Welcome to Axis ProRata, a podcast that takes just 10 minutes to get you smarter on the collision of tech business and politics.

I'm Dan Pramak. On today's show, some Kushner conflicts in Saudi Arabia, and Google ends up on the wrong side of gay rights groups.

But first, Joe Biden's big gamble. Axios is Mike Allen this morning reports that the biggest question right now around Joe Biden

isn't so much if he's going to run for president, but if he's going to do it alone.

The former Veep apparently has been wrestling with the idea of announcing his running mate

on day one, and if he does so, making that running mate Stacey Abrams, the popular

Georgia Democrat who in November lost a very tight and contentious

race for governor. On paper, it makes a certain amount of sense. Biden would be running in perhaps

the first ever American presidential election where being a white man, particularly an older white

man, is viewed as a negative, at least among Democratic primary voters. So adding a younger

African-American woman like Abrams

could give him some demographic defense. And particularly, that would be true when his history with the

Anita Hill hearings gets raised during debates, which it undoubtedly would. But at the same time,

picking Abrams might look a little desperate and also dismissive of the other potential running

mates who are

currently vying for the top spot, including a record number of women. Plus, it's unclear

exactly why Abrams would want to box herself into this particular corner. She's currently

focusing on voter rights issues, gave a very well-received reply to Trump's recent state of the

union address, and might have a lot of options beyond Amtrak Joe.

In short, it's an idea with huge possible benefits and huge possible risks, which is why,

as Mike Allen reported, Biden's advisors are split. In 15 seconds, we'll go deeper with Mike Allen.

But first, this.

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