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Decoder with Nilay Patel

Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner for Competition (Live at SXSW 2019)

Decoder with Nilay Patel

Vox Media Podcast Network

Technology, Business

4.33.2K Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2019

⏱️ 59 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager talks with Recode's Kara Swisher in front of a live audience at South by Southwest 2019. In this episode: America's newfound appetite for tech regulation; why Vestager doesn't agree with Elizabeth Warren's "break them up" pitch; how Vestager assesses her tenure; why Big Tech is like pesticides; does GDPR favor larger companies?; the big problem with smart home devices; Mark Zuckerberg's pledge to pivot Facebook toward privacy; what Vestager will do after her current term ends; ethics in AI; why has there not been a tech giant out of Europe; what the next commissioner for competition should focus on; countering the forces of populism and nationalism; and the shifting priorities of antitrust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:06.0

You're saying goodbye to gas stations and how low to open roads.

0:09.0

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0:17.0

Chevy is making EVs for everyone, everywhere. Go to chevrelay.com slash electric to learn more.

0:24.0

Hi, I'm Cara Swisher, Editor at Large of Recode.

0:31.0

You may know me as the only person in Silicon Valley who's not afraid of Marguerite Vestiger, but in my spare time, I talk tech and you're listening to Recode Decode from the Vox Media Podcast Network.

0:41.0

Today, we're going to play a live interview I recently did with Vestiger, Europe's Commissioner for Competition.

0:46.0

We spoke at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. I've interviewed her many times before, but let's take a listen to this one.

0:53.0

Thank you.

1:00.0

Thank you. I'm so excited to be here. I've done a lot of events at South by Southwest.

1:06.0

But this is one of my favorites. I've interviewed commission investor many times over the years.

1:12.0

One of the things I would have to say is we talked a couple many years ago before a lot of the election stuff that was happening in the US and across the globe with Facebook and other companies.

1:22.0

One of the things that is really clear is she's very prescient about the damage that some of these companies could do.

1:28.0

It was sort of at a very high time for these companies. So I have to say, unfortunately, a lot of what you said has come true.

1:35.0

So I think I'm very excited to hear talk about what you think is coming next.

1:39.0

Let's begin talking about something is going on in this country because it's starting regulatory scrutiny starting for the companies of the US by US regulators.

1:48.0

For the most part, the US has abrogated its responsibility of regulating most of these companies in the interest of allowing them to get enormous and create innovation.

1:58.0

So yesterday or two days ago Elizabeth Warren, one of the candidates for the Democratic side of the election against President Trump, put out a really pretty tough proposal to regulate big tech.

2:12.0

I'd love to know what you think of those and how you how you looked at her various proposals.

2:20.0

But first of all, I think the good thing is that now the debate is really sort of taking off.

2:26.0

When I've been visiting and speaking with people on the hill previously, I've sensed the new sort of interest and curiosity as to what can competition achieve for you in a society.

2:40.0

Because if you have fair competition, then you have markets serving the citizen in our role as consumer and not the other way around.

...

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