Too Embarrassed to Ask

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire talks with Recode's Kara Swisher and The Verge's Lauren Goode about blockchain, the technology that makes bitcoin and other digital currencies possible. Allaire says blockchains are a modern record-keeping system and that integrating them into our lives is analogous to the move from using America Online in the late 1990s to the more open, global web that exists today. Circle previously let users trade bitcoins and today it continues to focus on social payments, but Allaire argues that blockchains have important implications for everything from computing to property ownership to voting.

Recode senior commerce editor Jason Del Rey talks with Kara Swisher about the ongoing rivalry between Amazon and Walmart, which was recently marked by big M&A deals: Amazonannounced plans to acquire Whole Foods for $13.7 billion and Walmart said it would acquire men's clothing brand Bonobos for more than $300 million. Del Rey explains both deals and argues that the Silicon Valley narrative of Amazon becoming the world's only store isn't as clear-cut as techies might think. He says Walmart's brick-and-mortar footprint makes a big difference, but so does its behind-the-scenes logistics operation and its access to a broad swath of consumers from all income brackets.

Kara Swisher and Lauren Goode talk with The Verge's Casey Newton and Kara's oldest son, Louie Swisher, about how teens are using (or not using) apps like Instagram, Snapchat, Musically and more. Louie says he uses Snapchat because he needs to talk to people, and Instagram because he enjoys it, but avoids Facebook as much as he can because "there's no real point." He and Newton also review Snapchat's new Snap Map feature and Newton explains why the app's practice of deleting messages by default is so important. Later in the show, they answer your questions about Houseparty, Snapchat streaks and "finstas" — private friend-only Instagram accounts.

Headspace CEO Rich Pierson talks with Kara Swisher and Lauren Goode about meditation apps and why it's important to find stressed out people where they already are — on their phones. Pierson says people used to back away from him and his co-founder when they learned about the company, but the world is coming around to the idea of guided meditation as a valid way to improve one's mental wellness. He also explains why meditating can sometimes make you angrier or, at least, more aware of how angry you already were. Plus: Kara shares her own not-so-zen, and decidedly morbid, meditation regimen.

Recode's Johana Bhuiyan talks with Kara Swisher and Lauren Goode about Uber's newly announced efforts to reinvent itself after a months-long cultural crisis. The company's C-suite has been completely upended by a string of scandals, with CEO Travis Kalanick taking an indefinite leave of absence and his close ally Emil Michael, Uber's SVP of business, being pressured by the board to step down. Bhuiyan says investigations into the improper handling of a rape case involving a passenger and an Uber driver, as well as sexual harassment allegations within the company, have had damaging ripple effects, impeding Uber’s ability to continue attracting both workers and customers, and forcing a more serious introspection than ever.

The Verge’s Nilay Patel talks with Kara Swisher and Lauren Goode about the 2017 edition of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). This year, the company announced updates to its tablet and Mac hardware, a new version of its iOS mobile operating system, and a brand-new product: HomePod, a smart home speaker aimed squarely at Amazon’s Echo. Patel, Swisher and Goode debate whether Siri can compete with Alexa, and whether the entry price for the HomePod is too high; they also answer your questions about AirPlay, iPads and headphone jacks.

On this special episode of Too Embarrassed to Ask, Kara Swisher and Lauren Goode say bon voyage to our friend and colleague Walt Mossberg, who is retiring from journalism after nearly 47 years — and they're joined by a parade of tech celebrities. Mossberg answers questions from people like investor Mark Cuban, Apple SVP Phil Schiller, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, who finally got the chance to turn the tables on him. He also talks about what's next for tech and media, and which stories in his career he was most proud of.

60db's Liz Gannes talks with Kara Swisher and Lauren Goode about the current state of podcasting and what shows everyone should be listening to. They discuss some of the trends around how people are getting their podcasts and how apps like 60db are trying to make it easier to organize what you listen to next. The trio discusses their own favorite audio shows, as well as favorites sent in by our readers and listeners, and you can find the full list of these shows on Recode.net.

Recode's Senior Media Editor Peter Kafka joins Kara Swisher and Lauren Goode to talk about Twitter's latest efforts to carry live TV and video content, which will include 24/7 news from Bloomberg, live music concerts from LiveNation and weekly regular-season games from the WNBA. Kafka explains why the company might want to emulate Netflix if it's serious about video, spending a lot of money to create something new that is also high quality. Later in the show, the trio answers your questions about live video on the web, including what Facebook is doing in response to a recent rash of murders and suicides carried live on its platform.

The Verge’s Dan Seifert talks with Kara Swisher and Lauren Goode about the recently announced Microsoft Surface Laptop, the first device in the company’s Surface lineup in which the keyboard does not detach from the screen. Seifert views the new laptop as an attempt to make a “premium” experience that can compete with the high-end MacBook Air, without cannibalizing the cheaper Windows laptops made by Microsoft’s OEM partners. He also talks about the new version of the Windows operating system, Windows 10S, which may appeal to schools and businesses buying large quantities of Surface computers. Later in the show, the trio answers your questions about the current landscape of laptops, including the big one: Is now a good time to upgrade?