Pivot Podcast Summary

Episode Title: X's Foreign Trolls, Google's AI Wins, and MTG's Resignation
Date: November 25, 2025
Hosts: Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway

Episode Overview

This episode tackles the impact of foreign trolls on X (formerly Twitter) and broader online misinformation, Google's leap forward in the AI race with Gemini 3, the stock market's turbulence amidst the "AI bubble," and the surprise resignation of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. Kara and Scott combine tech, politics, and business commentary, blending sharp criticism, historical context, and their trademark banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. X (Twitter), Foreign Trolls, and Information Manipulation

Timestamps: 09:49–16:46

• MAGA Accounts with Foreign Origins

  • X’s new "about this account" feature reveals many prominent MAGA accounts originate from Russia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan—not the U.S.
  • Kara sees the update as "an important first step to securing the integrity of the global town square" but is skeptical about X's willingness to truly combat manipulation.

• Foreign Influence & Monetization

  • Scott: Platforms like X are "a dream for foreign intelligence services"—spreading narratives is far cheaper and more efficient online than with traditional means.
  • Many accounts push divisive content for profit, not just for influence. As Scott notes, "If you live in Nigeria and you find the easiest way to get several hundred thousand followers is just to be crazy maga, you do it and you make some money." (12:10)

• Impact of Comments and Narrative Shaping

  • Scott explains how bot-driven comment sections pressure public figures and ordinary users alike, driving extremism and shaping discourse.

• Historical Context, U.S. Response

  • Scott details historic examples of organized foreign campaigns (e.g., Russia’s Internet Research Agency, Iranian Twitter ops).
  • U.S. intelligence warns that Russia, China, and Iran are leveraging AI to influence current and future elections, aiming to sow division and undermine Democratic candidates.

• GOP & Russian Talking Points

  • Scott draws a line from foreign manipulation to shifting GOP policy, now echoing Russian interests rather than former hardline stances.
  • "The GOP is basically the staunchest ally of Russia abroad with the exception of India and China..." (18:12)

2. Trump & Zoran Mamdani's Oval Office Encounter

Timestamps: 22:13–28:38

• Surprising Political Alliance

  • Kara correctly predicts Trump would warm up to Mamdani after his mayoral win. Their meeting is framed as a "love fest."
  • Trump praises Mamdani as "a very rational person" and signals support for his term as mayor.

• Both Sides Benefit

  • Scott calls the move "incredibly shrewd... it made both of them seem a lot more statesmanlike."
  • Kara: Trump seized a political opportunity missed by Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, who have yet to meet Mamdani.

• Political Optics

  • Scott: Trump "wants to be popular… in what he sees as his city..." and admires Mamdani's strength and style.
  • Kara: This reveals Trump’s political acumen and the Democrats' missed chance.

3. Google’s AI Win with Gemini 3

Timestamps: 30:44–37:59

• Gemini 3 Gains Ground

  • Google’s latest AI model, Gemini 3, outperforms competitors in benchmarks, boosting Alphabet’s market cap beyond Microsoft’s for the first time in years.
  • Kara: "This stuff can go away rather quickly and Google has so many hooks into people through search..."

• Differentiated Monetization

  • Scott highlights Google’s pivot to ads in AI summaries—a model shift away from subscriptions, leveraging their vast ad infrastructure.

• Product Usage and Adoption Challenges

  • Gemini has 650M monthly users vs. ChatGPT’s 800M weekly users.
  • Scott notes corporations are struggling with getting employees to consistently use LLMs: "[Companies] have signed up big site licenses… and no one's using it, no one's adopting it." (37:10)

• Practical AI Usage Tips

  • Scott shares productivity hacks: always keep an LLM open on a second screen—run every digital document through it, experiment, and engage in active dialogue with the models for better results.

4. Markets, "AI Bubble," and Health Tech

Timestamps: 38:03–56:50

• AI Market Tumult

  • Despite Nvidia’s earnings, investor anxiety persists amid fears of an AI-driven bubble and volatile crypto markets.
    • "Markets remain unsteady amid this continued AI bubble fears. They did not go away after Nvidia's impressive earnings." (38:03)
  • Scott expects more upside but is personally paring back investments in Big Tech.

• Healthcare as the Next Frontier: GLP-1s and Eli Lilly's Trillion Dollar Rise

  • Eli Lilly becomes the first healthcare company to hit a $1T market cap, thanks to massive demand for weight-loss drugs like Mounjaro and Zepbound.
  • Scott predicts GLP-1 drugs will revolutionize U.S. health outcomes and spending:
    • "The most important seminal move our government could make right now... would be [to buy and distribute] GLP-1 to every rural community, every person that's obese."
  • Kara and Scott agree: healthcare (biotech, pharma, obesity drugs) is a surer bet than AI right now.

5. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Resignation

Timestamps: 45:12–53:28

• The Announcement and Fallout

  • MTG announces her exit from Congress after falling out with Trump, citing self-respect and alluding to "not being a battered wife."
  • Trump calls her resignation "great news for the country."
  • Departure may further erode GOP’s fragile House control.

• Scott’s Historical & Ethical Context

  • Scott draws analogies to WWII, criticizing the true villains as "the enablers" who allow wrongs to continue.
  • He reviews MTG’s record: election denial, QAnon, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, violent threats, and financial opportunism.

• On MTG’s Legacy

  • Scott: "Good fucking riddance. We are so desperate for some semblance of sanity from the GOP that we laud this person because she's good on the Epstein files. Her record: bigotry, anti-science, being divisive."

• Kara’s Interview Critique

  • Kara laments that interviewers failed to press Greene on her bigoted views: "No one said, what's your stance on trans still? What's your stance on Muslims?"

6. Culture & Listener Questions: Wins and Fails

Timestamps: 59:21–71:06

• Kara’s Fail:

  • Meta’s refusal to protect young users—"An enormous fucking failure by all the numbers." (59:21)

• Kara’s Win:

  • Zoran Mamdani’s campaign success despite elite opposition:
    • “Money doesn’t buy everything. All that money went into stopping him, and he still won.”

• Scott’s Fail:

  • Degradation of U.S. government competency:
    • "We are putting out talking points from Russia… Competence has been replaced by acolytes." (68:26)

• Scott’s Win:

  • Vince Gilligan’s continued excellence in TV drama, especially referencing the new series "Pluribus."

• Class, Wealth, and Empathy

  • Scott and Kara discuss the empathy gap created by extreme wealth—Scott: “Billionaires don't immediately inherit wisdom around life… The super rich lose their empathy… They have their own everything.”

Notable Quotes

• On Social Media Manipulation:

  • "Why spend four or five billion dollars trying to build an aircraft carrier when you can spend $100 million and essentially create a pretty strong narrative against providing more weapons and aid to Ukraine by weaponizing troll farms?" — Scott Galloway (10:23)

• On Reading Online Comments:

  • "Muhammad Ali or Margaret Thatcher would have given a flying fuck what their comments were in social media." — Scott Galloway (12:46)

• On Trump and Mamdani’s Meeting:

  • "Trump wants to be popular, well liked in what he sees as his city, his home city… this was just the definition of a win-win." — Scott (24:17)

• On the Rise of GLP-1 Drugs:

  • "I pick a technology of the year every year. 23 and 24 I picked AI. 25, my technology pick was GLP-1." — Scott (54:16)

• On MTG’s Departure:

  • "Good fucking riddance … Do not trust this woman. This is a—no legislative accomplishments whatsoever. Her record: bigotry, anti-science, being divisive. Good fucking riddance." — Scott (52:48)

Memorable Banter

• Kara and Scott riff on tattoos, fermentation, and personal stories at the top before turning to darker topics.
• "I'm gonna get a Scott tattoo." — Kara (07:41)
• Scott on tattoos: "I love women with tattoos because it shows a history of poor decision making, which plays to my benefit." (22:13)
• Extended back-and-forth on the difficulties of dating, the dangers of giving billionaires too much cultural influence, and who would throw the best party.

Segment Timestamps (approximate key segments)

• 09:49 — Foreign trolls on X and information warfare
• 18:11 — GOP, the Ukraine peace plan, and foreign influence
• 22:13 — Trump & Zoran Mamdani's oval office moment
• 30:44 — Google's Gemini 3, AI race, and practical adoption
• 38:03 — AI market anxiety and healthcare stocks
• 45:12 — Marjorie Taylor Greene resignation and GOP fallout
• 59:21 — Wins and fails
• 71:06 — Closing banter, gratitude, and culture

Tone & Language

• Candid, irreverent, and sharp-edged with plenty of swearing and dry humor.
• Combines hard-nosed criticism ("total fucking incompetence") with personal anecdotes and asides.

TL;DR

This episode dissects how foreign actors and profit-seekers drive division on X, celebrates Google's renewed AI dominance, tracks the unstable tech market, analyzes Marjorie Taylor Greene's departure as a sign of deeper GOP dysfunction, and highlights GLP-1 drugs as the next health tech revolution. Throughout, Swisher and Galloway call out lack of accountability among political and tech leaders, skewer the elites, and remind listeners that activism—and a healthy skepticism toward the super-rich—are more important than ever.