Opinion
Swisher calls Marc Andreessen a small-minded and remarkably stupid person
“I mean, I've never met someone who's so smart, who's so stupid. I don't know how else to say with him. He's such a small minded person.”
Opinion
Swisher: Musk dropped the ball on Tesla innovation and alienated buyers
“I think he dropped the ball on innovation at the company. I think he alienated most of his natural buyers by being such an asshole.”
Insight
Swisher: Tech platforms will never handle news well without liability to lawsuits
“I think everyone should be able to be sued, because then you do a lot better at your business if you have the threat of lawsuits, essentially. So that's not happening, and so they're never going to be good at it until they can be sued”
Opinion
Swisher: Larry Page and Sergey Brin running Google would be a disaster
“I mean, he's certainly better than Larry and Sergey, that's for sure. I mean, those two. Like, okay, that would be a disaster.
Why a disaster?
Because they're just, they've lost the narrative, the two of them.”
Opinion
Swisher: Elon Musk taking credit for everything is Trumpian
“Just like Elon taking credit for everything, like, you can't do anything without taking credit. It's so Trumpian, like, I, Only I can do this”
Opinion
Swisher: Tech companies scraping content for AI training are shoplifters
“They're shoplifters, they've been shoplifters forever. So no, they're not just pointing to me, they're taking my things.”
Opinion
Swisher told Andreessen Horowitz its media publication would suck and fail
“You remember when Andreessen Horowitz was doing his media up or whatever. When they did that, they're like, one of them called me, and they're like, we're going to beat you. It's your own game. I'm like, one, you'll suck. Two, it's a shitty business. Enjoy. I …”
Opinion
Swisher: The Government Should Run Critical Infrastructure Like Starlink
“I think the government should be running it. I just don't understand why our government allowed this to happen, just like a lot of, I believe in public-private partnerships, but at some point, these are in the public interest. The public part should be driving…”
Opinion
Swisher: Musk's Antics Make Zuckerberg Look Better by Comparison
“Musk is like playing a Bond villain. It's like, he's moving into Bond villain territory, but and Mark was sort of adjacent Bond villain adjacent kind of thing.”
Prediction Held up
Swisher says Apple needs AI partners because it doesn't steal data
“Why they have to partner with someone. They don't collect information the way the others do. They're not information thieves the way the others are.”
Opinion
Swisher: Most VCs pontificating on Ukraine are idiotic beyond belief
“Like, V.C. Is talking about Ukraine. No thank you. They're idiotic beyond belief, most of them.”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Swisher: OpenAI will not remain at the center of AI
“You know, it's obviously at the white hot center of everything, but I don't think it will remain there. No, I don't. No. I mean, unless he's the best business person in history, but I don't think he is.”
Opinion
Swisher: Haidt is directionally correct that screens harm girls especially
“The screens are, have a deleterious effect on especially girls. I think there's no, I think directionally he's correct.”
Opinion
Swisher: Wealth and past inventions do not make tech leaders universal experts
“These people think that money and inventing a browser gives them license to say anything they want about everything, and honestly, they're experts at what they're experts on, and the other stuff, I'm a little less inclined to have to listen to their blather.”
Opinion
Swisher: Musk deserves more credit than anyone for pushing EVs forward
“There's no one you could give more credit to than him in pushing forward the electric vehicle thing. Google tried a little bit, but he really did it, right? And so a lot of people tried and he did it.”
Assertion Supported
Swisher: There are 10 companies working on brain tech like Neuralink
“Well, no, let me just tell you, there are 10 companies like Neuralink. He's not the only one.”
What-if
Swisher: Zuckerberg's Advisors Should Have Directed Meta to AI Much Earlier
“He, if he had the right people, they would have said AI is where we need to focus mark a long time ago.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Swisher: Sheryl Sandberg offered to pay her to join Facebook Live
“I remember when Sheryl Sandberg called me and she's like, come on Facebook Live. I'm like, why? She goes, well, you'll be bigger. I said, I'm plenty big. Like, what do you, what do I get? And they go, well, we'll give you some money.”
Opinion
Swisher: Andy Jassy Probably Does Not Know What to Do with Whole Foods
“I think he probably doesn't know what to do with Whole Foods. Like, what are we doing this for?”
Opinion
Swisher: Sam Altman is super aggressive yet uniquely admits problems
“Oh, I think he's super aggressive. I've met him when he was 19, so I have a long history with him. You know, he's like the rest of them. He's super aggressive. He's much more thoughtful. He has much calmer voice and everything else. He at least, you know, lean…”
Opinion
Swisher suspects OpenAI's subscription business is not very big
“I mean, you have subscriptions, but I suspect it's not a very big business.”
Insight
Swisher: Media creators resisting AI tools are destined to fail
“And I think those who resist it and just sort of, you know, bemoan their fate or destined to fail, that's for sure.”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Swisher: CNN and global news networks will establish sustainable business models
“I think the CNNs will figure it out. It's a Global Information Network. They'll come up with a business in line with its costs. I don't think they're out at all.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Swisher: Insiders close to Elon Musk text her about his personal problems
“I have a lot of people close to Elon who are texting me, which I'm like, oh, I don't want to hear about this, you know, about his personal problems.”
Kara Swisher