Tech Brew Ride Home – (BNS) The Bradley Tusk Interview
Date: September 1, 2025
Host: Brian (Morning Brew)
Guest: Bradley Tusk (Founder of Tusk Strategies, investor, author, political advisor)
Podcast Theme: The intersection of technology, politics, and regulation, as seen through the career and insights of Bradley Tusk—a political operative turned tech strategist and investor.
Overview
This episode features an in-depth interview with Bradley Tusk, exploring his unique career straddling the worlds of politics and technology, and how his political expertise shaped tech regulatory battles (notably Uber), his investment philosophy, and his predictions and opinions on major issues facing the tech industry, from AI to crypto to social impact startups. The conversation offers both a personal journey and a playbook for navigating the collision of innovation and governance.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Tusk’s Origin Story: From Political Junkie to Tech Insider
- Early Political Leanings:
- Bradley identifies primarily as a politics person, not a tech person (02:03).
"Oh, it's definitely politics, for sure." – Bradley Tusk [01:40]
- Bradley identifies primarily as a politics person, not a tech person (02:03).
- Introduction to Tech via Uber:
- Founded Tusk Strategies in 2010 as a political consulting firm.
- Became Uber’s first political advisor in 2011—taking equity instead of cash, learning what that meant later (00:00).
- Early Uber was an underdog; Tusk’s strategy was to legalize Uber against entrenched taxi interests by activating user bases.
"We tried something that was really unusual, and thank God it worked, which was… ask our customers to fight for us… 50,000 people reached out [to the DC council]." [21:10]
New York City’s Transformation & The Rise of “Silicon Alley”
- 90s/2000s Dot-com Scene:
- Describes the late-90s NYC energy—long hours at the Parks Dept. (Henry Stern era), the city’s renewal, and "dot-com" companies like Cosmo.com.
"I remember being like, this is amazing. How does this work as a business? And of course, the answer was it didn't." [07:11]
- Describes the late-90s NYC energy—long hours at the Parks Dept. (Henry Stern era), the city’s renewal, and "dot-com" companies like Cosmo.com.
- Bloomberg’s Tech Vision:
- Credits Bloomberg for actively catalyzing NYC’s tech sector, bringing policy and tech experience to the mayor’s office (08:48).
"You had the organic tech scene… and then the government with all its resources saying, we love this, we want to really grow it. And that's when I think all the fuel was added to the fire." [07:57]
- Credits Bloomberg for actively catalyzing NYC’s tech sector, bringing policy and tech experience to the mayor’s office (08:48).
Lessons from Politics: Messaging, Media & Legislative Sausage-Making
- Press & Policy with Senator Chuck Schumer:
- Tusk describes his years as Schumer’s media chief—a “two-year PhD in how media works.” Most work was performative, with little legislative accomplishment outside of 9/11 recovery (09:11).
"It almost felt besides the point. The point was this kabuki theater… in reality, if not for 9/11, I don't know that a single thing that I did in the 24 months… had any real world impact whatsoever." [10:36]
- Tusk describes his years as Schumer’s media chief—a “two-year PhD in how media works.” Most work was performative, with little legislative accomplishment outside of 9/11 recovery (09:11).
- Deputy Governor of Illinois:
- At age 29, Tusk handled the budget, policy, operations, etc., for Illinois under Rod Blagojevich, who famously left governance to underlings.
"Rod had this view…that the job of running for office and the job of holding office were two totally different jobs." [11:52]
- Encountered and avoided the governor’s corrupt dealings; later testified at Blagojevich’s trial (15:01).
- At age 29, Tusk handled the budget, policy, operations, etc., for Illinois under Rod Blagojevich, who famously left governance to underlings.
The Launch & Playbook of Tusk Strategies
- Validation of Market Need:
- Tusk admits he “fell into” the niche of running big policy campaigns for tech companies. Uber was the inflection point—building a grassroots playbook that’s become the industry standard (21:15).
- Success depended on whether customers love the product enough to mobilize against regulation (34:29).
"There are some sectors where your customers really like and care about the thing you do and they're willing to fight for you." [33:20]
- Core Regulatory Insights:
- Founders must see regulatory wins as existential ("no licensing, no business"), and Tusk only invests if politics is truly make-or-break (26:03).
"If you need a political fight done to stay in business and stay alive, you need to truly believe that that is existential. And you need to let me do my job." [26:03]
- Founders must see regulatory wins as existential ("no licensing, no business"), and Tusk only invests if politics is truly make-or-break (26:03).
Investment Philosophy: Tusk Venture Partners
- Backing/Advising Companies:
- Invests in companies where regulatory wins will drive growth (e.g., FanDuel, Lemonade, telehealth, sports betting).
"I only invest in companies where I believe that if I do my job well… it will really move the needle for the company." [26:03]
- Invests in companies where regulatory wins will drive growth (e.g., FanDuel, Lemonade, telehealth, sports betting).
- Founder "Tells":
- Looks for founders who understand and accept the harsh realities of regulatory fights—“do they have the stomach for it?" (28:02).
The Politics of New Tech Sectors: Crypto, AI, and Social Impact
- Crypto’s Political Moment:
- Crypto succeeded by mobilizing its passionate user base—a distinct advantage versus other sectors (31:32).
"Crypto… was born in a very almost revolutionary way. And I think that that gave it a feel and a spirit that's very different than most industries." [31:32]
- Crypto succeeded by mobilizing its passionate user base—a distinct advantage versus other sectors (31:32).
- AI Regulation:
- Advocates strong AI regulation, critical of government’s failure to foresee social media’s harms due to Section 230 (36:01). AI poses exponentially greater risk if left unchecked.
- Supports frameworks assessing potential AI harms, commends EU efforts (36:01).
- Argues for redistribution (UBI/taxation) to soften AI’s likely white-collar displacement (39:32).
"It would be a tragedy if we end up with 24 trillionaires and 18% unemployment… There's gotta be some way to claw back that money and redistribute it to people..." [39:32]
- Advising on Playbooks & Regrets:
- Admits current regulations around sports betting apps aren't strict enough for age verification; proposes biometric screening (42:40).
Reflections: Startups, Product Love, and Big Regulatory Opportunities
- Startups Bradley Would Like to See:
- Tried (and failed) to build “Exalt,” a religious social network—conclusion: market didn’t want it (43:49).
- Cites urban issues (e.g., scaffolding) that could be solved by drones if government were a better customer (45:01).
"There is no drone for building inspection. Right. But there could be." [45:01]
- Critical lesson: policy unlocks aren’t enough—need genuine consumer demand (46:33).
Final Notes: Podcast & Personal Projects
- Plug for Bradley’s own podcast, Firewall ("Politics, Tech and the Pursuit of Happiness")—eclectic mix of politics, tech, and wellness, featuring both solo segments and guests like Mark Bittman (47:22).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Dual Identity:
"People who work in politics now see me as, like, a tech and business guy, and people who work in tech see me as a political guy." – Bradley Tusk [01:44]
-
On Uber's Regulatory Breakthrough:
"We just literally sent them an email… And 50,000 people reached out, like, in a week. And the council was so… they're getting, like, thousands. It's like, holy shit." [21:15]
-
On Political Versus Tech Motivation:
"I'm not going to tell you how to do the engineering or coding… But if you need a political fight… you need to truly believe that that is existential." [26:03]
-
On Crypto’s Nature:
"Crypto…is about a rejection of the system. …I still trust you more than I trust my US Senator, my President, the head of the Federal Reserve." [31:32]
-
On AI Regulation:
"We definitely need to regulate it… If we don't get out ahead of AI, it's going to be [like social media], times 100, right?" [36:01]
-
On Social Impact Startups:
"No matter how clever the regulatory unlock might be… if there is not enough consumer demand for P to ultimately be greater than L, it doesn't really matter." [46:33]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Bradley’s Uber Origin Story: 00:00–01:19, [21:10–22:30]
- NYC Tech/Bloomberg Era: 05:30–08:48, [16:43–19:34]
- Washington & Schumer: 08:48–11:45
- Deputy Governor of Illinois: 11:45–15:49
- Tusk Strategies’ Playbook: 21:10–25:32
- Regulatory Strategy/Investment Decisions: 25:32–29:23
- Crypto Politics: 31:32–35:46
- AI Regulation & Economic Consequences: 36:01–42:10
- Playbook Regrets/Sports Betting: 42:40–43:33
- Dream Startup Pitches & Government Problems: 43:49–46:24
- Podcast Firewall Plug: 47:22–48:43
Flow & Tone
The conversation is candid, sometimes humorous, often critical of both political systems and tech naivety. Bradley brings political insider stories and battle-tested advice. The tone oscillates between anecdotal, analytical, and forward-looking, offering both war stories ("kabuki theater," "being told to fix a $4.8 billion deficit") and pointed critique ("the lack of regulation of [Internet 2.0] meant... the Internet has become this cesspool that in many ways has destroyed society").
For Listeners: Why This Episode Matters
- For Startup Founders: A real-world crash-course in what it really takes—politically and operationally—to survive in regulated industries.
- For Tech Policy Buffs: A blueprint and warning for AI, crypto, and other emerging sectors.
- For Political Junkies: Insider tales from city, state, and national politics.
- For Investors: An inside view on why and how some businesses are fundamentally regulatory bets.
Podcast Mentioned: Firewall: Politics, Tech and the Pursuit of Happiness
Books Mentioned: The Fixer (Bradley Tusk), Gotham Book Prize entries
Closing Quote:
"Everything we do… is premised on that one belief that every policy output is a result of a political input." – Bradley Tusk [35:01]