Mixed Signals from Semafor Media

Salman Rushdie on what he's learned about media after a lifetime of being trapped by it

Author Sir Salman Rushdie joins Mixed Signals to talk about why he made a documentary about the attack that nearly killed him, and why he's ambivalent about having done i

Jessica Tarlov on being the lone Democrat at Fox, what she knows about Pete Hegseth, and why she defends her conservative colleagues

Jessica Tarlov is the co-host of both Fox News' The Five and the Raging Moderates podcast. She joins Mixed Signals to talk about what it's like to be outnumbered four-to-

Taylor Lorenz on the moral panic around kids and phones, and how she logs 17 hours of screen time

Internet reporter and YouTuber Taylor Lorenz joins Mixed Signals to make the case that the bipartisan push to get kids off social media is less about child safety than it

Social media consultant Rachel Karten on the death of the follower, micro-dramas, and being “algorithmically ungovernable”

Social media consultant and “Link in Bio” newsletter author Rachel Karten joins Mixed Signals to explain what social media actually is in 2026. Max and Ben ask Rachel how

Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl on AI, streaming power, and why music royalties are the safest asset on Wall Street

Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl joins Mixed Signals — with Semafor business editor Liz Hoffman filling in for Ben — to explain what a record label actually does in a

Kareem Rahma on building a talk show empire and the business behind his viral shows

Subway Takes creator and host Kareem Rahma joins Mixed Signals to talk about reinventing the talk show for the vertical video era, and just how much it costs. Max and Ben

Vic Jacobi on building trust in NBA circles and the business of knowing everybody

NBA personality and creative consultant Vic Jacobi joins Mixed Signals to talk about how she built one of the more unusual careers in sports media — starting from a Kobe

From WIRED's Uncanny Valley: Tim Heidecker Thinks Twitter Should Be a World Heritage Site

The satirical news publication The Onion is trying to take over Infowars, formerly owned by far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and planning to put comedian Tim Hei

Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is more worried about your phone than your body

Former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy joins Mixed Signals to make the case that America's loneliness crisis is a public health emergency — and that social media is a big

Steve Hilton on the Murdochs, David Ellison, and conservative media’s California

Steve Hilton has lived many lives: a key strategist to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, a populist Fox News host, and — after renouncing his UK citizenship —

Katie Nolan on the sports gambling takeover, covering politics, and the slow return of the boys' club

Sports media host and "Casuals" podcast creator Katie Nolan joined Mixed Signals live at Cannes to talk about navigating two decades of upheaval in sports media. Max and

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman on LLMs, fighting the bots, and why it’s good that you can't get famous on Reddit

Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman joins Mixed Signals during the platform's 21st birthday to talk about what it means to be the internet's anti-social media hub. Ma

Alex Cooper on flipping "Call Her Daddy" into a media business and entering the creative agency space

Call Her Daddy host and Unwell co-founder Alex Cooper joins Mixed Signals live at Cannes Lions to talk about what it takes to turn a hit podcast into a real media busines

David Droga on being “the last Don Draper,” AI’s impact on creativity, and why the boldest ads are the easiest sells

David Droga is the vice chair of Accenture Song and the most decorated creative in Cannes Lions history. He joins Mixed Signals to talk about what it actually takes to se

Eli Pariser on the end of the feed and how AI will change your morning routine

New_Public co-director and coiner of the "filter bubble," Eli Pariser, joins Mixed Signals to walk through his new report on what news consumption looks like when AI take

The “Popcast” hosts on interviewing Taylor Swift, killing the written review, and whether literacy is over

The hosts of The New York Times’ Popcast show join Mixed Signals to talk about how a two-decade-old music podcast became one of the most coveted interview slots in music

Bret Baier on golfing with Trump, his 2028 predictions, and making the case for civility

Fox News' Special Report host Bret Baier joins Mixed Signals to talk about what it's like to sit at the center of American political media. Max and Ben ask Bret how he na

Audie Cornish & Ari Shapiro’s journey from radio to podcasts — and what amateurs can learn from pros

Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro spent years together in the buttoned-up, professional audio journalism world of NPR co-hosting All Things Considered. Now, they’re reuniting

Joe Weisenthal on the business of business media and why AI won’t replace podcasters

A note from Ben: We'll be back on Friday with our regularly scheduled episode of Mixed Signals, but I wanted to drop into your feed this week with an interview I think y

Flynn McGarry on growing up as a food prodigy and the waning power of restaurant reviews

Chef and Cove owner Flynn McGarry joins Mixed Signals to talk about what it's like to navigate food media. He was first profiled as a teenaged chef prodigy and has since