Episodes

  • Peter Thiel criticizes Trump policy in exclusive recordings

    Peter Thiel criticizes Trump policy in exclusive recordings
    Oct 22 2026
    Peter Thiel does not support the Trump administration’s war in Iran, he told a private, assembled audience in Nashville on October 12. In today’s episode of Decoded, hosts Calder McHugh and Brendan Bordelon discuss exclusive recordings of Peter Thiel’s lecture series on the Antichrist, and how Thiel’s views on the Trump administration have shifted. For more news and analysis, subscribe to the Decoded newsletter: politico.com/decoded Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    13 mins
  • The vibe shift comes for Bitcoin’s bad boys

    The vibe shift comes for Bitcoin’s bad boys
    Oct 21 2026
    With Trump’s own crypto interests looming over the industry and Democrats poised for a return to power, crypto’s founding rebels are confronting an uncomfortable reality: The movement that set out to upend the financial establishment is becoming part of it. For more news and analysis, subscribe to the Decoded newsletter: politico.com/decoded Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    13 mins
  • Sergey Brin’s huge spending spree to defeat the billionaire tax

    Sergey Brin’s huge spending spree to defeat the billionaire tax
    Oct 20 2026
    Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who once called government a “giant bonfire of partisanship” and spent years on the political sidelines, has emerged as a force in the midterms — and it could signal more to come from the centibillionaire. This year alone, Brin spent an unprecedented $100 million — about 40 times what he put into politics in the previous two decades — to try to defeat a proposed tax on California billionaires that has become a top priority for many in Silicon Valley. Plus, Today is the last day to respond to a call for public comment from Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Michael Selig on a possible framework for futures contracts for compute — akin to how farmers use financial markets to hedge swings in crop prices For more news and analysis, subscribe to the Decoded newsletter: politico.com/decoded Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    17 mins
  • The tech industry is GOP-coded

    The tech industry is GOP-coded
    Oct 19 2026
    American voters across the political spectrum now assume most tech CEOs are conservative, according to new results from The POLITICO Poll. The results, first revealed in Decoded, could complicate not only the prospects of Republicans trying to break from Donald Trump in the midterms or 2028 amid rising backlash to Big Tech and AI. Plus, AI researchers and other industry employees emerged as a powerful political bloc this year. Tech’s traditional megadonors are still the ones bankrolling the broader fight for control of Congress in the lead-up to the November midterms.For more news and analysis, subscribe to the Decoded newsletter: politico.com/decoded Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    15 mins
  • Is Europe struggling with an AI identity crisis?

    Is Europe struggling with an AI identity crisis?
    Oct 16 2026
    As U.S. tech giants worry about the power of their advanced AI models, they are pressing governments around the world for new rules that would slow them down. But Europe, fearful of missing the next wave of innovation, doesn’t want to hear it. And at this week’s International AI Summit in Dublin, Ireland, its officials insisted no new rules are needed as they rush to catch up with America’s tech sector. Decoded discusses how the tech leaders and EU officials are finding a path forward in the age of AI. For more news and analysis, subscribe to the Decoded newsletter: politico.com/decoded Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    17 mins
  • Microsoft’s president warns the White House

    Microsoft’s president warns the White House
    Oct 15 2026
    Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith delivered a broadside Wednesday against President Donald Trump’s push to block the path to permanent residency for highly-skilled immigrants, warning the White House that its plan could cripple the U.S. tech sector for over a generation in an exclusive interview with Decoded. Plus, Decoded can exclusively report that a bank backed by tech billionaire and prominent Trump donor Palmer Luckey has just tapped Biden alum Marcia Fudge to help the bank build out it's community banking efforts. For more news and analysis, subscribe to the Decoded newsletter: politico.com/decoded Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    20 mins
  • Are Wall Street vibes shifting on AI?

    Are Wall Street vibes shifting on AI?
    Oct 14 2026
    The Big Bank earnings calls that kicked off Tuesday offer a preview for how CEOs are couching their optimism to account for the financial realities that will shape the industry’s future. Plus, a Democratic candidate for governor unveiled a new AI safety plan aiming at protecting young children from artificial intelligence For more news and analysis, subscribe to the Decoded newsletter: politico.com/decoded Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    11 mins
  • Dems widen war on AI

    Dems widen war on AI
    Oct 13 2026
    A new super PAC created by two longtime Democratic operatives is launching its “opening salvo” this week, spending $4 million across four key House races to portray Republicans as beholden to the artificial intelligence lobby, Decoded can exclusively report. Plus, an exclusive interview with Scott Kupor, one of the Vice Chairs on the White House’s Super Intelligence Task Force, on the goals of the group. For more news and analysis, subscribe to the Decoded newsletter: politico.com/decoded Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    13 mins