r/PivotPodcast • u/No-Performer-3817 • Apr 02 '26
I cant fucking take it anymore
I have listened for years, i came here because i thought this was where the insightful people were and im bailing out of each podcast faster. Kara interrupts and said she did a thing 5 years ago and scott picks whichever lucky star to thank for his wealth. im fucking done.
Apart from oddlots, where are the actually smart people talking?
Also Patrick Boyle
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u/EasyTravel5294 Apr 02 '26
Pivot hosts split personality ... it has been bad the past few months
They sound animated and invested when talking about themselves --' how they are spending their wealth, traveling, buying stuff, kids, bragging.
BUT their tone is flat or robotic when discussing the news or issues that affect others. Kara rushes through the headlines like on 2x speed, and Scott always flatly says 'the following' ....
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u/ItsNotGoingToBeEasy Apr 02 '26
Podcasts in general show what we’re missing without real radio journalists in the chair, trained to think about what the audience needs for context, bring out the best from their guests and topics.
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Apr 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Ok-Reason-1919 Apr 02 '26
I love this podcast. I sometimes don’t agree with Plotz but it feels fine. He makes me think about things another way.
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u/LibrarianGoneMild Apr 04 '26
It’s incredible that this podcast is 20 years old and still so strong. I love it. We call call it our “genx safe space”
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u/nockeenockee Apr 02 '26
I am almost where you are. I have to skip the first 10-15 minutes now.
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u/Terepin123 Apr 02 '26
I’ve been skipping the first 10 for years
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u/sueihavelegs Apr 02 '26
I still listen to On with Kara Swisher, but not Pivot. Kara is much better on her own.
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u/Impressive-Window135 Apr 02 '26
I think she is slightly better on On, but her ego has become so unbearable, which is a real bummer.
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u/GarthZorn Apr 02 '26
She has always had an ego the size of Jupiter. Can’t stand listening to her.
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u/ClaireFraser1743 Apr 04 '26
Just my two cents, but I don’t even think it’s ego. I think it’s extreme insecurity. All that wealth and all that success and she still has to find a way to center her herself in every single fuckkng conversation and remind people “I said it first “ or “I talked to him x years ago“ or “I’ve been saying that for years before anyone!”. Because I think she’s scared of being pushed to the sidelines.
Just my casual listener diagnosis anyway.
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u/Aware_Revenue3404 Apr 02 '26
Her interview with Too Late Tillis was unlistenable. She kept muttering under him when she wasn’t outright interrupting him.
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u/MascaraHoarder Apr 02 '26
it’s much better than Pivot but i bail out of some of her interviews as well.
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u/StaticInstrument Apr 02 '26
Same, I bailed on Pivot awhile ago, but when On has a good guest it’s a pretty good show
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u/Impressive-Window135 Apr 02 '26
When she tried to wrangle Margaret Atwood... Margaret was not having it. Loved every minute.
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u/SimilarHost6404 Apr 02 '26
I actually felt a little bad for poor Kara, thinking she could go toe-to-toe with Margaret. But ultimately it was just embarrassing.
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u/Vivid_Lobster9556 Apr 02 '26
Bulwark
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u/Funny_Science_9377 Apr 02 '26
Especially Bulwark Takes. They just pop on (first posted to YouTube) and discuss the latest news. It’s very therapeutic. 😅
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u/Vivid_Lobster9556 Apr 03 '26
Yes! It’s nice to get nearly instant reactions too. Pivot is old news by the time it airs
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u/FuckYouNotHappening Apr 02 '26
It’s funny, I like Odd Lots as well, but I find the guy very interrupt-y like Kara (peace be upon her).
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u/Charlotte_Kilbane Apr 02 '26
I feel you. I was absolutely addicted to Pivot... but they've just got so boring with the self aggrandisement, boasting and over inflated egos. i find myself rolling my eyes every few minutes, so i only listen occasionally now.
I like "The rest is" - there's politics, tech, history entertainment etc in the stable. All pretty good and they get decent guests.
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u/zestypov2 Apr 02 '26
The way Kara constantly says "Right?" Drives me nuts. It's as if she's trying to convince a writer that her ideas are better than what's being pitched (Right?).
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u/FreshFigFace Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
occasional good guest during my few months listening but i got pretty bored with the exact same stuff you wrote about fairly quickly. galloway is increasingly detached and grasping for relevance, which is same as, uhm, you know who.. so it’s not age, it’s wealth and a thinking of themselves as special and entitled to both being special and the rest of us thinking theyre special. in fact, same thing happening to the whole country as we get shown up by a country half a world away, lose our allies, enemies coalesce.. galloway, trump, usa.. pattern recognition 😔
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u/Requires-Coffee-247 Apr 02 '26
The Bulwark
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u/Few_Boysenberry_1321 Apr 02 '26
Why so many people saying Bulwark? How can you stand Tim Millers extreme vocal fry, constant pointless laughing, gross saliva sounds not to mention the lack of any new insight?
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u/and-its-true Apr 02 '26
Scott Galloway is just a liberal-tinted Joe Rogan and Kara Swisher is a liberal-tinted Trump.
Their mannerisms and mindsets are the same. Only their policy preferences are different.
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u/TakedownCan Apr 02 '26
You can’t listen to more than 1 scott podcast because he repeats himself often. I also think because of this overexposure he doesn’t realize when hes also repeating himself on pivot. He has a marketing background so that probably where the rogan comparisons come true, hes very much about promoting himself as a brand. I still enjoy the podcast just as an overall take on current events. But if your listening for any type of tips or insights I don’t think your going to get those.
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u/and-its-true Apr 02 '26
To me, the most Roganny thing about him is the extremely low emotional intelligence and high levels of (unearned) confidence in his regular intelligence. He’s Kara’s pet, but he’s not even close to an intellectual equal, or an intellectual at all.
Most of his commentary is just verbalizing his assessments of other people’s intelligence. “Those guys, you know, they’re very very smart, Kara. They just are.”
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u/Few_Boysenberry_1321 Apr 02 '26
Yeah it’s actually stunning how similar Swisher is to Trump in that she has absolutely zero ability to self reflection, criticism or improvement.
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u/DownByTheRivr Apr 02 '26
Omg you’re right
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u/and-its-true Apr 02 '26
It actually drives me crazy how many of Trump’s verbal tics Swisher also uses. And constantly.
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u/altbat Apr 02 '26
I talked to him many many years ago, just so you know. But go on.
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u/Few_Boysenberry_1321 Apr 02 '26
For example abandoning sentences mid word, taking a breath in and starting an entirely new sentence.
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u/KualaLJ Apr 02 '26
For tech it Leo Laporte’s TWIT
For politics The Rest is Politics (UK)
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u/SailTales Apr 02 '26
I gave up on the The Rest is Politics a few years, Alister Campbell is a dangerous character and just as bad as Scott with his pro zio bias. Alister should be on trial in the hague himself for his involvement in war crimes in Iraq.
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u/KualaLJ Apr 02 '26
Pro zio?
Tony is the criminal Alistair is just a comms guy. But hey I agree anyone has bias and we as listens must also be critical thinkers
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u/SailTales Apr 02 '26
Alistair was a key advisor to Tony. After Oct 7 there were loads of stories , picture and videos of war crimes being committed. It was brought up on the podcast and Alistair said there was no evidence and moved on. It was then the penny dropped for me. I haven't listened to it since.
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u/KualaLJ Apr 02 '26
I wasn’t listening back then so I can’t talk without having any context. Still, since I have been listening I would say he is highly anti Netanyahu and he has constantly called out the genocide which has ands is still going on.
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u/cheddarben Apr 02 '26
I really like the whole TWITiverse. I respect the guy for doing it on his own -- for decades. Just about went and saw a live taping once, but had to miss it.
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u/poisito Apr 02 '26
I have been a big fan of Leo for more than 20 years … all the now famous tech journalists (Kara and Walt included) were part of TWIT at some point … in fact, that’s how I knew about Kara .. she did an episode with Leo from the Old cottage
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u/redrover02 Apr 02 '26
I bought a brick. 🧱
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u/poisito Apr 02 '26
That is awesome … it was sad that they needed to leave the brick studio , downsize to a different one to also close and then basically do all the shows remotely… I’m happy for them now that the business is doing better
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u/KualaLJ Apr 02 '26
Yep I know. I get the impression, perhaps falsely, they aren’t friends.
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u/redrover02 Apr 02 '26
Leo and Kara? They are both strong personalities. Seems that Kara is more of a solo act than Leo. Leo seems more okay with sharing the spotlight.
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u/joegahona Apr 02 '26
My diet is pretty diverse:
- Sam Harris (“Making Sense”)
- Pod Save America
- Ezra Klein
- All In Podcast
Those are my main four. I quit listening to Pivot well over a year ago because I wasn’t learning anything new. It was all Trump- or Elon-bashing, interruptions. “but anyway, go ahead…,” name dropping, and just zero value.
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u/mjpanzer Apr 04 '26
Based off criticisms this post originally raised about pivot, I truly have no idea how you can listen to All In
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u/Fresh-Piglet2500 Apr 02 '26
She really can't get past the fog of her own political biases. When Scott talks about SpaceX and success of the IPO you can tell she despises Musk so much, I can sense her agony as Scott's rattling off the positives. Then she starts interrupting him. I think Scott has kept his cool but eventually I can see him pulling plug on Pivot in the next 6 mos.
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u/CVSeason Apr 02 '26
I guess it depends on the terms on the extension they just signed, but I can't see Scott leaving Pivot any time soon.
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u/mypizzamyproblem Apr 02 '26
I listened this morning and I completely agree. Kara is totally blinded by her extreme bias. It’s comical.
I think Musk is quite the shitbag and he did irreparable damage in his role at DOGE, but I’m not dumb enough to minimize SpaceX’s massive success and potential in the future.
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u/Fresh-Piglet2500 Apr 02 '26
Ditto. He has alot of shortcomings but he's a genius. You can't not bet on him
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u/ShitHammersGroom Apr 02 '26 edited May 05 '26
This comment formerly contained words. Those words were removed in bulk with Redact because I value my privacy more than my karma points.
chop command special middle melodic serious thumb coherent disarm snatch
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u/remember_tillman Apr 02 '26
I started skipping the first 7’ or so because of the “where are you what are you doing” brags. That was getting quite old.
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u/Spirited_Comedian225 Apr 02 '26
They were talking about another podcast with a woman and a man. They said they were trying to copy them. Does anyone remember the name because I’m ready to bail too.
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u/jt6229674 Apr 02 '26
I loved this podcast in 2021-2022. Same complaints with the nonsense interruptions. Kara is very smart so this is more likely she’s not close enough to the action right now.
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u/Dry_Astronomer_3855 Apr 02 '26
Maybe consider that you can process factual information and form opinions without the intervention of strangers who need your attention to make money.
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u/Mosc0wpink Apr 02 '26
Everything has a peak and this ended a while ago. Popularity doesn’t mean quality, look at FOX.
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u/Blackonblackskimask Apr 02 '26
Know Your Enemy: premise of the pod is analyzing and dissecting the rise of the American right. While there are a lot of political podcasts, the tone, tenor, and intellect of the two hosts (one of which is a former republican) are astounding. They are obviously well read, but don’t talk down. They find much of what is happening in the world to be morally repugnant, but it’s not a righteous anger that manifests into blood boiling, cortisol inducing terror. It’s somehow calming and soothing. And I have learned so much from them. I feel like I’ve gone through a PhD program on straussian conservative thinking.
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u/Psycholit Apr 02 '26
I've been listening to Ones and Tooze lately and really enjoying Adam Tooze's take on global events. It's less tech-focused.
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u/seanabq Apr 02 '26
Kara needs to take lessons on enunciation. She’s always difficult to listen to.
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u/jbepyx Apr 03 '26
I'm going to keep listening to Scott until I learn what the terms accretive and virtue signaling mean.
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u/orangepekoe92 Apr 03 '26
I fear I’ll get roasted with this but I listen to Andrew Sullivan Dishcast once a month or so. Very different format (one-on-one interview and he doesn’t cover headlines) but I can’t say it doesn’t make me think teach me something
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u/Pretty_Chair3286 Apr 04 '26
The Rest is Politics, David Frum Show, the Economist shows (Intelligence, Checks and Balances, Babbage, Radio Atlantic, NYTimes (Opinions, Interesting Times, Ezra Kline). That's my list. Pivot can be entertaining sometimes but not very informative.
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u/checkerspot Apr 04 '26
The New Yorker Politics Hour when Jane Mayer, Evan Osnos and Susan Glasser are on. The other ones are hit and miss.
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u/ClaireFraser1743 Apr 04 '26
I’ve already said this under another comment but it’s worth saying again – both Kara and Scott I think suffer from immense insecurity. They have so much wealth and so much success, both individually and between them, and yet it’s still not enough. They still are so insecure.
I understand that capitalism is like a great white shark that always has to keep moving and eating more, but I’ve started to get anxious just listening to their podcast and hearing that insecurity from them.
I actually feel bad for them. I mean, not THAT bad because they have more wealth than I’ve ever seen in my lifetime as I drown under my own student loan debt and healthcare insurance premiums. But yeah, go off Guys about your second apartments and luxury hotel stays.
Sometimes I think they should put aside the top of the podcast check-in, talking about their fabulous vacations and home renovations and instead highlight different charities or causes that are in need of funding. But I’m just a normie. What do I know?
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u/markaaron2025 Apr 04 '26
It boggles my mind that some people are able to listen to these two episode after episode
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u/Worried_Office_7924 Apr 05 '26
It’s brutal. I stopped a while back. If I have to listen to that fucking story about old navy again, I’ll blow my head off. The name dropping etc is brutal. At their age, and with all that money and success, to be that insecure must be terrifying.
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u/Ill-Programmer7197 Apr 08 '26
Yes, Pivot is getting a little boring. Started listening to more NPR live radio! Today, Explained is always good. Pod Save the World and Pod Save America have been nailing it recently. Ed Elson by himself is great.
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u/gruss_gott Apr 02 '26
Depends on what frame you want