENT. THERE WERE “MONTHS AND MONTHS OF TERVENTNS AND PEOPLE TRYG TO FIX ,” THE STAFFER SAYS. WHEN I ASK SWISHER HOW SHE FELT SHE WAS AS A MANAGER ON SWAY, SHE SAYS SHE WASN’T ONE; SHE WAS TALENT. “NOBODY REPORTED DIRECTLY TO ME,” SAYS SWISHER. “I DIDN’T HIRE THEM. I DIDN’T FIRE THEM. I DIDN’T DO THEIR REVIEWS OR ANYTHG LIKE THAT. I WASN’T VOLVED ANYBODY’S REVIEW, UNFORTUNATELY.”AS FOR THE TURNOVER, SHE SAYS, “I THK WAS THAT THEY DIDN’T HIRE THE RIGHT PEOPLE THE FIRST PLACE,” BEE “I DO NEWS.” I POT OUT THAT SWAY WAS A PRODUCT OF THE OPN SI OF TIM D, NOT S NEWS DIVISN, WHICH SHE DISMISS AS AN IRRELEVANT DISTCTN. “WHEN SOMETHG HAPPENS, I WANT TO DO RIGHT AWAY…THEY JT DIDN’T WANNA MOVE THAT WAY. I TOTALLY GET , I PLETELY RPECT , BUT I JT DIDN’T WANT TO DO THE SLOWER SHOW. I WANTED TO DO THE FAST-BURN SHOW. AND SO WAS A REAL STGGLE.”SWISHER STARTED HOSTG NVERSATNS ON TWTER SPAC. “I WAS MAKG SOMETHG ELSE. WHEN I HAVE FOUR CHILDREN, FOUR PODSTS A WEEK, A LUMN…WHAT DO THAT SAY TO YOU? I’M NOT MAKG WHAT I WANNA MAKE.” SHE WAS ALSO CHAFG AGAST THE TIM’ BURECRACY. “I JT WANTED TO MAKE WHAT I WANTED TO MAKE, AND I DIDN’T WANNA ASK 86 PEOPLE. THEY’RE ALL REALLY SMART. THEY JT AREN’T ME.” (NEW YORK TIM OPN EDOR KATHLEEN KGSBURY APPLD SWISHER’S “UNMISTAKABLE VOICE” AND SAYS THE SECTN WAS “GRATEFUL FOR HER FOUR YEARS OF REPORTG AND MENTARY FOR .”)AS SWISHER WAS GETTG CREASGLY RTLS AT THE TIM, SHE WAS NSIRG OPPORTUNI ELSEWHERE, CLUDG THE WASHGTON POST, WHICH WAS TALKG TO HER ABOUT A ROLE SPANNG PODSTS, LIVE EVENTS, AND LUMNS. “THEY WANTED TO BRG A STAR, AND THEY JT DIDN’T WANNA PAY,” SAYS SWISHER. SHE WENT FURTHT DOWN THE ROAD WH CNN, WHICH WANTED HER TO HOST A SHOW ON CNN+ AND WAS OFFERG “LNS OF DOLLARS,” ACRDG TO SWISHER. GALLOWAY HAD ALREADY SIGNED HIS OWN AL TO HOST A PROGRAM ON THE FORTHG STREAMG SERVICE, BUT SHE WAS WARY GIVEN THE IMPENDG WARNER BROS. DISVERY MERGER. “THEY’RE GONNA HAVE TO CUT SOMETHG BIG AND GUS WHAT’S BIG AND STUPID? THAT,” SHE SAID OF CNN+, WHICH DISVERY QUICKLY KILLED OFF.SWISHER WANTED TO MAKE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF TERVIEW SHOW, LS FORMAL THAN SWAY AND “MORE ABOUT ME,” SWISHER SAYS. “I JT DIDN’T THK I ULD MAKE THERE. THE DIENCE WAS DIFFERENT. THEY WEREN’T ON THE JOKE.” OVER AT NEW YORK, EDOR CHIEF DAVID HASKELL WAS ON THE SAME PAGE. “YOU KNOW, I LISTENED TO . I WAS SOMETIM JEALO OF ,” HE SAYS OF SWAY. “AND THERE WERE WAYS WHICH I ALSO THOUGHT WE MIGHT BE A BETTER HOME FOR HER.” ONCE SHE’D CID TO LEAVE, SWISHER FIRST TOLD LEVIEN, THE TIM’ CEO. “I DIDN’T GO TO THE EDORIAL PEOPLE. I KNEW THEY’D BE HURT…THEY HAVE A VISN OF NOBODY LEAV THE TIM, BUT SHE GOT RIGHT AWAY,” SAYS SWISHER. “IT WAS GOOD TO HAVE HER AT THE TIM FOR THE STRETCH WE HAD HER, AND MAK SENSE TO ME WHY SHE MOVED ON,” SAYS LEVIEN, SCRIBG SWISHER AS A “FORCE THE DTRY.”MOST POPULARTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALBY SAN CASEYJIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER ENTERG “FAL DAYS” HEALTH UPDATEBY JACK MCCORDICKMELANIA’S TAKE ON DONALD TMP’S FOURTH INDICTMENT IS BASILLY “SUCKS TO BE YOU, PAL”: REPORTBY BS LEVOVER LUNCH AT A JAPANE RTRANT CATHEDRAL HEIGHTS, I ASK SWISHER HOW MUCH OF HER CISN TO LEAVE THE TIM HAD TO DO WH OWNERSHIP. “A LOT,” SHE SAYS, BETWEEN B OF SALMON TERIYAKI. “WHAT WAS HAPPENG AT THE TIME IS I FD OUT THAT ALL THE STUFF AT THE JOURNAL, THE ALLTHGSD STUFF, DISAPPEARED OM THE TER,” SAYS SWISHER. “THEY WERE SO RELS WH MY STUFF,” SHE SAYS. “I’VE DONE A THOAND OR MORE TERVIEWS. I OWN NONE OF THEM.” MEANWHILE, THERE SHE WAS AT THE TIM, GROWG SOMETHG ELSE THAT WASN’T HERS. “I ALSO WANTED A PIECE OF THE REVENUE AGA, AND THE TIM IS NOT GONNA DO THAT, SORRY TO TELL YOU,” SHE SAYS. “I WAS WORKG AT A DISUNT AT THE NEW YORK TIM FOR WHAT I MAKE.”AS BANKOFF WAS PREPARG TO LNCH THE VERGE 2011, HE CID TO BREAK THE NEWS A -EXCLIVE WH SWISHER AT ALLTHGSD AND THE LATE DAVID CARR AT THE TIM. “SHE MA VERY CLEAR TO ME THAT IF I WERE TO BURN HER—I.E., HOLD UP RMATN OM HER THAT CARR WAS GETTG—THERE WOULD BE REPERCSNS,” BANKOFF RELLED, LGHG. “I’M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT THOSE REPERCSNS WOULD BE…BUT I KNEW THEN, AND I KNOW NOW, THAT YOU KEEP YOUR WORD WH KARA.”“I ED TO BE SO AGGRSIVE ABOUT THAT STUFF. NOT ANYMORE. I DON’T RE,” SWISHER TELLS ME WHEN I ASK HER ABOUT THIS STORY. “SOPS DON’T MATTER ANYMORE BEE THEY’RE SO EPHEMERAL,” SHE SAYS. STILL, SHE BRISTL AT THE IA THAT SHE’S NOT STILL REPORTG. “I DO REPORTG ALL THE TIME,” SHE TELLS ME. “IT MANIFTS SELF MY TERVIEWS,” SAYS SWISHER. “I’M DOG REPORTED ANALYSIS NOW. I AM NOT DOG PUNDRY.” (EVEN IF SHE’S TONED DOWN HER REPORTG STYLE, SHE’S STILL SEEN AS SOMEONE NOT TO CROSS: MULTIPLE PEOPLE WOULDN’T SPEAK TO ME FOR THIS STORY BEE, THEY REMD ME, SWISHER IS A POWERFUL PERSON.)“SHE’S WILLG TO GET TO THE BRAWL WH ME,” EMANUEL, THE ENAVOR CEO, TOLD ME, LIKENG HIS AND SWISHER’S BACK-AND-FORTHS TO THE “FRIDAY-NIGHT DNERS AT MY HOE THAT I ED TO HAVE—YOU HAD TO E WH A STRONG ARGUMENT AND POTS OF VIEW, AND WILLG TO THROW BLOWS AND TAKE BLOWS.” EMANUEL MET SWISHER MORE THAN A AGO AT A SILIN VALLEY GATHERG. “SHE’S SOMEBODY THAT WHEN I HAVE A QUTN ABOUT THEIR POT OF VIEW, AND I TST THEIR POT OF VIEW, I’LL PICK UP THE PHONE AND SAY, WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THIS?”SWISHER SE HER ROLE NOW LS AS BREAKG NEWS ABOUT TECH PANI THAN TERPRETG THE WORDS AND ACTNS OF THE DTRY TANS SHE KNOWS “VERY WELL.” TAKE MK, FOR EXAMPLE. THEY’RE NOT ON SPEAKG TERMS—HE RECENTLY LLED HER AN ASSHOLE AN EMAIL—AND YET SWISHER HAS STILL MANAGED TO POSN HERSELF AS THE GO-TO ELON EXPERT. SHE’S EVEN FEATURED HERSELF AS THE GUT FOR AN ON EPISO TLED “ELON MK: SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW”; SWISHER’S EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND ON-AIR SIKICK, NAYEEMA RAZA, NDUCTED THE TERVIEW. SWISHER SIARLY SERVED AS TERVIEWEE ON A RECENT ZUCKERBERG EPISO, AND AS WH MK, TAK ON THE ROLE OF TECH DTRY NSCIENCE. “PART OF THE POWER OF HER PODST IS THERE’S A SENSE OF SOMEBODY WHO HAS BEEN HERE THE WHOLE TIME AND IS KD OF FED UP,” SAYS TECH JOURNALIST CASEY NEWTON, WHO NSIRS SWISHER A MENTOR (AS WELL AS A LANDLORD—HE RENTS HER GUT TTAGE SAN FRANCIS).THE OFTEN BLURRY LE BETWEEN SWISHER THE SIR AND SWISHER THE REPORTER IS PRECISELY HER APPEAL. “KARA’S SORT OF NSTANT TEXT NVERSATN WH HALF THE PLA, AND ’S A THRILL TO REALIZE THAT THAT’S WHAT’S BUZZG YOUR POCKET,” SAYS HASKELL. (I GOT MY OWN GLIMPSE OF THIS OVER THE URSE OF REPORTG THIS PIECE, AS I’D GET RANDOM TEXTS OM SWISHER, AT ALL HOURS, WEIGHG ON THE MEDIA TOPIC DU JOUR AND ONCE ACCINTALLY ROPG ME TO A GROUP CHAT WH HER AGENTS.) THOSE WHO SOCIALIZE WH HER THE PAL SCRIBE HER A PERPETUAL STATE OF GATHERG STRG. “SHE KNOWS EVERYBODY, AND SHE GETS VED EVERYWHERE, BEE SHE’S FUN,” SAYS LEGENDARY WASHGTON JOURNALIST AND HOST SALLY QUN, WHOSE LATE HBAND, BEN BRADLEE, HIRED SWISHER TO THE POST. “SHE ALSO HAS AN CREDIBLE BULLSH TECTOR—WHICH IS ALWAYS HELPFUL WASHGTON,” QUN ADDS.SWISHER IS THE MIDDLE OF WRG HER MEMOIR ABOUT VERG THE EARLY DAYS OF THE TER. IT’S TAKG HER A WHILE, BEE, ADDN TO “ALL THE CHILDREN, JOBS, AND HEART SURGERI,” SHE TELLS ME, “I DON’T LIKE THE PEOPLE I’M WRG ABOUT ANYMORE.” (A FEW WEEKS LATER, AT AN ABSURDLY LATE HOUR, SHE TEXTED THAT SHE’D JT FISHED HER CHAPTER ON JEFF BEZOS. “TOMORROW: RUPERT,” SHE ADD.) AS PART OF A TWO-BOOK AL, SWISHER ALSO HOP TO WRE A BOOK WH HER BROTHER, THE DOCTOR JEFEY SWISHER, ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF LIVG FOREVER.MOST POPULARTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALBY SAN CASEYJIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER ENTERG “FAL DAYS” HEALTH UPDATEBY JACK MCCORDICKMELANIA’S TAKE ON DONALD TMP’S FOURTH INDICTMENT IS BASILLY “SUCKS TO BE YOU, PAL”: REPORTBY BS LEVAT THE MOMENT, SHE’S ALSO WORKG ON A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT AOL WH LEFT/RIGHT PRODUCTNS—“IT’S A GREAT NCEPT” AND “I’M THE ONLY ONE WHO N HELP THEM”—AND A SCRIPTED SHOW ABOUT TECH WH BLOOMBERG’S BRAD STONE, WHO IS DOG THE SCREENWRG. THEY HAVE A SHOWNNER, “SO WE’LL SEE IF WE SELL ,” SAYS SWISHER. SHE’S ALSO BEEN ADVISG POST NEWS, A SOCIAL WORK FOUND BY FORMER WAZE CEO NOAM BARD, AND HAS BEEN ENURAGG PEOPLE TO JO ON TWTER. “I WOULD LIKE A VIABLE PETOR [TO TWTER] BY AN ENTREPRENR I RPECT,” SWISHER SAYS. “I HATE THAT THERE’S ONE TWTER.”SWISHER SAYS SHE TRI TO STCTURE HER ALS “WHERE I GET A PIECE OF FOR MY SUCCS.” FOR PIVOT, SHE RECEIVED VOX MEDIA STOCK THAT N BE NVERTED TO SH AFTER FOUR YEARS. WH ON, SHE OWNS THE IP, HAS A MIMUM SALARY, AND THEY SHARE THE REVENUE AFTER STS. “I THK REPORTERS ARE SUPER UNFORTABLE TALKG ABOUT MONEY, AND I’M NOT AT ALL,” SHE SAID. “I REALLY HATE THAT JOURNALISTS DON’T UNRSTAND BS. IF YOU DON’T UNRSTAND THE ENOMICS OF WHAT’S HAPPENG, YOU’RE FUCKED.”“SHE CLEARLY, THROUGH HER JOURNALISM, UNRSTOOD NOT ONLY THE VALUE BUT THE POWER OF TELLECTUAL PROPERTY WHILE VERG WHAT OTHERS WERE DOG THAT SPACE,” DISNEY CEO BOB IGER, WHO HAS BANTERED WH SWISHER BOTH OFFSTAGE AND ON FOR YEARS, TELLS ME. “THERE SHE WAS WH A ONT-ROW SEAT TO THE MG OF GREAT TELLECTUAL PROPERTY—G TECHNOLOGY, REALLY—AS A MEANS OF CREATG VALUE,” HE SAYS, ADDG THAT SWISHER “ EFFECT TURNED THE RULTS OF HER OWN REPORTG ON HERSELF.”IN FEBARY 2022, GALLOWAY AND SWISHER HELD THE GURAL PIVOT CONFERENCE, WHICH THEY BOTH HAVE AN OWNERSHIP STAKE. “IT WAS NOT A FANCIAL SUCCS. IT WAS VERY EXPENSIVE TO PUT ON,” GALLOWAY TELLS ME. THEY’VE HELD OTHER LIVE PIVOT EVENTS—CLUDG GERMANY AND LONDON JANUARY—BUT ARE STILL FIGURG OUT WHAT’S NEXT. ABOUT HALF OF PIVOT’S DIENCE IS GEN Z OR LENNIAL, WH MORE THAN 70 PERCENT THE 18-TO-49 AGE BRACKET, ACRDG TO A VOX MEDIA SPOKPERSON. ONE IA IS GOG TO BS SCHOOLS, WHERE SWISHER SAYS PIVOT HAS “A CRAZY FAN BASE,” AND CREATG SOME SORT OF WORKG OCSN. “SOMETHG ELSE BIS PEOPLE STG A FUCKG BALLROOM,” SHE SAYS.EVEN WH SO MANY PROJECTS SWIRLG THE PRENT, SWISHER HAS AN EYE TOWARD POSTERY. “IN HISTORY, THEY’RE GONNA WATCH THAT GAT AND JOBS TERVIEW. A HUNDRED YEARS OM NOW—THAT’S HOW WE GOT THEM TO DO , REALLY,” SHE TOLD ME. “THEY’RE GONNA WATCH ALL THE TERVIEWS…’S LIKE YOU HAD THOMAS EDISON, AND I CHALLENGED HIM. RATHER THAN WHAT GROWS UP AROUND THEM, THE MYTHOLOGY, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO HEAR THEM BEG TERVIEWED BY SOMEONE WHO WAS GOOD AT TERVIEWG.”CORRECTION: AN EARLIER VERSN OF THIS STORY MISSTATED THE TECHNOLOGY SWISHER ED WHILE WORKG AT THE WASHGTON POST. SHE ED A SUSE CELL PHONE, NOT A KAYPRO PUTER.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALWHY THE GEIA INDICTMENT AGAST TMP AND HIS ALLI IS THE MOST SWEEPG YETIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMER25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSA NEW SLIM AARONS BOOK CAPTUR A LOST WORLDFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)CHARLOTTE KLE
In the late 90s, Kara Swisher moved to Silin Valley and quickly beme the most fluential journalist tech. In this segment of Hell & High Water, Swisher talks wh John Heilemann about the glarg lack of diversy she enuntered the Valley and what was like to be one of the few openly gay women workg there. She reflects on her experience disverg that tech bros “like lbians,” which may have actually helped her ga accs to their rarefied world. Swisher also asks John Heilemann to share his perspective workg as a male journalist Silin Valley around the same time. * kara swisher gay *
In this segment of Hell & High Water, Swisher talks wh John Heilemann about the glarg lack of diversy she enuntered the Valley and what was like to be one of the few openly gay women workg there. ” (Swisher knew she was gay om age four but didn’t have a girliend until llege. But that would’ve required her to lie about beg gay.
Florida Los Out on Pivot Conference Backlash Over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ VoteKara Swisher lled the Republin-backed bill a ‘shameful act by the Florida GOP’Lock This article is for subscribers anizer of a major technology and media nference schled for next year Miami said she won’t hold the event Florida after lawmakers on Tuday passed a bill that lims teachers om discsg sexual and genr inty wh kids krgarten through third Swisher, a -host of the Vox Media Pivot podst who is gay, lled the Republin-backed bill a “shameful act by the Florida GOP” a post on Twter. She said that the bill is “an unnecsary piece of legislatn that addrs a non-problem meant to mask homophobia wh an emotnal blanket of parental rights. ” She tagged Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat who is gay, a post, sayg she’d be NextFlorida Los Out on Pivot Conference Backlash Over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Vote.
FLORIDA LOS OUT ON PIVOT CONFERENCE BACKLASH OVER ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ VOTE
In the late 90s, Kara Swisher moved to Silin Valley and quickly beme the most fluential journalist tech. In this segment of Hell & High Water, Swisher talks wh John Heilemann about the glarg lack of diversy she enuntered the Valley and what was like to be one of the few openly gay women workg there. She reflects on her experience disverg that tech bros “like lbians,” which may have actually helped her ga accs to their rarefied world. Swisher also asks John Heil * kara swisher gay *
I also wanted to go to the ary, maybe to be the CIA, and I uldn’t bee I was gay.