Inside The Hive With Nick Bilton

Are you about to lose your job to a robot? Adam Davidson, creator of NPR's "Planet Money," joins Nick to talk about his new book, "The Passion Economy: The New Rules for Thriving in the Twenty-First Century," where he argues that capitalism isn't dead, a (coming) recession won't destroy America, and the world isn't in as terrible shape as we've all been led to believe—although, in order to survive the coming job apocalypse, you might need to become Amish. Stick around when Adam and Nick get meta-meta-meta as they talk about the future of media and the business of podcasting. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Is the Iran skirmish over? Or is this the beginning of something bigger? Gabriel Sherman, special correspondent for Vanity Fair, joins Nick to explain how this all went down inside the Trump White House, why anti-immigration scribe Steven Miller still has a job, why Don Jr. will go on to run for office, but Ivanka won't, and—perhaps most importantly—what Donald J. Trump told a Republican pollster last week when asked what the "J" in his middle name stood for. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Thanks to the rise of the smartphone, the last decade saw the most dramatic technological change in centuries. Over the next ten years, the same thing will happen to science, healthcare, and space travel. D.A. Wallach, a former rockstar turned biotech investor, joins Nick to kick off the year by debating the scientific predictions for the next decade, including whether we will soon be able to print human organs, if healthcare will become so advanced that living past 100 will become routine, or if only the rich will be afforded such advancements, and whether humans will live on Mars by 2030. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Is the American prison system the most broken part of this country? Believe it or not, prison reform might be the one issue Republicans and Democrats can agree on. Scott Budnick, the producer behind The Hangover and Just Mercy, joins Nick to elucidate the many pitfalls of the U.S. incarceration system, why over 6 million Americans are under correctional supervision, why America is the only country that jails kids for life, and why we need to start giving people a second chance. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

As the #MeToo movement continues to roil corporate boardrooms and Hollywood studios, the New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow has been at its forefront. The author of Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, joins Nick to take listeners behind the scenes of his years-long reporting on Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, and Les Moonves, among others. The two also discuss Jeffrey Epstein’s death, why Donald Trump and Bill Clinton still haven’t gone down, and why cancel culture sometimes misses the point. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Does the $120,000 sale of a banana duct-taped to a wall at Art Basel signify the decline of capitalism, or is just really clever P.R.? Stefan Simchowitz, the notorious art dealer, joins Nick to not only defend the banana, but to (genuinely) argue that it may be the greatest work of art since the Mona Lisa. Stick around to hear Nick and Stefan discuss an egg, consumerism, and the collective banality of social media. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Should we shut down the media complex in order to save democracy? Dylan Byers, senior media reporter at NBC News and MSNBC, joins Nick to talk about why news has become so divisive, why Bloomberg isn’t just another annoying billionaire, how to get Trump out of our heads, and why he thinks Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg aren’t as bad as the rest of America does. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Will 2020 be “The Battle of the Mayors,” in which former Mayor Mike Bloomberg takes on Mayor Pete Buttigieg to be the 2020 Democratic nominee? Senior Hive correspondent Emily Jane Fox joins Nick to talk about why the Democrats hate each other, if impeachment will hurt or hinder Trump’s reelection bid, and if the other former Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, really has an insurance policy on Trump. Stick around until the end of the show to talk turkeys and what we’re all grateful for this year. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The chaos inside the White House, from immigration to Ukraine, would still be a big secret if not for whistleblowers in the Trump administration. John Tye, a former government official turned whistleblower himself, joins Nick to talk about the rise of people leaking information from all corners of America, from the MeToo movement to Trump’s misdeeds to employees at Google decrying projects they see as uniquely evil. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Is Bernie right—has capitalism broken America beyond repair? Yancey Strickler, former CEO of Kickstarter and author of the book, “This Could Be Our Future,” joins Nick to explain how Wall Street, game theory, and the disgusting modern day-business habit of maximizing shareholder value, has destroyed our democracy, and how we can fix it. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Is Steve Bannon a white nationalist, a patriot, or something way more sinister? Academy Award-winning filmmaker Errol Morris joins Nick to discuss his new film about the Trump White House, the rise of the alt-right, and why Bannon might be the biggest hypocrite in the history of politics. Plus: the latest juicy gossip about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Should we boo and yell “Lock Him Up!” at Donald Trump? Or should we go high when they go low? DeRay Mckesson, the inimitable, Patagonia vest-wearing civil rights activist who helped start the Black Lives Matter movement, joins Nick to discuss how to effectively protest the Trump administration, who might be able to beat Trump in 2020, and why Kanye West and Kim Kardashian just need to go. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Take a deep breath and forget about Donald Trump. On this week’s show, Nick sits down with renowned neuroscientist and author Sam Harris to discuss the science of meditation, why free will is an illusion, and how to get through 2020 without losing your mind. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Joel Stein, a writer for The Los Angeles Times and author of a new book, “In Defense of Elitism,” joins Nick to explain how impeachment could backfire on Democrats, why the best chance to win in 2020 is a bipartisan ticket, and why “ozone chambers” are the hottest new health fad. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

And why wasn’t the movement been able to touch Brett Kavanaugh? Nick talks to New York Times reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly about their new book, “The Education of Brett Kavanaugh,” which includes new allegations against the Supreme Court justice and shines a light on whether he could be impeached if Trump loses reelection in 2020. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Or will it cause Trump to unravel? David Plouffe, former campaign manager for Barack Obama, joins Nick to discuss the chances of Trump winning a second terrifying term, whether Dems can retake the Senate, and why 2020 will be the most important election in a hundred years. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Forget impeachment, let’s talk hidden government torture programs and shell corporations stealing money from the poor! Filmmakers Steven Soderbergh and Scott Z. Burns join Nick to talk about writing and directing “The Laundromat” and “The Report,” two films that explore the dark world of the Panama Papers, and how the Bush and Obama administrations hid post-9/11 CIA torture programs from the public. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

And was Meek Mill targeted by a rogue judge? Tyler Maroney, a former journalist-turned private investigator with QRI, talks about some of the most bizarre and infuriating cases he’s covered as a P.I., as well as his upcoming book, “Corporate Dick.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Travis Kalanick did unspeakable things to grow his company. But is the rest of Silicon Valley any better? Mike Isaac, a tech reporter at The New York Times, joins Nick to discuss all the insider drama, boardroom knife-fighting, and other juicy details in his new book, “Super Pumped.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

As the election nears, Republicans are going full Mao Zedong on the media. Can journalism as we know it survive? Joe Pompeo, Media Correspondent for Vanity Fair, joins Nick talk about the new right-wing plot to expose reporters’ old tweets, how fake news can be a weapon of war, and why Americans are giving up on the truth. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices