America’s New Power Order: Kara in Conversation with Walter Isaacson

On with Kara Swisher

New York Magazine

Society & Culture

4.2 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 6 April 2026

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Kara’s 2023 interview with journalist and biographer Walter Isaacson about his Elon Musk biography was one of her most contentious conversations ever — and one of the show’s most popular episodes. They’re still friends, though. And at this year’s New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University, Isaacson got his chance to put Kara in the hot seat. In this live conversation, recorded last month, Kara and Isaacson talk about the future of A.I., how power is shifting in the United States, and how those changes are reshaping American life. They also talk about Kara’s new CNN series, “Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever.” Special thanks to the New Orleans Book Festival for hosting this event. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Sam Altman, you know well, and you kind of like them and you kind of don't.
0:04.6	Well, I don't not like him. I don't really care about these people whatsoever.
0:07.7	I have a family and friends. Like, I'm sorry.
0:11.0	Hi, everyone, from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
0:26.0	This is on with Kara Swisher, and I'm Kara Swisher.
0:29.0	We've got a special episode for you today.
0:31.1	It's an interview I did with journalist and biographer Walter Isaacson, and technically I'm the guest.
0:36.9	Walter interviewed me a few weeks ago in front of a live audience at the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University.
0:43.2	The last time I spoke with Walter, I chewed him out over his hagiography of Elon Musk.
0:48.2	This time, we had a lot more fun.
0:49.9	We talked about a bunch of things, including AI, how power is shifting here in the United States, who has it, who's losing it, and how those shifts are reshaping American life. I'm still right about Elon Mosquette. He asked me if I was going to give him a hard time with it on stage, and I said, I think we know who's right and who's wrong about what happened here. Anyway, I really like talking to Walter. He's a really interesting person.
1:11.1	He's a great journalist, even if I don't agree with him about some things. He's working on a really
1:15.5	cool book about Marie Curie. Anyway, I like talking to him. He's really fun. He's done a lot of
1:20.8	stuff, and he was very early to digital, as I was, and he's always thinking big thoughts,
1:25.4	which is always a good thing. All right, let's get to my conversation with Walter Isaacson.
1:30.6	Special thanks to the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University for hosting the event.
1:34.7	It's one of my favorite events of the year.
1:36.2	It's really well done.
1:37.1	And, of course, I love New Orleans.
1:39.3	So it's round three with Walter Isaacson.
1:42.1	Stick around.
1:53.3	Support for this podcast comes from Juro.
	...

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