Pivot Podcast: “Google Nest’s Surveillance Secret, Bondi’s Epstein Meltdown, Meta & YouTube in Court”

Podcast: Pivot
Hosts: Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway
Date: February 13, 2026
Producer: New York Magazine & Vox Media Podcast Network

Episode Overview

This episode dives into three central themes:

1. The ongoing fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files and Attorney General Pam Bondi’s explosive congressional testimony.
2. The first landmark trial pitting Meta and YouTube against claims their platforms addict young people.
3. The unsettling revelation that Google’s Nest cameras retain ‘deleted’ surveillance footage, sparking new privacy concerns.

Kara and Scott analyze these matters with their signature mix of journalistic sharpness and sardonic banter, touching on tech, business, and politics with bold predictions and social commentary.

1. Updates on Celebrity-Led Unsubscribe Movements & Economic Protests

Timestamps: [02:04]–[05:05]

• Chelsea Handler Sparks “Unsubscribing” Movement: Handler’s viral Instagram story led to 6-7,000 site visits, prompting roughly 600 actual service unsubscribes and $1.2 million in tech stocks' market cap hit.
  • “Any individual who unsubscribes from OpenAI right now is taking $10,000 out of their market valuation.” – Scott [03:23]
• Celebrities Driving Impact: Kara and Scott strategize about leveraging celebrity influence for economic protest, referencing the Montgomery bus boycott’s collective organizing.
• Passive Protest’s Real Power: Unsubscribes, even at small scale, can have significant financial consequences due to recurring revenue models.
  • Example: T-Mobile projected to add 992,000 new subscribers but fell short by 30,000; lost $12 billion in market cap. [04:06]
• Advice for Listeners: Audit elderly relatives’ subscriptions—potential for hundreds in savings.

2. Pam Bondi’s Wild Testimony and Epstein Fallout

Timestamps: [05:05]–[15:53]

Key Discussion Points

• Pam Bondi’s Congressional Meltdown:
  Bondi, Trump’s Attorney General, made headlines with erratic behavior during her House Judiciary Committee testimony on the Epstein files.
  • Emphasized the soaring stock market rather than addressing sexual abuse victims.
    • “Let the Dow is over $50,000. I don’t know why you’re laughing.” – Kara quoting Bondi [05:15]
  • Clashed even with Republican officials; called out for prioritizing finance over victims.
  • Refused to apologize or face survivors—seen as “making a mockery” of the DOJ.
    • “She soiled herself multiple times... she wouldn’t even look at them there... she’s never talked to them.” – Kara [07:53]
  • Failed to redact victims’ names while scrubbing powerful ones (e.g., Les Wexner); was quickly corrected after being called out.
• Congressional Members' Response: Raskin, Jayapal, Becca Balint, and Thomas Massie highlighted DOJ's neglect of victims.
  • “All these survivors stood up, and it was clear they’ve reached out to the DOJ and the DOJ has ignored them.” – Scott [10:14]
• Broader Fallout:
  • Cases of high-profile execs (e.g., Howard Lutnick, Casey Wasserman) downplaying links to Epstein, followed by public shaming.
  • Kara stresses nuance: not every association is evidence of guilt, warns against TikTok/Instagram “ring-light shaming.”
    • “That’s just pure gossip... distracting from what the DOJ is supposed to do, and that is put pedophiles in prison.” – Scott [17:08]
  • Reference to Katherine Ruemmler (Goldman Sachs lawyer): Kara highlights business dynamics at the elite level; not everything is what it seems.

Notable Quotes:

• “You lay down with pigs—the only people who like wrestling with pigs are the pigs.” – Kara [11:00]
• “Her boss is mentioned in the Epstein files more times than Jesus is mentioned in the Bible.” – Scott [12:00]

3. U.S.-Canada Tariffs, Trump, and Shifting Political Winds

Timestamps: [18:03]–[22:05]

• The House voted to end President Trump’s tariffs on Canada; Trump threatened Republican defectors.
• Real Economics of Tariffs: 94% of the cost is borne by American consumers.
  • “Why reduce people’s prosperity by 2% for no real reason?” – Scott [20:33]
• Republicans are increasingly rebelling as House control slips away; Trump’s grip ls loosening.

4. Social Media on Trial: Meta and YouTube Face Addiction Claims

Timestamps: [25:09]–[34:33]

Trial Details

• First Jury Case of Over 1,500: Parents allege platforms are engineered to addict kids; a 20-year-old plaintiff describes getting “hooked” as a child.
• Executives’ Defenses:
  • Instagram’s Adam Mosseri: “I don’t think users can be clinically addicted to the app.”
    • Kara: “Adam Mosseri is not a doctor. Just so you know.” [25:46]
  • YouTube claims to be “entertainment,” not social; dismissed by hosts as false.
    • “Anyone who has kids knows it's very different from Netflix...” – Kara [26:30]

Data & Impact

• Teen Usage: 4.8 hours/day on social media; 24% meet clinical addiction criteria.
  • 2x higher suicidal intent, 3x worse body image in heaviest users [28:32]
  • “It typically takes America 20 to 30 years to respond to really negative externalities.” – Scott [29:26]
• Societal Reflection:
  • Kara: Social media is addictive “in our bones”; TV is not the same.
  • Scott: Blames overparenting and the Trump era for “dopa-hungry” minds and poor role models.
    • “We’ve raised a generation of kids who are dopa hungry and their primary role model... is Donald Trump.” [34:00]

Memorable Banter:

• “I have to throw the phone across the room, right? Sometimes I'm like, put it down.” – Kara [31:18]
• “You get A's, you get a bunch of money.” – Scott [35:17]

5. Google Nest’s Surveillance “Secret”

Timestamps: [35:18]–[43:22]

• Nest Footage Not Deleted After All: In the Nancy Guthrie abduction investigation, authorities recovered supposedly “deleted” Nest doorbell video, showing Google retains footage even for non-subscribers.
  • “Nest uploads video to Google Cloud before you decide to keep it with a paid plan so it can linger after it says it’s been deleted.” – Kara [36:45]
• Kara expresses concern over deceptive data retention.
  • “If it says it’s deleted, it should be deleted.” [38:36]
• Scott maintains privacy is already a lost battle in a world of surveillance, but agrees plain English disclosures are essential.

Notable Quotes:

• “Anyone who talks about privacy is typically over the age of 50... we consistently trade our privacy for utility.” – Scott [41:11]
• “If they say it’s off, it needs to be off.” – Kara [41:57]

6. AI Industry Turmoil and Anthropic’s Meteoric Rise

Timestamps: [44:51]–[53:43]

• Anthropic Nears $350B Valuation: Raising $20B, drawing major investment as OpenAI’s fortunes wane.
• AI Leadership Exodus:
  • OpenAI, Anthropic, and Xai lose top researchers and co-founders; Musk’s Xai especially “bedlam.”
  • “The brightest minds here are supposedly... in total bedlam.” – Scott [50:00]
• Culture War in AI:
  • Staff resignations over ethical fears; Kara and Scott desire more clarity: “If we’re in peril, tell us how.”
• OpenAI Fires Exec Over Erotica Feature: Concerns about AI intensifying unhealthy parasocial relationships; 1.2 million users reported preferring ChatGPT over family/friends. [53:43]

7. Journalism, China, and Authoritarianism

Timestamps: [55:27]–[57:57]

• Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai Sentenced to 20 Years:
  • “That’s a death sentence.” – Kara [55:28]
  • Discussion of how imprisoning journalists signals economic decline and rising authoritarianism.

8. DOJ Antitrust Turmoil

Timestamps: [58:00]–[60:07]

• Gail Slater Resigns as DOJ Antitrust Chief: Kara underscores the seriousness—Slater, highly respected, clashed with Trump DOJ over Paramount and Netflix mergers.
  • “A talented and well-regarded person is put into a bind, and so she’s stepping down. Not a good sign.” – Kara [59:31]

9. Predictions: OpenAI’s IPO Is Off & Kalshi’s Meteoric Gambling Surge

Timestamps: [61:25]–[67:14]

• Scott’s Big Prediction: OpenAI, once forecasted for a blockbuster IPO, won’t go public due to negative momentum, valuation issues, and investor fatigue.
  • “I think the momentum is really negative around this company.” [61:44]
• Kalshi’s Ascendance: Scott highlights Kalshi (prediction market/gambling platform) as the real IPO to watch, noting its 2,700%+ trading volume spike during the Super Bowl.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• [03:23] “Any individual who unsubscribes from OpenAI right now is taking $10,000 out of their market valuation.” – Scott
• [12:00] “Her boss is mentioned in the Epstein files more times than Jesus is mentioned in the Bible.” – Scott
• [29:26] “It typically takes America 20 to 30 years to respond to really negative externalities.” – Scott
• [38:36] “If it says it’s deleted, it should be deleted.” – Kara
• [50:00] “It just feels like it’s total, I don’t know, bedlam right now, right?” – Scott
• [55:28] “That’s a death sentence.” – Kara
• [61:44] “I think the momentum is really negative around this company.” – Scott

Episode Structure & Key Segments

• [02:04] – Unsubscribe movement & economic protest
• [05:05] – Pam Bondi’s Epstein congressional testimony
• [25:09] – Meta & YouTube on trial for addicting teens
• [35:18] – Google Nest’s deleted footage controversy
• [44:51] – AI industry turmoil: OpenAI, Anthropic, Xai
• [55:27] – Jimmy Lai’s sentencing and authoritarian economics
• [58:00] – DOJ antitrust drama, Gail Slater’s resignation
• [61:25] – Predictions: OpenAI’s IPO off, Kalshi’s gambling boom

Summary

This wide-ranging episode blends sharp, sometimes hilarious critique with sobering analysis—covering tech activism, legal battles, privacy concerns, and the train-wreck spectacle of American politics. From unsubscribes as protest, to in-your-face congressional testimony, to kids’ mental health, to Big Tech’s addiction tactics and AI’s existential warnings, Kara and Scott deliver their perspectives for listeners seeking both context and candor on tech’s biggest issues.

Useful for:
Anyone wanting a well-rounded, critical recap of tech, policy, and media news—with just the right amount of sass and insight from two of tech’s smartest critics.