Firewall: Recent Episodes
Firewall
Politics, technology and the pursuit of happiness. Twice a week, Bradley Tusk, New York-based political strategist and venture investor, covers the collision between new ideas and the real world. His operating thesis is that you can't understand tech today without understanding politics, too. Recorded at P&T Knitwear, his bookstore / podcast studio, 180 Orchard Street, New York City.
If you write out a list of bad things happening in the world right now, it's easy to feel the apocalypse closing in on us. To counteract that kind of negative thinking, Bradley makes a list of the most important things about the world that are improving, including breakthroughs in medicine and gene editing, falling murder and opioid death rates, record US charitable giving, clean energy advances, and steep declines in global extreme poverty and child mortality. All in all, Bradley believes, there is more than enough encouraging news to keep hope alive.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
What can be done to preserve the value of learning in the age of AI? Bradley sits down with Adam Chilton, the dean of University of Chicago Law School, to discuss his vision for fortifying legal education. Chilton argues that critical thinking and judgment, the muscles built by Socratic teaching, are the skills AI can't easily replace. But at the same time, students need training in applying AI in the workplace. "We cannot put the toothpaste back in the tube," says Chilton, "nor can you prohibit your students from having access to them."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Bradley returns from a week-long stay at the Hoffman Institute, an intensive personal-development program that he calls “the single most helpful experience I’ve ever had.” He explains how it reframed his understanding of childhood patterns, self-criticism, and emotional healing, including a cathartic exercise that drew out an important lesson. "We literally drew a picture of our dark side on a poster board," he says, "and then took a shoe and beat the sh-t out of the poster for 45 minutes. Destroying the drawing illustrates that our dark side is a creation of our own minds and patterns, which means we can change them."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig joined Bradley for a live event last month at P&T Knitwear, co-hosted by Teddy Himler of Optimist Ventures, about the two most fundamental threats to American democracy and what to do about them. Lessig, founder of EqualCitizens.US and author of numerous books on copyright, technology, and political corruption, makes a surprisingly hopeful case that Super PACs can and will be ended without overturning Citizens United. Bradley makes his argument for mobile voting as the only scalable fix for low-turnout primaries that boost extremists in both parties. The two agree on a particular culprit — an engagement-based media economy that profits from turning Americans into "ignorant people who hate each other." Lessig offers the Titanic as a useful metaphor: If there's "a gash in the hull," don't waste your time clearing ice off the deck. This is a full-blown emergency and we need lifeboats.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Bradley shares his ten rules for writing well, starting with the most important: get it down fast and spend almost all your time editing. Plus: why the annual outrage over admissions to New York's most selective public schools keeps missing the point; how Governor Hochul's data center moratorium will play out, and what Bradley is doing on his non-vacation in the Canadian Rockies.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Was MAGA's cultural dominance ever real, or was it always partly a joint hallucination of self-aggrandizing Republicans and self-lacerating liberals? David Wallace-Wells, opinion columnist for the New York Times, joins Bradley to argue that the vibe shift, to the extent it ever existed, has reversed itself. Trump's approval ratings are in freefall, his celebration of the nation's 250th birthday was a farce and the war against Iran is turning into a quagmire. But can Democrats seize the advantage? "When I look around and I'm like, you know, I find some of these leaders appealing rhetorically, politically," says Wallace-Wells. "But I'm like, what is the program they're proposing here? If it comes to pass that the Democrats even have a trifecta — what even would they try to do?"
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
What if the secret to happiness is as simple as learning to extend a little more grace? Bradley argues that every unnecessary judgment — of your own behavior, of other people's choices, of all the ways the world fails to meet your standards — creates small negative emotions that accumulate into a dark psychic cloud. Showing grace dispels that cloud. Plus, Bradley sketches out the highly unlikely but increasingly plausible sequence of events that topples the Trump administration and also explains how he fell in love with Stockholm on a recent trip abroad.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
In this special taping in front of a live audience on the Lower East Side, Bradley hosts his niece Ellie Gottheimer, daughter of Rep. Josh Gottheimer, and Larra Mullin, daughter of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, to discuss their new children's book Shmoo & Ozzie Go to Washington, which imparts an important message about bipartisanship and democracy — through the story of two dogs.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Fresh from celebrating his mother's 80th birthday in Paris, Bradley reflects on what makes the city so breathtakingly beautiful while also declaring it mightily overrated as a food city. Then he tackles one of the trickiest conundrums in business and life. Drawing lessons from business, politics and parenting, he argues that while not knowing what you don't know is obviously dangerous, knowing what you don't know and deferring to the wrong experts can often be just as costly.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Before he decided to run for Congress, Micah Lasher was a proud member of the Matzoh Ballers political consultant text chain. For the duration of the campaign, he had to disconnect. But now he's back with the Ballers — and headed to Congress. He joins Bradley to discuss how he won what may well be the most expensive congressional primary in American history, with $50 million spent across all sides. They talk about why OpenAI's decision to pour money into defeating his opponent Alex Bores backfired spectacularly, how the sophisticated voters of CD-12 recoiled at the avalanche of outside spending and what he can get done as a freshman member of Congress with virtually no power. Micah's top three legislative priorities: housing, childcare and a first-job guarantee for young people as part of a national service program. Plus, he intends to support Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker, should Democrats take back the House. "If you think the Democrats in the House are going to follow the example of the Republicans and weaken the speaker such that moving together with unity becomes very hard," Micah says, "that's going to be to our great detriment."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Why do voters keep rewarding candidates with no realistic plan for fixing anything? Bradley argues that the far left's triumph in last week's New York primaries wasn't really about Israel or AI or the 1% — it was about tapping into anxiety rather than offering workable solutions. Then he turns his attention to Zohran Mamdani, who is riding a wave of historic approval ratings as he hits the six-month mark of his mayoralty. Bradley sees his early tenure as "a tale of two mayors," one as a successful politician, the other as a failing leader. "If you confuse his governing with Instagram likes," Bradley says, "that's a serious misunderstanding of the job." He closes with his ten favorite books of the first half of 2026, including a Stanford scandal exposed by a student journalist and a comedic novel imagining Trump running for a third term against a wrestler-mystic.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Israel dominated the heart and minds of voters in New York this week. Chris Coffey, CEO of Tusk Strategies, joins Bradley to break down a "brutal" primary night for establishment Democrats. They dig into why calling the far left anti-semitic keeps backfiring as an electoral strategy, how long Mamdani's vibes-based popularity will survive contact with reality, and where the pattern of electing extreme candidates leads. If voters keep rewarding rhetoric over results, Bradley says bluntly, "this country's not going to survive."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
What's the putdown that Donald Trump loves to dish but can't take? Loser. Bradley lays out a two-prong strategy for Democrats, hitting the broader GOP on the Iran war as a self-inflicted disaster while attacking Trump mercilessly as the architect of one of America's most humiliating defeats in history. Plus, a breakdown of why Mayor Mamdani keeps choosing ideology over the real interests of New Yorkers, the secrets to saving time and what New York City neighborhood should be your next dining destination.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
What does it take for the son of an actor from Park Slope to make it all the way to the major leagues? Adam Ottavino — who pitched for both the Mets and Yankees over a 15 year career — joins Bradley to talk about growing up in Brooklyn, the terror of retirement and why he thinks the sport is headed for a labor showdown that the players might not be ready for. Plus, a little about the Knicks, because what else are people talking about?
Be sure to follow Adam on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@adamottavinozero
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
What is the best reason to be a sports fan? For Bradley, it's all about sharing the experience with friends and loved ones. That's what makes the Knicks' first NBA championship in more than 50 years so deeply satisfying. "If the one thing in life that matters most is having relationships with unconditional love and support," he says, "sports helps make that happen for so many of us." Plus, why the smartest move for the forgotten Nets is to pack up and head west, what made his first-ever soccer game — the World Cup match between Brazil and Morocco at the World Cup — genuinely memorable despite not quite understanding the rules, and a recommendation for Rasputin Swims the Potomac, Ben Fountain's rollicking political satire.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
But a concrete economic plan for extreme job losses just might. Daniel Schreiber, CEO of Lemonade and founder of the MOSAIC AI Policy Institute, joins Bradley to make a surprisingly hopeful case. The enormous wealth generated by AI can be captured and redistributed in a way that leaves almost everyone better off, he argues, without raising taxes, punishing innovation, or trusting politicians with a slush fund. "Poverty should end in the era of abundance," says Schreiber. "It should simply end."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
But Bradley gives it his best shot. He argues that AI has hit its own "Google 2017 moment" — the point where political winds shift from positivity to poisonous — and that the regulatory environment AI companies enjoy today is probably the most permissive it will ever be. Plus, fresh off binging Sons of Anarchy, he ranks his all-time top 25 TV shows — The Wire is number one, by statute — with apologies to Israel, whose shows he loves but they're just too stressful. Oh, and about the Knicks, let's just say that Bradley wore his Josh Hart jersey to the studio but isn't counting on a sweep.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
There is an obvious reason men have drifted to the right, says Justin Cohen: Nobody on the left wants to hear from them. The co-founder of Dads for All joins Bradley to discuss how social isolation, economic anxiety, and political polarization have created both a crisis and an opportunity. Justin's group works through local chapters to bring dads together around areas of shared interest, like sports, as well as issues they care about, like parental leave and affordable childcare. It's a simple organizing philosophy that political leaders ignore at their peril. Says Justin: "The left's allergy to men is going to be a strategic problem for everything they want to do forever."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Because that's what Bradley argues retail investors will be banking on if they buy OpenAI stock if it goes public as early as this fall. Taking a careful walk through the numbers, he set it up as a classic conflict between math and mythology. Does a debt-laden company with massive annual losses and hard-core competitors deserve to be instantly admitted to the ranks of giants like Apple, Microsoft and Amazon? Plus, Bradley recounts his epic weekend stroll down Broadway, from the Bronx to the Staten Island Ferry, and imagines what a Mamdani-esque ticker tape parade might look like if his prediction of the Knicks in six comes true.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
If government is one of the best career moves a young person can make right now, why does nobody seem to know it? Caitlin Lewis, Executive Director of Work for America, joins Bradley to extol the benefits of working for state and local governments. They're desperate for talent, they pay better than you think and the work makes a difference in people's lives. Not that there aren't problems, like painfully long and onerous hiring processes, which Caitlin is addressing. She and Bradley talk about the long shadow of Tammany Hall, how displaced federal workers are finding new jobs and why idealism is alive and well in the public sector. "If you want to be part of the resistance," she says, "there is no better way to do it than actually going into City Hall and changing things from the inside."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
What are the ingredients of a healthy life? Bradley discusses the major changes he made after turning 50, including protein shakes, testosterone therapy, sleep apnea mouth guards, a stay this summer at the Hoffman Institute in the Canadian Rockies and a complete abstinence from ice cream, even though he loves it and would eat it at every meal if he could. "All I can do is just try to do the practices that will maximize my chances of living a healthy life," he says. "Ultimately, you can do all that stuff and if you lack unconditional love and support and things that give you meaning and purpose, you're still probably not that happy."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Have we been gradually destroying our physical health by sitting still and staring at screens? Manoush Zomorodi, author of the new book Body Electric, joins Bradley to explain how our digital addictions are bad for us in ways that we rarely consider — spiking blood sugar, wrecking posture, and darkening our moods. The fix, she argues, is easily within reach: as little as five minutes of movement every half hour has dramatic health benefits and actually raises productivity. Bradley argues, in turn, that smartphones manufactured an ADD epidemic in otherwise normal people.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Yes, we're talking about sandwiches — which, to Bradley, almost constitute a religion. What matters most is not the food itself but the human connections that surround it: the first po'boy that made him fall for New Orleans, the brisket at a Texas wedding that defined a circle of loved ones and the fish sandwich in Bellevue that made him feel like an adult for the first time. Plus, Bradley responds to a listener who challenges his description of Mayor Mamdani as "a nice guy" and assesses Ben Thompson's argument that defusing opposition to data centers is quite simple: just give people money.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Is there any level of American government that is actually doing its job well? Bradley sits down with his Tusk Strategies partner Shontell Plummer to talk through the slow-motion dysfunction of Albany. Why is the state budget late when there are no major issues at stake? How come Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani can't get along? What will gerrymandering do to the congressional map? Plus, what's going on with the NY-12 race and is Hakeem Jeffries cut out to be House Speaker?
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Why is that so hard? Bradley argues that the zero-sum mentality driving our politics and social media has infected our basic daily behavior — the phone zombies blocking subway doors, the gym hogs who won't let you work in, the airplane line-cutters — and that only a shift in social norms, not legislation, can fix it. Plus, Bradley breaks down why Mamdani put pandering to his base ahead of the city's well-being in his ill-conceived targeting of Ken Griffin. That wasn't so nice, either.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Are you climbing the right mountain, or just getting really good at the wrong one? Bradley sits down with Judah Taub — Israeli intelligence veteran, cybersecurity investor, and author of How to Move Up When the Only Way is Down — who borrows a concept from machine learning called the "local maximum" to explain why smart people and successful companies so often underperform their potential. Plus, how AI is affecting cybersecurity, why mandatory military service in Israel produces better founders than any business school, and whether a diverse, equal society can ever agree on the collective good.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Is the richest, most productive state in America about to shoot itself in the foot? Bradley argues that California's proposed 5% tax on assets over $1.1 billion is a losing bet that will hurt the very people it claims to help. When billionaires leave, he says, jobs will follow. And if the legislature gains the power to lower the threshold whenever it needs cash, today's billionaire tax becomes tomorrow's millionaire tax. Bradley proposes an entirely different path, based on the radical idea that the goal should actually be helping people, not feeding the political machine that claims to represent them.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack.
Bradley sits down with Matt Wing and Josh Mohrer to talk about Smith & Moses, their newly launched AI venture that ingests every bill introduced in the New York State legislature in real time, summarizes it in plain English, and scores each legislator based on the impact and passage rate of their bills. It's essentially a performance review for Albany, an exciting new way to understand what our elected leaders are really doing and to hold them accountable.
Learn more at www.smithmoses.com
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
With support for Israel eroding faster than most people realize — a recent poll found 70% of American Jews oppose continued military aid — Bradley argues that the greatest existential threat to Israel is not its avowed enemies but the retrenchment of its most reliable ally. He lays out eight concrete ideas for how Jewish organizations could rebuild that support, starting with listening before lecturing: understanding why mainstream American Jews have drifted away before launching any campaign to bring them back. Plus, Bradley implores congressional candidates to stop the cold-calling fundraising charade that tortures everyone involved.
Discussed on today's episode:
Israel’s Greatest Challenge? Winning Back American Jewish Support, by Bradley Tusk, April 27, 2026 (Substack)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Can government catch up to a technology moving faster than any regulatory response ever has? Bradley and his Tusk Ventures partner Bob Greenlee work through two competing taxonomies: Bradley organized his around four areas of real impact (consumer protection, catastrophic risk, job displacement, and AI's potential to make government work better), while Bob's is built around political feasibility — what can actually get passed and when. The bracing conclusion is that landmark legislation is probably pie in the sky, which means the advantage goes to people who can keep thinking critically and asking the right questions.
Prediction markets, not polling, argues Bradley, will be the defining information source of the 2026 midterms and a change worth celebrating. By incentivizing people to think beyond their own preferences and sharpen their analysis, these markets provide reliable metrics of public opinion and are good for democracy. Plus, how Yale did the right thing with its report on higher education, why basic social norms are breaking down in New York City, what the CEO succession at Apple's reveals and why the best thing to watch on TV (for Bradley, anyway) is one from the vault.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
American democracy is doomed if people can't tolerate disagreement. Bradley sits down with Ed Manzi, founder of Unmuted, who is building something genuinely countercultural: in-person forums for politically curious New Yorkers to listen to each other. They get into mobile voting, why Congress has become a tweet farm, and whether the lesson politicians should take from Trump is the terrifying one.
Learn more about UNMUTED: https://www.unmuted.fyi/
On May 14, UNMUTED will be hosting a debate between candidates for Congress in New York's 12th district, at Hungarian House in Upper East Side. More details: https://luma.com/syqniv23
Firewall nominated for a Webby! Vote today and support us for best individual episode - interview or talk show -for Bradley's interview with then-candidate Zohran Mamdani in April 2025. We’re up against Oprah, so we’ll need all the votes we can get! It only takes 10 seconds - thanks in advance: https://bit.ly/firewallwebby
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Is Mayor Mamdani's first hundred days as mayor a genuine reason for celebration, or just a decent start before the hard part kicks in? Bradley gives the mayor real credit for focusing on the operational stuff that actually matters to New Yorkers, but says that if he's serious about running this city, he should start making the case for bringing the subways and buses back under city control, the way Bloomberg brought the schools back under mayoral control in 2002. And he should stop banking on squeezing more out of the small group of high earners who already pay for almost everything, because when they leave, the people who suffer most are the ones he claims to be fighting for. Plus: Bradley opens up about joining Marijuana Anonymous, how the NBA can solve its tanking problem and why he has no regards for Broadway.
Firewall nominated for a Webby! Vote today and support us for best individual episode - interview or talk show -for Bradley's interview with then-candidate Zohran Mamdani in April 2025. We’re up against Oprah, so we’ll need all the votes we can get! It only takes 10 seconds - thanks in advance: https://bit.ly/firewallwebby
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Amid meme coins, scams, and scary price swings, something more consequential is quietly happening in the crypto world: stablecoins are offering a faster, cheaper way to transact — the original promise that Bitcoin made but never quite delivered on. Bradley talks to Tusk Strategies partner Eric Soufer about how the regulatory framework is being engineered to survive future administrations that might not be as friendly. Despite the banking industry's loud objections, Eric's verdict is blunt: "I don't see tons of small businesses in the Rust Belt suddenly pulling their deposits out of community banks."
FIREWALL NOMINATED FOR A WEBBY! Vote today and support us for best individual episode - interview or talk show -for Bradley's interview with then-candidate Zohran Mamdani in April 2025. We’re up against Oprah, so we’ll need all the votes we can get! It only takes 10 seconds - thanks in advance: https://bit.ly/firewallwebby
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
What if we human beings are an evolutionary anomaly, a species that discovered how to destroy ourselves before we learned how not to? Bradley links that question to his thoughts on a decidedly different subject: Why everything we tell our kids about how to live is basically useless if they don't see us doing it. "Show, don't tell" is not only good advice for writing, it turns out. It works for raising kids, too
FIREWALL NOMINATED FOR A WEBBY! Vote today and support us for best individual episode - interview or talk show -for Bradley's interview with then-candidate Zohran Mamdani in April 2025. We’re up against Oprah, so we’ll need all the votes we can get! It only takes 10 seconds - thanks in advance: https://bit.ly/firewallwebby
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
[Vote for Firewall and help us win our first Webby Award! https://bit.ly/firewallwebby]
Is it possible to build the most powerful technology in human history while remaining a genuinely decent person, or does that kind of greatness require a willingness to burn everything down? Sebastian Mallaby, author of The Infinity Machine, joins Bradley to argue that Demis Hassabis may be the rarest breed: a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and world-changing CEO who cares deeply about safety. But as Mallaby and Bradley explore the coming political reckoning with AI, the big unknown is what sort of catastrophe it will take for our leaders to bring this technology under control.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Firewall nominated for a Webby Award! Vote today and support us for best individual episode - interview or talk show - for Bradley's interview with then-candidate Zohran Mamdani in April 2025. We’re up against Oprah, so we’ll need all the votes we can get! It only takes 10 seconds - thanks in advance. Vote here before April 16: https://bit.ly/firewallwebby
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
We all need to stop worrying about who the Democrats will nominate in 2028, argues Bradley. Unless it's someone from the far Left, the main candidates are essentially interchangeable — structural conditions, not the picayune distinctions between them, will determine the outcome. Plus, Bradley and Hugo discuss what makes life worthwhile, trade basketball stories, and discuss why starting a band might be the answer to everything that ails us.
Discussed on today's episode:
Start a Band, Even if You’re Terrible, by Hugo Lindgren, The New York Times (03/22/26)
Why Sweden punches above its weight in music, by Henrik Karlsson (03/21/23)
The Web of the Game, by Roger Angell, The New Yorker (07/13/81)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
How did the Democratic party drift so far from the real interests of the poor and working class it historically championed? Legendary journalist Joe Klein joins Firewall to argue that the rot starts with his own generation — Baby Boomers — who indoctrinated two generations of Americans in ideals that have never worked in the real world. Bradley and Joe find surprising common ground on three big fixes.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
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On the eve of a college trip with his son, Bradley reflects on the murky future that kids are facing and how education will have to be massively rethought. Plus, he thoroughly debunks the concept of the all-powerful Israel lobby, chastises the Mamdani administration for policies that will adversely affect quality of life, and contemplates how to manage the level of difficult news we let into our lives.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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One big reason that the Left has grown so powerful in the city, Bradley argues, is that the Partnership for New York — the group that should have been fighting for centrist, pro-business interests — never showed any inclination to play politics. That could be changing now that Steve Fulop, former three-term mayor of Jersey City, has taken over as the Partnership's CEO Fulop joins Firewall for a spirited debate on what it will take for business to punch its weight in political matters and reinvigorate the pro-growth agenda.
Discussed on today's episode:
What Steve Fulop Needs to do to Make the Partnership for New York City Relevant and Effective Again by Bradley Tusk, November 5, 2025
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Progressives make life hard on the rest of us, Bradley argues, by claiming to champion the poorest Americans while supporting policies that reflect their own biases and selfishness. But his ultimate conclusion is that far-left behavior, for all its flaws, is fundamentally and recognizably human — driven by a mix of self-interest, genuine idealism and the universal desire to belong to something meaningful.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Even when your issue won't win votes, there are ways to make your political opponents pay. Bradley sits down with his friend and partner, Tusk Strategies CEO Chris Coffey, to break down how the firm helped a climate group go after Rep. Chip Roy in a Texas Republican primary. Running ads on Truth Social and Rumble, they attacked him for not being MAGA enough — a strategy that produced a roughly 20-point swing and forced him into a runoff without mentioning climate change once. Bradley and Chris also dig into New York City's budget crisis, the upcoming 2026 congressional primaries in New York, and what it will take for Mayor Mamdani to succeed in a job that demands pragmatism over purity.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Why do a small minority of selfish, fear-mongering people wield so much power over the rest of us? Bradley argues that most of us want essentially the same things: meaningful work, healthy families, a little fun, and some peace. The problem isn't human nature — it's broken systems that reward the loudest and most divisive voice. He also weighs in on whether Trump's instincts are well suited to the Middle East, why the AI companies fundamentally misread their political situation, and what makes Los Angeles his ideal "composite city."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Does fixing America's $5 trillion healthcare crisis start with taking a single picture? Bradley sits down with Andrew Lacy, founder and CEO of Prenuvo, to explore how full-body MRI scans are shifting healthcare from reactive to proactive — and why that shift could be the most important change in medicine today. They discuss Lacy's 80/20 approach to personal longevity (sleep first, everything else follows), his vision of patient-driven healthcare spending and why AI promises to make world-class diagnostics accessible to everyone.
Firewall listeners can go to prenuvo.com/firewall to get $300 off a scan from Prenuvo.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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But in taking a principled stand against the Pentagon and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, it will gain valuable trust with customers, argues Bradley, and that means winning the war. Plus: Jack Dorsey's 4,000-person layoff at Block is a sign of things to come as AI efficiency tools displace white-collar workers — and nobody has a real plan for what comes next; why the addiction claims being made in the lawsuit against Meta are "1,000 percent accurate" but that doesn't mean it's illegal; is Mayor Mamdani governing as a pragmatic big-city leader or showing his progressive stripes; a Chuck Klosterman theory about political movements that Bradley mostly finds fault with; and the case for cautious optimism about the Mets pitching staff.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Early childhood education has quietly become one of the most successful — and bipartisan — reform movements in the country. Elliot Regenstein, author of Readiness: Preparing State Early Childhood Systems for a Brighter Future, sits down with Bradley to explain how it's working. They dig into why the system is more adaptable than K-12 or higher ed, which states are leading the way, and what the Trump administration's push to dismantle the Department of Education could mean for the most vulnerable kids.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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"We don't need purity," says Bradley. "We don't need saviors." The remaking of our institutions starts from the middle, he argues, which has a lot of untapped power against the extremes on both sides. Bradley contends that media, hollowed out by market forces, has ironically become the most adaptive of our broken institutions, while higher education has saddled a generation with $1.83 trillion in debt to prop up a system that puts the needs of administrators over students. And on religion, he sees the collapse in attendance not as a spiritual failing but as a rational response to institutions that serve the clergy over the congregation.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Calling in from Istanbul, Bradley opens with impressions of a historically rich but complicated city — ancient cisterns, street cats, a shady taxi driver, and bomb-proof doors on a synagogue. Earlier, when he was in Madrid, Bradley took Abby to visit the Prado and the Thyssen, which got him thinking about the uncomfortable economics of museums: tens of billions in art, much of it in storage, underwriting tax breaks for wealthy donors while hungry people go unfed. How should we address these issues? The conversation turns to Marco Rubio's speech at the Munich Security Conference, which Bradley reads as an early audition for 2028, contrasting Rubio's smooth "I'm my own person" approach with Vance's unconvincing Trump imitation. On whether Americans are actually angry at Europe, he is skeptical — ordinary people on both sides seem to like each other fine, he says, and manufactured grievance is just what demagogues do.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Why are the biggest names in venture betting big on prediction markets? Aaron Miller, principal at Will Ventures, joins Bradley to talk about the evolution of platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket into a new kind of financial exchange and societal "source of truth." They dig into the states-versus-federal regulatory battle, the surge in American gambling behavior, and then turn to the messy restructuring of college sports. Do our old ideas about it make sense anymore?
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Everybody fails, doubts themselves and encounters unexpected obstacles on the path to whatever they're trying to achieve. But the choice to keep going in the face of difficulty, says Bradley, is what maximizes our own satisfaction and well being. He explains all this in the context of why the business community failed as a political force in New York City since Mayor Bloomberg left office. Plus, he talks about why the merging of philanthropy and commerce is often so fraught, questions Mayor Mamdani's decision not to force homeless people into shelter in the extreme-cold weather, and writes an ad for Pete Buttigieg that he contends is superior to Hugo's from last week.
Discussed on today's episode:
New York’s CEOs Are Gearing Up for a Battle With Mamdani, David Freedlander, New York Magazine (02/05/26)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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What happens when an entire generation grows up with nothing but chaos, only to encounter an AI revolution that makes practically every career look iffy? Bradley talks to Rachel Janfaza, founder of The Up and Up, about why COVID didn't just disrupt Gen Z—it split them in two: the older group that remembers life before the pandemic and the younger ones who don't and who never learned how to have an unplanned conversation. She explains how Gen Z voters feel betrayed by Trump just one year into his second term, why they're demanding AI regulation, and what effect data centers, crypto and phone bans are having on their politics.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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What do you get when you ask five AI platforms to crunch some numbers and help solve an investment decision for you? A shocking array of basic errors, faulty assumptions and bizarre omissions, Bradley discovered, enough to make him seriously wonder where this revolution might be heading. Plus, he reevaluates his loathing of social media in light of Minneapolis and Greenland, debates the merits of his own particular form of networking and proposes an ad that could propel Rahm Emanuel to the top of the 2028 leaderboard.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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In the 1990s, we were promised that the internet was going to decentralize wealth and power. How did we end up with what feels like the exact opposite of that? Tim Wu, author of the new book, The Age of Extraction — an examination of how tech platforms extract value, shape attention, and concentrate power — joined Bradley earlier this month for a live discussion at P&T Knitwear, moderated by Nate Loewentheil, Managing Partner of Commonweal Ventures. "If you look through the history of democracy turning into dictatorship," says Wu, "a lot of it goes through the path of monopolization of key industries, the build-up of a huge amount of wealth and an anger among the people. When democracy cannot fix that or make the system seem fair, the strong man has a lot of appeal."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Canada can never fix the asymmetry of its relationship with the US, but as Prime Minister Mark Carney showed last week in Davos, there’s much to be gained from playing to your strengths. Bradley assesses the strange predicament of the middle power in a zero-sum world. Plus: the real reason Kristi Noem has a cabinet post, why law school applications are surging and — here’s something nice — the 12 finalists for the 2026 Gotham Book Prize.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Are AI workers easier to manage than humans? Bradley sits down with Evan Ratliff, creator of the award-winning podcast series, Shell Game, to talk about the real startup he launched with a staff of AI employees. They discuss the economic, psychological, and regulatory stakes of AI, plus the creepy comedy of working with bots. “Every time I went in to say, ‘Stop talking about this,’” Ratliff says, “it triggered them to talk about it more. They can create endless busy work—endless process—for no real value.”
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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If you were conspiring to weaken America over the long haul, wouldn’t you start by corroding the institutions that make the U.S. economy uniquely powerful? Bradley walks through his “Manchurian Economy” thesis—tariffs, intimidation of speech and IP, politicizing the Fed and federal data, choking immigration and R&D, and the broader slide toward rule-of-law instability. The damage may outlast Trump and even accelerate in an AI-disrupted, demagogue-friendly future. Then Bradley pivots to New York City affordability, with a buffet of cost-cutting proposals for Mayor Mamdani—from inspecting buildings by drone to lifting the zoning constraints that make development so expensive. Finally, Hugo puts Bradley in the coach’s chair to help him come up with a new strategy for consuming media — sparring over Substack, print-only minimalism, aggregators, audio-only news, and whether the real solution for Hugo isn't merely to give up his old habits of an editor always hunting for new voices.
Discussed on today's episode:
How Mamdani can make NYC more affordable, Bradley Tusk, New York Daily News (January 19, 2026)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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What do you learn from three decades of working the late shift on sports radio? Steve Somers, the beloved Shmoozer on WFAN and author of a new memoir Me Here, You There, joined Bradley and his longtime producer Paul Rosenberg for a live conversation late last year at P&T Knitwear. "All through high school, all I tried to do was call in to The Fan and I could never get on," says Bradley (a fellow die-hard Mets fan like Steve), "so this is my first real chance."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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What will trigger the fiercest backlash to the AI boom? Rather than job losses or generative-AI weirdness, says Bradley, it'll be data centers and their insatiable appetite for electricity. When utility bills start climbing, voters everywhere will make their wrath felt. Which means new power sources are in hot demand. Can we develop them fast enough to head off a crisis? Plus: Bradley reflects on how “having nice things” (like the little gem of a bar he discovered in Miami) rests on thousands of trust-based transactions and presents a working theory on why Mayor Mamdani’s early flashes of progressive posturing could be more strategic than they look.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Did you know that life expectancy in Brownsville is 11 years shorter than on the Upper East Side? Dr. Ashwin Vasan, former city health commissioner, joins Bradley to discuss the funding crisis, mounting inequities and stratospheric administrative costs of public healthcare. Vasan explains why real reform starts with rebuilding trust—through ethics rules, revamped incentives, transparency, and a less officious posture. "People don't like being made to feel dumb," he says. The coming era will be defined by a messy transition: fewer paper-pushers, more direct contracting and a political fight over who loses first.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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The more we chase it, the more it slips away. For the first episode of 2026, Bradley explores the hard choices that lead to contentment over the long run, resisting the dopamine loop of money and status in favor of purpose, perspective and love.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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...Well, not quite. But for this year-capping episode, Bradley came armed with a list of 50 big questions to discuss with his friend Alexander Kouts, the founder and CEO of Indigov, and because they had so much to talk about, the episode approaches Rogan-scale duration. Buckle up for this super-sized episode as Bradley and Alex take on abundance v. zero-sum thinking, the limits of capitalism, the purpose of religion, where higher education is heading (off a cliff, of course, but how high?), what roles AI can never take away from us and why humans are powerless in the presence of babies and dogs. Consider it the debut of a new annual tradition. Next year, we might invite Joe himself (or not).
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Daniel Wortel-London, author of The Menace of Prosperity: New York City and the Struggle for Economic Development, 1865–1981, joins Bradley to unpack a century of economic policy, arguing that elites have often undermined cities even as they claimed to save them—and that smarter, more inclusive development is still possible. The conversation ranges from subways and public housing to Zohran Mamdani’s prospects as mayor, asking whether technocratic competence, not ideology, is the real test for New York’s next era.
Note that this episode was recorded shortly before Mamdani's election, and it was discussed as the likely outcome.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
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For Bradley, it was Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su. In this episode, he reviews his favorites among the 96 books that he read this year, including the funniest one, the memoir that evokes real nostalgia, the one he most wants his son to read and the one that made him feel like less of a misfit. Plus, Bradley talks about how to make New York City a global model of Jewish-Muslim cooperation and why Trump's executive order on AI is little more than ill-informed bluster.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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What does Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory look like now that the memes have faded? Drawing on the months of reporting he did for The New Yorker, Staff Writer Eric Lach walks through how Mamdani’s campaign rewrote the playbook on field organizing, social media, and “politics you can see” in the streets — rather than the "politics you can't see" in back rooms. He and Bradley pull apart why the city’s political and business class so badly misread the race and what that portends for upcoming fights involving Kathy Hochul, congressional primaries, and Chuck Schumer’s future. They also game out the big unknown: how Mamdani can govern through steep budget cuts, policing dilemmas and an impatient electorate without losing the authenticity that got him elected.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Bradley makes 12 bold predictions about next year, focusing on the tidal wave of AI regulation hitting state legislatures, why electricity prices will soar and put incumbents in a major bind, the inevitable mishandling of mental-health chatbots, how all the politicians rushing to copy Mamdani's short-form videos are going to create one hell of a blooper reel, and much more. Plus, a strong recommendation for Season 2 of Landman and guest Cory Epstein reveals the one movie he auditioned for during his very short-lived stint as a child actor.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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What happens when you walk away from a hyper-optimized New York life to immerse yourself in learning one thing? Ravi Gupta explains why he moved to Italy to study cooking, rebuild his attention span, and escape phone-and-dating-app brain rot, drawing on previous "skillbaticals" devoted to powerlifting, screenwriting and surfing. Then Gupta digs into his five-part series Where the Schools Went, tracing how post-Katrina New Orleans rebuilt its schools as an almost all-charter system, what worked, what broke, and what the rest of the country should—and shouldn’t—try to copy.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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In venture these days, it pays to be small and scrappy or huge and swimming in fees. Anywhere in between is a hard slog. Bradley walks through the changing VC landscape, using his own fund history as Exhibit A, and going into detail on his return to an “equity for services” model. Plus, why AOC should run for President rather than the US Senate, how AI could be utilized to revolutionize classrooms, and a fresh theory on why we can't resist TV villains.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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What does it take to unseat a 20-year incumbent? Raj Goyle — fresh off his successful campaign to ban smartphones in New York schools — returns to Firewall to discuss why and how he’s running for state comptroller. First step: Convincing voters that the often overlooked position has untapped power to make real progress on affordability.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Governor Kathy Hochul’s real edge isn’t charisma or disruption, says Bradley, but a deeply “regular” superpower - backing things like universal school meals, subway security, phone bans in schools, childcare tax credits, and a crackdown on shoplifting simply because normal people want them. Plus, Bradley sees Trump and Mondami’s buddy act as a masterclass in pure political athleticism, admits he’s utterly perplexed by what Marjorie Taylor Greene is doing, and dissects the now-withdrawn White House AI executive order as proof that the administration still doesn’t understand how regulation actually works.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Bradley talks to Oliver Libby — venture investor, civic reform advocate, and co-founder of The Resolution Project — about his new book Strong Floor, No Ceiling: Building a New Foundation for the American Dream. They dig into Libby’s “radical moderation” framework: the idea that America can rebuild its civic culture by pairing a rock-solid baseline of opportunity and support with an unapologetic embrace of ambition, innovation, and upward mobility. If we get to write our own future, says the self-described sci-fi nerd, it ought be pretty easy to choose between a dystopia where giant companies quietly set the rules and a society like Star Trek, where "people don't really talk about money and everyone has enough and people get to do really cool stuff."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
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While the Mobile Voting Project posted its open-source code to GitHub, where it is available for any jurisdiction to use, the New York Times ran a front-page, above-the-fold story on Anchorage utilizing it for elections next spring. Bradley reflects on what it took to reach this point and where it goes from here. Plus, he offers two strategies for Mamdani — deploying AI to free up billions for the new programs he wants and playing hardball on Staten Island secession —and discusses how a minor confrontation at the gym got him thinking about how our daily lives are shaped by the clash between zero-sum and abundance mindsets.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
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Bradley sits down with two Erikas — Erika Augustine, who runs The David Prize, and Erika Sasson, a winner of said prize — about why $200K, no-strings grants can unlock long-horizon, relationship-driven change in NYC. They get into Sasson’s restorative-justice work on serious harm and why apologies, agency, and community can lower future violence better than ever-longer sentences. Bradley also floats an AI-sentencing thought-experiment, sparking a sharp debate about bias, deterrence, and what justice is actually for. New Yorkers can throw their hats in the ring at thedavidprize.org, initial deadline is Nov 17 for their 2025 open call for visionary ideas.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
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We've grown numb to politicians gaming out everything. But when Senate Democrats chose to end the shutdown, says Bradley, they chose the concerns of real people over political opportunism, and Chuck Schumer deserves credit. Plus, Bradley rhapsodizes about what the declining impact of TV ads will do for politics and credits Peter Thiel for properly diagnosing the disconnect between young people and capitalism.
Bradley's Substack:
I Have Never Liked Chuck Schumer More Than I Do Right Now
Can Technology Reduce the Influence of Money in Politics?
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
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In this special non-guest Thursday episode, Bradley walks us through his first-ever magazine for Substack: six articles where he analyzes the future Mamdani administration and what comes next for New York City. From how to staff City Hall to how the future mayor should interact with the press (and vice versa), these articles are Bradley's top tips for smart leadership — despite the gulf that remains between his politics and those of the next mayor.
I. A Letter, and Some Recommendations, to Zohran Mamdani
II. My Advice To The 20-Somethings Joining Mamdani’s City Hall
III. Zohran and the Jews
IV. What Reporters Covering Zohran Should Keep in Mind
V. Zohran's Difficult Choice: The Poor or His Voters
VI. What Steve Fulop Needs to do to Make the Partnership for New York City Relevant and Effective Again
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
So what happened last night? In this co-production with Firewall friend Jamie Rubin and his After Hours podcast, Bradley, Jamie, and Chris Coffey (Tusk Strategies CEO) analyze the historic win of NYC's next mayor, Zohran Mamdani. What does it mean for Gov. Hochul's re-election next year? Will NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch stay at the helm — despite major policy differences with Mamdani? And could the secret to affordability be the victorious ballot proposals to build more housing across the five boroughs?
Discussed on today's episode:
The Mamdani Mayoralty: A Six Part Mini-Magazine On What Comes Next by Bradley Tusk (11/05/25)
Be sure to subscribe to After Hours, a Vital City podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
In this bonus episode of Firewall, Rev. Al Sharpton, a major figure in Jonathan Mahler's book The Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City: 1986-1990, joined the author and Tusk Strategies CEO Chris Coffey earlier in October for a spirited conversation about New York in the 1980s and how it set the stage for the politics of today.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Archie Gottesman traces her path from the comic genius behind Manhattan Mini Storage to JewBelong, where she’s trying to make Judaism feel human, welcoming, and actually usable (no Talmudic degree required). She and Bradley get blunt about fear-based conformity on the left, rising antisemitism since 2021, and how many Jews contort themselves to stay “in the club,” even when it means pretending to believe things they don’t. They spar, politely, over whether mainstream American Jews have drifted from Israel, then pivot to tactics: message-tested billboards, mobilizing pride and pulling support from institutions that don’t defend Jews.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Archie Gottesman traces her path from the comic genius behind Manhattan Mini Storage to JewBelong, where she’s trying to make Judaism feel human, welcoming, and actually usable (no Talmudic degree required). She and Bradley get blunt about fear-based conformity on the left, rising antisemitism since 2021, and how many Jews contort themselves to stay “in the club,” even when it means pretending to believe things they don’t. They spar, politely, over whether mainstream American Jews have drifted from Israel, then pivot to tactics: message-tested billboards, mobilizing pride and pulling support from institutions that don’t defend Jews.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Not until Democrats finally stop performing politics, says Bradley, will they be able to beat Trump. In a blistering set of takes, he adds: “No Kings”–style protests are worthy but don't challenge Trump; the government shutdown only breaks when Republican voters feel real pain; the NBA must apply zero tolerance and radical transparency to the gambling scandal (“kill it or lose the league”); underage online betting could be fixed overnight with biometric checks; confronting ICE on the street is a high-risk, high-reward gambit for Trump opponents; blowing up alleged drug boats is either war or murder — pick one or stop; museum security may be more implied than real; and why there's nothing Kamala Harris can do to be a serious contender for 2028.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Five charter revisions on this year’s ballot could make the city more affordable and make affordable housing more plentiful. Bradley sits down with Alec Schierenbeck, executive director of the NYC Charter Revision Commission, to explain how these proposals could finally unclog New York’s housing pipeline. They dig into why city bureaucracy resists change, how AI could streamline zoning and public services, and why the next mayor’s success may hinge on these reforms. The episode ends with a call to young public servants: outwork everyone, question everything, and take pride in making the city even a little bit better.
RSVP to join Bradley TONIGHT at P&T Knitwear for a live event with Rev. Al Sharpton in conversation with NYT Magazine Staff Writer Jonathan Mahler, author of the new book, THE GODS OF NEW YORK: bit.ly/GodsOfNewYork
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
It was right in the middle of a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation session that Bradley had a brainstorm — an idea for a TV drama built around a conniving New York politico who hatches a plan to manipulate prediction markets. He titled it THE PREDICTORS, and in this Firewall episode, the audience (you) gets to play the part of a streaming executive as Bradley pitches us the show.
RSVP to join Bradley this Thursday evening 10/23 at P&T Knitwear for a live event with Rev. Al Sharpton in conversation with NYT Magazine Staff Writer Jonathan Mahler, author of the new book, THE GODS OF NEW YORK: https://bit.ly/GodsOfNewYork
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
What goes together better than smoked fish and good books? Russ & Daughters, beloved for its lox, herring, bagels and babka, is not only one of the truly great and iconic New York food institutions, it's also a neighbor of P&T Knitwear, Bradley's bookstore on the Lower East Side. To mark the publication of their fabulous new cookbook, Russ & Daughters: 100 Years of Appetizing, owners (and cousins)Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper sat down with Bradley in September for a live event at P&T to discuss how their family business has survived and thrived in an ever-changing city.
Discussed on today's episode:
Russ & Daughters 100 Years of Appetizing, by Niki Russ Federman, Josh Russ Tupper, Joshua David Stein, Flatiron Books, (09/09/25)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Bradley gets a Windy City on-the-ground report from friend and colleague Bob Greenlee, which leads to a bleak read on national politics: even if Democrats gain in 2026, the realities of executive power and a thin bench mean that little changes. Bradley then unveils a major milestone for mobile voting—Free & Fair’s open-source, rigorously engineered cryptographic protocol, arguing that transparency invites tougher verification and faster improvement. They then pivot to city governance trade-offs in New York and Chicago (flight of the affluent, public safety, unions, deficits), stressing that execution and pragmatism — not ideology — will make or break new mayors. Finally, they debate leveraging Trump’s Israel deal and his Nobel ambitions toward Ukraine, then land on Bradley’s “grand synthesis”: amid real doomsday risks, personal happiness is still within reach...if we build our lives around love and purpose.
Discussed on today's episode:
Rigorous Digital Engineering: The Bedrock For Secure Mobile Voting by Bradley Tusk (10/09/25)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Matt Stoller, author of the Substack newsletter BIG, joins Bradley to dig into how the rise of AI mirrors the early internet—when regulators failed to check the dominance of Google, Facebook, and others. Stoller argues that America’s political elites, especially under Obama, confused “freedom from restriction” with “freedom from mastery,” enabling corporate monopolies to become de facto rulers of public life. Without decisive policy intervention, he warns, AI will consolidate under the same few tech giants—most likely Google—and deepen the country’s oligarchic tendencies.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
The upside of being your own boss is pretty clear, says Bradley, it's your tolerance for the downside that really is the deciding factor. He offers an 8-point checklist that starts with the warning, "You own all the risk — always." Plus, he discusses how much the AI investment boom is driven by narratives rather than economics and what to do about the broken state of polling.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Jonathan Mahler’s The Gods of New York is a brilliant chronicle of the late 1980s, when a rotating cast of outrageous characters — Trump, Koch, Sharpton, among others — hogged the headlines. Bradley talks to Mahler about the clash of epic egos, as well as shifting social conditions. How exactly did homelessness and untreated mental illness go from an emergency that pricked the conscience of New Yorkers to a normalized, if regrettable, fact of urban life? Fast-forwarding to the present, they parse Brooklyn’s transformation, how the business elite grew complacent, where Mamdani will lead us, and who will write the next chapter about a wealthier but increasingly rudderless city.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Not much will change with Eric Adams' withdrawal from the New York City mayor's race, but it is a good moment to reflect on how we reached this point. Zohran Mamdani is going to be the next mayor because progressives spent years laying the groundwork for a candidate like him. If the city's business and real-estate interests wish to have real political influence, they need to put in the same kind of sweat equity. Plus, Bradley ponders the "art" of Trump's TikTok deal, assesses the Democrats' prospects for capitalizing on a government shutdown, and gets Meaghan and Hugo to play a game about, yes, state recognition.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Randy Mastro, who served as Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor for Operations under Mayor Giuliani, talks to Bradley about his return to City Hall this year as the First Deputy Mayor to bolster an Adams administration shaken by key departures but also looking to run through the tape. He explains how social media and hyper-partisanship have made the task of governing harder, goes into detail on how he is helping to address thorny stalemates like horse carriages in Central Park, and argues that the success of any mayoral administration — centrist or socialist — is based on getting the basics right, like safety, services, and jobs.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
...or not to blow up the world, that is the question. Taking off from Kathryn Bigelow new movie A House of Dynamite, Bradley goes down the list of the last 10 American presidents and decides how each one would respond to an incoming nuclear attack from an unknown source. Plus, he writes a speech that Bibi Netanyahu could give but never will, and explores the outpouring this year of great books about New York City. The 2026 Gotham Book Prize is going to be a very tough call.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
When Danny Kim was nearly crushed by the 4,000-pound chassis of a truck he was working on, he had an epiphany. What if he could make an entirely new kind of car that combined the efficiency of a motorcycle with the safety of a regular car? Lit Motors was born. Bradley talks to Danny about his vision for a two-wheel vehicle with the soul of a spaceship.
Join Bradley this Saturday, Sept. 20 at P&T Knitwear as we celebrate Russ & Daughters Day to mark the legendary shop's first-ever cookbook in their 111 years on the Lower East Side. We’ll be hosting a live Firewall recording at 3PM where Bradley will interview Russ & Daughters’ fourth generation co-owners, Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper. For more details and to RSVP, visit https://www.russanddaughtersday.com/
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
The killing of Charlie Kirk has kicked the forces of political polarization into high gear. But it’s worth taking a step back, says Bradley, to consider the degradation of everyday life that gives rise to such tragedies and think about what each one of us can do to ease the chaos. More locally, Bradley also discusses the data that proves that the ban on forced brokers fees is working, the race to replace Congressman Jerry Nadler, and the very un-Christian move by a local church to kick out a longtime soup kitchen.
Discussed on today's episode:
Indoor Ban Shuts Down Soup Kitchen at Downtown Manhattan Church, by Jonathan Custodio, The City, (09/15/25)
Join Bradley on Sept. 20 at P&T Knitwear as we celebrate Russ & Daughters Day to mark the legendary shop's first-ever cookbook in their 111 years on the Lower East Side. We’ll be hosting a live Firewall recording at 3PM where Bradley will interview Russ & Daughters’ fourth generation co-owners, Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper. For more details and to RSVP, visit https://www.russanddaughtersday.com/
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Jenny Montgomery is a New Yorker on a mission — scouring galleries for art she loves and can afford to buy. Bradley talks to her about the city's art scene, where to see great work right now, and how to think about starting your own collection. Get rich quick? Forget about it. But live a richer cultural life? That's well within your reach.
Discussed on today's episode:
Printed Matter's NY Art Book Fair at MoMA PS1: https://printedmatterartbookfairs.org/
Join Bradley on Sept. 20 at P&T Knitwear as we celebrate Russ & Daughters Day to mark the legendary shop's first-ever cookbook in their 111 years on the Lower East Side. We’ll be hosting a live Firewall recording at 3PM where Bradley will interview Russ & Daughters’ fourth generation co-owners, Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper. For more details and to RSVP, visit https://www.russanddaughtersday.com/
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Now that Trump has decided to restore the throwback name of the Department of Defense (now the Department of War), maybe it's time we started calling all federal agencies according to what they really do — so Bradley plays an epic name game. Plus, he assesses the looming real-world conditions that will test Zohran Mamdani's commitment to his progressive agenda, throws a flag on football's talking heads, and divulges his personal Emmy picks.
Discussed on today's episode:
Zohran Mamdani’s Year One: A Time for Testing, by Bradley Tusk, Vital City, (09/04/25)
Join Bradley on September 20 at P&T Knitwear as we celebrate Russ & Daughters Day to mark the legendary shop's first-ever cookbook in their 111 years on the Lower East Side. We’ll be hosting a live Firewall recording at 3PM where Bradley will interview Russ & Daughters’ fourth generation co-owners, Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper. For more details and to RSVP, visit https://www.russanddaughtersday.com/
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Here's one thing we know about the Democratic Party right now — they are practically in a death spiral and must do something heroic to have any shot at the White House in 2028. If they think they can go about picking a candidate the regular, super-boring way, they're toast. So Bradley has a plan to bring fun and genuine excitement into the process, based on, yes, Battle of the Network Stars. Plus, he delivers a sharp verdict on the question of whether business school is worth it, and analyzes what the slowing growth of millionaires in New York City means for the next mayor.
Join Bradley on Sept. 20 at P&T Knitwear as we celebrate Russ & Daughters Day to mark the legendary shop's first-ever cookbook in their 111 years on the Lower East Side. We’ll be hosting a live Firewall recording at 3PM where Bradley will interview Russ & Daughters’ fourth generation co-owners, Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper. For more details and to RSVP, visit https://www.russanddaughtersday.com/.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
What if you could eat at a place where the food was fresh and healthy, prices were geared to what customers could afford and the staff was treated equitably? Legendary food writer Mark Bittman joins Firewall to discuss the imminent launch of Community Kitchen, his nonprofit corrective to a food world gone awry.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Join Bradley at P&T Knitwear as we celebrate Russ & Daughters Day on September 20, to mark the legendary shop's first-ever cookbook in their 111 years on the Lower East Side. For more details and to RSVP, visit https://www.russanddaughtersday.com/.
While all of you were enjoying a Firewall-free week, Bradley was undergoing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, a therapy designed to mitigate obsessive-compulsive disorder. "They put this thing over your head, and effectively, every two seconds, you get 30 pulses or shocks," he says. "They call them pulses because shock sounds bad. If you are a listener and you really do suffer from OCD or depression, this is a tool that I had not been aware of before that I'm very glad I tried." Plus, Bradley dissects the incentives for peace in Ukraine, explains why Democrats still haven't found a message to counter Trump, and floats a plan to make life better for baseball fans.
Discussed on today's episode:
How to Be a Good Intelligence Analyst
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Two friends decided to turn their shared passion for tennis and food into — well, they don’t know what it could become, but for now it’s a Substack called The Play Boys. Bradley talks to Dave Allee and Paul Tedesco about the best and worst public courts in New York City, why breakfast is more central to their project than lunch or dinner, the surprisingly diverse tennis culture in different boroughs, and their favorite part of watching the US Open.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
If Zohran Mamdani stands any chance of succeeding on his social agenda, he'll need a strong economy. Bradley hand-picks the policies and ideas that the likely next mayor of New York City should embrace to drive innovation, attract investment, and create jobs. Growth, he argues, will do the most good for the most New Yorkers. Plus, Bradley reflects on turning 52 — sharing lessons about reshuffling priorities, creating new habits and reining in his workaholic tendencies.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
What happens when a drugged-out visionary, a few brilliant businessmen and a generation of alt-rock misfits hit the road together? Tom Beaujour — co-author of Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival — joins Bradley to tell the inside story of America’s most chaotic traveling circus. From onstage shotgun blasts to backstage basketball beefs, it's a love letter to a weirder, sweatier, more combustible time in pop culture.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Though he went to law school himself, Bradley used to tell people it was a waste of time and money for anyone who wasn't dead set on practicing law. Now, with the age of AI upon us, he thinks it could be the best way for young people to develop their critical thinking skills. Plus, he torches Trump’s latest moves as a coordinated assault on America’s economic foundations, quizzes Cory on the campaign to institute age verification for Citi Bike e-bikes, and concedes that the second part of the Billy Joel documentary didn't live up to the first part.
Discussed on today's episode:
Bad For The Jews, by Bradley Tusk (07/29/25)
NYC pol wants to force Citi Bike to install system to ban kids from riding e-bikes, by Carl Campanile, The New York Post, (07/28/25)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Bradley talks with Eric Soufer, partner at Tusk Strategies and head of their advanced technology & crypto practice, about the dramatic shift in the regulatory and political climate surrounding digital assets. They unpack the GENIUS and CLARITY Acts, explain why stablecoins are going mainstream, and assess how the crypto lobby pulled off one of the most effective policy campaigns in recent memory. Plus, the future of prediction markets, the limits of Israeli politics, and why the Yankees' problems can be chalked up to its own version of the Deep State.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
As an American Jew raised in a household of Holocaust survivors, Bradley has always been unwavering in his support for Israel. But what once felt morally clear — Israel's strength as a shield against persecution — has given way to uncertainty, as the war in Gaza grinds on without a discernible ethical purpose. To preserve Judaism's core values, Bradley argues, Jews must reassert the moral standards that have sustained them for millennia.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Why and how did progressives give up on actually building a better society? Marc Dunkelman, author of Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress — and How to Bring It Back, joins Bradley to discuss the central problem in American governance — not bad intentions, but a broken architecture of decision making. Power is now so diffused that virtually anyone can block progress, even on widely supported initiatives. “We’ve put the establishment in a cage," says Dunkelman. "And now we’ve put the bureaucrats in a cage. And there’s no one left with the power to say, 'This is the thing we’re going to do.'"
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Why did a Sequoia partner in faraway Silicon Valley feel the need to troll the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor? Bradley breaks down the power dynamics at play in Sean Maguire's inflammatory remarks about Zohran Mamdani: a high-performing VC chasing attention, a prestigious firm caught in the crossfire, and the challenge of balancing individual expression with institutional risk. Maguire’s move wasn’t a misstep, says Bradley, it was a calculated play for relevance in a niche echo chamber. Also in this episode: The UK’s plan to lower the voting age to 16 offers a blueprint for U.S. reform, a rumination on the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the human species, and why Bradley lost his lifelong aversion to Billy Joel.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.
Recorded in front of a live audience on July 7, Frank Carone, the renowned lawyer, business negotiator, political fixer and former chief of staff for Mayor Eric Adams, speaks with Bradley about his new book Everyone Wins! The Ultimate Guide to Optimize Your Business Relationships and Achieve Financial Freedom. From the streets of Canarsie to the corridors of City Hall, Carone shares the life principles, strategic mindset, and relationship playbook that helped him master the art of influence — and how you can use “tactical empathy” to win in business and life.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
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Today marks the release of Bradley’s TED Talk on Mobile Voting, so you should really head over there and spend 11 minutes getting inspired about the future of democracy (and share the link with your friends if you're on board). This is a short-and-sweet episode with what Bradley learned from doing TED, how to think about your kids entering a job market distorted by AI and why Superman ranks so low on Bradley’s list of favorite superheroes.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Be sure to watch Bradley’s new TED Talk on Mobile Voting at https://go.ted.com/bradleytusk.
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It’s hard to imagine anything less glamorous than government procurement, but that’s exactly why August Chen was drawn to it. The CEO and co-founder of Hazel talks to Bradley about the power of AI to modernize the purchase of billions upon billions of goods and services every year. Chen, who cut his teeth at Palantir, explains why legacy systems are so resistant to change, how Hazel earns trust, and what most people get wrong about working with government.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Returning from his recent trip to Estonia, Bradley pushes back on the idea that Americans are hopelessly divided. On core issues like immigration, taxes, housing, and foreign policy, he argues, there’s actually surprising consensus. In this episode, he breaks down where that agreement lies. Plus: big wins for Solving Hunger at the state level, why Elon Musk’s $300 million won’t go nearly far enough in starting in a serious political party, and a fresh look at Cicero — does his philosophy of the good life still hold up?
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Mike Pesca, host of The Gist, matches wits with Bradley on a wide range topics: the best sporting events to see in person, the most admirable world leaders of the 21st century, what its like not to feel stress, why America is fine with the Ivy League being destroyed, are sociopaths happier than the rest of us, who still believes that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, the pros and (mostly) cons of mushy food, plus much more.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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While on a fact-finding trip to the so-called 'Digital Republic' — where e-voting has been on the books since 2003 — Bradley reflects on the ugliness of the One Big Beautiful Bill, the difficulty of Mamdani detractors to accept reality, why billionaires aren't the problem we should be worried about, whether Canada could be learning from Trump, and why he supports age-verification for everything from e-bikes to pornography.
Discussed on today's episode:
Next steps for Zohran Mamdani: Why he will win the general election by Bradley Tusk, NY Daily News (June 29, 2025).
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Ever since Tuesday's shock results, Bradley's been sharing a steady stream of thoughts on Zohran Mamdani's win here on Firewall and his Substack — and now you can hear from Mamdani directly. We're re-releasing our interview from April with the (now) Democratic nominee for mayor, when he joined Bradley and Tom Allon from City & State to discuss his vision for a fairer, faster, and more functional New York. Real leadership, Mamdani argued, means empowering experts, not micromanaging. He believes that a reimagined, newly empowered public sector is key to the city's future if elected mayor in November.
Check out Bradley's latest in Vital City: How Zohran Mamdani Could Succeed as Mayor
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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On this post-primary bonus episode, Bradley joins Ravi Gupta's Lost Debate to break down Zohran Mamdani's historic victory and how his administration might handle key policy issues like housing, education, and transportation. Also, what about those grocery stores? Of course, before any of that can happen, Mamdani needs to win in November. Bradley and Ravi preview the wild race that starts today, as a potentially crowded field mobilizes to derail the Mamdani express.
Be sure to subscribe to The Lost Debate on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Breaking news. Bradley records a special Wednesday edition of the pod to analyze Zohran Mamandi's decisive victory over Andrew Cuomo in last night's Democratic primary for New York City Mayor. We'll be talking a lot more about this over the coming days and weeks, but for now, here are Bradley's immediate thoughts on what this means for the city and for Democratic politics. Though he has plenty of concerns, "I can't help but just find what happened to be sort of exciting," says Bradley.
The US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities are a proper response to an untenable threat, says Bradley on this special Monday episode, and Democratic opposition to them are weak and nonsensical. Plus, he gives his final rundown of factors at play in the New York City's mayoral race, does a comprehensive analysis of how Waymo's automated taxis will fare in the city and makes a wild prediction of who the next owner of the Yankees could be. (Hint: Get ready for hot dogs delivered to your seat via drone and Katy Perry's rendition of the National Anthem.)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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With mere days to go before the Democratic primary, the campaign to be New York City's next mayor has at last become a riveting horse race. Did Brad Lander's arrest boost him into contention, or merely blunt Zohran Mamdani's momentum? Could the Times' unendorsement of Mamdani give Cuomo skeptics permission to vote for him? How much might all the uncertainty help Eric Adams in the general election? Katie Honan of THE CITY and Sahalie Donaldson of City & State join Bradley and Tom Allon for this highly spirited final installment (for now) of The Race to Gracie Mansion.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Though The New York Times is refraining from making an endorsement in the New York City mayoral race, it did tell its readers which candidate NOT to vote for. Bradley breaks down the implications of this unusual editorial choice. Plus, he explains his personal criteria for responding to requests for his time and advice.
Discussed on today's episode:
Our Advice To Voters In A Vexing Race For New York Mayor, The New York Times, June 16, 2025.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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While the news dwells on everything that divides us, Spencer Greenberg went the other way — he did a study of 195 issues to discover what unites us — and came to a conclusion that, in his words, "just blew my mind." Americans actually agree on a ton of things. The social entrepreneur, mathematician and host of the podcast Clearer Thinking joined Bradley at P&T Knitwear in front of a live audience for a free-wheeling conversation that might just make you a little hopeful.
Be sure to follow and subscribe to Clearer Thinking on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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What would it look like if the richest man in the world and the most powerful man in the world really took the gloves off? Bradley details the specific attacks each could deploy — inflicting so much damage on each other that it makes sense for cooler heads to prevail. But who wants to bet on that happening? Plus, Bradley got around to reading Careless People, Sarah Wynn-Williams' memoir about working at Meta, and thinks you should too
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Can New York be the state that shows how to rein in AI before it’s too late? State Assemblymember Alex Bores joins Bradley to talk about the Responsible AI Safety and Education (RAISE) Act, a bill he's co-sponsoring to establish safety, audit, and whistleblower guardrails for companies training advanced AI models. Without smart, tough regulation, Bores argues, even well-intentioned tech can be weaponized. From job loss to bioweapons and deepfakes, Bores warns that these problems are not theoretical, they are on our doorstep.
New Yorkers: Tell your state legislators to Support the RAISE Act at bit.ly/responsibleAIemail
Learn about critical AI safety legislation at the state level endorsed by Encode and Secure AI Project in CA, NY, and IL: bit.ly/supportraiseny
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Yes, it's a satire and yes, movies always screw things up, but Jesse Armstrong's idea of tech founders in the new HBO movie Mountainhead is just plain wrong and counterproductive, says Bradley. Plus, he considers five future scenarios for AI and reconsiders his view on how Netanyahu is prosecuting the war in Gaza.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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How could Apple mount a counterattack against Trump and his tariffs? Bradley lays out a battle plan for the tech giant that revives the uncompromising tenacity of founder Steve Jobs — though it will almost certainly never happen. Plus, he updates his Non-Religious Ten Commandments for Kids, explains why attending the Indianapolis 500 restored his faith in America, and plugs Eric Topol's new book, Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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The conviction of Donald Trump on 34 felony counts in a New York courtroom last year already feels like ancient history. But in his new book "Dragon on Centre Street", New York Times reporter Jonah Bromwich explains why his trial remains acutely relevant. The personal humiliation of the proceedings, Bromwich argues, helped unleash Trump’s full cynicism about the justice system: “One of the things he learned from this trial is just how much he can do, and just how little the rule of law has to offer to challenge it.”
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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In the latest installment of The Race to Gracie Mansion, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander lays out his "number one commitment" — moving the roughly 2,000 homeless people with serious mental illness off the streets and into housing with services. It sounds good, but how will that work in reality? Lander makes the case, as well as outlining major initiatives on affordable housing, childcare, transit reform and tech-enabled governance.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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As a culture, Judaism is so rewarding and life-affirming, says Bradley, but he believes that the religious services rarely are so. Instead, he finds them tedious, antiquated, and decidedly unhelpful. While Reform Judaism, in his opinion, made some improvements, he still thinks it doesn't go far enough, so he lays out a vision for what would get him to synagogue. Plus, what New York loves about Jalen Brunson beyond his incredible clutch play, how Democrats can escape the quagmire of the Biden cover-up, and why so many Americans still believe Europe offers a superior way of life.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
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In the latest installment of The Race to Gracie Mansion, Zellnor Myrie, New York State Senator from Brooklyn, explains how he'll handle the hard stuff as mayor, like build one million new housing units over the next decade. "We have to think big, we have to," says Myrie. "I'm just so frustrated we've shrunk as a city in imagination. You want to be a naysayer, you sit in the corner and be a naysayer."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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A heartfelt tribute to the first pet Bradley ever had, a rescue dog named Sam who was his inseparable companion for a decade. Plus, what the Happy City Index gets right and wrong, how he rates his own level of happiness about New York, and why the selection of the new pope is good for the world.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Elizabeth Glazer, the founder of Vital City, joins Bradley to discuss the condition of our civic culture, what she is doing to inject big ideas into policymaking debates, and how Vital City's work can inspire New Yorkers to make the city a better place to live.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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The Chinese government could hardly do a better job of attacking our key assets than what Trump is doing himself, argues Bradley. Will this really turn out well for his base? Plus, he reflects on what was better about New York City in the 1990s, why Tesla's board cannot afford to replace Elon Musk as CEO, and how strip malls are the key to LA's excellent food scene.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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In the latest installment of the Race to Gracie Mansion, Curtis Sliwa makes a full-throated case for rebuilding the NYPD and improving public safety by restoring qualified immunity and aggressively recruiting new officers. He blasts Cuomo for being "a faux tough guy," talks about how — even as a Republican — to stand up to Trump, and champions a new coalition of moderates and animal lovers.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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The concept of “norm cascades” influences everything from why we wouldn’t eat at an empty restaurant to why Bradley’s son was unimpressed with the recent NFL draft. On this episode of Firewall, Bradley is joined by guest co-host Cory Epstein where they dive deeper into norm cascades, Trump’s plunging approval rating, and an intriguing new AI regulation bill in California that could pick up from where SB 1047 left off after Governor Newsom’s veto last year. Plus, Bradley and Cory share their tips for staying in touch and nurturing friendships as they get older.
Discussed on today's episode:
How To Have Friends Past Age 30, Noah Smith, Noahpinion (April 25, 2025)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Next up on The Race to Gracie Mansion is Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who shares his socialist vision for a fairer, faster, and more functional New York—starting with rent freezes, universal childcare, and fast, free buses. Real leadership, he argues, means empowering experts, not micromanaging. A reimagined, newly empowered public sector is key to the city's future if he becomes mayor.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
The selection of the next pope, argues Bradley, isn't merely a religious decision but a face-off between competing global visions: one of fear-driven, zero-sum authoritarianism versus one rooted in love, abundance, and compassion. Church leaders have a chance to do more than celebrate Pope Francis’s legacy of moral courage — they can, and should, perpetuate it. Plus, how Chuck Schumer's own moment of moral courage could come back to bite him and why we need a new kind of punditry.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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In this new installment of The Race to Gracie Mansion, Bradley and Tom quiz investor and education reformer Whitney Tilson on his effort to position himself as the pro-growth, pro-business candidate. The best way to fix New York’s affordability crisis, Tilson argues, is by making the city a place where private investment thrives. He promises to tackle housing, schools, and crime with pragmatic reforms—streamlining regulations, welcoming charter schools, and restoring public order—while standing up to entrenched political interests like unions and career politicians.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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For 48 hours in Vancouver, Bradley felt like he had the world eating out of his hands. What was going on? Let's just say it was a very good night for mobile voting. Plus, Bradley handicaps the Meta-FTC face-off, offers advice for staying grounded in these chaotic times, agrees with Hugo that paying federal taxes feels worse than ever this year and admits to getting into watching golf on TV for the first time.
"You're spending all this money," says mayoral candidate Michael Blake, "but you're not getting enough back." In the latest installment of The Race to Gracie Mansion, Firewall's co-production with City & State, the former NYS Assemblyman and DNC Vice Chair talks about helping New Yorkers make and keep more money, stopping Trump from meddling in city affairs, modernizing municipal services with AI, expanding humane mental health interventions, and fixing transit by recovering lost revenue and investing in automation.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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As New Yorkers know, scaffolding has become a serious scourge on our streets. What began as a safety measure has now done the opposite and helped to breed crime. But thanks to a recent legislative effort by New York City Council Member Keith Powers, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, scaffolding regulations have been reformed for the better, and New Yorkers can expect a lot less in their neighborhoods in the coming years. Powers and Bragg join Bradley to discuss why they focused on this issue and their model of political pragmatism that makes New York City a better place to live. Plus, Bradley hashes out the complexities of rezonings with Powers and discusses the threat of 3D printed guns and more with Bragg.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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The hot new book in policy circles, Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, defines a new liberal agenda for promoting growth of housing, green energy and transit. Bob Greenlee joins Bradley to debate how these nice-sounding, well-intentioned ideas might actually get off the ground. Plus, Bradley has a memo for Democrats — lock in on what tariffs are doing to the economy and voters will punish Trump.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
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Jim Walden is next up on The Race to Gracie Mansion, Firewall and City & State's series on the 2025 New York City mayor's race. Walden, a litigator and ex-prosecutor, presents himself as an untainted centrist with an emphasis on competence, recruiting top talent and learning from data. He talks to Bradley and Tom about a revival of Broken Windows, getting serious about involuntary commitment, rehabbing NYCHA from the ground up, suing China over fentanyl smuggling, and setting up a truly independent corruption-busting agency.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
The just-released World Happiness Report places the United States 24th globally. That's the bad news. The good news is that a big part of our problem is based on a fixable misperception that we have about each other. Bradley outlines a new regimen of building better vibes. Plus, he explains why Trump is shredding our system of checks and balances so easily (because it's actually reliant on norms, which Trump does not observe), how Trump's rejection of good politics should eventually sap his momentum, and what Bradley learned from reading Graydon Carter's memoir, When the Going Was Good.
LIVE EVENT: Join Bradley for a live Firewall recording at P&T Knitwear on Wednesday, April 2 and 6:30PM. After his discussion with Spencer Greenberg, host of the Clearer Thinking podcast, Bradley will answer audience questions on-air. Space is limited. RSVP today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/clearer-thinking-x-firewall-a-live-podcast-recording-tickets-1261541337099?aff=oddtdtcreator
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
In this first installment of The Race to Gracie Mansion — a series of interviews with New York City mayoral hopefuls, co-produced by Firewall and City & State — Jessica Ramos, State Senator from Queens, lays out her vision for a more equitable, better-run city. She takes on police deployment, fair fares, Cuomo’s comeback, and why she'll never promise childhood friends a job in her administration.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
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LIVE SHOW: Join Bradley for a live Firewall recording at P&T Knitwear on Wednesday, April 2 at 6:30PM. After his discussion with Spencer Greenberg, host of the Clearer Thinking podcast, Bradley will answer audience questions on-air. Space is limited. RSVP today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/clearer-thinking-x-firewall-a-live-podcast-recording-tickets-1261541337099
Bradley offers a framework for thinking about how government at all levels should approach AI in terms of regulating it, deploying it and dealing with its ramifications. It doesn't have to be like DOGE, he argues, but there are definitely things we can learn from Elon. "The point of government," he says, "is to serve the collective needs of the people, not to employ a workforce of people."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
What makes the politics surrounding transportation so murky and insidious? Nicole Gelinas, author of Movement: New York's Long War to Take Back Its Streets from the Car, a Gotham Book Prize nominee, talks to Bradley about the hidden forces keeping mass transit in check, how environmental regulations are used as a scapegoat and why Amazon deliveries are killing the streets. Plus, she weighs in on Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral run and whether New Yorkers will trade scandal for competence.
In word, no — not when it comes to the government, anyway. Bradley reviews the careful balance you need to strike when working in areas outside your expertise. Plus, he mulls over whether getting Western Europe to bulk up its armed forces will make the world safer, how Chuck Schumer's self interest and the national interest coincided on his vote for the continuing resolution on the budget and (because we needed to lift the mood) what makes a great cover version of a pop song.
LIVE SHOW: Join Bradley for a live Firewall recording at P&T Knitwear on Wednesday, April 2 at 6:30PM. After his discussion with Spencer Greenberg, host of the Clearer Thinking podcast, Bradley will answer audience questions on-air. Space is limited. RSVP today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/clearer-thinking-x-firewall-a-live-podcast-recording-tickets-1261541337099
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
A new poll reveals what New Yorkers really think about the state of the city—and the results might surprise you.
Kicking off the Race to Gracie Mansion series, Bradley and guest co-host Tom Allon (City & State Publisher) break down the largest study of NYC voters in years with the people behind it: John Della Volpe (Founder & CEO, SocialSphere) and Jamie Rubin (Board Chair, NYCHA). As the 2025 mayoral race heats up, they take a closer look into what New Yorkers are actually saying about crime, affordability, quality of life, and more—and what it all means for the city's future.
Subscribe to Firewall to catch every episode of The Road to Gracie Mansion, where we sit down with the leading mayoral candidates and cut through the noise. First episode drops March 27.
Chapters:
00:01:41 - Why Commission This Poll?
00:03:08 - Key Findings: What New Yorkers Are Saying
00:04:34 - What Makes This Poll Different?
00:06:04 - Pessimism in NYC: A Return to the '80s?
00:07:36 - Is NYC Part of a National Trend?
00:09:14 - The Mayoral Race: Breaking Down Voter Segments
00:12:27 - The Progressive Divide
00:15:24 - Eric Adams: Does He Have a Path to Re-Election?
00:17:27 - Cuomo’s Lead in the Polls
00:22:22 - Who Can Win? Evaluating Other Candidates
00:28:20 - Crime, Public Safety, and Perceptions vs. Reality
00:37:43 - NYC's Public Transit & Congestion Pricing
00:41:20 - Involuntary Confinement for Mentally Ill: Strong Support
00:44:33 - Migrant Crisis: Public Attitudes
00:48:07 - Housing Crisis & NYCHA Redevelopment
00:52:53 - Closing Thoughts & Where to Find More on the Poll
The Landmark Study Reveals NYC Voters' Deep Concerns About City's Direction Ahead of 2025 Mayoral Election: https://www.jamesrubin.com/nyc-opinion-survey
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
The advice for how Columbia University should respond to Trump's slashing of funds is the same for anybody facing adversity — start by knowing your own values. Without that, argues Bradley, no strategy or tactics, however brilliant, are going to work. Plus he explains why "Trump is like the Terminator, he comes back stronger," weighs his own skills as a probabilistic thinker, and reveals why he never ever carries anything with him. That's just who he is.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Columbia Business School professor Michael Morris, author of Tribal: How the Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together, joins Bradley to break down the psychology behind how humans organize into groups, why we’re wired to trust and follow, and how these instincts shape everything we do, especially politics. "People aren’t just voting for policies," Morris says, "they’re choosing a tribe, a social identity. That’s why facts alone don’t change minds."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Sitting in a long Bar Mitzvah service, Bradley started wondering about the performative side of religion. If we believe in a God who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, what does God need with all this endless praise? Kinda reminds you of someone else, doesn't it? Plus, Bradley unloads on the cruelty of Trump and Musk's proposed budget cuts and analyzes whether a big drop in popularity can stop Trump this time. Finally, now that the Andrew Cuomo redemption tour is officially on, why is his frontrunner status different than Andrew Yang's four year ago?
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Raj Goyle argues that Democrats don’t need a radical agenda to beat Trump—they just need to prove they can solve everyday problems. The founder of Phone Free New York joins Bradley to talk about the fight to ban phones in schools, how the legal system quietly robs every American, and why campaigns should be run like startups—fast, lean, and ruthless.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
A lot of what we do on our phones — maybe even most of it — is positive and productive, argues Bradley, but we need to clearly differentiate between good habits and mindless scrolling. He lays out the concept of "a screen time diet" that evaluates our digital consumption just like we do our nutritional intake. Plus, what brings Trump crashing back to earth, how a broken City Hall affects life in New York and why short players are great for basketball.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
How does a venture capitalist find start-ups that are worth believing in? Bradley sits down with Pip Lawrence, co-founder of Delphi VC, for a wide-ranging discussion on his approach to investing, what attracts him to psychedelic therapy, how LA feels in the aftermath of the fires and why he's committed to the cause of Holocaust education.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Get ready for big ideas flying all over the place in this episode. First, Bob Greenlee argues that Trump's pitch to expand the American empire — into Greenland, Gaza, Panama and Canada — goes hand in hand with his campaign to eradicate DEI. Taken together, they tell a heroic narrative meant to inspire and channel ambitions toward new visions of greatness. But is it a hustle or a real thing that Americans genuinely want? Plus, Bradley and Bob debate the idea that any particular religion could be "right", why immersion in our phones doesn't produce the atomizing hellscape that critics claim, and whether the popular view of altruism is just plain wrong
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Bradley’s tech investing journey began with a services-for-equity model that evolved into a full-fledged venture firm. Nine years and three successful funds later, he explains why he's pivoting back to his original approach. Plus, he lays out a bold plan for Governor Hochul to achieve a once-in-a-lifetime subway overhaul by leveraging the special election for Elise Stefanik’s upstate congressional seat. It all comes down to how much Trump wants to feel like a hero again in his hometown.
Read more about Bradley's next steps in his Substack, and please share in your networks the open Associate job posting for Tusk Ventures.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Bradley shares his reaction to the bombshell breaking news that Trump’s Justice Department has ordered the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan to drop the criminal charges against Mayor Eric Adams. Bradley games out how this decision will or will not impact the 2025 mayoral race, discusses what could be next for Adams if he (likely) loses re-election, and why, paradoxically the Adams administration is actually the best it's ever been.
For Bradley's full analysis, be sure to subscribe to his Substack.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
What are we getting right and wrong about America's youngest voters? Bradley talks to Melissa Deckman, author of 'The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy', about the most diverse generation in American history coming of age in these turbulent, Trump-y times.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Do the names Fannie Lou Hamer or Barbara Jordan mean anything to you? Well, they should, and so should their achievements as trailblazing black women in politics. Dr. Christina Greer, Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University and co-host of the podcasts FAQ NYC and In The Thick, joins Bradley to discuss her new book about Hamer and Jordan, How to Build a Democracy, plus a check-in on the NYC mayor's race, how to filter Trump news, and what Democrats should do to get back on their feet.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Is there actually a mayor's race happening in New York City? Tusk Strategies CEO Chris Coffey joins Bradley to consider the shadow of Andrew Cuomo and how it hangs over the field. Plus, Governor Hochul's suddenly steep climb to reelection, deciding how to pick your battles with Trump, and DeepSeek's scrambling of the AI narrative.
00:05:15] - DeepSeek AI discussion: Concerns about privacy, security, and how DeepSeek may impact the AI landscape.
[00:07:26] - AI models: How DeepSeek challenges OpenAI and other major AI players, and its implications for the industry.
[00:13:07] - New York City mayoral race: Current landscape, leading candidates, and potential challengers.
[00:20:54] - Eric Adams' challenges: His legal issues, polling numbers, and the possibility of Andrew Cuomo entering the race.
[00:25:46] - Ranked-choice voting dynamics: How different voter blocs may rank candidates and the implications for the election.
[00:34:11] - Governor Hochul’s reelection challenges: Siena poll results and potential Democratic challengers.
[00:40:29] - National politics: Trump's tariffs, their economic impact, and how they could affect his reelection bid.
[00:45:24] - Democratic strategy: Should Democrats fight Trump or work with him? Debating the best approach.
[00:52:43] - Recommendations: Bradley, Chris, and Hugo discuss books, TV shows, and museum exhibits.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
How is pragmatic problem-solving possible in today's fiery political climate? Bradley sits down with Mayor Randall Woodfin of Birmingham, Alabama, to discuss his new book, Son of Birmingham, which blends politics, leadership, and his deep love of music and culture. Woodfin shares his thoughts on Outkast, Lauryn Hill and the decline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as how his city can embrace both its civil rights past and a high-tech future.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
If you're prone to ruminating on negative thoughts, there is no single remedy. Bradley analyzes the practices that help him quiet his mind, the habits he avoids, and the aspects of his life that make the biggest difference. Plus, he updates his agnostic approach to Trump, explains why changing the laws on scaffolding is a big win for New Yorkers, and recommends a pair of novels and a pair of movies.
[00:01:40] How to Deal with Constant Ruminations
[00:13:00] Finding Purpose
[00:19:30] Reflections on Canadian Business Leaders
[00:22:50] Trump’s Greenland and Denmark Tensions
[00:25:00] Coffee Tariffs and Inflation Messaging
[00:30:00] GOP Retreat and Budget Cuts
[00:36:00] Cabinet Appointments
[00:40:00] New York City Quality of Life Issues, Scaffolding
[00:50:30] Practical Urban Reforms
[00:54:30] This Week's Books and Movie Recommendations
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
That's the simple Venn diagram Micah Lasher is embracing as he begins his freshman year in the New York State Assembly. In this first installment of a recurring series about Micah's new life as a legislator, he and Bradley discuss the tribal customs of Albany, the challenges of balancing public safety with civil liberties, and the structural issues contributing to New York's housing crisis. The most powerful force in Albany isn’t ideology, says Micah, it's "status quo bias." Breaking through that is the hardest part of governing.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
In this special episode, Bradley dissects Trump’s unprecedented barrage of executive orders, exploring their strategic and symbolic importance, as well as their impact on everyday Americans and the world as we knew it. “If you're looking for someone who reliably reinforces your views about Trump, good or bad," says Bradley, "this is not the right place for you. If you are looking for an objective, nonpartisan centrist take on things, I think we've got something to offer."
Read more on Bradley's substack
[00:01:20] – Start of the immigration discussion: Biden’s handling of immigration and the need for reform.
[00:03:18] – Reinstating Title 42 and thoughts on asylum policies.
[00:04:13] – Ending birthright citizenship and its constitutional implications.
[00:06:18] – Discussion on gerrymandering's impact on immigration policies.
[00:08:24] – Suspending refugee resettlement and related immigration actions.
[00:11:25] – Sanctuary cities and withholding federal funding; implications for cities like New York.
[00:14:57] – Climate policies: Electric vehicle mandates, fossil fuel production, and renewable energy setbacks.
[00:19:21] – Analysis of Trump’s energy policies and implications for renewables and the global South.
[00:20:29] – Trade policies: Tariffs on Mexican and Chinese imports and trade investigations.
[00:22:15] – Federal operations: Bureaucracy changes, civil service reforms, and collective bargaining rights.
[00:24:15] – Racial equity initiatives and their perceived backlash.
[00:28:45] – Repealing Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence.
[00:29:10] – Protections for transgender individuals and abortion access.
[00:30:48] – Returning federal workers to offices and broader implications for accountability.
[00:32:22] – Crime policies: Designating cartels as global terrorists and restoring the death penalty for certain crimes.
[00:37:29] – January 6th insurrection and punishment discussions.
[00:38:06] – Use of private prisons and concerns about profit-driven practices.
[00:39:02] – Title IX and transgender protections
[00:41:06] – Abortion restrictions and telemedicine access concerns.
[00:42:50] – TikTok ban reversal and its implications for U.S.-China relations.
[00:43:03] – Declassifying federal records on JFK and MLK assassinations.
[00:44:04] – Renaming landmarks and backlashes to symbolic changes.
[00:45:08] – Withdrawing from the World Health Organization and global cooperation concerns.
[00:47:24] – Executive order directing “America First” foreign policy and its symbolism.
[00:50:02] – Cost of living executive orders and broader economic implications.
[00:51:54] – Closing reflections on Trump’s branding and the impact of his executive orders.
To forgive the big lie he told the American people? Bradley weighs the evidence. Plus, he reality-checks Canada’s dilemma on how to deal with Trump: “I know Canadians are famous for being nice. Thoughtful. Decent. Those are great qualities in human beings. But in a knife fight with Donald Trump, none of them matter.”
[00:00:21] – Overview of podcast topics: Joe Biden's presidency, Trump's inauguration, Canada’s approach to Trump, and scaffolding projects in New York.
[00:00:40] – Discussion of Joe Biden's presidency: successes and failures.
[00:03:31] – Legislative achievements: Infrastructure bill, Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS Act, and American Rescue Plan.
[00:06:00] – Foreign policy review: Ukraine, Israel, and Afghanistan withdrawal.
[00:07:26] – Climate actions: Inflation Reduction Act's impact and Trump's opposition.
[00:10:16] – Tech policy: Antitrust efforts, TikTok ban, and limitations in regulatory success.
[00:15:52] – Stability and governance under Biden: COVID management, appointments, and absence of chaos compared to Trump.
[00:18:48] – Biden's failings: Soft corruption, lying to the public, and mishandling immigration.
[00:20:46] – Inflation and public perception.
[00:24:45] – Immigration crisis and its mismanagement.
[00:28:30] – Failures in tech policy and regulatory progress.
[00:34:39] – Overall grading of Biden's presidency: A mix of B, B-minus, and C.
[00:37:19] – Canada and Trump: Challenges with tariffs and potential strategies.
[00:45:30] – Commentary on Canadian CEOs and political strategies.
Are we there yet? Lee Drutman thinks so. Bradley talks to the senior fellow at the New America Foundation and prominent thinker on political reform about how expanding the number of parties can restore healthy conflict in our politics. "If 30 percent of people in New York City support Trump," asks Drutman, "then how come 30 percent of the seats on the City Council are not Republican?"
Lee Drutman's latest in NYT: Opinion | How to Fix America’s Two-Party Problem
Would a strong mayor and governor have saved LA from much of the horrific destruction? Probably not. But that doesn't mean there won't be massive political fallout — as well as an opportunity for new leaders and ideas to emerge. Bradley surveys the new landscape. Mayor Emanuel, anyone? Plus, he considers the end of TikTok as we know and love it, while he and Bob Greenlee debate the finer points about Meta's about-face on factchecking.
00:03:39 – Wildfires in LA: Political fallout and Karen Bass’s potential recall.
00:10:26 – Recall Candidates: Speculation on who might replace Mayor Bass.
00:19:17 – 2028 Olympics: How the fires could affect LA’s readiness.
00:30:15 – TikTok Ban: Congress's push to force ByteDance to sell TikTok.
00:35:55 – Universal School Meals: Hochul’s budget and related state efforts.
00:37:08 – Congestion Pricing: Will it improve NYC’s traffic and transit?
00:39:17 – Meta Ends Fact-Checking: Debate on Meta’s new content moderation approach.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
As cities and states increasingly explore new approaches to public education, navigating the complex landscape of options can be overwhelming for parents. Bradley talks to Joe Connor, CEO and founder of Odyssey, a technology company part of the Tusk Venture Partners portfolio that helps families access high-quality education for their children.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Does American life feel like it's spiraling out of control to you? Bradley identifies the four main agents of chaos and anxiety, as well as potential remedies for each one. Plus, he talks about why interaction with strangers is good for us, which activities deserve nonprofit status and which don't, and the new TV show he binged on the flight home from LA.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Can social media be reformed in time to spare the next generation? Bradley sits down with Steven Rosenbaum of the Sustainable Media Center and Emma Lembke of LOG OFF to discuss intergenerational collaboration, grassroots advocacy, and the need for systemic change to create a healthier digital future.
On vacation in Los Angeles, Bradley raves about the city - from the cultural diversity and the food to the fabulous signage, the state-of-the-art sports facilities and the dorms at UCLA. He even digs the shopping there. Plus, he describes "a sorta near death experience" in a driverless Waymo, but says it doesn't dampen his enthusiasm for the technology in the least.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
At every step of her life, Leslie Feinzaig got ahead by never fitting in. The founder and managing director of Seattle-based Graham & Walker talks to Bradley about her unique family history and upbringing, her circuitous route to Harvard Business School and how working at a huge company inspired her to be an entrepreneur, launch the Female Founders Alliance and — ultimately — start her own venture fund. Then came VCs for Kamala, which taught her a new set of skills.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
What is it about American presidents that they almost always leave office looking diminished and beaten down? Bradley offers advice on avoiding a graceless exit. Plus, he admires happiness guru Daniel GIlbert's theory of "feeling full", explains the implications of Daniel Penny's not-guilty verdict for next year's mayoral contenders and makes a bold pronouncement on Bill Belichick's prospects for a comeback.
Lobbying, once the art of golf, good cigars and calling in favors, evolved over the years into an array of slippery moves, strategies and tactics. But is Trump turning back the clock? Bradley talks to Brody Mullins, co-author with his brother Luke of the book The Wolves of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took Over Big Government. "In the 1980s," says Mullins, "Trump was soaking up the world of power brokers like Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, and it shaped his view that the only thing that matters is winning. Negative campaigning, manipulating the media—he learned that it didn’t matter what was true, only that it worked."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
The best of what Bradley read, watched, listened to and visited over the last year — including his book of the year, The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore. Plus, after we get over our unfortunate titillation at the brazen murder of insurance-company CEO Brian Thompson, says Bradley, let's think about what it takes to tame the inequality and greed in this country that's breeding so much resentment.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Yes, the regulatory approach to gun control has stalled. But Hudson Muñoz, of Guns Down America, offers a fresh approach: Mobilizing the vast power of consumers to disrupt the firearms industry. He explains to Bradley how that works and offers a simple way for supporters to start flexing their power right now — by making informed choices about where they shop for the holidays. "The gun industry's survival depends on us," says Munoz, "not the other way around."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
A bill supported by a clear majority of the population ought to be easy to pass, and it was in Australia, says Bradley. But there's one big reason why Congress won't even touch the subject here in the US. Plus, he analyzes what's incentivizing the Republican senators who are most likely to stand in Trump's way, explains why polling has become like reality TV, and predicts the coming demise of big-time college sports.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Dan Burstein is not your typical venture capitalist. He started as a journalist and has written 14 books on everything from Japanese finance to what makes a great thriller. He talks to Bradley about the precarious state of venture investing, as well as his latest book, a children's story called 'The Ivy Hero: The Brave Life of Sergeant William Shemin', co-written with Sara Shemin Cass, about a relative of theirs who they refuse to let be forgotten.
Bradley considers the rise and fall and rise again of President Trump as a Biblical allegory. He -- meaning God, not Bradley — wants to show us where a Zero Sum view of life (and politics) leads. But will we heed His message this time? Plus, Bradley applauds New York's City of Yes housing plan and floats an idea for a national housing program modeled on Obama's Race to the Top education initiative. If it was sold the right way, Trump might just like it. Especially if God gives it a nudge.
When it comes to government corruption, nobody touches Illinois. Bradley talks to Ray Long and Rick Pearson, investigative and political reporters for the Chicago Tribune, about their excellent series on the state's legacy of crooked politics and why people say the Governor's Mansion in Springfield is a better stepping stone to the Big House than to the White House.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
If you make voters feel stupid or small or bad about themselves, says Bradley, they hate you for it. And that's exactly what too many Democrats have been doing since 2016, if not before. Plus. he expresses guarded optimism about the Elon-Vivek commission, admires the abject political malpractice that is congestion pricing in New York and celebrates the end of broker fees for city renters.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Why does business success often go hand in hand with cluelessness at politics? Bradley talks to Dana Mattioli, reporter for The Wall Street Journal and author of "The Everything War: Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power" and gets her perspective on Bezos in a two-part conversation recorded both before and after the recent election.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Anyone who has paid 15% of their annual rent in brokers fees for someone to let you into an apartment for only 10 minutes knows the practice is nothing more than legalized theft — and the City Council is voting today, November 13, on the FARE Act to finally end it. So we're rereleasing a October 2023 episode with Council Member Chi Ossé, the main sponsor of the FARE Act, about his fight against the real estate lobby and how making the city more attractive and accessible to young people can make it better for everyone.
For more, read Bradley's NY Daily News op-ed in support of banning brokers fees.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
No, says Bradley, but in this environment of social-media-fueled anger and discontent, they have to be open to difficult feedback, be honest with themselves and voters about where they've fallen short and show people just how hard they're willing to work. Plus, Bradley floats an idea for protecting Jews around the world from attacks like the ones we saw last week in Amsterdam. It's time to meet anti-Semitism head-on.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
The Democrats' hard, sobering defeat last night revealed uncomfortable truths about what a majority of Americans want from their leaders. Bradley and Chris Coffey, CEO of Tusk Strategies, zero in on their areas of expertise — New York politics, tech regulation, cryptocurrency, anti-hunger campaigns and mobile voting — and talk about where we go from here.
"There is no real silver lining here -- it is a bad outcome for America and the world," says Bradley. "With that said, once we get through processing this, the only thing you can do is fight -- and when I say fight, I don't mean the MSNBC / DSA just resist and scream about everything that Trump says and does all day, I mean pick the issues you care about -- for us, it's voting, it's hunger, it's abortion -- and work on those. And if it can't be done at a federal level, work on them at the state level, work on them at a local level, work on them at a community level, work on them at a philanthropic level. Ultimately, the way to feel better about ourselves and about the world we live in is to take the things we believe in and dedicate ourselves to them and try to make them happen."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
On this Election Day 2024, Bradley takes a temporary pass on politics. Instead, he offers this exercise in wellness: Which personal qualities are most likely to make you feel fulfilled and happy? He, Meaghan and Hugo conduct a draft from a list he drew up of 40 traits. Feel free to keep the news on hold for an hour and play along at home.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
...since the creation of the Internet. Bradley talks to Adam Zeplain of Austin-based mark vc, about the reasons to be fired up about business ("A lot of this stuff that was a pipe dream now seems like it's pretty real'), even-keeled about politics ("I'm going to focus on what I can do personally to live a good life, support people, think independently, and try to do what's right, regardless who's in office") and fiercely loyal to Austin and its people.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Not a single vote was won or lost when the Washington Post declined to endorse a Presidential candidate, but it is a frightening portend, says Bradley, of how small-d democratic institutions could lose their nerve in a second Trump administration. Plus: Mayor Adams' handling of Trump has been smart and effective, why Cuomo would be wise to stay out of the race for City Hall, why there's nothing wrong with how Elon Musk is playing politics and Bradley's masterplan for giving baseball a bright new future.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
How much does a great reputation cost? Bradley talks to Anupreeta Das, New York Times correspondent and author of Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World, about the precarious blend of personal ambition and high-stakes philanthropy.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
To get a true reading of where he sits on the political spectrum, Bradley takes a 20-question quiz, covering everything from wealth disparity to whether we have enough cops. Will he like the answer he gets? Plus, he breaks down Uber’s potential takeover of Expedia, explains why the Mets’ downfall didn’t ruin his weekend much less his life, and issues a retraction (!!!) for a recommendation made on a previous episode.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Wouldn't we be better off if the Democrat and Republican parties each split in half and we had four candidates vying for the presidency instead of two? How is that even imaginable? Bradley talks to Rob Richie, co-founder of FairVote, a group that champions Ranked Choice Voting, about electoral reforms that promise to restore genuine democracy, as opposed to whatever it is we have now.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
How Harris and Trump administrations will differ on managing the economy, business and tech. Plus, Bradley talks about mysterious drones, going to movies in person, mini-golf vs. real golf, the pluses and minuses of living in Soho, the New Yorker's big piece on Chris Lehane, alternatives to "taking a knee" in football and why men not going to college is a serious warning signal.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone.
Serious question: Do mediocre and average mean the same thing? Everybody Bradley asked told him no, that mediocre is worse, but he remains convinced they are the same. Plus, he cheers the federal court's ruling in favor of Epic Games in its lawsuit against Google over monopolistic behavior, outlines the philosophical dilemmas he has been wrestling with at synagogue and explains why Kamala Harris's position on guns is the blueprint for the pragmatic policies that a clear majority of Americans supports.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone, and RSVP to an upcoming event on his cross country book tour.
Oct. 10: Manny's, with Manny Yekutiel (San Francisco)
While New York City Mayor Eric Adams is under indictment and more of his top aides have departed, the work of running New York City doesn't stop. On this special edition of Firewall, Bradley and Jamie Rubin, board chairman of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), sit down with three close-knit colleagues who are leading New York during this unprecedented time: Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, Workforce Maria Torres-Springer, and Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Service Anne Williams-Isom.
In this candid conversation, the three Deputy Mayors discuss how they are leading their teams through this moment, what priority projects they are continuing to push forward, and how their collaborative approach helps them get the job done for New Yorkers.
"This is historic. To have three deputy mayors that get along, like each other. We don't have fiefdoms. We're sharing jurisdiction. It is a better use of taxpayer dollars to have this level of cooperation,“ says Deputy Mayor Joshi. “I wake up every morning not like, ‘Woe is me’ and ‘Lord, what's happening?’...I wake up every morning asking, ‘What more can I be doing?’ And when I go to bed at night, I hope that I am exhausted from making sure that I'm doing good on behalf of New Yorkers,” adds Deputy Mayor Williams-Isom.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone, and RSVP to an upcoming event on his cross country book tour.
Oct. 9: Zibby's Bookshop, with Sasha Issenberg, POLITICO (Santa Monica, CA)
Oct. 10: Manny's, with Manny Yekutiel (San Francisco)
As superintendent of the NY Department of Financial Services, Adrienne Harris may be the most important person you've never heard of. She talks to Bradley about the unique challenges of regulating the all-powerful financial industry — banks, trading firms, hedge funds, private equity, pension managers, insurance companies, crypto, you name it,
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone, and RSVP to an upcoming event on his cross country book tour.
Oct. 5: Politics & Prose, (Washington DC)
Oct. 9: Zibby's Bookshop, with Sasha Issenberg, POLITICO (Santa Monica, CA)
Oct. 10: Manny's, with Manny Yekutiel (San Francisco)
Bradley reviews the issues that are demanding his attention this week: Mobile voting, the potential for an invasion of Lebanon, Walz v. Vance, the spectacular Knicks trade, and Malcolm Gladwell.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone, and RSVP to an upcoming event on his cross country book tour.
Oct. 5: Politics & Prose, with Teddy Schleifer, NYT (Washington DC)
Oct. 9: Zibby's Bookshop, with Sasha Issenberg, POLITICO (Santa Monica, CA)
Oct. 10: Manny's, with Manny Yekutiel (San Francisco)
Bradley assesses the immediate aftermath of the indictment of Mayor Eric Adams — who’s running from the crisis, who’s hurt (in addition to Adams) and who stands to gain.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book, Vote With Your Phone, and RSVP to an upcoming event on his cross country book tour.
Oct. 1: Books & Books, with Phil Levine, former Mayor of Miami Beach (Coral Gables, FL)
Oct. 5: Politics & Prose, with Teddy Schleifer, NYT (Washington DC)
Oct. 9: Zibby's Bookshop, with Sasha Issenberg, POLITICO (Santa Monica, CA)
Oct. 10: Manny's, with Manny Yekutiel (San Francisco)
After Bradley and Chris Coffey analyze how Mayor Adams can pull himself out of the vortex of scandal, Bradley goes on a rant about the declining decorum of New Yorkers, including phone-absorbed subway passengers blocking exits and bicyclists going the wrong way or riding on the sidewalk. Chris argues that life is gentler and more humane in Brooklyn; Bradley scoffs at his invitation to move there.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to order his new book Vote With Your Phone, and RSVP to an upcoming event on his cross country book tour.
Could abortion rights ever be rolled back in a blue state like New York? After Democrats lost a bunch of House seats in the last cycle, says Sasha Ahuja, the campaign director for New Yorkers for Equal Rights, that no longer seems so far-fetched. She talks to Bradley about Prop 1, a ballot initiative to enshrine reproductive freedom in the New York State Constitution.
Vote With Your Phone Book Tour: RSVP and info for all events at votewithyourphone.org.
Sept. 24: Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, with Council Member Chi Ossé and Kelly Mena, NY1 (NYC)
Sept. 26: Carter Presidential Library, with Martin Luther King III (Atlanta)
Oct. 1: Books & Books, with Phil Levine, former Mayor of Miami Beach (Coral Gables, FL)
Oct. 5: Politics & Prose, with Teddy Schleifer, NYT (Washington DC)
Oct. 9: Zibby's Bookshop, with Sasha Issenberg, POLITICO (Santa Monica, CA)
Oct. 10: Manny's, with Manny Yekutiel (San Francisco)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to order his new book Vote With Your Phone.
Today is the hotly awaited publication date for Vote With Your Phone: Why Mobile Voting Is Our Final Shot at Saving Democracy, written (of course) by your Firewall host Bradley Tusk. Which is more than merely a book; it's a movement. To mark the occasion, Bradley undergoes the third degree from Meaghan and Hugo, answering the personal questions others might be afraid to ask and making the case for how common sense has become radical.
Vote With Your Phone Book Tour: RSVP and info for all events at votewithyourphone.org.
Sept. 19: New York Law School, with Ben Max (NYC)
Sept. 24: Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, with Council Member Chi Ossé and Kelly Mena, NY1 (NYC)
Sept. 26: Carter Presidential Library, with Martin Luther King III (Atlanta)
Oct. 1: Books & Books, with Phil Levine, former Mayor of Miami Beach (Coral Gables, FL)
Oct. 5: Politics & Prose, with Teddy Schleifer, NYT (Washington DC)
Oct. 9: Zibby's Bookshop, with Sasha Issenberg, POLITICO (Santa Monica, CA)
Oct. 10: Manny's, with Manny Yekutiel (San Francisco)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Or are they all just Trump voters who don't want to admit it? Chris Coffey of Tusk Strategies joins Bradley to check on the vital signs of the American political class, including the aftermath of the presidential debate, a big victory in Delaware, the storm clouds descending on Mayor Eric Adams, why there's a big opening for a woman to run for City Hall (but who?), and what's the beef between Nancy Pelosi and Governor Hochul.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone, and RSVP to an upcoming event on his cross country book tour.
Next week, Bradley begins his book tour across America to promote "Vote With Your Phone: Why Mobile Voting Is Our Final Shot at Saving Democracy" (dates and RSVP link below). But for now, he dives into the cold reality of investigations, subpoenas and potential indictments that threaten to sink Mayor Eric Adams. What will it take for Adams to survive? Plus, Bradley assesses China's spy in Albany, the cost of Kamala Harris' risk aversion, Elon Musk's potential role in Trump II, and much more.
Vote With Your Phone Book Tour: RSVP and info for all events at votewithyourphone.org.
Sept. 19: New York Law School, with Ben Max (NYC)
Sept. 24: Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, with Council Member Chi Ossé and Kelly Mena, NY1 (NYC)
Sept. 26: Carter Presidential Library, with Martin Luther King III (Atlanta)
Oct. 1: Books & Books, with Phil Levine, former Mayor of Miami Beach (Coral Gables, FL)
Oct. 5: Politics & Prose, with Teddy Schleifer, NYT (Washington DC)
Oct. 9: Zibby's Bookshop, with Sasha Issenberg, POLITICO (Santa Monica, CA)
Oct. 10: Manny's, with Manny Yekutiel (San Francisco)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Does Robert Moses deserve eternal condemnation? On the 50th anniversary of the publication of ‘The Power Broker’, Robert Caro’s iconic biography of Moses, Dan Wang and Ross Barkan add nuance and balance to what has been a powerfully one-sided conversation. Plus, in a postscript, Bradley and Howard Wolfson trade ideas on what we’d ask Moses to build today if he could be raised from the dead.
This episode was recorded at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
As Silicon Valley goes to war against the AI safety bill just passed by the California legislature, Governor Gavin Newsom should have no reservations about signing it, says Bradley. And what's good for California is good for America. Plus, why France's crackdown on Telegram is justified; how Lina Khan and the FTC have sucked the air out of venture capital; and what you should know about the living legend of competitive eating.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
New arrivals to the United States often find themselves trapped in a Catch 22 — they can’t obtain a tax ID without first getting paid and they can’t get paid without first obtaining a tax ID. Bradley talks to Luciano Arango, CEO and co-founder of Maza, who came up with an easy solution that points toward a promising new approach to the toxic stalemate over immigration.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Americans bet as much as a trillion dollars a year, fueling an industry that knows just how to press our buttons, like the social media platforms do. But is gambling itself really the problem, asks Bradley, or is there a deeper malaise we're failing to confront? Plus, Bradley analyzes whether Kamala Harris is really going to end Biden's "feudal" style of governing, what he got out of Nate Silver's new book on risk, and how the MTA can finally be tamed.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
The last thing your average political consultant will ever do is run for office. Micah Lasher, however, is anything but average . He talks to Bradley about why he decided to run for State Assembly from the Upper West Side, how he won and what he brings to Albany. Plus, he reflects on the Olympics and how New York can learn from Paris.
Discussed on today's episode:
New York needs an Olympic goal: Paris shows how a city can improve its permanent infrastructure, by Micah Lasher, New York Daily News (08/18/24)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Could Artificial Intelligence have prevented New York’s cannabis debacle? Bradley lays out his vision; Bob Greenlee begs to differ. Plus, Bob offers on-the-ground reporting from Chicago on the build-up to the Democratic Convention while Bradley shares five discoveries from a week in California, including an exotic new hobby.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
The alternative currency has settled into an awkward adolescence — full of potential but still quite unsure of itself. Bradley talks to Andrew R. Chow, TIME correspondent and author of Cryptomania: Hype, Hope, and the Fall of FTX’s Billion-Dollar Fintech Empire about whether crypto will ever find a purpose in life.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Quick hit from Bradley on how Minnesota Governor Tim Walz earned his spot on the Democratic ticket.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Bradley has an idea for turning the Democrats' most potent issue — reproductive rights — into a catalyst for winning swing states. Plus, he reviews where Harris stands on tech policy, analyzes the entry of Brad Lander into the New York City mayor's race and compares notes with Cory Epstein on what they loved about being in Paris for the Olympics.
Discussed on today's episode:
How Kamala Harris Can Use Tele-Abortion to Change the Electoral Map, by Bradley Tusk, 07/29/24, Substack
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Bradley checks in from his vacation in Paris, where swimming events gave him PTSD from summer camp but the boxing, BMX racing and beach volleyball more than made up for it. Plus, he rejects Hugo's brilliant idea that the Bronx should make its own independent bid for the summer games.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
With Bradley away in Paris for the Olympics, Bob Greenlee steps up to the mic to discuss a potential problem for the surging Kamala Harris campaign — that actual swing voters are too busy barbecuing to follow what’s going on. Plus, when the race heats up in the fall, will Harris’ close association with big-city liberalism spell trouble for her with undecideds?
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Last summer, Bradley stopped using cannabis. In this special mini episode — which was previously released as part of the 'Democrats Get Their Wish, Now What?' episode from July 23 — he reflects on how he reached the decision to quit and what it has taken to stick with it.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
What does the mysterious death of a judge reveal about the future of the world’s largest democracy? The multi-talented Ravi Gupta of The Branch media returns to Firewall to talk about his podcast “Killing Justice” and how his investigation of a crime turned into a deeply personal journey.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
After Biden's withdrawal and his endorsement of Harris, Trump is beatable but remains the prohibitive favorite. Bradley assesses what the Democrats can do to make a serious race out of it. Plus, he reflects on his one-year anniversary of quitting marijuana and why "life is a little less fun" but ultimately more rewarding.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Is it crazy to believe Biden won't step down and/or that he's not certain to lose to Donald Trump? Or that if he does step down, Kamala Harris is the best (and only plausible) replacement? Chris Coffey, CEO of Tusk Strategies, joins Bradley to offer reasons why the Democrats aren't necessarily facing an historic trainwreck in the fall. Plus, Chris and Bradley preview what promises to be a riveting, unpredictable race for New York City mayor in 2025.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
More than nothing, but not a whole lot more. Bradley analyzes the aftermath of the shooting in Butler, Pa. Plus, riffing from the Times' 100 Best Books of the 21st Century, he compiles his own top ten.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Live from P&T Knitwear, Bradley sits down with a tech founder and tech reporter to discuss the complex web of political challenges facing the industry today. How do founders navigate these turbulent waters to foster innovation? And how do reporters cover the ever-complex interplay between technology and politics without getting lost in the noise? This episode, recorded as part of #NYTechWeek on June 4, offers an inside look into strategies and realities of operating within and reporting on the politics of innovation.
Panelists:
-Joe Connor, Founder of Tusk Venture Partners portfolio company, Odyssey
-Alexandra Sternlicht, Tech Reporter at Fortune.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
When Matt Bowman left the military after 10 years of service, he found a new calling in Silicon Valley. He talks to Bradley about his start-up Autobiographer, an AI enhanced tool that helps people write their life stories. “I'm here today, in this role at Autobiographer,” he says, “because I want to memorialize the stories of my friends who didn't survive those experiences.”
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
On the Biden age question, voters were far ahead of the White House, the Democratic establishment and the media well before the debate. Regardless of how Democrats resolve this particular problem (Bradley puts the chance of Biden soldiering on at 30 percent), both parties should face blowback over the election for years to come. Plus, Bradley reflects his own flurry of activity during the pandemic in an essay called 'When To Go Big.'
The best way to clean up social media, says Ethan Zuckerman, director of the Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at the University of Massachusetts, is not necessarily a big government clampdown. What if instead the platforms allowed for new tools and filters that clean up and give us discretion over the torrent of content into our lives? That's exactly what Zuckerman wants to see — but first he has to sue Meta to make it happen.
Discussed on today's episode:
I Love Facebook. That’s Why I’m Suing Meta. by Ethan Zuckerman, The New York Times, May 5, 2024.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
While the Democratic establishment circles the wagons and the media howls impotently for the President to step down, there is a way out. All we need, says Bradley, is one big-name Democrat brave enough to stick their head above the foxhole. Plus, the first review of Vote on Your Phone is in — and it’s a rave.
When the pandemic brought the nation’s childcare crisis out into the open, Reshma Saujani realized that mothers needed to push their concerns to the front. Bradley talks to the founder of Moms First about affordable childcare, paid leave and equal pay. These are “not just the right things to do,” says Saujani, “they’re the smart things to do. You’re just losing out on talent.”
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
In Louisiana, schools are now required by law to post the Ten Commandments. An obvious church-state problem, but maybe there's a better way to provide guidance for kids? Bradley proposes his version. Plus, he handicaps the Supreme Court's slew of major rulings, gives an update on New York's war against illegal weed shops and makes the pitch for why LeBron James could and should wind up in a Knicks uniform.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
"Your obscene profits are not a good enough reason to let one more child die," says Marci Hamilton, the CEO and founder of Child USA. If there's one person harder on social-media moguls than Bradley, it's Hamilton. She and Bradley talk about when and how lawmakers will finally clamp down on this "toxic universe."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
What do the Surgeon General's proposed warning on social media, the Pope's guidance on artificial intelligence and North Dakota's congressional age limit all have in common? To Bradley, they are policy ideas that look great on first glance but become a lot less appealing as you carefully think them through. Plus, Bradley throws down a challenge to Major League Eating and Quinn Sean of Tusk Ventures joins to discuss the implications of a new criminal case on the world of digital health.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Completing the troika of family-themed episodes, Gabe Tusk (Bradley's dad) joins Firewall to mark Father's Day. 'What gets better as you get older?' asks Bradley. Reflecting on his 79 years on this earth, Gabe remarks that right now happens to be the most content he's ever been, with just the right balance of family, work and leisure in his life.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
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The caveat here is that, just as William Goldman famously said about Hollywood, nobody knows anything. But Bradley reflects on 18 years of giving it his best shot. Plus, a lightning round on Albany’s clampdown on social media, the City Council’s bid to end brokers’ fees on rentals, and congestion pricing’s crash and burn (featuring our resident transportation expert Cory Epstein).
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams drops by the studio at P&T Knitwear to talk to Bradley about the crackdown on illegal weed shops, ways to rid the streets of scaffolding, how to get work permits for migrants and what he would say to people who may have fallen out of love with the Big Apple.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
On the week of her graduation from high school, Bradley's daughter Abby Tusk returns to the podcast to be interviewed on what she's learned about herself, her generation, and the world. "The Internet is not terrible," Abby says, "but it is kind of rotting our brains." Are you optimistic or pessimistic about your future, he asks her. "Optimistic, for sure."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
What unites a borough that has such sharp juxtapositions of abundance and deprivation? Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso joins Bradley to talk about a better way to crack down on illegal weed shops, why the migrant crisis didn’t need to be a crisis, how to break the affordable housing logjam and what he’s doing to lift maternal health from a state of emergency.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
What unites a borough that has such sharp juxtapositions of abundance and deprivation? Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso joins Bradley to talk about a better way to crack down on illegal weed shops, why the migrant crisis didn’t need to be a crisis, how to break the affordable housing logjam and what he’s doing to lift maternal health from a state of emergency.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Bob Greenlee, Bradley's longtime friend and COO at Tusk Holdings, joins the podcast to discuss the latest convergences of tech, politics and the law. Plus, Bradley realizes he no longer hates the Yankees and tries to sort out why.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Bob Greenlee, Bradley's longtime friend and COO at Tusk Holdings, joins the podcast to discuss the latest convergences of tech, politics and the law. Plus, Bradley realizes he no longer hates the Yankees and tries to sort out why.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
If the United States had a true safety net — a basic standard of living below which nobody would be allowed to fall —people would be more creative and take greater risks, argues Natalie Foster, author of "The Guarantee: Inside the Fight for America's Next Economy." She jons Bradley to explain how we get from here to there.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
In response to Noah Smith's 'Seven Reasons America is Headed for a More Conservative Decade', Bradley offers five countervailing reasons of his own. Plus, is the anti-China narrative good for America; why the success of the Neurolink brain implant suggests a future union of man and machine; and what new books Bradley recommends for the beach (not that he personally ever reads on the beach, but you get the point).
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Jordan Nof, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Tusk Venture Partners, returns to Firewall to discuss the challenging climate for VCs. Given that the economy is strong, inflation is down, the stock market is booming and crypto has rebounded, what's holding venture back and how does politics factor into its recovery?
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Why are young educated Americans rooting for Hamas? Bradley sketches out his thoughts for how to rebuild a sense of meaning and purpose. Plus, two things he agrees with — the ban of betting on political races and Mayor Adams’ Operation Padlock — and one he doesn’t: the rabid outrage over Apple’s iPad ad. If that company was afraid of making mistakes, it would never be what it is today.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to pre-order his upcoming book, Vote With Your Phone.
Kim Scott, author of the blockbuster management book "Radical Candor" joins Bradley to discuss her follow-up "Radical Respect" as well as her new campaign, the Coalition of Concerned Creators, to give creators a fighting chance against the all-powerful tech platforms.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
What single factor will have the biggest effect in an election where both candidates have already been president and have essentially 100% name ID? Bradley makes a list of the top 16 factors, sets them off against each other in a tournament bracket and picks the winners with pollster extraordinaire Jefrey Pollock of Global Strategy Group. And the champion is ... sorry, we're not giving it away. You'll just have to listen.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
What do you call a hedge fund that reports and publishes its own stories? Bradley talks to Sam Koppleman, co-founder and publisher of HunterBrook, an innovative hybrid that seeks to break news and generate alpha. "There's this myth that journalism is a terrible business," says Koppelman. "It's actually only a really terrible business for journalists."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Whatever people's instincts are on Israel's predicament, says Bradley, they should question the strident voices that dominate the news coverage. Only when we don't feel compelled to mimic the talking points, views or narratives of others just to fit in can progress towards peace be made.
Discussed on today's episode: Thinking Independently About Israel, by Bradley Tusk, Substack (April 30, 2024)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
What are the rules of financial success in today's economy? What small steps can you take now for big returns later? Scott Galloway answers these questions and a whole lot more as Bradley interviews him about his new book, The Algebra Of Wealth, in front of a sold out crowd at P&T Knitwear.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Bradley is joined by guest cohosts Cory Epstein and Meaghan Collins and continues his how-to series with his tips for making social change. But before that, he discusses why Speaker Mike Johnson supported the foreign aid packages in Congress even if they're going to hurt his re-election and speakership. Plus, a debate on whether we should permit people to get paid for donating kidneys and Bradley's Passover food guilty pleasures.
Discussed on today's episode:
How To Think About Creating Societal Change, by Bradley Tusk, Substack (April 23, 2024)
Let People Sell Their Kidneys. It Will Save Lives., by Dylan Walsh, The New York Times (April 2, 2024)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
New York City, baby, New York City! Kevin Baker, author of the excellent new book "The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City" joins Bradley for a wide-ranging discussion on urban history and big-league folklore.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
A glowing magazine profile of Jessica Tisch had some over-the-top moments, but there's no denying that New York City's sanitation commissioner is worth keeping an eye on. Plus, the 11 contenders for the 2024 Gotham Book Prize nominees, conjuring TV shows that make the world a better place, how to write a column and life lessons from a line-cutter at Hamburger America.
Discussed on today's episode:
The Ex-N.Y.P.D. Official Trying to Tame New York’s Trash, by Eric Lach, The New Yorker, (April 8, 2024)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Is there hope for Eric Adams' embattled administration? Bradley is joined by Nicole Gelinas, columnist for the New York Post and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, to talk about what a comeback could look like. Plus, she previews her forthcoming book about New York City's struggle to tame the automobile.
Discussed on today's episode:
The Disappearance of Mayor Adams, by Nicole Gelinas, The New York Times (March 7, 2024)
Pre-order Nicole's upcoming book, Movement: New York's Long War to Take Back Its Streets from the Car.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Will giddy retail investors fall for late-stage start-ups with wildly inflated valuations? For the good of the venture-capital industry, let's hope not, says Bradley. Plus, he shares his advice on how immigration could regain the popular support it should have, what it takes to be a good adjunct professor, and the secrets to eating well in New York City.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
The lefty weekly newspaper was once such a great business that Rupert Murdoch happily owned it and left it alone to thrive. Bradley talks to Tricia Romano, the author of "The Freaks Came Out to Write", a riveting oral history of the Voice, about the fruitful but highly fraught alliance of visionaries, provocateurs, aesthetes, outliers and cranks.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
If RFK Jr.'s goal is to tip the election to Donald Trump, he could hardly have picked a better running mate than Nicole Shanahan. Bradley sketches out a nightmare for Democrats that could just come true. Plus, why Trump could be a Biblical allegory; what issue Mayor Adams is getting right; and how to make the most out of two-and-a-half days in Atlanta.
Discussed on today's episode:
What an RFK Jr-Trump Conspiracy Would Look Like, Bradley Tusk, Substack (April 2, 2024)
Is Trump a Biblical Allegory?, Bradley Tusk, Substack (March 28, 2024)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Would our big cities be better off today if mayors had the guts to beg for forgiveness rather than always asking for permission? Bradley talks to New York City Council Member Justin Brannan of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn about how assertiveness fueled his unlikely rise from hard-core bands to Wall Street to politics.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
The World Happiness Report is a bummer for Americans, says Bradley, but there are practical things we can do about it. Such as, why not score legislation for happiness the way we do for budgetary impact? Plus, how the DOJ's antitrust case against Apple is perceived differently than cases against Google, Meta and Amazon and what's important about the betting scandal involving Shohei Ohtani's translator.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Franklin Foer joins Bradley and regular guest Howard Wolfson to discuss Foer's recent cover story for The Atlantic called "The Golden Age of American Jews is Ending." They talk about the resurgence of anti-Semitism in America, how to separate it from legitimate criticism of Israel and where it all goes from here.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Yes, there is a plausible scenario for the war stopping, Chinese control of social media ending and the Democrats holding off the Republicans in the fall. Plus, Bradley gives his 13-point scouting report on Aaron Rodgers as running mate, explains how to get the best results from talking to the media and analyzes two new trends on the work-life balance.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Bringing sky-high housing costs back down to earth is becoming a popular rallying cry in New York. Bradley talks to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine about how to ignite the right kind of building boom.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Why did the attempt by the social media giant to mimic the 'Uber Play' — ie, politicize its user base — fail to work on Congress? Bradley parses the limits of the tactic he made famous and explains why Trump's flip-flop is not going to hurt him. Plus, he offers his thoughts on 'The Golden Age of American Jews is Ending', Frank Foer's excellent cover story for The Atlantic, Governor Hochul's deployment of the National Guard in the subway and the dazzling future home (fingers crossed) of the beleaguered Oakland A's.
Compared to big American cities, post-pandemic New York looks pretty good. On the other hand, the mayor has a 28 percent approval rating, toothpaste is still kept under lock and key and we can't get a handle on mental illness or illicit drugs. Bradley talks it all out with Ross Barkan, who writes a great Substack on city politics, media and culture. Plus, Barkan explains his theory of the all-important mesoculture — what it was, how we lost it and why we need it to come back.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
How can we restore a sense of balance and fairness to capitalism? Bradley ruminates on where our heedless pursuit of money and status is taking us. Plus, he proposes a remedy for immigration that is so simple it couldn't possibly work, except why the heck not; explains why we get so freaked out by "surge pricing"; and offers a hopeful take on the Supreme Court doing the right thing and rescuing democracy, if it comes down to that.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Well, it can’t end that way, obviously, but if the Electoral College is deadlocked at 269 — a remote but not implausible outcome — it will set off a process that could set a new peak of Trump era mayhem. Bradley plays out the thought exercise with Tom Bonier of TargetSmart, a leading Democratic poll and data shop. They also review the rest of the ‘24 political landscape and come to the conclusion that our darkest fears may not be realized after all. But it’ll be nail biter alright.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: bradley@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
When you do everything imaginable to improve your mental and physical health, Bradley says, you run the risk of ruining your mental and physical health. Well, not quite. But you get the point. Bradley comes clean about his obsessive regimen and asks the question, How can you tell if you're doing enough? When he's 83, will he wish he'd spent more time, say, improving his grip?
For more, check out Bradley's new Substack on this very topic.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
The shooting near the Super Bowl parade was just another day in America. Fixing our culture of violence, says Bradley, will only come from a hard, grinding program of systemic change that addresses not just easy access to guns but the mental health crisis, income inequality and how we regulate the forces of technology that are running roughshod over society.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: bradley@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
The relative scarcity of male readers inspired Douglas Vigliotti to start a podcast called Books for Men. Like Vigliotti, Bradley is an exception, but as a bookstore owner, he's curious to know why the gender disparity exists and what can be done to change it.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
If you're wondering why Joe Biden refuses to give up on his reelection campaign, try imagining the way he sees himself — as Bradley does in this episode — and the answer becomes obvious. Plus, Bradley floats a game-changing plan for public subsidies of sports stadiums and shares his personal tips on how to live with OCD.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
How does the non-profit open-source encyclopedia withstand the corrupting forces of internet culture? Bradley talks to Molly White, proprietor of the website Web3 is Going Just Great and deeply committed Wikipedian.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
The secret to Joe Biden's unpopularity may be that we have a hard time loving any politician who's been a Vice President. Plus, endorsements don't matter but Taylor Swift's would, does Mark Zuckerberg's mea culpa mean a damn thing and why the Knicks are good for New York City.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Economic pessimism persists despite the consistent run of good news. Anthony Pompliano, aka Pomp, joins Bradley to discuss what's wrong with this picture — and why the media business, in particular, is anything but doomed.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
What are you supposed to do when you see a stranger mistreating someone in public? Bradley explores the pros and cons of intervention. Plus: Why he quit Mounjaro; how much of the billions spent chasing swing voters is waste; is Brooklyn Heights to blame for New York City's housing shortage; and no, we don't need a new federal agency to police Big Tech.
Discussed on today's episode:
Bradley Tusk: The End of my Munjaro Experiment, January 22, 204
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Tina Nguyen, Puck correspondent and author of The MAGA Diaries: My Surreal Journey into the Heart of the Alt-Right (and How I Got Out), joins Bradley and Cory to discuss the past, present and future of the conservative movement and why liberals get outplayed again and again.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
All those mega-donor masters of the universe pouring money into Trump alternatives forgot one important thing — that it's going to take a lot more than their money to beat him. Bradley assesses the shattered dreams of DeSantis, Christie, Scott, Ramaswamy, and (coming soon!) Haley. But he's sticking with his prediction (for now) that neither Biden nor Trump will be the eventual winner. Plus, how Mayor Adams blew the budget battle before it even started.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Could the Empire State lead the way in making social media safer for kids? Bradley talks to NYS Senator Andrew Gounardes of Brooklyn about the two bills he's sponsoring in Albany to finally rein in a reckless industry.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
With all that's going wrong in the world, argues Bradley, AI stands out for its potential to do good on a grand scale. But it's only potential. Plus, Bradley gives an update on his personal Munjaro experiment, offers free, unsolicited advice to Bill Ackman on his crusade against higher ed, wonders about why a good hit man is so hard to find and tells a good true tale about David Axelrod.
Chris Coffey, CEO of Tusk Strategies, joins Bradley to break down the messy chessboard of New York politics. Can the Governor solve the housing crisis this time around — or least make a meaningful dent in it? Will the Mayor rise above his legal morass and be the man of action he purports to be? And is there anything, beyond law and order, that truly activates voters, or does group affiliation drive almost everything?
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
If early results hold up, GLP-1 drugs could take out a big bite out of vice and transform life as we know it. Maybe, suggests Bradley, we won't need nearly so many liquor and weed shops, fast-food joints, prisons, rehab facilities or casinos. But what will we all do instead? Plus, Bradley raves about self-driving taxis in Phoenix, reviews the ups and downs of a family vacation in Japan (up: making a TikTok video with Abby; down: horse sashimi), and argues for freeing the art market from all legal niceties and letting it run wild.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Maybe we needed a buffoonish compulsive liar elected to Congress to grasp the true state of our democracy? Bradley talks to Mark Chiusano, author of 'The Fabulist', a highly entertaining book about Santos that takes him just seriously enough.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
When will we start focusing on the future again? In this year-end double episode, Bradley surveys the regulatory landscape for AI, digital health, crypto and fintech, the gig economy, autonomous vehicles and more. For tech start-ups, there is at least one silver lining. As cities and states deal with shrinking budgets, smart political leaders will support growth and innovation.
Could the Supreme Court go so far as to kneecap the FDA and block access to abortion drugs in Red States? Adam Sieff, the outside counsel for Mayday Health, joins Bradley to discuss the prospects for averting a disastrous decision. Plus, Bradley highlights his favorite books of 2023.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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So who then? Bradley tackles the big political questions of 2024, including convention drama, the outcome of the Trump prosecutions, how the Supreme Court will decide the future of the FDA, where identity politics goes from here, the state of real reform on college campuses and whether Eric Adams will still be mayor in a year's time. Plus, could a fairytale celebrity wedding be what it takes to unite a divided nation?
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Was the 40-year, $22 billion project to put a few precious miles of highway under Boston is a historic boondoggle — or a roadmap of how we can do better in the future? Bradley talks to Ian Coss, the host and co-producer of The Big Dig, one of this year’s best podcast series (according to The New Yorker and us).
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
How about common sense? Three university presidents were pilloried for their testimony on free speech in Congress, but the bigger problem, says Bradley, is the broken and blinkered system of higher education that they represent. Plus, how Biden could save himself, his party and his country; the EU lights the way on AI regulation; and competing claims on the sports icons of American cities.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Two founders of Tusk Venture Partners portfolio companies — Nicole Bocskocsky of Elaborate and Don Burnette of Kodiak Robotics — join Bradley for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of tech policy today. Recorded live this past October as part of a16z's Tech Week NYC 2023, this conversation includes lessons they've both learned from the frontlines of regulatory battles related to AI, autonomous vehicles, and more.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street.
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Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin + Substack, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
The way to beat Trump, argues Bradley, is to closely examine what he says he's going to do and ask voters — is this the country you want? Plus, Bradley maps out a five-day plan for Mayor Adams to save himself and discusses how to fix New York City traffic problems with Tusk's in-house transportation nerd Cory Epstein.
[01:21]How Mayor Adams can save himself
[16:12] Listener question on street safety
[32:25] Discussion on congestion pricing
[36:48] Five Ways America Will Change if Trump Is President Again
[54:50] Recommendations of the week
Discussed on today's episode:
How Eric Adams Can Bounce Back, 11/29/23, Bradley Tusk for NY Daily News
Congestion Pricing’s Impact on New York? These 3 Cities Offer a Glimpse., 12/02/23, New York Times
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Why does life in the big sister city across the pond seem kinder and gentler? Leanne Tritton and Rob Fiehn from the London Society join special guest host Hugo to discuss the society's new book 'London of the Future' and compare New York's various predicaments to their own.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Or not to eat the cookie — that is the question. Bradley sketches out a vision for an app to help us make better decisions throughout the day. Plus, he gives the over/under on the percentage of the national vote that a select group of well-known outsiders would receive if they ran for president on the No Labels line.
For a special Thanksgiving episode, Bradley checks in with Lisa Quigley, who runs his Solving Hunger philanthropy, for the latest on the thorny politics of universal school meals and related issues surrounding hunger in America.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
It’s anything but smooth sailing in tech these days. Jordan Nof, co-founder and managing partner of Tusk Ventures, joins Bradley to discuss the OpenAI debacle, Elon Musk’s latest outrages, the iffy exit market for start-ups, the Biden-Trump divide on economic and business policy and New York City’s growing edge over San Francisco for young tech talent.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
When your business is in the air, you want to move fast and not break things — ever. Kyle Clark, the founder and chief executive of the aerospace start-up Beta Technologies, talks to Bradley about their extraordinary machines and how they intend to introduce them into everyday life.
Mentioned in today's episode:
Electric Planes, Once a Fantasy, Start to Take to the Skies, The New York Times (11/3/23)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Stop trying to convince Americans the economy is better than they feel, says Bradley. Stop being outraged by Trump's lack of human decency. Biden Nation should zero in on the sliver of undecided voters between the haters and the believers, the people who just want a competent president. Plus, why the emerging case against Mayor Adams still lacks existential risk for him.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin, and be sure to order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Sharon Salzberg, a legend in the world of meditation and mindfulness, joins Bradley to discuss finding connection and kindness in distressing times — and why even she has difficulty tearing herself away from doomscrolling.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin, and be sure to pre-order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
How do supremely busy people find time for their passion projects? Bradley explains the long, hard and rewarding road to the publication of his first novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT which comes out Tuesday Nov. 7 at select indie bookstores across the country. Plus [34:19], he says the latest trouble around Mayor Eric Adams is very far from a political death spiral, but stay tuned.
RSVP to the OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT release party in NYC, or buy from a local indie bookstore near you. Full list of participating shops on BradleyTusk.com.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin, and be sure to pre-order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT!
David Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, decided that electing young people into office is the most effective way to change the laws that have made such tragedies a fixture of American life. Bradley talks to the founder of Leaders We Deserve about how to take the heat from unhinged opponents and channel into a movement.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin, and be sure to pre-order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
RSVP to Bradley's book launch party in NYC on November 7.
In the late 1960s, Richard Nixon popularized the term "silent majority." Drawing from the pro-Hamas rallies, the mass shooting in Maine and the House Speaker debacle, Bradley updates Nixon with a phenomenon he calls "tyranny of the minority." Plus, Bradley discusses his theory of "minimal viable suffering," assesses the impact of Dean Phillips challenging Biden in the Democratic primaries, reflects on the death of actor Matthew Perry and casts dissenting votes on recent output from Martin Scorsese and Marc Andreesen.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin, and be sure to pre-order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Jonathan Dockrell is a multifaceted man of the future, an Emergent Ventures winner, and CEO/co-founder of SkyTrade — a company that enables property owners to charge for the use of their air space. He also writes a Substack called Where’s My Flying Car? Two weeks before the release of his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT, Bradley talks to to Jonathan about when and how flying cars could actually become a part of our daily lives.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin, and be sure to pre-order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
RSVP to Bradley's book launch party in NYC on November 7.
You can follow Jonathan on Twitter or shoot him an email, jonathan@sky.trade.
The events over the past few weeks may have you asking, "Why do so many young Americans seem to support terrorism against Israel?" Bradley and Meaghan Collins, his chief of staff at Tusk, discuss the disturbing rise of anti-Semitism on college campuses and elsewhere. Plus, Bradley makes the case for the creation of a city manager for New York and proposes a set of rules for pedestrians to return sanity (and speed) to our sidewalks.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter + Linkedin, and be sure to pre-order his debut novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
As Israelis steady themselves after the Hamas attack and gear up for the next phase of the conflict, Bradley talks to his good friend Michael Eisenberg of Aleph, a Tel Aviv-based venture capital firm, about how a stronger society can emerge from the trauma.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Bradley assesses his own convictions as an American Jew reacting to the attack on Israel and the larger questions it raises.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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As the youngest member of the New York City Council, Chi Ossé asks different questions than most of his peers — such as: Why do you have to pay a compulsory brokers' fee to rent an apartment? Bradley talks to Ossé about how making the city more attractive and accessible to young people can make it better for everyone.
Read Bradley's recent NY Daily News op-ed in support of banning brokers fees.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Deposed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had a very bad week but in five or ten years, could it feel like the best thing that ever happened to him? Plus, why the media giving us what we want is not actually what we want and a quick appraisal of emerging tech investors. But first, Bradley opens with three quick thoughts on the outbreak of war in Israel.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Ever had a deal get stuck in the mud during contract negotiation with endless redlines and ballooning legal fees? Turns out there's a fix for that. Bradley talks to Jim Wagner, co-founder and CEO of The Contract Network, an AI-powered contract collaboration platform that helps stakeholders close deals quickly and easily.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Every New Yorker knows the feeling of discovering that in most of America, you just can't do simple things like walk .2 miles to get a cup of a coffee. Bradley tells his tale of woe. Plus, what we learned from Mayor Adams' no-show during the flood, how Lina Khan is taking on Amazon and why Sam Bankman-Fried's parents are probably no better or worse than any parents.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media.
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If and when the media industry recovers its footing, what will it look like? Bradley talks to Jon Kelly, founder and CEO of Puck, which just celebrated its second anniversary, about the great opportunity that lies between the plodding behemoths and the lonely, on-their-own Substackers.
But how much of that is the Mayor's fault? Chris Coffey, head of Tusk Strategies, sits down with Bradley for their regular check-in on city politics. Plus, Bradley proposes Bush v. Gore as the greatest political tragedy of our times; Chris offers a surprising alternative theory.
Starting with $750 in their pockets, Roy and Bertrand Sosa built Netspend into a billion-dollar business and had an exit beyond their wildest dreams. Then they bought it back! Bradley talks to them about what they want Netspend to be when it grows up. Plus, as part of our bonus double-feature, he asks Martina Larkin of Project Liberty about what it takes to build a better Internet.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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If there's one thing Bradley's learned from being alive for 50 years, it's to stop torturing himself about his flaws and shortcomings and mistakes — and to use writing as a way to work out what he thinks. A candid conversation about his essay entitled "Reflections at 50."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Alexis Rockman is an artist who paints giant, beautiful and often disturbing scenes of environmental destruction. Bradley talks to him about what happens when art and reality collide. "I've made plenty of paintings that I certainly wouldn't want to live with," says Rockman, "and somehow miraculously sold."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Why stop at weed? With New York electing not to enforce the law, says Bradley, there's never been a better time to jump into the drug business. More seriously, he also considers the loneliness epidemic, what it would take to change the political inputs for the White House on the migrant crisis, the Elon Musk biography and a great new book about longevity.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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If an inherent problem of arguing about sports is that you can never tell who wins, well, FactBattle offers a super cool solution — let AI be the judge! Bradley talks to Ari Leffell about the little start-up they've been working on together that gives fans a chance to compete with each other.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Inspired by the brand new city envisioned in the Bay Area, Bradley picks his wish list of what a tech utopia ought to have. Plus, he breaks down the political inputs and policy outputs of the migrant crisis. And — not to be missed — he outlines the best practices for a ‘food crawl.’ (If you have no idea what that is, well, listen.)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Venture capital legend Alan Patricof joins Bradley at P&T Knitwear for a live discussion of his memoir 'No Red Lights: Reflections on Life, 50 Years in Venture Capital and Never Driving Alone' and audience Q+A.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — home to New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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It’s time to wage war on New York City’s illegal weed shop. Bradley outlines the tactics he’d use to change the political inputs and force the mayor and governor to act. Plus, he finds common ground with the lefties on the City Council — can you guess what the issue is?
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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For anyone who's ever been baffled by a medical lab report, Nicole Bocskocsky, the CEO and founder of Elaborate, has your back. She explains to Bradley how she was inspired to create a sensible and trustworthy new platform for delivering health data.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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The prevalence of dangerous new substances on city streets is causing Bradley to rethink his long-standing conviction that legalization is the best way to deal with the country's drug woes. Plus, the epic descent of Rudy Giuliani, solving retail vacancies and the deluge of delivery vehicles in one fell swoop, and what he learned on an epic walk through Queens.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
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The prevalence of dangerous new substances on city streets is causing Bradley to rethink his long-standing conviction that legalization is the best way to deal with the country's drug woes. Plus, the epic descent of Rudy Giuliani, solving retail vacancies and the deluge of delivery vehicles in one fell swoop, and what he learned on an epic walk through Queens.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter, and visit the Firewall website.
Wouldn't it be swell if somebody smart read every word of the The New Yorker and told you which stories to read and which ones you could "skip without guilt"? Well, Sam Saper does exactly that with his Substack "Last Week's New Yorker Review." He joins Bradley to explain what it takes to pass judgement on the best longform journalists in the business.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Subscribe to Sam's Substack at Last Week's New Yorker Review.
Are elevated levels of social pathologies the inevitable by-product of having the world's most innovative, risk-tolerant economy? Bradley weighs the pros and cons of American capitalism. Plus, he sees the path to San Francisco getting its mojo back — it starts with, well, innovation and risk tolerance.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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We're closing in on the dream of flying cars — which won't be quite like The Jetsons, but they're getting there. Bradley talks to helicopter pilot and Senior Editor at The Air Current Elan Head, on Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (EVTOL) aircraft, the big players and tricky regulation in this industry, and about how flying cars could change the way we live.
Be sure to pre-order Obvious In Hindsight, Bradley's debut novel that imagines a not-too-distant future when flying cars could be legalized in the skies above American cities.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter, and visit the Firewall website.
When thousands of kids converged on Union Square Park last week to see their favorite social-media celebrity, they took New York City by surprise. But there's no reason, argues Bradley, that our government shouldn't be monitoring these super popular platforms and be better prepared to keep the peace. Plus, why the Manhattan DA's case against Trump must wait, the spectacle of unicorns in freefall and the case for caffeinated seltzer.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Who does Bradley turn to first when he's got a crazy new idea? His text group of fellow political consultants, of course. Two members -- pollster Jef Pollock and comms savant Howard Wolfson — join him for a special episode of Firewall. Topics include the sheer terror of a Biden-Trump rematch, the future of democracy in Israel and Bradley's punchlist for fixing New York City. Plus Howard explains what George Washington did during the Battle of Brooklyn.
As the President sags to 40 percent approval ratings,Trump's increasingly likely nomination is good — because Biden can probably beat him again — but scary because what if he doesn't? Plus, Larry Gagosian's secrets to success, a split decision on Oppenheimer and further proof that New York City has given up on the war on guns.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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What's the best way to help businesses reduce waste? Bradley talks to Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli and Laura Rosenshine, co-founders of WATS, about using software to solve the thorniest of human problems. "Our careers are garbage," says Danberg-Ficarelli, "we're proud of that."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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After struggling for years to make meditation a regular practice, Bradley finally developed an approach that works for him. He describes his experience and how it's changed his life.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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When Miles Taylor wrote the incendiary editorial in the New York Times in 2018 about his experience inside the Trump administration, he knew full well it could blow up his life. But he had no idea of what it would take to rebuild it.
Be sure to buy Miles' new book, Blowback: A Warning to Save Democracy from the Next Trump and listen to his new podcast, The Whistleblowers: Inside The Trump Administration.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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In her proactive approach to AI, Lina Khan, chairwoman of the FTC, is betting on the government's ability to get ahead of a problem, says Bradley. Plus, he floats a plan to fix public housing once and for all, analyzes what's at stake in the Hollywood strike and gives Mission Impossible a surprising grade.
[1:16] Bradley's new NY Daily News op-ed on what migrants can contribute to our economy and what government needs to do to get them working
[11:37] FTC investigation of OpenAI
[18:55] AI, political campaigns, and Hollywood strikes
[26:20] The immense costs and future of public housing in NYC
[32:17] Recommendations of the week
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter, and visit the Firewall website.
That young people coming out of high school can't find decent jobs and employers can't find qualified workers is a serious indictment of our education system, argues Howard Wolfson, head of education programs for Bloomberg Philanthropies, veteran political guy and all-around friend of the pod. Howard joins Bradley for a wide-ranging discussion about how to fix schools. Plus, Howard makes a surprising personal admission about Disney World.
[4:15] Howard Wolfson's personal background in the education sector
[5:15] What works and what doesn't work with education today?
[7:59] How do we improve teacher quality?
[17:28] Bloomberg Philanthropies' work with the private sector and high schools to create options that specifically train students for high-demand careers at local employers.
[26:48] Is going to college still a worthwhile endeavor?
[37:39] What is the state of the education reform movement today?
[39:17] How is Mayor Adams doing on education?
[43:03] Is there a Biden education ideology?
[44:06] 2024 predictions
[48:32] Are fewer people going to Disney?
Full episode transcript available on the Firewall website.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter, and visit the Firewall website.
If New York City has any hope of cleaning up the disastrous proliferation of illegal weed shops, it needs to summon the mad-dog spirit of ol' Rudy Giuliani -- though not Rudy himself. Definitely not that. Plus, Bradley on City Hall's ridiculous handling of the dead-cop photo, why it makes no sense to separate boys and girls in competitive sports and what David Brooks gets right about being a Mets fan.
Discussed on today's episode:
Why I Still Love the New York Mets, by David Brooks, The New York Times (7/6/23)
The Mayor Had a Photo of a Fallen Officer. Was His Story About It True?, by David Brooks, The New York Times
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
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How do you work up the nerve to write a novel in this day and age? Bradley talks to David Goodwillie, author of Kings County and American Subversive, about the enduring appeal of long, complex, character-rich stories.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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That's all it takes to win a seat on the New York City Council — a slam-dunk argument for mobile voting if ever there was one. Plus, Bradley on how the war over affirmative action obscures the deeper problem with education.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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What do young Americans want from politics and media today? Bradley talks to Aidan Kohn-Murphy, the founder of Gen-Z for Change, and Avalon Zborovsky-Fenster, the founder of InternshipGirl and board member of the Sustainable Media Center, about why they want to build bridges to older generations, how online platforms like TikTok can better protect users, and what their generation thinks about AI.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: info@firewall.media
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[1:28] How does Gen Z see the world?
[7:30] How does Gen Z filter and fact-check media?
[11:06] Gen-Z's views on legacy media
[14:00] How does social media contribute to mental health challenges in Gen-Z?
[16:35] How would you change the internet?
[20:42] The rise of AI
[23:04] Section 230: Keep it or dump it?
[26:55] How can other generations better communicate with Gen-Z?
[34:35] How could mobile voting get more young people to vote?
[35:25] How could Gen-Z be more engaged in the political and electoral process?
[42:55] What's one thing that older generations need to understand about Gen-Z?
It’s impossible for outsiders to know what’s going on in Russia, much less influence the outcome. But it reminds us, says Bradley, that Americans ought to be concerned about our own Putin — aka Donald Trump — and what could happen if he is convicted of espionage. January 6 times 1000? Plus, Bradley considers the alternatives to ever harsher laws against fentanyl, what fringe candidates really get out of running for president, why giving Supreme Court justices a huge raise is unlikely to make them forego luxury fishing trips and how ‘The Bear’ connects.
[1:10] Latest in Russia
[2:50] Our own Putin — Trump — and the case against him
[5:06] The 2024 GOP field, why they are running, and how they will handle Trump
[16:26] Gen-Z homebuyers
[20:06] Harsher laws against fentanyl
[29:05] Recommendations of The Week
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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And other practical lessons from the legendary third season of 'The Wire', which Bradley assigns to students of his Columbia Business School class on disruption. (Originally posted May 4, 2021).
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Pre-order Bradley's debut novel, Obvious in Hindsight (release date: November 7, 2023)
If we accept that social norms are constantly changing, where do we go from here — more forgiving or less? Bradley talks to Tim Urban, preeminent blogger, author and big thinker, about reasons to not despair. Plus, TIm reflects on how his epic blog post from 2015 on Elon Musk has held up.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Texting someone else during a Zoom call is annoying, disrespectful and sometimes completely necessary. Bradley reveals his top 20 tactics for having time to do everything he wants to do.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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This year's Gotham Book Prize was shared by Stories from the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana and The Sewing Girl's Tale by John Wood Sweet. In this special double episode, Bradley sits down with each of these great storytellers to explore their meticulous depictions of urban life.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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If there's one person who enjoys a rapid-fire exchange of ideas as much as Bradley, it's Molly. The author, podcaster and opinion journalist joins the Tuesday episode for a quick draw on Biden's infirmities, the New York Times' biases, Bradley's 16-percent theory and why artificial intelligence bores her more than it scares her.
[6:03] Bias, media and the NY Times
[14:38] Bradley's 16% theory
[21:10] Biden's health
[27:18] AI risk and how it will be regulated
[33:18] What to do about VP Harris?
[37:33] College admissions
[49:03] Recommendations of the week
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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The Chair of the Federal Trade Commission joins Bradley in front of a live audience at P&T Knitwear to discuss antitrust, AI, Taylor Swift tickets — and what it takes to get things done in Washington.
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Be sure to subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter, and pre-order Bradley's first novel, OBVIOUS IN HINDSIGHT.
Why did we all fall for Succession? Well maybe you didn't, but Bradley did. He offers his take on why morality tales never seem to go out of fashion, what he plans to read this summer and how studying literature , as unpopular as it might be right now, pays off in the long run.
[:53] Succession finale
[13:50] Should we care that young people aren't majoring in English?
[24:00] Bradley's summer reading list
[35:40] Bradley's recommendations for best politics and tech books of all time
Discussed on today's episode:
Don't Kill 'Frankenstein' With Real Frankensteins At Large by Maureen Dowd, The New York Times (05/27/23)
The End of the English Major by Nathan Heller, The New Yorker (02/27/23)
Bradley's Summer Reading List:
All The Sinners Bleed, S.A. Crosby
Mobility, Lydia Kiesling
The Guest, Emma Cline
The Terraformers, Annalee Newitz
Drowning, TJ Newman
All Night Pharmacy, Ruth Madievsky
How can you tell if a developing country has a brighter future? Charlie Robertson, the author of ‘The Time-Travelling Economist’ explains to Bradley why the most charismatic leaders in the world are doomed to fail if they can’t get fertility, electricity consumption and literacy moving in the right direction.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Running mates rarely matter in elections, but given President Biden's advanced age, voters have good reason to be very concerned about the veep slot in 2024. Which means Kamala Harris could be a serious liability if she continues to flounder. So what should the White House do? Put her on Section 230, says Bradley, and do everything to help her get it repealed. Speaking of floundering, Bradley addresses Ron DeSantis' entry into the race, as well as the strategic trouble Rahm Emanuel is causing in Japan and, oh yeah, what if the future of transit in New York City doesn’t include the subway?
[0:45] Succession
[9:11] Supreme Court rules on social media platforms and Sec. 230
[14:40] DeSantis running for president
[19:04] Biden's age and Harris as a running-mate
[23:30] Rahm Emanuel's gay rights push in Japan
[31:30] Regulating AI
[36:54] Subway fares and the future of NYC transit
[41:25] Planned Parenthood
[43:22] Recommendation of the week
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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RSVP to hear FTC Chair Lina Khan in conversation with Bradley at P&T Knitwear.
Mentioned on today's episode:
Supreme Court rules for Google, Twitter on terror-related content by Robert Barnes and Cat Zakrzewski, The Washington Post (05/18/23)
As Rahm Emanuel Pushes Japan on Gay Rights, Conservatives Bristle, by Motoko Rich, The New York Times (05/21/23)
Lina Khan: We Must Regulate A.I. Here’s How., The New York Times (05/03/23)
The Problem With Planned Parenthood by Eyal Press, The New Yorker (05/08/23)
How is it that only 13 percent of Americans read "at a proficient adult level"? Matt Bardin, former public school teacher and the founder of Zinc Learning Labs, talks to Bradley about the root cause of our education crisis — the failure to teach children to absorb and analyze what they read — and what we need to do about it.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Bradley offers his comprehensive theory on why we love shows like Succession and White Lotus while refusing to absorb their obvious messages about the soul-crushing pursuit of wealth and notoriety. Plus, he explains the simple and humane solution to the migrant crisis.
[2:11] June 1st event with FTC Chair Lina Khan
[2:40] Bradley's upcoming novel, Obvious in Hindsight
[3:45] Migrant crisis
[13:08] Theory of happiness
[33:19] This week's Succession
Be sure to pre-order Bradley's novel, Obvious in Hindsight, today.
Free RSVP for June 1st event at P&T Knitwear, FTC Chair Lina Khan and Bradley Tusk on Antitrust, AI, and Innovation.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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As AI splits the communications world into winners and dinosaurs, how do you get on the right side? Lulu Cheng Meservey, head of comms for Activision Blizzard and author of the great Substack called Flack, joins Bradley and Cory to discuss the dizzying future of the profession, as well as her take on Silicon Valley Bank's communications failures, TikTok's strategy in DC, and the Biden administration's prep for 2024. And when in doubt, Lulu and Bradley, agree, just ask yourself, What would a car dealership do?
[3:47] SVB's communications failures
[12:48] What can comms pros learn from car dealerships?
[17:45] Analyzing TikTok's approach in DC
[22:00] How tech could better frame AI innovations
[32:10] Advice for Team Biden leading to 2024
[39:25] How comms team should work with their legal teams
[42:05] How will ChatGBPT impact the PR industry and comms professionals?
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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When frightening or disorienting things happen in the world, we need to take a step back and resist the incentive structure of the news media. We don't have to make up our minds immediately about complex events. We don't have to pick a side. We don't have to point fingers. Bradley discusses the tragic death in the New York City subway, the Biden administration's shift to a new economic regime, the uncertainties in the business climate and why Dianne Feinstein needs to go.
[2:10] Killing of Jordan Neely
[12:47] Biden and Clinton economics
[17:42] Uncertainty in business climate
[23:27] Concert ticket madness
[26:10] Sen. Feinstein
[28:13] Recommendation of the Week
Discussed on today's episode:
The Biden Administration Just Declared the Death of Neoliberalism by Eric Levitz, New York (5/3/23)
"The restaurant industry is going through a huge disruption because of the pandemic," says Joe Reinstein of the Digital Restaurant Association, "and it requires a major increase in focus on their digital operations." Joe tells Bradley how his new organization assists restaurants in this transition and advocates on their behalf. Plus, he explains, to Bradley's amazement, why his go-to order at Katz's Delicatessen is the turkey reuben.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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In addition to everything else, that is. Bradley sorts through recent developments in transportation with his comms guy Cory Epstein – who previously worked at Citi Bike, Lyft, and Transportation Alternatives. Plus, why the latest banking meltdown forces us to rethink our approach to regulation.
[1:20] First Republic Bank failure
[12:55] David Byrne's bike at the Met Gala
[14:46] Vision Zero and why traffic deaths haven't gone down
[20:20] How community boards and politics have hampered safe streets progress
[25:58] When, and how, do we get robotaxis in New York City?
[32:22] Should Citi Bike be free?
[36:58] What's the timeframe for flying cars?
[38:43] Recommendation of the Week: The Diplomat on Netflix
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Mentioned on today's episode:
American Road Deaths Show an Alarming Racial Gap by Adam Paul Susaneck, The New York Times (4/26/23)
When a Walkable City Becomes a Death Trap by Ginia Bellafante, The New York Times (4/28/23)
Weekly Dose of Optimism, Packy McCormick (4/28/23)
Citi Bike Is Amazing. Citibank Should Pay For Every New Yorker’s Membership by Amos Barshad, Hell Gate (4/26/23)
Forget Tesla: You Can Get to Work Even Faster in This Vehicle (for Just $98,000) by Rob Lenihan, The Street (4/26/23)
Ritchie Torres, US Congressman from the Bronx, joins Bradley to discuss policy (a bill to prevent social-media-fueled bank runs, the regulatory riddle of AI) and a little bit of politics (why Biden still looks strong versus Trump).
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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If Biden were a younger, more dynamic figure, Bradley says, he'd be hailed as a revolutionary hero. Why? Because with Congress blocking his every move, the President has skillfully wielded executive authority to enact transformative policies on immigration and climate. Plus, the Gotham Book Prize goes to a pair of excellent novels: "Stories from the Tenants Downstairs", by Sidik Fofana, and "The Sewing Girls Tale", by John Wood Sweet.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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If you’re getting in the cannabis retail game right now, you better have a really good track record for knowing how to stand out in a crowd — which Joanne Wilson absolutely does. Bradley talks to the fixture of the New York tech world and founder of cannabis concept store, Gotham, about her investing, writing, design aesthetic, philanthropy and retail acumen.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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If you look hard enough, says Bradley, there are always plenty of reasons to be hopeful, like a potential breakthrough on Alzheimer's treatment, a key Putin ally talking about ending the war in Ukraine, or an audacious new policy goal on electric vehicles from the Biden Administration. Plus, what the new movie 'Air' can teach us about risk tolerance in business.
[1:50] Listener mail about DeSantis war on Disney
[10:00] Blue cities vs. red states
[13:25] Shoplifting in NYC
[14:42] Front-yard, performative politics
[18:37] Good news on EVs
[21:38] Good news on Alzheimers
[22:42] Good news on Ukraine
[24:13] Ice cream
[26:15] Debating baseball's expansion cities
[31:23] Recommendation of the week, Air
Discussed on this week's episode:
Why People Are Fleeing Blue Cities for Red States by David Brooks, The New York Times ( 4/13/23)
A Tiny Number of Shoplifters Commit Thousands of New York City Thefts by Hurubie Meko, The New York Times (4/15/23)
The Dangerous Rise of ‘Front-Yard Politics’ by Derek Thompson, The Atlantic (4/13/23)
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Subscribe to Bradley's weekly newsletter, follow Bradley on Twitter, and visit the Firewall website.
But what’s the single-use container it came in doing to the planet? Lauren Sweeney started DeliverZero because she hated how much waste she saw herself generating every day. She tells Bradley about the system she built for reusable packaging, the social and political momentum developing in NYC to move toward sustainable reuse alternatives and why she’s “one of the most optimistic people in the world” about what we can all be doing to fight climate change.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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A Texas judge overruling the FDA and a New York DA bringing flimsy charges against Trump are the latest examples of how the Right and Left are conspiring to destroy the rule of law, says Bradley. Plus, he offers a framework for regulating AI, blasts the casual inhumanity of Big Tech CEOs, reflects on the strategic happiness of Finns and comes down in favor of wooly mammoth meatballs.
[4:00] Abortion pill ruling
[13:50] Artificial intelligence
[19:29] Tech layoffs
[24:05] Happiness in Finland
[32:14] Woolly mammoth meatballs
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Is this actually a great moment for investors? Jordan Nof, co-founder of Tusk Venture Partners, joins Bradley's to address the aftershocks of the Silicon Valley Bank failure, the growing premium on founders who aren't stuck in 2021 and why their fund is writing the biggest checks it ever has.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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That’s Firewall’s base case for 2024. But what are all the variables that could upend this likeliest of outcomes? Bradley explores the scenarios. Plus, he inventories his own career to decide if where he went to college made a damn bit of difference.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Science plus economics plus politics — biotech start-ups face a truly daunting obstacle course. Bradley talks to John Flavin, the CEO and founder of Portal Innovations, about his efforts to build a supportive environment for innovation in Chicago and what it portends for other cities.
Is the news bringing you down? Join the club. When did every story turn so quickly into trench warfare, everybody firing madly at each other without anyone gaining ground? Bradley reviews the major newsmakers — Trump, DeSantis, Netanyahu, Taylor Swift, Jack Dorsey — but delivers the most certainty on one issue: If airline pilots should ever be incapacitated and a passenger must be recruited to land the plane, you're better off with almost anyone other than him.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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When Miles Wolff started his career in baseball, you could buy a minor-league club for peanuts. So he bought as many as he could, including the legendary Durham Bulls. Bradley talks to Wolff about building a business out of what you love, the legacy of the San Diego Chicken and why the term "big league" is a pejorative to him. They're joined by co-host Ari Leffell, who runs the Hall of Very Good Players.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Bradley on shaky banks, shaky charges against Trump, Israel's shaky democracy and the shaky Mets (well, no change there). Plus, he talks to Lisa Quigley of Solving Hunger about the growing momentum of universal school meals and why even good causes require extreme vigilance down the stretch.
It's no joke. Bradley talks to Ravi Gupta, the CEO and founder of the nonprofit media company Lost Debate, about how to blow up political orthodoxies. Plus, the long-term benefits of working for a hard-ass boss.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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When Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen came to the rescue of Silicon Valley Bank depositors, Bradley says, she saved the innovation economy a world of hurt. But have any lessons been learned? Will the VC industry simply snap back to business as usual? And will Biden pay a price?
What we know and what we don’t know about the shocking collapse of a critical tech-industry institution.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Could there be such a thing? Nick Thompson, the CEO of The Atlantic, joins Bradley to discuss the humane alternatives to media polarization and the dumpster fire known as Twitter. "Someone is going to figure this out," says Thompson.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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How and why has Europe moved so far ahead of the US in tech regulation? Carl Miller, a social-media expert with Demos, a London-based think tank, joins Bradley to discuss how to make the major social platforms clamp down on harmful content.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Are New Yorkers getting their money’s worth? Dr. Christina Greer, political science professor at Fordham University, co-host of the FAQ NYC podcast, and Gotham Book Prize juror, breaks it down with Bradley. Plus, she explains why there’s a lot left to learn from LBJ.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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The Democratic Party in New York State has outlived its usefulness, says Bradley, and voters and candidates alike would be better off without it. Plus, the important lessons of Lori Lightfoot's reelection woes in Chicago, the tradeoffs of the four-day workweek, the VC blues and a plug for 'Wu-Tang: An American Saga."
[2:30] New York State Democratic Party
[9:20] Chicago mayoral election
[23:45] 4-day work week
[31:00] State of VC
[35:29] Recommendation of the week
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Mentioned on today's episode:
‘The Democratic Party in New York Is a Disaster’, by Ross Barkan, The New York Times Magazine (02/22/23)
Trial Run of 4-Day Workweek Wins Converts, by Lora Kelley, The New York Times (02/22/23)
'I feel like I got catfished': Young VCs who left investment banking and consulting jobs are having career second thoughts in the downturn, by Stephanie Palazzolo and Madeline Renbarger, Business Insider (02/22/23)
How'd you like to put money on Madden, drone racing, or your friend's chess tournament? Bradley talks to Evan Kaylin, founder of an innovative new wagering platform called Grilla, about how to build a winner in the crowded, hotly competitive space of online gambling.
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Robots may eventually run the world, says Bradley, but given all our other problems we'll be lucky if we get to that point. Plus, the case for ketamine therapy, why airports go bad, Nikki Haley's hail mary, is Tesla going the way of Detroit, and the person to call when your career publicly implodes.
[3:36] NYT Kevin Roose's conversation with a chatbot
[8:06] The case for ketamine therapy
[16:35] Why airports go bad
[23:23] Nikki Haley's candidacy
[30:41] Is Tesla turning into Detroit?
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street. Visit them online: ptknitwear.com
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In a shaky market, are guilty pleasures a safe haven? Hell yes, says Catharine Dockery, the Founder and General Partner of Vice Ventures. She talks to Bradley about why she loves cannabis but hates the cannabis industry, considers alcohol substitute beverages to be ridiculous, believes cigarette smoking will completely disappear within 10-15 years, digs the investment opportunities in Latin America and can't imagine living anywhere but New York City. "For me," says the lifelong New Yorker, "it could never be too dirty or too dangerous."
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Follow Catharine on Twitter and visit viceventures.com to learn more about her fund.
Inspired by a proposal to realign Major League Baseball, Bradley considers the possibilities for realigning the whole country. Plus, Tom Chavez, the founder of {super}set and the Ethical Tech Project, joins Firewall to make the case for federal privacy legislation.
[2:49] Realigning the U.S.
[13:14] Regulatory arbitrage
[19:21] New York vs Florida debate
[27:44] Biden & 2024
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.
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Mentioned on today’s episode:
MLB expansion should include geographic realignment — so let’s build new divisions, by Jim Bowden, The Athletic (2/7/23)
New York vs. Florida, by the Numbers, by the WSJ Editorial Board, The Wall Street Journal (2/9/23)
Does the rebound have staying power? Alex Kantrowitz, proprietor of the Big Technology newsletter and podcast, joins Bradley to discuss the resilience of the Big Five, plus what it feels like to be plagiarized by Chatbot GPT.
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Subscribe to Alex Kantrowitz's Big Technology newsletter, his Big Technology podcast, and be sure to follow him on Twitter too.
If Trump fails to win his party's nomination for president, Biden could all but guarantee his own reelection by gifting his former adversary a third party line. Is Biden too conventional to play this way? Probably, says Bradley, but politicians will do almost anything for a clear path to victory. Plus, Bradley covers the obstacles to drone delivery, the etiquette of post-pandemic life, productivity and happiness at work, why he's rooting for Philadelphia in the Super Bowl and his recommendation of the week.
[6:49] Drone delivery
[13:00] Third party for Trump
[23:14] Happiness and productivity in the workplace
[32:40] New etiquette rules
[36:51] Super Bowl
[39:20] Recommendation of the week
This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street.
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Mentioned on today’s episode:
The Story Construction Tells About America’s Economy Is Disturbing, by Ezra Klein, The New York Times (2/5/23)
The Dark Side of Being Obsessed With Productivity, with Derek Thompson and Oliver Burkeman, Plain English (1/31/23)
The Hidden Link Between Workaholism and Mental Health, by Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic (2/3/23)
Do You Know How to Behave? Are You Sure? NY Magazine, (2/2/23)
Why were wolves removed from the endangered species list? Bradley talks to Leslie Williams and Samantha Attwood, the mother-daughter duo behind The #RelistWolves Campaign, a grassroots coalition made up of dedicated conservationists, environmental nonprofit organizations, wildlife advocates, and scientists working to relist wolves on the endangered species list. Gray wolves are caught up in political tensions between the federal government and the states, which are lobbied by the powerful hunting lobby to sanction brutal hunts. Williams and Attwood have created a coalition to push back against these special interests through science-backed advocacy. "Once they get rid of the wolves," says Attwood, "they're gonna go after the grizzly bear. They're gonna go after the big cats. They're gonna go after a lot of animals. So I think it's important that we make a stand right here."
Learn more at relistwolves.org.
As much as parents fear the Chinese-owned social-media platform, their kids love it, says Bradley, so lawmakers better be careful. Plus, he adjudicates the facial-recognition fracas at Madison Square Garden, explains what's admirable about billionaires who want to live forever and gives his expert advice on how to pick the right entrance music. And in part two of this week's episode, Bradley talks to award-winning journalist Carole Zimmer about how the media got so messed up.
How is it that food — whether it's about health, safety, production or access — is such a low priority in Washington? Bradley sits down with Helena Bottemiller Evich, the founder and editor in chief of Food Fix, to talk about the blunders of the FDA, the fight over protein alternatives, and why there ought to be such a thing as a free lunch in American schools.
Are the political stars finally aligning? Plus, Bradley delivers the latest on Mayday’s fight for abortion rights; the pitfalls of DeSantis’ “win-now” strategy; the hapless quest for public bathrooms in New York City; and an unforgettable collection of stories.
Founders should figure out the smartest way to engage with regulators — and do it as early as possible. Bob Greenlee joins Bradley to introduce Pericles, the new arm of Tusk Strategies devoted to the equity-for-service model, and explain why even founders who have no interest in government will discover that government is taking an interest in them
And if so, what should we do about it? Bradley reports from New Orleans on food, crime and why we shouldn't take our great stockpile of talent for granted. Plus, he talks to Elizabeth Wilkins, Director of the Office of Policy Planning at the Federal Trade Commission, on doing away with non-compete agreements.
Tracy Chou talks to Bradley about Block Party, her innovative remedy for online abuse, and why tools for customizing your own experience are the salvation of social media.
Which is not to say it couldn't be better. Tom Tobin, friend of the pod and head of healthcare at Hedgeye, joins the Tuesday episode for a check-up on the industry Americans love to hate. Plus, Bradley picks the one important takeaway from the Kevin McCarthy circus.
What makes some people better at managing disagreements than others? Bradley talks to Peter Coleman, professor at Columbia University, about putting human conflict under the microscope in his Difficult Conversations Lab.
We start the New Year by taking a break from the big stories that bent our minds last year — Twitter, crypto, what Congress is not going to do next — and delve into George Santos' crazy lies, Daniel Gilbert's latest book about about happiness, why the Department of Homeland Security may have outlived its usefulness and Nick Cave's unorthodox ideas about faith.
For our final episode of 2022, Bradley sits down with the rest of his inner circle: Bob Greenlee, his longtime friend and partner who he likes to call "the smartest person I know"; Jordan Nof, his co-founder at Tusk Ventures; Ari Leffell, who is launching the Hall of Very Good Players early next year; and Julie Wernersbach, the boss of P&T Knitwear, the bookstore and podcast studio that Bradley opened this year. See you in 2023!
In part two of our 2023 prediction series, Bradley sits down with key members of his inner circle: Jocelyn Bucaro, director of the Mobile Voting Project; Erika Tannor and Jake Sporn, New York political consultants; Cristóbal Alex, head of DC office; and Lisa Quigley, director of Solving Hunger.
Telemedicine, the gig economy, crypto, autonomous vehicles, cannabis, climate, start-ups, big tech — there will be precious little smooth sailing anywhere in 2023, says Bradley. But once-in-a-lifetime opportunities will be out there for investors who stay level-headed.
Three students from Bradley's class at Columbia Business School join him for a frank discussion on why they went for an MBA and whether or not they're getting their money's worth.
What's the life / career advice your younger self could have used? Bradley reveals the personal insights he shares with his Columbia Business School class on digital disruption. Plus, quick takes on morally superior public figures who fall from grace and why going independent won't save Kyrsten Sinema.
If Hue Rhodes, the founder of Friday, gets his way, you'll have full control over who sees what about you — and get paid for it. Rhodes tells Bradley about being raised in a cult and how it imbued him with a unique view of the world.
Given the news environment, a good book has never been more valuable. Bradley picks his 13 favorite novels of the year. Plus, he shoots down Hugo's application to be the New York City rat czar.
Can you name a family in America that rivals the Morgenthaus for longevity in wealth and power? Bradley talks to Andrew Meier, author of 'Morgenthau: Power, Privilege, and the Rise of an American Dynasty', about how to get rich, make alliances, call in favors, and stay highly relevant for four generations.
Sam Bankman-Fried may have put a hex on Effective Altruism, says Bradley, but that doesn’t mean the movement needs to go away. It poses important questions about how to give well even if it doesn’t have all the answers. Plus, what if China knows something about the next pandemic that the rest of the world doesn’t?
What does life look like after the Sam Bankman-Fried meltdown? Eric Soufer, who runs the crypto practice for Tusk Strategies, joins Bradley to survey the wreckage and assess the path to survival and future growth. Plus, has New York made an irrevocable mess of cannabis licensing?
But then Bradley digs into the craziness that makes us all thankful for the arrival of Thanksgiving — the crypto pile-on, how to run against Trump, the darkly comic futility of climate conferences, screwing up the World Cup, best Italian restaurant near Kennedy airport, favorite Elton John song, the case for turducken and why there's never any leftover cranberry sauce.
Mark Zuckerberg doesn't fit the profile of an inveterate gambler, so why is he acting like one? Bradley talks to Ben Cohen, 'Science of Success' columnist for the Wall Street Journal and author of 'The Hot Hand: The Mystery and Science of Streaks', about Zuckerberg's all-in wager on the metaverse, why it's going so badly and what the upheaval in the tech and crypto worlds is teaching us about risk.
Intelligence, creativity, risk tolerance, hustle, patience — Bradley reviews the building blocks of a successful work life and the extent to which you can improve yourself in critical areas. Plus, he picks the best alternative to plain old Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.
While the Democrats held off a red wave nationally, that wasn't quite the story in New York state. Bradley sits down with Shontell Smith and Chris Coffey of Tusk Strategies to review the Dems' inept ground game and look ahead to all the Trump-related madness in store for 2024.
While the Democrats held off a red wave nationally, that wasn't quite the story in New York state. Bradley sits down with Shontell Smith and Chris Coffey of Tusk Strategies to review the Dems' inept ground game and look ahead to all the Trump-related madness in store for 2024.
While the Democrats held off a red wave nationally, that wasn't quite the story in New York state. Bradley sits down with Shontell Smith and Chris Coffey of Tusk Strategies to review the Dems' inept ground game and look ahead to all the Trump-related madness in store for 2024.
On Election Night, the winners will be hailed as geniuses, the losers will be dismissed as, well, losers, and where will that leave the rest of us? Bradley breaks it down with Cristóbal Alex, the head of Tusk Strategies' DC office and former White House Deputy Cabinet Secretary and Senior Advisor to Biden, offering this cold comfort to the Democrats: Don't worry, even the Obama administration got beat up in its first midterms.
On Election Night, the winners will be hailed as geniuses, the losers will be dismissed as, well, losers, and where will that leave the rest of us? Bradley breaks it down with Cristóbal Alex, the head of Tusk Strategies' DC office and former White House Deputy Cabinet Secretary and Senior Advisor to Biden, offering this cold comfort to the Democrats: Don't worry, even the Obama administration got beat up in its first midterms.
On Election Night, the winners will be hailed as geniuses, the losers will be dismissed as, well, losers, and where will that leave the rest of us? Bradley breaks it down with Cristóbal Alex, the head of Tusk Strategies' DC office and former White House Deputy Cabinet Secretary and Senior Advisor to Biden, offering this cold comfort to the Democrats: Don't worry, even the Obama administration got beat up in its first midterms.
"We should not be afraid of Putin losing," says Evelyn Farkas, executive director of the McCain Institute. "We need him to lose, and as fast as possible." The self-described "foreign policy wonk" takes Bradley on a tour of the world's powder kegs and offers John McCain-inspired prescriptions for keeping the peace.
If Elon Musk has a sound, logical reason for buying Twitter, he's doing an awfully good job of disguising it. Plus, Bradley explains why the attack on the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should change everything but probably won't change anything. If this isn't the breaking point for toxic, enrage-your-base politics, he says, then there is no breaking point.
Could a simple law help us eat healthier? Bradley talks to Keith Powers, majority leader of the New York City Council, about his bill to put warnings on high-sugar food. Plus, why perception of crime has gotten out of hand, ending the scaffolding plague, the potential upside of the migrant crisis and the dos and don'ts of text-walking (mostly don'ts).
How soon will psychedelic drugs be legal? When will meat disappear from our diets? Is baseball doomed? Bradley identifies the normal things in today’s society that will one day seem barbaric, crazy or just plain lame and unnecessary. Plus, can you guess the pair of classic movies from 1992 that helped him get over the trauma of childhood bullying?
Does Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, deserve the praise he's getting for donating his vast fortune to a charitable foundation? It's a mixed bag, says Daniel Hemel, professor at New York University School of Law. He and Bradley also talk about the Trump indictment chess game, the relative merits of the child tax credit and universal basic income and whether Robert Moses' posthumous status is going up or down.
How can the powers of philanthropy, advocacy and political funding be leveraged to do good in the world? Bradley talks to Howard Wolfson, senior advisor at Bloomberg Philanthropies, former Deputy Mayor of New York City and powerful voice on Bradley's political-strategist text chain. Plus, a preview of the major mid-term races and a couple of strong contenders for the next Gotham Book Prize.
Is the move away from expensive coastal cities a temporary feature of the pandemic or a lasting trend that is reshaping America? Bradley talks to Adam Ozimek, chief economist of the Economic Innovation Group, about what draws people to new places, the pros and cons of cities like St Louis, how supply will catch up with demand and bring down inflation, and what owning a high-class bowling alley has taught him about economics.
Is the move away from expensive coastal cities a temporary feature of the pandemic or a lasting trend that is reshaping America? Bradley talks to Adam Ozimek, chief economist of the Economic Innovation Group, about what draws people to new places, the pros and cons of cities like St Louis, how supply will catch up with demand and bring down inflation, and what owning a high-class bowling alley has taught him about economics.
Our capacity to fear the worst is necessary, says Bradley, but the most valuable trait is a good disposition. "Eighty percent upbeat — that's the best you can be," he says. Plus, could the Supreme Court deal a death blow to Section 230 and why Biden's moves on marijuana are good policy but lousy election-year politics.
Our capacity to fear the worst is necessary, says Bradley, but the most valuable trait is a good disposition. "Eighty percent upbeat — that's the best you can be," he says. Plus, could the Supreme Court deal a death blow to Section 230 and why Biden's moves on marijuana are good policy but lousy election-year politics.
Bradley is joined by his 16-year-old daughter Abby for a discussion of identity, empathy, social media, the different bubbles we live in, her favorite books, applying to college and why she listened to 36,000 minutes of Taylor Swift last year.
With political extremism sweeping the globe, what can be done to restore sanity and moderation? Bradley makes his policy recommendations, starting with universal basic income. What are yours? Plus, he addresses the looming collapse of the Mets and the return of Andrew Cuomo.
Our collection of data is growing much faster than our capacity to use it, says Eric Daimler, the founder and CEO of Conexus. He explains to Bradley the opportunities and pitfalls of artificial intelligence and machine learning — and why companies with better math will be the ultimate winners.
Our collection of data is growing much faster than our capacity to use it, says Eric Daimler, the founder and CEO of Conexus. He explains to Bradley the opportunities and pitfalls of artificial intelligence and machine learning — and why companies with better math will be the ultimate winners.
Our collection of data is growing much faster than our capacity to use it, says Eric Daimler, the founder and CEO of Conexus. He explains to Bradley the opportunities and pitfalls of artificial intelligence and machine learning — and why companies with better math will be the ultimate winners.
SPACs were hot. Then they were not. But by sticking to his original vision — and keeping his incentives aligned with those of his shareholders — Bradley closed his acquisition last week. He explains how and why. Plus, why Democrats are thinking too hard (again) about their options in 2024.
SPACs were hot. Then they were not. But by sticking to his original vision — and keeping his incentives aligned with those of his shareholders — Bradley closed his acquisition last week. He explains how and why. Plus, why Democrats are thinking too hard (again) about their options in 2024.
SPACs were hot. Then they were not. But by sticking to his original vision — and keeping his incentives aligned with those of his shareholders — Bradley closed his acquisition last week. He explains how and why. Plus, why Democrats are thinking too hard (again) about their options in 2024.
For Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, a private problem — caring for her mother through a debilitating illness — inspired her to start a business that is also a personal cause. The founder and CEO of Wellthy talks to Bradley about breaking the stigma surrounding this "invisible work."
For Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, a private problem — caring for her mother through a debilitating illness — inspired her to start a business that is also a personal cause. The founder and CEO of Wellthy talks to Bradley about breaking the stigma surrounding this "invisible work."
For Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, a private problem — caring for her mother through a debilitating illness — inspired her to start a business that is also a personal cause. The founder and CEO of Wellthy talks to Bradley about breaking the stigma surrounding this "invisible work."
Cribbing from the provocative new book 'Talent: How to find Energizers, Creatives and Winners Around the World,' by Tyler Cowen and Daniel Gross, we put a dozen or so of their most unorthodox interview questions to Bradley. Listen and decide for yourself whether he deserves that big big job he's not actually looking for.
Right after Tuesday's market rout, Bradley sat down with his partner at Tusk Ventures to discuss the tricky balance that VCs must strike in this environment between absorbing new variables and staying disciplined about long-term opportunities.
Do Americans believe in anything as much as the English believed in the Queen? Bradley tackles this and 27 other questions, including how much longer the iPhone can continue to dominate, the best way to fake your own death and who he’d vote for if the choice for president in 2024 comes down to Liz Cheney v. AOC.
What's the fastest way to create easy and ubiquitous availability of charging stations for electric vehicles? Nathan King, the co-founder and CEO of Brooklyn-based start-up itselectric, talks to Bradley about their innovative and elegant approach.
If the presidential choice in 2024 is between extremists on both sides, how might a third candidate in the middle gain traction? Bradley assesses a newly launched, well-intentioned effort. Plus, he reports back from visiting colleges with his daughter and asks, Why does it matter where anybody goes?
A cross-generation meeting of the minds — Bradley quizzes his Tusk Strategies colleague Kelsey Bensch on what the future looks like to a young professional and how she stays optimistic.
Whether you think Biden's student debt forgiveness is good policy or bad policy, says Bradley, it does accomplish one concrete thing: It moves more money from those who have it to those who don't. Plus his pick for the best book of the summer.
There were no crazy surprises coming out of this week’s New York primaries, but the world does look and feel a little different. Shontell Smith, Executive Vice President at Tusk Strategies and former Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel to the New York State Senate Majority Conference, joins Bradley to assess the new state of play.
The apparent ease with which Trump turned 40 percent of the country against the FBI shows the need to reconsider our approach to political conflict. Plus, the UK's bold experiment with mobile voting, Biden's two meaningful achievements, Liz Cheney's bid for history, and a 90s band that rocks as hard as ever.
Jason Calacanis, prolific angel investor and tech podcast host extraordinaire, describes the numbers game of high-volume investing. "I'm not a pure math whiz from MIT counting cards," he says, "I'm just a gambler."
Where can you have the most impact? Bradley and Bob Greenlee debate the pros and cons of three basic career choices.
In a tumultuous market, an experienced, disciplined shop like Union Square Ventures stands out more than ever. Bradley talks to general partner Rebecca Kaden about crypto, climate, New York City and what we can all learn from downturns.
Could the decline in TV advertising lead to a better form of capitalism? How about a better form of politics? Plus, what we can learn from the aftershocks of the Kansas abortion referendum, why Bradley has written his last check for federal office seekers and ... is Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction a marketing genius?
Bradley talks to Rob Lalka, professor at Tulane's Freeman School of Business, about Facemash, Catch 27, a student of his who had an eight-figure exit in 11 months, and what tech still doesn't get about politics.
Do we think the economy is in big trouble because it's actually in big trouble, or because that's what everybody is telling us? Plus, how Joe Manchin won, why the Mets stack up well against the Yankees and one last thing about Buffalo wings.
Bradley talks to Matt Janiga, the general counsel of Lithic, about why a good lawyer is an essential piece of a high-growth business. Plus, the Buffalo native offers a solid theory for the peculiar greatness of Buffalo wings.
Why don't New York City mayors ever go on to higher office? Plus, Mayday's fight against a bad bill, Putin's super-scary grain cartel and a truly delicious new TV show.
Bradley talks to Eric Soufer who runs the crypto practice for Tusk Strategies about what the industry can do to recover its credibility post-crash and make friends in high places. Plus, they evaluate New York's rising political talent.
In a continuation of last week's special episode, Bradley explains why American politics must escape the trap of Hobbes and embrace the freedom of Rousseau. Plus, he proposes a radical (and ridiculous?) new form of summer games and comes clean about his own airport demeanor.
What if anything should Americans take away from the Boris Johnson circus? Bradley talks to Matthew McAllester, CEO of London-based Intelligence Squared, about political intrigue, Russian money and rock n roll.
In this special double episode, Bradley identifies the 7 biggest problems facing the US and offers both the policy ideas and and the personal strategies that he believes are necessary to get the country back on track.
It used to be that newcomers had limited options when it came to investing in start-ups. They had no access to “high-quality deals,” says Samir Kaji, CEO and co-founder of Allocate, and often relied on “first-degree networks," aka their cousin. Bradley and Samir talk about how Allocate aims to change all that and bring fresh sources of capital into venture.
The great political opportunity of this moment, argues Bradley, is a new form of centrism that recognizes and empathizes with people's fears and anger and lets them feel heard. Where will it come from? Plus, a view of America from afar, an idea for stabilizing crypto and why the NBA's off-season is more exciting than its on-season.
Bradley talks to Nathaniel Brooks Horowitz about Mayday.health, which Horowitz launched last week to help women across the country understand their options for obtaining safe abortions. "This isn't about raging into the void," says Horowitz, "it's about concrete, actionable steps."
That's a question investors are asking. It means, roughly, how internet native are you? Liang Jian-Wu and Dan Herrera talk to Bradley about differentiating themselves as young guys raising their own venture fund right out of business school.
How far will it go and what damage might it do to the 'real economy'? Bob Greenlee, chief operating officer of Tusk Holdings, addresses the disconnect between doom-and-gloom macro predictions and the incredible ubiquity of Help Wanted signs. Maybe we should all just take jobs as lifeguards?
How will our elected officials ever catch up with the speed and complexity of the Internet? Bradley talks to Alex Kouts, founder of Indigov, about building "the operating system of representative government."
What do you do when a client wants to pay for your services with equity? It's all in the details. Bradley offers an eight-point framework for doing it right, reflecting on how he discovered the equity-for-services model by accident with Uber and built it into a business that now encompasses dozens of companies.
RichCohen's latest book, 'The Adventures of Herbie Cohen: World's Greatest Negotiator', is about his father, who has spent his extraordinary life working with all sorts of people — executives, cops, athletes, American presidents — helping them grasp the art of resolving human conflict.
How did Sheryl Sandberg lose her standing as a public figure and what could she do to get it back? Plus, the tech law that scrambled the Supreme Court, the Republican congressman who dared to consider gun control and the evolution of Disney World into a gay mecca.
Bradley invokes Firewall's golden rule: To get a different policy output, we need to change the political inputs. Plus, what if Biden intentionally contradicts his own administration's policies; will new abortion laws force tech CEOs to reconsider moves to Austin and Miami; why do young people not want to be around their bosses; and how to pick a team to root for when yours is out of the running.
Why do bookstores still matter in this digital age? Julie Wernersbach, the general manager of P&T Knitwear, Bradley's brand new bookstore on Manhattan's Lower East Side, joins Firewall to discuss her strategies for creating a space where all readers feel welcome.
Start-ups get all the credit for shaking up the status quo, but Andrew Binns argues that big companies deserve much greater respect for nurturing innovation. Bradley sits down with the co-author of Corporate Explorers: How Corporations Beat Start-Ups at the Innovation Game for a discussion of why some companies hang on to their disruptive mindset while others get trapped by their own success. We're looking at you, Google.
As Tusk Ventures closes its third fund, Bradley reflects on the hard early days when "there was no concept of the fund that does the regulatory stuff" and they had to earn the trust of investors one pitch at a time. Plus, he breaks down Eric Adams running for president, how to nip Staten Island secession in the bud and why the Internet makes the comfortably well-off among us feel so uncomfortable.
Emergency pod on New York politics! In the free-for-all following the state judge's redrawing of New York's electoral map, Bradley and Chris Coffey, CEO of Tusk Strategies, set the new story lines. Who's got the upper hand in Nadler v. Maloney? Could a fresh face take the suddenly wide-open 10th district? Do Republicans flip the State Senate? A reminder, just when we needed it, that politics can be a blast.
Twenty-five billion dollars in additional public spending is all it would take to close the remaining gaps in the food system. So why don't we do it? Bradley talks about how politics and the crazy spending whims of the rich get in the way of the most basic societal goals. Plus, why states should get busy in regulating tech, Mayor Adams' best option for Rikers Island, and a killer new book on negotiating.
In the midst of the "hyper speculative mania" roiling the crypto markets, Olympus DAO offers a missing ingredient for stability: A decentralized reserve currency. Bradley sits down with Asfi Shaheen and Karan Trehan to discuss how this innovation pushes crypto into the truly exciting phase of its development — as a tool for tackling real-world problems
Now that even LSATS could be made optional, Bradley ponders the place of standardized tests in our society. Plus, why horse racing's days are numbered, TikTok as a national security risk and a smart plan from the UK to deal with empty storefronts.
Bradley sits down for a wide-ranging talk about tech, politics and bike lanes with Ryan Panchadsaram, who is an engineer, a founder, an investor, a public servant, an environmentalist and the author, with the legendary venture capitalist John Doerr, of 'Speed & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis.'
Bradley, inspired by the TV show Ozark and new longevity studies, fine-tunes his theories for living a meaningful life. Plus, he updates the latest on the anti-hunger campaign, mobile voting, the fast-starting Mets and the fast-approaching opening of P&T Knitwear, his bookstore / podcast studio on the Lower East Side.
Conventional strategy has long dictated that you incorporate in Delaware where the courts cater to business needs. But will the same hold true for Web3 companies? Bradley talks to Joseph McKinney, a leader in the emerging field of 'government as a service,' about a Native American reservation making a play to be the optimal address for Web3.
He has a powerful incentive to make genuine improvements, says Bradley, but he seems to have his mind set on other objectives. Plus, Bradley applies his political rules to Putin, proposes a Covid Amnesty Program to give us all a much-needed fresh start and runs through his favorite romantic comedies.
A new study by Harvard Business School confirms what many in the education world have known for some time — that the 47 charter schools founded by Eva Moskowitz's group are lighting a path for reform. And as she tells Bradley, it all started with a failed run for Manhattan Borough President.
Can Democratic incumbents hold on against national party weakness and highly charged issues like crime and bail reform? One thing is sure: It's going to be a long, hard slog to Election Day. Chris Coffey of Tusk Strategies returns to Firewall to break down New York politics.
When you have a compelling start-up idea, maybe that diploma can wait? Miguel Fernandez tells Bradley about deciding to go all-in on Capchase and why helping software-as-a-service companies grow is a high-growth proposition in and of itself.
If we want to change our politics, let's start by chucking out the media's obfuscating narratives and pinpointing the incentives that drive it. Bradley lays out his Ten Rules that Demystify Politics. Plus, why prosecutors haven't laid a glove on Trump, what Elon ought to do with Twitter and the amazing debut of Stupid Business Pitches.
If the nine-to-five grind wasn't dead before Covid, it sure is now. Aakash Kumar, the founder and CEO of Shiftsmart, talks to Bradley about how "fractionalizing" work can repair the broken labor market.
Bradley breaks down recent developments in tech and politics, plus a little tiny bit about the Mets.
How will the boundaries of acceptable behavior shift as our daily lives turn more and more virtual? Catharine Dockery of Vice Ventures joins Bradley for a discussion about the new types of risk-tolerant founders who are poised to profit.
The EU is on the right track in its legislation to clamp down on the likes of Facebook, Google and Amazon, argues Bradley. Plus he opines on Biden winging it, competitive snowmobiling, the meltdown of Buzzfeed News, Mayor Adams letting unvaccinated athletes off the hook, Uber making peace with yellow cabs, and what it would take for him to start reading the New York Times again (a lot more than they'll ever do).
Laurie Segall aced the technology beat at CNN by telling the human side of the story. Bradley talks to her about her new memoir 'Special Characters: My Adventures with Tech Titans and Misfits' and what comes next.
Quality of life in western Europe remains the envy of the world, but even cultural wealth isn't sustainable without innovation. Plus, Bradley comes down in favor of permanent Daylight Savings Time, chides the Times for blowing a layup and revisits Top Chef after more than a decade away.
While the go-go days may have come to an abrupt halt, early-stage investing can't run on doom and gloom. Bradley and Jordan Nof, his partner and co-founder at Tusk Venture Partners, assess today's topsy-turvy climate and how to stay optimistic.
Biden's executive order on cryptocurrency raises more questions than it answers. Plus, the ripple effects of the economic sanctions on Russia, how Washington is screwing up school meals and the return of baseball.
Americans spend $90 billion a year on lotteries, but could there be a better way to play? Bradley talks to Lottery Now's Kevin Kramer and Rich Wheeler about how their Mido Lotto app is revolutionizing the industry.
Is our need to be perceived as good people actually bad for us? Bradley poses the uncomfortable question. Plus, he weighs in on the talk about assassinating Putin, the reason that elite universities are a con and feedback from last week's episode about disengaging from the news.
If we want to fix political polarization, it might help to understand how we got here. Ben Bradford, the creator of the 'Of the People' audio series, argues that it was the lead-up to the 1972 presidential race — the historic rout of George McGovern by Richard Nixon — that locked the left and right into paralyzing conflict.
As war rages in Ukraine and President Biden gives his State of the Union address, Bradley talks about how those of us not directly impacted manage the barrage of news and propaganda.
Through occasional freak-outs and that little thing called the pandemic, venture capital has been on a roll for more than a decade. Nobody has watched it more closely than Dan Primack, the business editor of Axios and author of its widely read Pro Rata newsletter.
If transportation is a make-or-break issue for urban life, are we closer to the making point or the breaking point? Bradley sits down with Henry Greenidge, the new co-head of Tusk Strategies' transportation practice, to cover the landscape, from bicycles and buses to flying cars and the hyperloop.
Well, our government certainly shouldn't be. Alison Mangiero and Evan Weiss from the Proof of Stake Alliance join Bradley for a discussion of what lawmakers and regulators can do to keep the US a hotbed of crypto innovation.
The president's new poll numbers don't necessarily portend his electoral demise — this is just the way our politics is right one. Plus, Bradley's regrets about not having more regrets, the obsolescence of the Academy Awards and a few final thoughts on the Super Bowl.
Does the good ol' taxicab have a place in our transportation future? Bradley talks to Mihir Dange and Zahid Biviji, co-founders of Wapanda, about their innovative rescue plan.
Who looks to a comedy writer for moral guidance? Bradley makes a spirited case for 'How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question', the new book by 'Parks and Recreation' creator Michael Shur.
Not so long ago, your parents would've tried to talk you out of a career in venture capital. Bradley interviews Sebastian Mallaby, the author of ‘The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future’, about the early high-wire days when tech and money first met.
Two ideas for a fairer world — make New York City the capital of New York State and stop attacking Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg for enacting the policies he ran and won on. Plus, Bradley wants the Olympics put out of our misery, refuses to venerate Neil Young and proudly announces the 10 finalists for the Gotham Book Prize.
Is the Metaverse doomed to be a lawless free-for-all dominated by tech giants who make up the rules and rake in the profits? No, says Bradley, not if we start thinking now about the role of government in shaping the digital worlds of the future. A special Firewall episode on 'Regulating the Metaverse(s)' a new report from Tusk.
How do you get regular, risk-averse people to get their feet wet on cryptocurrency? Bradley talks to Alex Adelman, CEO and co-founder of Lolli, about its innovative cash-back shopping concept, in which the cash comes in bitcoin.
Not even in Washington. Bradley handicaps Big Tech's attempts to buy its way out of political trouble. Plus, he analyzes the career choices and character traits that lead to non-linear success.
How do we incentivize companies to act in the public interest? Bradley talks to Martin Whittaker, the founding CEO of Just Capital, about their annual ranking of companies that exemplify "just" behavior. "I try not to look at this through the lens of politics," Whittaker tells Bradley. "Is it really political to pay someone a good wage? I hope not."
The new theory about who turned in Anne Frank's family inspires a conversation about how any of us would handle an impossible decision. Plus, Bradley raises thorny questions about who will govern the metaverse and makes the case for not treating Novak Djokovic like he's the world's worst person.
If we're serious about limiting climate change to 1.5 degrees, argues engineer and inventor Saul Griffith, there's only one thing left to do — electrify everything. This is not some dreamy Green New Deal, he explains to Bradley. The science and math of mass electrification work. The riddle is politics.
After spending the weekend with old friends, Bradley reflects on how his youthful expectations have panned out. Did professional achievement bring the level of contentment and peace of mind that he thought it would?
The Eric Adams Era has begun — how’s he doing? Bradley breaks down all the implications for the city, the state and the nation with Chris Coffey, co-CEO of Tusk Strategies and New York political savant. They get deep into the weeds.
That's the topic that kicks off a wide-ranging conversation with Bradley about Covid, China, Putin, Manchin coming back to the table, the Dems' looming mid-term trainwreck, the Mets, airports he'd most like to be quarantined in, Disney TV shows and multiple asides and digressions.
DAO stands for "decentralized autonomous organization" and Bob Greenlee has some serious doubts about them. He and Bradley talk about that, plus tensions with China, how to eliminate youth hunger in America and whether private rights of action are equivalent to vigilante justice.
Esports is a flourishing subculture poised for growth, but will bigger mean better? Bradley talks to Christopher Mykles, aka MonteCristo, about why gamers and investors don't always see eye to eye.
Shabazz Stuart, the founder of a micromobility start-up called Oonee, joins Bradley to discuss the changing ways we get around cities —and why flying cars might not get here as fast as Bradley wants.
Bradley talks to Jason Jacobs of My Climate Journey about the power of pragmatism in combating climate change. "There's no path that's going to be pure," he says. "We're just trying to facilitate progress. Put one foot in front of the other."
Stephanie Mehta, the editor in chief of Fast Company, joins Bradley for a discussion of how digital media boomed during Covid and why it's essential for consumers today to be "educated about how the news media works."
In the second installment of Bradley's end of the year series, he talks to Dr. Bob Wachter about how digital health will emerge from the pandemic.
Don Burnette, co-founder and CEO of Kodiak Robotics, explains his vision of autonomous trucking and why the federal infrastructure should help it along. ‘The same things that are good for human drivers are good for AVs,’ he tells Bradley.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, Bradley read 'Humankind: A Hopeful History' by Rutger Bregman and came away with big questions about his own worldview. Though there's one thing Bradley refuses to be hopeful about: The New York Mets.
Is there a better way to organize the work week? Bradley considers solutions to the problem of Sunday. Plus, he imagines Bill de Blasio's plausible path to the governor's mansion.
Sports cards have exploded in value, but thanks to a start-up called Dibbs, you don't have to be super rich to get in on the action. Bradley talks to co-founder and CEO Evan Vandenberg and his team about the miracle (and investment opportunities) of fractional ownership.
What did we learn from the Glasgow climate summit? That the governments of the world are never going to solve this crisis, says Bradley. Plus, he and Bob handicap Biden's do-or-die infrastructure rollout.
The short answer is, Nobody. And that's thanks to people like Jaime Rogozinski of WallStreetBets, who embrace the idea that the stock market is a casino and anybody can play.
A bad day for the Left means Big Tech has less to worry about, says Bradley, but that isn't necessarily good news for the tech world in general. Michaela joins the podcast for a discussion of Eric Adams, Elon Musk, Biden's messaging problems and the best options for stopping Trump.
What's the dominant storyline: a wipeout for the Left, an 'Emperor Has No Clothes' moment for moderates, or a solid night for Trump? Bradley, joined by Meaghan and Hugo, argues that appeasing the left ought to be a lot less important for Biden right now than saving Christmas and making sure that Americans get to see and touch some of that infrastructure he's been promising before 2024 rolls around.
Why does politics make us miserable? Bradley talks to Katherine Gehl, businesswoman-turned-political reformer, about how she’s building one of the most important movements in the country.
Bradley updates the looming Christmas meltdown and Biden's predicament, discusses new types of drugs and old types of media and runs down his picks for fascinating political people. Does Rob Ford really crack the top 10? Plus, why he finished Jonathan Franzen's new novel but wishes he hadn't.
As political and judicial forces curtail access to safe, legal abortions and leave women without options, what can a start-up do to help? Bradley talks to Kaitlin Freedman, co-founder and CEO of Hey Jane, an innovator in at-home health services.
Failure to get his big spending bill passed and a nationwide shortage of Christmas gifts is the end-of-the-year nightmare scenario for the Biden administration, says Bradley Plus quick takes on Trump v Harris, robo umps, Secession, Katie Couric going rogue and Amazon's antitrust rumblings.
The media start-up called Puck aims to bring its subscribers into the conversations that drive business and politics. Bradley talks to co-founder and editor in chief Jon Kelly about why not everything he learned from the old masters of the magazine trade has to be discarded.
Mobile voting is beginning its march across America, one jurisdiction at a time, one safe and secure election at a time. Bradley talks to Jocelyn Bucaro, the new head of his mobile voting initiative, about winning over cyber-security skeptics by bringing them into the process.
How much of a dent can carbon capture make in climate change? Bradley talks to Maddie Hall, the co-founder and CEO of Living Carbon, about its extraordinary product: Trees with twice the capacity to absorb carbon dioxide.
When strong majorities of both parties believe the other side is out to get them and that at least some opposing views should be censored, we have to ask ourselves: Can this country of ours hold up? Bradley contemplates the worst-case scenarios — and the only path he sees back to normality.
Esusu is a start-up with a simple, ingenious plan to enable tens of millions of Americans to establish credit and start building wealth for the first time. Bradley talks to co-founders Samir Goel and Abbey Wemimo about their vision for narrowing our shameful wealth gap.
China's bitcoin ban, Mark Zuckerberg's mea culpa moment, and why the United Federation of Teachers' protection of unvaxxed teachers is the best opening education reformers have had in years.
For a guy who distrusts the media, Peter Thiel has an incredible knack for making his voice heard. How does he do it? Bradley talks to Max Chafkin, author of 'The Contrarian', the excellent new biography of Silicon Valley's most enigmatic figure.
The pandemic made digital healthcare a necessity, but are those changes here to stay? Quinn Shean, who specializes in digital health for Tusk, assesses the future of the industry and the regulatory hurdles that remain.
How would we live if we could start from scratch? Bradley talks to Dryden Brown, the co-founder and CEO of Praxis, about how they plan to build the city of the future.
Lisa Quigley, a former Hill staffer and advocate for poverty programs, joins Bradley to discuss the Biden administration's $3.5 trillion spending package — which pieces of it represent major structural change and which throw money at business as usual. Plus, the latest on Apple, why there could be an exodus from Austin and tips on how to do a million things at once.
What do Elizabeth Holmes and Gavin Newsom have in common? They both live in California and they're both in trouble, though to be fair, Holmes is the only one facing 20 years in prison. Bradley addresses the great dramas of the Golden State, plus an analysis of the new abortion ban in Texas.
What will it take for Wall Street and Washington to get smart about crypto and the future of currency? Bradley sits down with crypto guru Anthony Pompliano to talk about why "a native currency of the Internet" is so frightening to legacy players — and so unstoppable. "I wouldn't want to be the person who's short the industry," says Pomp, "whether I'm covering it or investing in it or just from an intellectual curiosity level."
A California judge's rejection of Proposition 22 has put the politics of the gig economy back in play. Bradley breaks it down, then welcomes Julie Wernersbach, the manager of his new bookstore, to a discussion of the best books of the summer and fall.
The best start-ups are grounded in timeless values, argues Michael Eisenberg, general partner and co-founder of the Israeli venture firm Aleph and the author of the new book The Tree of Life and Prosperity: 21st Century Business Principles from the Book of Genesis. "This is not corporate charity," Eisenberg tells Bradley. "We can build large businesses this way."
Or maybe not. Once upon a time, September was to mark the great return-to-the-office moment, but how's that looking? Bradley breaks down what the work-from-anywhere revolution means for employees, entrepreneurs and policymakers. Plus a quick analysis on how the "mod quad" dust-up and the messy exit from Afghanistan are affecting the Biden agenda.
Can they go hand in hand? They have to, says Sir Ronald Cohen, the author of "Impact: Reshaping Capitalism to Drive Real Change." Bradley talks to the veteran investor and business theorist about the enlightened habits, beliefs and metrics that companies are learning to embrace.
Everybody in Bradley's text group of political strategists has been bemoaning, lamenting and lambasting the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Everyone, that is, except Bradley. He argues that there was never going to be a clean, orderly way to get out and that our government must discount social-media-fueled outrage if it intends to make wise, durable policy choices.
Same-sex marriage went from pipe dream to fait accompli in what felt like the blink of an eye. Bradley talks to Sasha Issenberg, the author of 'The Engagement: America's Quarter Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage' about whether it's a unique phenomenon or a blueprint for others to follow.
It would be surprising if Covid didn't get the attention of the leading terrorist organizations, argues Bradley, and that opens up a whole new world of worry. Plus, he breaks down the dark soap opera in Albany and what Washington can do to put the US on top in crypto.
Bradley returns to the helm of Firewall with some micro insights — about, among other things, the proper footwear for sightseeing in Greece — and some macro observations about the course of human evolution. Are we getting smarter and more civilized, or are we doomed to make the same mistakes over and over again?
Jordan Nof, the co-founder and managing partner of Tusk Venture Partners, and Michaela Balderston, Tusk's head of comms, analyze emerging trends in the VC world. The best new companies he's seeing, Jordan says, "are not necessarily chasing an incumbent and trying to do a specific thing better. It's 'How do we flip this entire industry on its head. How do we create the Robin Hood of the creator economy.'"
Catharine Dockery launched Vice Ventures after discovering that certain lucrative industries — sex, booze, drugs — are out of bounds for traditional VCs. Five hundred cold emails later, she's got a $25 million fund and an enviable portfolio. She talks about growing up in the West Village, where her dad tended bar at the Corner Bistro, and how she learned the value of charm, resilience and doing the dirty work.
Bob Greenlee who runs Tusk's Chicago office steps in for Bradley to discuss his efforts to restore the gray wolf to the Endangered Species List. Plus, he weighs in on the burgeoning movements to clamp down on Facebook and free Britney Spears.
Bradley talks to Brad Stone, head of global tech coverage at Bloomberg and the author of two books about Amazon, including the new besteller 'Amazon Unbound', about the excellent adventures of Jeff Bezos.
Bradley lays out his vision of a new political alignment in Washington, with the big fat middle seizing power back from the extremes. All it will take is an implosion of one or both of the parties, and fortunately, they're working on it! Plus, he breaks down why teachers unions have embraced wokeness.
How has the pandemic has permanently altered the nature of cities? Jim Kapsis and Molly Turner, the hosts of the Technopolis podcast, join Bradley for a special collaboration episode.
Bradley considers the most pressing questions of the week; what is to be learned from China's knee-capping of the ride-hailing giant Didi? Who would pay a minimum retainer of $250K a month to a consulting firm that can't keep its own house in order? And could a competitive eater be the most dominant athlete of our time?
As fixated as Americans are on the presidency, we know shockingly little about the closest confidantes of our presidents and how they've influenced history. Bradley talks to Gary Ginsberg, the author of the excellent new book 'First Friends: The Powerful, Unsung (And Unelected) People Who Shaped Our Presidents.' Can you name the only president in history who had no first friend? We'll give you one guess.
As lawmakers in Washington begin to make serious moves against the monopolistic powers of big tech, Bradley analyzes the huge fight that lies ahead. Plus, he post-mortems Andrew Yang's run for Mayor of New York and why the future of politics can't come quickly enough.
Bradley trots out an old favorite argument of his — the link between the OJ Simpson trial and Donald Trump's victory in 2016 — and explains what it means for the future of politics. Plus he analyzes the new public choice option in Nevada and the tinkering of gun laws in Colorado as evidence that democracy is not fully broken.
The geography of tech has never been more competitive, as companies pursue ever more hospitable places to do business. John Thomey of Urban Tech News gives Bradley the new lay of the land.
Katerra promised to revolutionize the construction industry but the signs of its demise were evident years go, says Bradley. Plus he breaks down the imminent failure of the progressive movement to land the big prize.
The pet industry is a dog-eat-dog world, but Patricia Machado and Regina Haymes turned their start-up, Pride & Groom, into a hit with a novel concept — reconceptualizing dog shampoo as a beauty product.
Hard as he tries, Bradley has never been able to meditate. Living without the New York Times, however, that's no problem. Plus, summer movies to see in the theater, the ethics of running a business that doesn't need to make money, the latest on the Yang campaign and the new narrative driving the NYC mayoral race.
The key to personal branding, says Kinsey Grant, proprietor of the 'Thinking is Cool' podcast, is never faking it. Strip away the artifice, she tells Bradley, and let your audience see and hear the real you. Her brand is "not anybody else's idea of me. It's just me."
Whether or not the upscale neighborhood of Buckhead actually declares independence from Atlanta, says Bradley, all the nascent secessionist movements around the country show us how much our politics must improve. Plus, why we are obsessed with Squeegee Men, how the slow pace of drug legalization is costing lives, and if Naomi Osaka doesn't want to talk to the press, good for her.
The clashes we see every day on Twitter and cable TV are a terrible model for how to handle differences of opinion, says Ian Leslie, the author of ‘Conflicted: How Productive Disagreements Lead to Better Outcomes.’ He talks to Bradley about how dissent can make us smarter.
The greater the claims Big Tech makes about privacy, says Bradley, the less we should trust them. Plus, quick takes on vaccine incentives, Breyer, Beto and UFOs.
Could the secret to longevity on Wall Street be aligning your interests with the common man? That's one of the lessons of Zachary Karabell's 'Inside Money: Brown Brothers Harriman and the American Way of Power.' He talks to Bradley about why today's companies aren't more mindful of the impact they have on the world.
Should we be worried that Peter Thiel is bankrolling 2022 Senate bids for two of his friends? ‘I’ll probably support their opponents,’ says Bradley, but there’s nothing wrong with people spending money on what they believe in.
Is it possible that we could come out of Covid and into a golden age of healthcare? It all depends, Tom Tobin of Hedgeye tells Bradley, on technologies like telemedicine and the ability of consumers to seize control.
The impending divorce of the 4th richest man in the world is as good an occasion as any to talk about the weirdness of the mega rich. Teddy Schleifer, who covers billionaires for Vox / Recode, breaks it down for Firewall and tells Bradley to keep an eye on the $150 billion in Gates wealth that’s not yet in the hands of Bill and Melinda’s foundation.
The Biden administration has proposed huge hikes in the capital-gains tax and the venture community is outraged? Not necessarily. Bradley explains why paying more to the government is the right thing to do and won’t take the steam out of risk-taking.
And other practical lessons from the legendary third season of 'The Wire', which Bradley assigns to students of his Columbia Business School class on disruption.
How much infrastructure spending does America really need? Bradley brings in his concrete team Bob Greenlee and Jamie Rubin to critique the Biden plan.
Packy McCormick doesn’t charge for ‘Not Boring’, his Substack newsletter, but now that it’s taken off, he does make good money from it. He talks to Bradley about how his business model relates to other tech trends, why his ‘natural bias’ invalidates him as a journalist and how maybe there will be a socially redeeming use for NFTs.
What do Jeffrey Epstein and the NBA have in common? A lot more than you might want to know, according to Henry Abbott, proprietor of True Hoop. He talks to Bradley about his current investigative series — nine parts and counting — into how the world’s filthiest fortunes flow through professional sports.
The pandemic has only accelerated the transition to the “passion economy”, says Adam Davidson. But what else would he say? He wrote a book called ‘The Passion Economy’! He explains to Bradley why chocolate bars (and many other things) are only going to get better and better as entrepreneurs turn their attention to niche markets.
Did Coinbase’s blowout IPO leave you feeling like a hopeless Luddite? This is episode is for you. Bradley is joined by his colleague Bob Greenlee to discuss if, when and how the blockchain will change all our lives.
Thomas Campanella, the author of ‘Brooklyn: The Once and Future City’, talks to Bradley about how teenage disdain for his native borough turned into undying love — and why Covid may well tip the balance of power in New York City toward Kings County.
Andrew Wilkes, senior policy director of Generation Citizen and campaign manager of 50x2026, joins Bradley to talk about their campaign to engage young people in the workings of politics and governance. "Civics isn't a niche issue or a nice-to-have," Andrew tells Bradley, it's critical to "informed participation in a multiracial society."
Sarah Nöckel manages seed investments for Northzone Capital and runs Femstreet, a community geared towards women in tech. She talks to Bradley about London coming back to life, the stampede into seed, and how she grew Femstreet by “focusing not just on building an audience, but creating a sense of belonging.”
Restaurant delivery exploded during the pandemic, but the dominant brands make nobody happy. Chris Webb, Co-Founder and CEO of ChowNow, talks to Bradley about his alternative model and how it’s poised to flourish post-pandemic. Plus, Chris offers his take on the best food cities in America. Most underrated? Kansas City. "It goes way beyond barbecue," he says.
Thomas Dyja, the author of “New York New York New York,” a recent history of the city told through the last five mayors, ranks them from worst to first. Bradley mostly concurs, but not in a boring way. And maybe Rudy deserves better than 4th place?
Will Steve Cohen's billions be enough to reverse the curse of the Mets? Bradley geeks out on predictions for the coming season with Blake Zeff and Peter Kauffmann, the proprietors of the MetsFix blog, Will de Grom rack up another Cy Young? Can Dom hold down left field? And what about that bullpen?
A truly “smart city,” Rashida Richardson and Tamika L. Butler tell Bradley, is one that promotes equity and ensures privacy. The two experts in race, transportation equity and the law discuss joining the board of Lacuna Technologies, what they think of Mayor Pete as our new Secretary of Transportation, and why “folks don’t need saviors, they need to be trusted and collaborated with.”
Data scientist Youyang Gu, who knew so little about infectious disease that he “had to Google the word ‘epidemiology,’” built the most accurate model for predicting Covid deaths by using only one input source: Previous Covid deaths. He explains to Bradley the power of ignoring the “cool factor” of experts and complex data and letting the numbers tell their story.
In the wild west of cyber security, Jay Kaplan the CEO of Synack tells Bradley, the key to safety is understanding “the adversarial perspective.” Which for Synack means deputizing hackers all over the world to try and break into their clients’ systems. Crowdsourcing, says Kaplan, is the smartest way to defend yourself.
When Luke Schoenfelder started Latch, he thought his vision for breaking the real estate industry's dependence on physical keys was a slam dunk. Seven long years later, he's finally scored. "I was right about everything," Luke tells Bradley, "except how much time and money it would take." They discuss SPACs, Japanese whiskey and what it will take for New York City's tech sector to bounce back from Covid.
It's quite simple, economist Robert Frank tells Bradley: If Facebook had to charge a subscription fee, the dangerous spread of misinformation would slow and we'd all be better off. And isn't that what government ought to be looking out for?
Why do billions in tax credits and other government incentives go unused? Doug Ludlow, the CEO of MainStreet, explains to Bradley how they level the playing field for starts-ups and small, growing companies.
Not if Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman, founders of Punchbowl News, have anything to say about it. They tell Bradley why they're betting that the rapacious demand for reporting on Washington is here to stay.
Budd Schulberg's 1941 novel is the classic portrait of a young man's sociopathic drive for success — and remarkably useful, argues Bradley, for understanding the motivations of politicians, tech founders and the ruthless status seeker in all of us.
In neighborhoods like the South Bronx where diabetes incidence is alarmingly high, Covid has been an utter catastrophe. Bradley talks to Christopher Norwood, the founder of an innovative non-profit called Health People, about how peer mentoring helps those with chronic illnesses regain control of their health — and their lives.
By all rights, we should have had flying cars 50 years ago. Bradley talks to J Storrs Hall, the author of 'Where's My Flying Car? A Memoir of Future Past', about why technology let us down.
Ever wonder why you wait on line at the pharmacy for the opportunity to divulge your most private information in a public space? Bradley talks to Chirag Kulkarni, the co-founder and chief marketing officer of the prescription delivery start-up Medly, about why decentralizing healthcare is the future.
Brooke Hammerling, tech PR maven and founder of The New New Thing, joins Bradley and Michaela to discuss the art of communication in "this hardcore moment of narcissism" and why she never wants to stop being a "naive optimist."
Austin Rief, the co-founder of Morning Brew, tells Bradley how a fun side project with "zero marketing" turned into a sizable media venture that is now a model of how to build an audience. "It's all about voice and tone," says Rief, "and covering topics people care about."
Kate Ward, co-founder of the entertainment media start-up The Dipp, talks to Bradley about how the subscription model is reviving the tastemaker role of media.
Mayor Francis Suarez joins Bradley to discuss how he made Miami the hottest city in America — by wooing business, cutting taxes and investing in police. Will his big city peers keep playing right into his hands?
The celebrated culinary writer talks to Bradley about his new book 'Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal' and why he shifted his focus from the joys of cooking to the perils of industrial food production.
Covid upended our daily lives and our politics right along with it. But that’s just a warm-up — as a well as a warning — for what climate change will do. Voters, Bradley argues, are going to punish the politicians who have done nothing in ways that are going to seem obvious in hindsight.
Could this finally be the moment for the District of Columbia to gain statehood and receive proper representation in the US Congress? Bradley talks to John Falcicchio, Washington's Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, about the art of making a deal when your opponent has no incentive to do the right thing.
Big tech may look impervious to competition right now, but then so did Ford and General Motors in the 1950s. The history of American business is littered with dead and/or crippled behemoths. Bradley talks to Adam Fisher, author of the excellent "Valley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley, as Told by the Hackers, Founders, and Freaks Who Made it Boom', about why it will be competition, not government, that ultimately topples Google, Facebook and the rest.
Serial entrepreneur Chris Barrett joins Bradley to discuss his latest venture — cannabis-infused pizza — and how he uses social media to tell stories and build a business. They are joined by weed aficionado Jay Bulger who wrote a profile of Barrett for New York Magazine.
As policy takes center stage in Washington, Bradley talks to economist Jason Furman, the chair of the Council of Economic Advisors under Obama and Harvard professor, about Biden’s spending plans erring on the side of doing too much, rather than too little, and why we should celebrate that. Plus, the native New Yorker says the city should be just fine as the price of living and doing business here finds a new level.
In light of the Trump's administration's self-inflicted implosion, Bradley revisits his tech and politics outlook for 2021. Washington could be a less vituperative place, but the Democrats’ slim margins in Congress mitigate against big, sweeping change. Though Bradley is bullish on flying cars. Seriously.
What’s it like for a journalist to cut the cord and go into business for themselves? Bradley asks Eric Newcomer, who covered venture capital for Bloomberg and The Information, about what it will take to make his new Substack a success. And like any good journalist, Eric turns the tables and starts asking Bradley about New York City’s mayoral race.
In finally clamping down on Donald Trump, the tech giants aren't playing politics, they're maximizing profits. Bradley talks to entrepreneur (and platform expert) Jonathan Mendez about how the risks and rewards of social media evolved and where they're going from here.
How much will the storming of the Capitol shift the priorities of the incoming Biden administration? Bradley checks in with pollster extraordinaire Jefrey Pollock.
Not so easily if you’re in the digital media business. Bradley talks to Freddie Sayers, the executive editor of UnHerd, an emerging player in a very crowded field, about the price of taking unfashionable opinions.
Imagine if air cargo could be delivered without a plane having to land and unload. Well, you don't have to imagine, It's already possible thanks to Joel Ifill, founder of DASH systems. Joel explains to Bradley how his technology could revolutionize package delivery — and make Alaska that much more livable.
Bradley talks to David Wallace-Wells, the author of The Uninhabitable Earth about climate, Covid and why exploring ugly scenarios for the future of mankind doesn’t make him morbidly depressed.
A special holiday episode of the Tusk team debating the best books, TV shows, movies, podcasts and more. According to Bradley, our staff isn't that "cool", which he meant as a compliment (we think!). Regardless, you'll find plenty of great ideas for how to spend the break.
In a post COVID world, is Miami the new corporate hub or just a sunny place for shady people? Bradley and Hugo, seasoned New Yorkers, duke it out with Miami Matt. One thing everyone can agree on? Miami has a damn good skyline.
How can New York City rebound? Bradley talks to Alicia Glen, a veteran of Wall Street and City Hall, about her experience in the de Blasio administration, her new effort to build mixed-income housing, and why cheaper midtown rents could be just the creative catalyst the city needs.
Tracking your exposure to coronavirus doesn’t mean surrendering your privacy. Bradley talks to cybersecurity expert Lorrie Cranor about how COVID tracking technology works.
It's more than COVID, Zoom and DoorDash. Bradley talks to Chuck Marohn, the founder of Strong Towns, about the fragile economies of our cities and towns and how they must be restructured if we want them around for the long haul.
In a frothy moment for venture capital, how do you distinguish lasting value from trendy exuberance? Bradley, Jordan and Michaela resume their conversation from just before the election, dissecting the impact of Airbnb and DoorDash, the looming crisis in San Francisco and New York and lessons from The Information's "50 Most Promising Startups" list.
Could the revolution start in your closet? Maxine Bedat, Director of the New Standard Institute, is trying to enlighten the fashion industry about its impact on the environment. Bradley and Maxine discuss the ethical conundrum of fast fashion, the knock-on effects of Marie Kondo's decluttering movement, and whether COVID has put a permanent dent in our shopaholic ways.
Bradley's political-consultant friends were surprised when he told them he spent his Thanksgiving break reading Obama's 768-page memoir. Didn't he know everything in it already? Well, yes and no. He reports back on the homework assignment from hell that turned out to be unexpectedly rewarding.
When it comes to sports, do fans have to check their morals at the door? Bradley is joined by Joe Posnanski, Senior Writer at The Athletic and author of the awesome Baseball 100, to discuss Steve Cohen's acquisition of the Mets, the cloudy future of America's pastime, and the eternal debate of Willie Mays v. Mickey Mantle.
Are machines going to steal jobs from humans — or lead to the invention of new jobs we never imagined? Bradley gets answers from Brady Watkins, head of Softbank Robotics.
Not as much as you think, says economist Tyler Cowen. The co-proprietor of the influential Marginal Revolution blog tells Bradley that “the hands of the United States are tied in some critical ways ... People think we’re going to live under the reign of science now? Good luck with that one.”
Don't worry, there will be no coup. But Trump is not done trolling the world. Bradley, Hugo, and Maura discuss Schumer's potential fall from grace, AOC's flaming of the "sitting duck" Democrats, the opportunities for tech under Biden and whether Maggie Haberman will ever get a vacation.
The geniuses of Silicon Valley can't easily get away with being total jerks anymore, but there's still a long way to go. Bradley talks to Maelle Gavet, tech executive, entrepreneur, former COO of Compass, and author of Trampled By Unicorns, Big Tech's Empathy Problem and How to Fix It. "We're victims of these companies," says Maelle, "but we're also perpetrators."
About last night: Bradley Tusk walks us through the failure to definitively knock out Trump and what it means for the health and future of our democratic institutions.
The Trump presidency has turned us into a nation of political binge watchers — is this era about to end or are we just getting started? Bradley is joined by Edward-Isaac Dovere, a reporter at The Atlantic, host of the podcast The Ticket: Politics from The Atlantic, and former Chief Washington Correspondent for Politico.
California's Prop 22, the most expensive ballot referendum in history, lets voters decide whether Uber and Lyft drivers are employees or contractors. Host Bradley Tusk breaks down this precedent-setting clash of tech and politics with Harry Campbell, the one and only Rideshare Guy.
What happened to Venture Capital in COVID? Bradley is joined by Tusk Venture Partners (TVP) fund leader Jordan Nof and head of TVP comms, Michaela Balderston. Michaela and Jordan discuss which industries are succeeding, how VC is keeping up with the fluctuating market, and finally - what the hell happened with Quibi? Bradley is also joined by Greg Cappuzzo, who describes the business nuts and bolts behind Project Bookstore.
The rise and fall of the WeWork founder is a juicy cautionary tale. But are there lessons to be learned beyond what not to do? Bradley interviews journalist Reeves Wiedeman, author of the fantastic new book Billion Dollar Loser.
Are great entrepreneurs born or made? Bradley speaks with John Roa, who has started 6 technology companies and just wrote the book “A Practical Way to Get Rich...And Die Trying”. Bradley and John discuss the pitfalls of entrepreneurs who think they can do it all.
Bradley is joined by Web Smith, founder of 2PM, a subscription-based media company covering developments across commerce, media and the retail brand landscape. Bradley and Web discuss direct-to-consumer trends, deurbanization, and the future of ecommerce. Bradley muses on his plan to build a bookshop in the midst of a pandemic.
Bradley is joined by Stephane Lintner, Founder and CEO of Jiko: the first fintech company to become an accredited bank. Bradley and Stephane discuss Jiko's business model, how COVID has impacted both banks and fintech companies, and the new age of digital banking.
Bradley is joined by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a physician, epidemiologist, public health expert, and progressive activist. Bradley and Dr. El-Sayed discuss how divided America tackles a flawed healthcare system, preserving democracy in a multicultural society, and the impact of digital political advertisements.
Bradley is joined by Scott Galloway, Professor at NYU Stern, Founder of L2, Section4, Prophet, Red Envelope, podcast host and author. Bradley and Scott discuss the future of New York: the Mayor's race, the line between crime and recovery, real estate and rent.
Bradley Tusk is joined by Katie Steward, Host of In The Making podcast and Founder of Shion Studio, a firm that works on brand identity for companies in stages of growth. Katie and Bradley discuss brand strategy for tech startups, mobile voting, and the current state of the election.
Bradley is joined by Reza Jahangiri, the founder and chief executive officer of AAG, the nation’s leader in reverse mortgage lending. Bradley and Reza discuss social security, lending regulation, and how to educate people on home equity loans.
Bradley is joined by Derek Lowe, a medicinal chemist and has worked for major pharmaceutical companies on drug discovery projects against schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, osteoporosis and other diseases. Bradley and Derek discuss how the COVID-19 vaccine trials are designed, what vaccine distribution will look like, and herd immunity.
Bradley speaks with Sheila Nix, political strategist, Senior Advisor to the Biden 2020 campaign, and President of Tusk Philanthropies. Sheila and Bradley talk mail-in vs. in person voting, the odds of a senate flip, and the essential factor of turnout in this election.
Bradley speaks with Tom Healy, a writer, activist, leader of The Brooklyn Conference on Art and Social Change at The Brooklyn Museum and author of three books of poems, Velvet, Animal Spirits and What the Right Hand Knows. Tom and Bradley discuss how New York has responded to crisis in the past, and how it will do so in the future.
Bradley is joined by Luke Schoenfelder, the CEO & Co-Founder at Latch, a multi-family smart access system for buildings. Bradley and Luke discuss what the "smart home" looks like in 2020 and beyond, how to build a scalable product, and the value of contactless technologies in COVID-19.
Bradley is joined by Mark Newman, the founder and CEO of Nomi Health, a company rebuilding the healthcare payment model for providers and employers by purchasing and delivering services directly. Nomi is applying its model to Covid testing and has scaled to provide nearly 5% of all tests happening in the U.S. Bradley and Mark discuss Nomi's plans to change the infrastructure of the healthcare system and how to solve the COVID testing problem.
Bradley is joined by Anna Akbari, sociologist, speaker, professor and author of Startup Your Life: Hustle and Hack Your Way To Happiness, a book that teaches people to boost happiness and success by living their lives like a Silicon Valley startup. Bradley and Anna discuss the enneagram, and how it may help you during a time of quarantine.
Bradley is joined by Teddy Schleifer, a reporter at Recode and an expert in the world’s wealthiest people in politics and technology. Teddy and Bradley discuss what Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris means for the tech industry, how that will influence the election, and the impact of billionaire philanthropy.
Bradley Tusk speaks with Jill Filipovic, journalist, lawyer, gender activist and author of new release Ok Boomer, Let’s Talk. Bradley and Jill discuss the problems facing Millennials and generations to come, and how these problems will impact the upcoming election.
Bradley and Howard speak with Ric Burns, an internationally recognized documentary filmmaker and writer, best known for his eight-part, seventeen and a half hour series, New York: A Documentary Film.
Bradley and Howard speak with Dennis M. Walcott, President and CEO of Queens Public Library, the former chancellor of the New York City public school system, and a deputy mayor under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
Bradley and Howard speak with Melissa Rivero, the author of The Affairs of the Falcóns, winner the 2019 New American Voices Award and was long-listed for the PEN/Hemingway Debut Novel Prize, the Aspen Words Literary Prize, and the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize.
The intersection of politics, technology and regulatory issues has never been as energized as it is now. Every Monday, Bradley Tusk talks with the most influential investors, policy makers and entrepreneurs about the latest trends in the venture space, tech world and political arena.
Bradley speaks with Patricia Park, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at American University, Fulbright scholar in Creative Arts, Jerome Hill Artist Fellow, and author of the acclaimed debut novel, RE JANE, named Editors' Choice by The New York Times Book Review.
Bradley and Howard Wolfson speak with Mitchell Moss, Henry Hart Rice Professor of Urban Policy and Planning, Director of the Rudin Center for Transportation, adviser to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg during his first campaign for Mayor in 2001, and a “New Yorkologist” as described by The New York Times.
Introducing the Gotham Book Series - Firewall's dive into New York's most seasoned authors, politicos and artists perspective on New York's COVID recovery through literature and culture. In this episode Bradley speaks with Christina Greer, associate Professor of Political Science and American Studies at Fordham University, co-host of the New York centered podcast FAQ-NYC, politics editor at thegrio.com, producer and host of The Aftermath and The Contender on Ozy.com, a frequent author and narrator for the TedEd educational series, and writer of a weekly column for The Amsterdam News, one of the oldest black newspapers in the U.S.
Bradley speaks with Jeff Miller, Co-founder and CEO of Helping Hands, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving at risk populations during COVID-19. Bradley and Jeff discuss fundraising during a pandemic, how the tech industry can help, and what the future of autonomous vehicles will look like.
Bradley discusses sports reform with his friend Elliot Regenstein, partner at Foresight Law & Policy, a national education law firm. The two tackle all proposed sports reform in light of the coronavirus from baseball, soccer, football, basketball and more.
Bradley Speaks with Bo Jiang, Co-Founder and CEO of Privacy.com, a virtual card payment startup that offers a central hub with one-time use card numbers that can be used to make purchases anywhere. Bradley and Bo discuss how companies can become financial services companies and integrate payments into their services.
Bradley speaks with JP Guilbault, CEO of Navigate 360, and former CEO of private equity companies YourMembership and Community Brands. The two discuss how JP has implemented commercial and customer experience expertise into school and workplace safety practices.
Bradley Tusk speaks with Ben Smith, media columnist for The New York Times and former editor in chief of BuzzFeed News. Bradley and Ben discuss leadership in media, New York City politics, and what happened to the news streaming service, Quibi.
Bradley speaks with Dr. Brad Spellberg, Chief Medical Officer at the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California (LAC+USC) Medical Center, and the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the Keck School of Medicine at USC, and author of "Broken, Bankrupt, and Dying: How to Solve the Great American Healthcare Rip-off". Bradley and Dr. Spellberg discuss what combining a single payer healthcare system with a “medicare for those who want it” system would look like.
Bradley speaks with Alex Kantrowitz, founder of the Big Technology newsletter and podcast, and author of Always Day One: How Tech Titans Plan to Stay on Top Forever (2020). Bradley and Alex discuss the election, and the role tech giants play in politics.
Bradley speaks with Darryl Pinckney, contributor to The New York Review of Books, the author of two novels, High Cotton (1992) and Black Deutschland (2016), and three works of nonfiction, Out There: Mavericks of Black Literature (2002), part of the Alain Locke Lecture Series, and Blackballed: The Black Vote and US Democracy (2014) and Busted in New York (2019). Bradley and Darryl talk about social justice and how things have and haven’t changed.
Bradley is joined by Zeke Emanuel, Special Advisor to the Director General of the World Health Organization, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and the founding chair of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health. The two discuss Dr. Emanuel's new book, "Which Country Has the World's Best Health Care?" and the future of the U.S. healthcare system.
Bradley is joined by Congressman Eric Swalwell. Bradley and Congressman Swalwell discuss his new book, “Endgame,” a dive into the impeachment of Donald Trump. Eric also shares his predictions on how the virus will play out, 2020 politics, criminal justice reform, and voting reform.
Bradley speaks with Matt Carstens, the CEO of Iowa-based farming cooperative, Landus. Matt and Bradley discuss the impact of the pandemic on agribusiness and how small rural communities react.
Bradley Tusk speaks with Kim-Mai Cutler, partner at Initialized Capital, an early-stage venture firm with seed investments Coinbase, Instacart and Patreon. Prior to Initialized, Kim-Mai spent 10 years at TechCrunch reporting on technology and public policy.
Bradley speaks with Alex Osterwalder, innovator, entrepreneur, and strategy development expert. Alex created The Business Model Canvas, The Value Proposition canvas and Business Portfolio Map. Bradley and Alex discuss what businesses need to do to stay ahead of the curve and how they should be adapting in a pandemic.
Bradley is joined by David Litt, former speechwriter and special assistant for President Obama and lead joke writer for White House Correspondents’ Dinner monologues. Bradley and David discuss his top 5 democracy reforms and David’s new book, Democracy: In One Book or Less, which comes out tomorrow.
Bradley Tusk speaks with Edward Skyler, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Public Affairs at Citi. Prior to joining Citi, Mr. Skyler served as a member of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's administration from 2002 to 2010, rising to the position of Deputy Mayor for Operations for the City of New York. Bradley and Ed discuss COVID, the Mets, the economy, and New York City protests.
Bradley speaks with Anore Horton, the Executive Director of Hunger Free Vermont, a nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger and malnutrition for all Vermonters. Bradley and Anore discuss making universal school meals a reality for students, COVID relief in Vermont, and how meal programs and food banks are critical to helping people fight hunger and stay healthy.
Bradley speaks to Benjamin Landy, Executive Digital Editor at Fast Company and former Deputy Editor at Vanity Fair’s The Hive. Bradley and Benjamin discuss the era of misinformation, resistance journalism, and the media’s responsibility through a pandemic and political unrest.
Bradley speaks to Cas Holloway, Head of Public Enterprise at Unqork, a no-code app development program, and former Head of the Department of Environmental Protection under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Cas walks us through his career and what Unqork is doing for governments in the U.S during COVID-19.
Bradley speaks with Hunter Walk, partner at Homebrew, a seed stage VC fund that provides early stage investment assistance to entrepreneurs and former Product Lead of virtual world, Second Life. Bradley and Hunter discuss his career in product development and investing, the benefits of small vs. large funds, and how the pandemic creates a culture shift for investors.
Bradley is joined by Joanna Hershon, author of five novels including her most recent, St. Ivo, an eccentric thriller focused on social anxiety, relationships and uncertainty. Her writing has appeared in Granta, The New York Times, One Story, The Virginia Quarterly Review, the literary anthologies Brooklyn Was Mine and Freud’s Blind Spot, and was shortlisted for the 2007 O. Henry Prize Stories.
Bradley is joined by Jason Rose, CEO of AdhereHealth and healthcare technology entrepreneur. The two discuss how the pandemic has put up new barriers to care for the people most vulnerable populations to COVID-19 – and what can be done about it.
Bradley speaks with Sally Susman, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer. Bradley and Sally discuss the role of big pharma during the pandemic, and how public trust and dependence fluctuate through a crisis.
Bradley is joined by Jefrey Pollock, two-time awarded “Pollster of the Year,” founding partner and President of Global Strategies Group, member of the council on Foreign Relations, and educator. Bradley and Jefrey discuss the Presidential Election, how COVID threatens climate policy, and the rebuilding of our economy.
Bradley speaks with Jamie Lagarde, CEO of Sedera Health, a health care sharing community focused on solving the healthcare cost problem in America. The two discuss healthcare issues tied to high unemployment rates, the role of third party vendors, and how regulators are reacting.
Bradley speaks with Gabe Krajicek, CEO of Kasasa, a banking technology startup that works to empower community financial institutions. Bradley and Gabe discuss PPP loans and how the pandemic will impact community banks alongside small businesses, a new FDIC rule for third party vendors, and how startups can benefit by working from home.
Bradley speaks with Frank Taylor, former secretary for intelligence at the US Department of Homeland Security and former Vice President/Chief Security Officer for General Electric. Bradley and Frank discuss how attacks on security have evolved since 9/11, and the impact on elections.
Bradley speaks to Steve Blank, startup guru, entrepreneur, educator and creator of “The Lean Startup Movement,” a methodology for developing businesses and products. Bradley and Steve discuss what the pandemic means for startups and which trends will emerge.
Bradley speaks with Brian Ferguson, CEO of Arena Labs and former Navy SEAL. Brian walks us through a new kind of training for medical professionals and how it can make a difference in our hospitals, particularly during a pandemic. Bradley also muses on some of his latest book recommendations.
Bradley is joined by Zach Graumann, founder of SuitUp, and Andrew Yang’s former campaign manager. Zach and Bradley discuss the potential impact of policy reform introduced by Andrew Yang’s campaign, particularly in the midst of a pandemic. Bradley also muses on what Biden needs to do to beat Trump.
Bradley is joined by Arlan Hamilton, Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, a venture capital fund built from the ground up with investments in 130 startups led by underestimated founders. Bradley and Arlan discuss the current landscape of venture capital, what the future holds, and what the market will experience after a pandemic.
Bradley is joined by Todd Zangrillo, Entrepreneur and Head of Consumer Practice at top recruitment firm, True Search. The two discuss the impact of strong leadership when building a company, stigmas around recruitment firms, as well as supply and demand of leadership based on the status of the market, particularly during COVID-19.
Bradley speaks with Greg David, director of the Business & Economics Reporting Program at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and former editor of Crain’s Business for over 23 years. The two discuss the devastating impact of COVID-19 on New York City's economy, with the projected loss of nearly 500,000 jobs and $10 billion in tax revenue.
Bradley is joined by Ian Bremmer, Founder and President of the political risk consulting firm Eurasia Group, GZERO Media, and host of the GZERO world podcast. The two discuss globalization post COVID-19 and how the 2021 election will play its role.
Chris and Bradley discuss NYC’s leadership response to COVID-19, how NYC and Albany will handle the massive budget deficit, and what this all means for the 2021 elections.
Bradley is joined by Carroll Bogert, President of The Marshall Project and former deputy executive director at Human Rights Watch. Bradley and Carroll discuss how investigative reporting and information influences policy and public discourse on criminal justice reform, prison conditions, and crime rates – particularly in the age of the pandemic.
Bradley is joined by Michelle Davey, Co-Founder and CEO of Wheel, a telehealth company aiming to bridge the gap between clinicians and patients. Bradley and Michelle discuss what it takes to get a telehealth company off the ground, and why training and finding clinicians is the number one problem that telehealth companies are having to scale.
Bradley Tusk is joined by Gayle Lemmon, Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at technology firm, Shield AI and adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Gayle and Bradley discuss the threat COVID-19 poses to conflict zones and displaced populations, particularly for women and girls.
Bradley is joined by Brandon Lynch, Medical Director at a leading digital health platform, Boulder Care. Bradley and Brandon discuss how the telehealth industry is becoming a powerful tool during the pandemic. Brandon describes the precautions clinicians have to take, barriers for patients receiving care, and how vulnerable populations are disproportionately impacted by public health emergencies like COVID-19.
Bradley is joined by Sucharita Kodali, Vice President at Forrester and a leading expert on eCommerce, multichannel retail, consumer behavior, and trends in the online shopping space. The two talk about what happens when consumer spending comes to a complete halt in the face of a crisis like COVID-19 and the ripple effect that occurs in the economy. They also discuss what to do about supplies hoarders, and why P&G won’t ship Charmin direct to consumers...
Bradley is joined by Rohan Hales and Hector Guadalupe from A Second U Foundation, a physical trainer career transition program for incarcerated citizens. The three discuss criminal justice reform and how to stay active during a pandemic.
Bradley is joined by Ben Narasin, entrepreneur, early-stage investor, and Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates. The two discuss Ben’s journey from founder to venture capitalist and his perspective on seed stage companies. They also walk through 2020 predictions for valuation, IPO’s, and the upcoming presidential election. Bradley muses on the impact of the coronavirus on politicians, venture capital and tech regulation.
Bradley is joined by Michael D’Agostino, Founder and CEO of experiential tourism startup, Tentrr. Michael tells us how he went from investment banker to entrepreneur and how he’s reimagined the camping experience.
Guest hosts Jordan Nof and Michaela Balderston talk about Tusk Venture Partners to break down what the investor-startup-relationship known as “Platform” really means. The two discuss why Platform is a mutually beneficial relationship for both investors and founders and why it’s quickly become table stakes in the industry. They explore what’s unique (or not) about the model and what challenges founders usually face as they grow their business.
Estrella Jaramillo, digital health entrepreneur, joins Bradley to discuss which startups are dominating the telehealth market. The two discuss the gap between the market and consumers, why the health care industry needs a culture shift, and how women are guiding all of it. Estrella contextualizes women’s health tech in the #MeToo movement, and shares her predictions for the industry -- including thoughts on the new birth control pill for men.
Do you fill out the census? Julie Menin of the NYC Census 2020 joins Bradley and Tusk’s Chris Coffey to tell us why we should. The three discuss the truth behind census data, census initiatives and goals, and why civic engagement is so important. Bradley also muses on what (or what didn’t) happened in Iowa...
Bradley speaks with John Rogers, author of The Renaissance Campaign and partner to Michael J. Fox in the advancement of stem cell research. The two discuss the art of a campaign approach: how do we prepare mentally? Tactically? What defines a campaign? Bradley also offers musings on some of his favorite movies, books, and restaurants.
Bradley speaks with Chris Coffey, Yvette Buckner, and Eric Soufer on Firewall’s 100th episode to break down the New York City playbook. The four discuss Rubén Diaz, the 2020 presidential race, ranked choice voting, De Blasio, Medicare, Andy Byford, and Cuomo’s next steps.