Transcript
Kara Swisher (0:00)
You don't like being talked about, do you? I don't care. I do.
Clara Wu Tsai (0:06)
I care less. I care less.
Kara Swisher (0:07)
I do. But I like troll them back and I'm excellent at it and they lose every time. So I'm not a sports person, but I'm very competitive.
Podcast Host Introduction (0:14)
It's on.
Clara Wu Tsai (0:23)
It is.
Podcast Announcer/Ad Reader (0:24)
Oh, hi everyone. From New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast network. This is on with Kara Swisher. And I'm Kara Swisher. My guest today is Clara Wu Tsai, owner of the WNBA's New York Liberty and the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. Clara and her husband Alibaba co founder Joe Tsai purchased the liberty in 2019 during a low point for the franchise. Its previous owner, James Dolan had put the team up for sale in 2017 and moved it from Madison Square Garden to a small arena in Westchester County, New York. But Clara made a big bet on the New York Liberty and the wnba. She moved the team to the Barclays center in Brooklyn, invested in player facilities, fan experiences and recruited top talent, which kicked off a major turnaround and coincided with a surge in popularity for the wnba. And to cap it off, the Liberty won the league championship in 2024. In addition to turning Liberty into a winning franchise, Clara's work across business and philanthropy led to the creation of the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, a six university research initiative that studies peak human performance and aims to close the data gap in women's sports science. I really enjoy talking to Clara. I've met her a long time ago. I have been covering Alibaba for many years and she's one of the smartest business focused owners I have seen. Also is very open minded of new things, but she doesn't get stuck in the data. She really does love the sport and just one of these very smart people that I think we should hear more from. And I wish more owners were like her. So let's get into my conversation with Clara. I interviewed her last week at the CAA World Congress of Sports presented by Sports Business Journal. Our expert question today comes from WNBA All Star Sue Bird. She hosts the Vox Media podcast, Bird's Eye View and a touch more. This was a fun and important conversation. Clara is very smart. You should be listening to her all you different team owners. So stick around. Support for on with Kara Swisher comes
Kara Swisher (2:38)
from the 2027 Chevy Bolt. Oh, I love the Chevy Bolt.
Podcast Announcer/Ad Reader (2:42)
