WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 Kara Swisher is everywhere.
She鈥檚 filling in for Joy Behar on ABC's 鈥淭he View.鈥 Appearing alongside Meryl Streep in 鈥淭he Devil Wears Prada 2.鈥 Starring in a CNN documentary. Preparing a national tour. And churning out four podcasts most weeks featuring long-form interviews and commentary.
It鈥檚 a ubiquity born of more than three decades chronicling the technology industry with a professed indifference to power that vaulted her into a rare echelon of journalism celebrity.
She harnessed that reputation to persuade rivals Steve Jobs and Bill Gates to appear onstage together and make Mark Zuckerberg so uncomfortable under questioning that he broke out into a sweat. She had Elon Musk鈥檚 cellphone number 鈥 the two aren鈥檛 currently speaking 鈥 and often texts tech and business leaders.
She鈥檚 betting the influence that made her a Silicon Valley force will translate into politics as podcasts supplant traditional media as a destination for candidates seeking attention.
During President Donald Trump鈥檚 second Republican term, potential Democratic presidential candidates ranging from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris to onetime Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel have appeared on Swisher鈥檚 shows. She expects that roster to grow.
鈥淲e get called by all the presidential candidates,鈥 the 63-year-old Swisher said in an interview at her home in a leafy corner of Washington, where her trademark high self-regard was on display. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to get to all of them.鈥
Swisher is hardly the only podcaster talking politics. Conservatives like Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson and some liberals like the former Barack Obama aides who host 鈥淧od Save America鈥 have larger audiences. They鈥檙e all dwarfed by Joe Rogan.
But Swisher, who has evolved from a traditional print journalist to business owner and podcast host, has few rivals who can match her technology expertise and connect those observations to the broader political debate.
鈥淲hen I first went on her podcast when I just got into Congress in 2017, she was very well respected in tech circles,鈥 said Rep. Ro Khanna, the California Democrat whose district includes Silicon Valley. 鈥淏ut now she鈥檚 emerged as a larger cultural force, especially at a time where there鈥檚 such anger at the tech billionaires and tech arrogance.鈥
Interviews that produce revealing moments
When she鈥檚 not on the road, Swisher typically records from a basement studio in the Washington home she shares with her wife and children and a cat named Lovely. The conversations on her interview podcast 鈥淥n with Kara Swisher鈥 are often referenced later on 鈥淧ivot,鈥 which she co-hosts with entrepreneur Scott Galloway.
They frequently produce revealing moments, as when Newsom filled in for Galloway on 鈥淧ivot.鈥 Swisher derided him for being too easy on Steve Bannon when the longtime Trump aide appeared on Newsom鈥檚 own podcast.
鈥淵ou had an opportunity to engage,鈥 Swisher pressed. 鈥淲hy not engage?鈥
Swisher pushed Buttigieg on why he took so long to say President Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat, shouldn鈥檛 have sought reelection. Buttigieg said he wasn鈥檛 consulted.
鈥淪ure, but you have eyes,鈥 Swisher responded.
In an interview, Newsom said Swisher calls him out.
鈥淪he鈥檒l send me missives unsolicited,鈥 he said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 usually right, and it drives me crazy.鈥
Even Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a rare Republican to go on her show, said it was a worthwhile experience despite being pressed on whether his willingness to speak out against the Trump White House emerged only after he opted against reelection.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e a politician, you should be able to walk up anywhere and hold your own,鈥 Tillis said, adding, 鈥淵ou may end up having an opportunity, like in my experience, to give a completely different perspective.鈥
鈥楶ivot鈥 was initially focused on tech and business
Shaping the political conversation wasn't the objective when 鈥淧ivot鈥 launched in 2018. Galloway, who hosts his own 鈥淧rof G鈥 and 鈥淩aging Moderates鈥 podcasts, recalled the idea for 鈥淧ivot鈥 was to focus on the intersection of technology and business.
鈥淪how me a big business or tech story, and I鈥檓 going to show you a political overlay,鈥 Galloway said.
The expansion converges with a sense of urgency among Democrats to be more aggressive on digital platforms, where audiences are increasingly concentrated.
鈥淭he single most important quality that every candidate needs to have is the ability to talk and the ability to talk anywhere,鈥 said Teddy Goff, the co-founder of Precision Strategies and the digital director for Obama鈥檚 2012 presidential campaign.
Democrats are still stung by Rogan鈥檚 nearly three-hour Trump interview in the final weeks of the 2024 campaign. Rogan who doesn鈥檛 consider himself a journalist, has said Harris鈥 campaign didn鈥檛 agree to his terms. Harris has described being spurned by Rogan.
The podcasts add up to influence and financial success.
Galloway said 鈥淧ivot,鈥 which is effectively a joint venture between himself, Swisher and Vox Media, will be a $15 million to $20 million business this year, with a staff of just five.
鈥淧odcasts are the NBA,鈥 Galloway said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a small amount of people making a lot of money.鈥
A goal to be popular 鈥榓mong the entire populace鈥
While Swisher largely hosts Democrats, she hopes to soon bring on additional Republicans and said she texted Steve Hilton鈥檚 wife, a former Google executive, in hopes of booking him shortly after he advanced in California鈥檚 governor鈥檚 race.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e going for is to be popular among the entire populace,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o that people who don鈥檛 feel they want to be in a constant state of anger, whether it鈥檚 on the left or the right, can have a place to go.鈥
But her barbed comments about Trump and other Republicans could complicate that goal. Swisher describes her work as 鈥渞eported analysis.鈥
鈥淲e don鈥檛 shy away from our faults,鈥 Swisher said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 shy away from our biases. You know, we don鈥檛 shy away from things that most people try to.鈥
