Podlipodcast player Webplayer

On with Kara Swisher

On with Kara Swisher

Theo Baker Cracks Open Stanford’s Faustian Bargain With Silicon Valley

On with Kara Swisher · Jun 4, 2026 · 57:24

0:0057:24

Listen in the Podli app 🎧

Follow your favourite podcasts, listen offline and in the car with CarPlay and Android Auto, and always pick up where you left off. Free to try.

Kara talks to Theo Baker, a Stanford University student journalist and the youngest-ever George Polk Award winner, about his new book, "How to Rule the World." In it, Baker unpacks his investigation into former Stanford president, Marc Tessier-Lavigne over research misconduct in labs he oversaw. He breaks down how the university reacted and what it says about power at Stanford and in the Valley



Theo reveals the “Stanford inside Stanford” and the university’s lucrative, no-boundaries relationship with Silicon Valley’s tech entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. He and Kara discuss secret power networks, “builders” versus “wantapreneurs” and whether Stanford is a university or, as one professor put it, an “incubator with dorms.” Plus: Theo weighs in on the backlash against AI among young people.



Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episodes: On with Kara Swisher

PodliGet the free Podli app
↓ App