The Bulwark Podcast

Episode: Kara Swisher: We're in an 'Eat the Rich' Moment
Date: December 26, 2025
Host: Tim Miller
Guest: Kara Swisher

Episode Overview

This engaging episode features veteran tech journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher in conversation with Bulwark host Tim Miller. The main theme centers on the interplay between politics and Big Tech as we exit a chaotic 2025—covering the growing backlash against tech oligarchs, the changing relationship between Silicon Valley and Washington (especially under Trump, but looking ahead), and deep dives into the nascent boom, risks, and regulation of artificial intelligence. The episode also explores media consolidation, journalistic ethics, and closes with some cultural and political predictions for 2026.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tech Oligarchy's Ascendancy & Its Political Symbiosis

• Tech’s dominance in 2025: Tim posits that the year’s real influence will be Big Tech’s entrenchment, beyond Trump-centric discourse (02:35).
• Kara’s additions: Tech’s “chips deals” with China, AI race, and university funding cuts due to policy shifts are cited as quietly momentous developments (03:23, 04:17).
  • Quote: “The damage he’s done to universities and science in general... it’s this slow-moving accident... we’re going to pay for.” — Kara Swisher (04:17)

The Tech-Right Alliance: Marriage of Convenience?

• Not ideology-driven, but self-interest: Kara paints tech titans as agnostic except “give me everything and leave me alone” (06:42, 07:41).
• Daddy Issues & Contrarian Culture: Notable psychoanalysis of Big Tech personalities—Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, et al.—where unresolved childhood dynamics and contrarianism drive much behavior (07:41 – 10:47).
• Why did they sour on Democrats?: Partly resentment at being snubbed (e.g., “Biden didn’t call me”), partly backlash to Covid and “woke” trends (10:07).
  • Quote: “Their parents didn’t hug them enough. I don’t know what else to say.” — Kara Swisher (10:11)

Is the Anti-Tech Populism Durable?

• Kara: She sees the backlash as broader than just left or right—a “very eat the rich moment for a lot more people than you think” (12:00).
  • Urges Democrats not to be “obsequious and corrupt,” but not to shut out tech input on regulatory matters (12:00).

2. AI: Promise, Peril, and the Coming Regulation

Regulatory Reckoning

• Why trust has faded: Widespread perception shift from tech as social good to “net negatives”—prompted by social media disasters, now coloring AI (17:29).
  • “There was no regulation that would have maybe mitigated…” — Kara (18:14)
• Liability & litigation: AI firms are responding more to lawsuits than government, making belated moves on safety and copyright (21:16).
  • Example: Disney’s short-term AI content deal, seen as an experiment and hedge against piracy (22:36).
• Predictions: Kara expects tighter rules—liability first (“they’re not covered by Section 230”), then safety, privacy, and crucially, taxation of these vast fortunes (18:14 – 19:12).

AI’s Impact: Boomer, Doomer, Zoomer?

• Healthcare optimism: Swisher argues AI’s most transformative and positive impact is in medicine—drug discovery, diagnosis, robotics for mobility (23:45, 24:25).

• Media pessimism: Both hosts agree AI’s gold rush in advertising will further concentrate power with Google, Facebook, and kill what’s left of independent media (26:37).

• AI Slop and Authenticity: The proliferation of AI-generated content (or “slop”) will overwhelm “real”—possible future where only verified/authentic media is labeled as such (27:52, 28:34).

  • Quote: “You don’t label the AI slop, you label the real stuff. Like organic cucumbers... at some point the AI slop will be—it already is.” — Kara Swisher (27:52)

Misinformation & Information Flood

• Swisher’s concern: We’ve moved from a “news desert to a news flood”—which can be more destructive, as AI enables ever-cheaper, ever-broader misinformation and scams (30:07).
• Individualization & de-skilling: Overreliance on “frictionless” AI systems may make us collectively dumber, losing skills and critical faculties (40:16).
  • Quote: “Friction is good... Friction creates friction in relationships... If you had a synthetic relationship... that creates such dumbness.” — Kara (41:23)
• Societal divide on authenticity: They debate whether only a small “curious” elite will reject mass AI slop in favor of real culture; Kara suggests she’s more hopeful (42:29).

3. Media Consolidation & Antitrust

• Big mergers are inevitable: Kara argues media companies simply aren’t big enough to compete with Big Tech—mergers among Paramount, Warner Bros, Netflix, Apple, Amazon, etc., are necessary for survival (33:31).
• The top-level competition isn’t just between old media, but with YouTube and TikTok, which are the real powerhouses for young audiences (36:34).
• Legislative obstacles: Lawmakers of both parties are too slow and have outdated frameworks for regulating a landscape moving at tech speed (38:43).

4. Culture, Ethics, and Predictions

Journalistic Scandal (RFK affair)

• Kara discusses how she uncovered a media-political sex scandal that involved RFK and a New York Magazine reporter, highlighting ethical breaches and potential conflicts of interest (45:12 – 47:32).

Power Lesbians & Representation

• Lighthearted end: Kara names Sarah McBride as the “power LGBTQ” person of the year, praising her poise and focus beyond identity (58:37).

TV, Music and K-Pop

• Fun recommendations: Kara and Tim discuss “Pluribus” as must-see streaming and posit K-Pop’s “Golden” as a campaign theme for forward-looking Democrats in 2026 (57:00).
  • Quote: “It’s time to be golden. No more gold. Gold is crass. Make a dig at Trump. Enough of gold.” — Kara Swisher (57:43)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "[Tech CEOs] were always gossiping about each other... which is what you do in Washington." — Kara Swisher (07:41)
• "It's a pivot to 'give me everything and leave me alone'" — Kara Swisher on tech’s true ideological center (06:42)
• “I think we’re in a very eat the rich moment.” — Kara Swisher (12:00)
• "There was no regulation that would have maybe mitigated..." — Kara on social media harms, suggesting AI is at similar risk (18:14)
• “Friction is good... Artificial seamlessness makes us numb and dumb.” — Kara Swisher (41:23–41:40)

Notable Timestamps

• 02:35 — Tim Miller frames the episode: 2025 as a tech inflection point, not just about Trump.
• 03:23 – 04:17 — Kara on China, AI, and university funding cuts; long-term costs
• 06:42 – 10:47 — Psychology of tech titans, “daddy issues,” and the interpersonal culture of Silicon Valley
• 12:00 — “Eat the Rich” sentiment as bipartisan and growing
• 18:14 – 19:12 — AI and the need for liability, regulation, and new taxation
• 22:36 – 23:36 — Disney’s AI strategy, inside the ChatGPT/Disney deal
• 24:25 – 26:31 — AI’s promise in healthcare and society’s doomer turn
• 27:52 – 28:34 — “Label the real stuff”—future of media credibility
• 33:31 – 38:43 — The inevitability of media consolidation and the real antitrust target being YouTube
• 40:16 – 41:40 — AI, “frictionless” convenience, and the risk of mass de-skilling
• 45:12 – 47:32 — Journalistic scandals and RFK’s repeated lack of accountability
• 53:08 – 54:50 — Industry/tech predictions for the post-Trump era
• 57:00 – 57:43 — K-pop as politics; “Golden” as anthem for Democrats

Tone & Style

Sarcastic, witty, and refreshingly blunt with healthy doses of skepticism—especially from Kara. Both hosts engage in sharp, evidence-based critique—cutting through “both-sides” platitudes—while mixing personal anecdotes and pop culture to ground the discussion.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode is a field guide to 2025’s power dynamics, especially where politics, technology, and culture collide. Kara Swisher brings deep industry knowledge and sharp analysis to a lively, sometimes biting conversation about the myth of tech neutrality, the real political forces shaping AI and media, and why “eat the rich” isn’t going away. If you want to understand the undercurrents shaping next year’s politics and the real stakes behind every Silicon Valley headline, this episode is essential (and entertaining) listening.