I Know What All the Tech Bros Want from Trump | The Daily Beast Podcast
In this bonus episode of The Daily Beast Podcast, Joanna Coles speaks with former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, tracing his unlikely path from Second City alongside comedy heavyweights to the nerve center of Silicon Valley power, before plunging into the high-stakes collision between Big Tech and politics. Costolo pulls back the curtain on Trump’s opaque new tech advisory circle—stacked with billionaires like Marc Andreessen, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jensen Huang—and explains why Silicon Valley abruptly stopped ignoring Washington and started trying to shape it. He delivers an insider’s account of government pressure during the Obama years, the messy reality of moderating platforms flooded with extremism, and the unintended consequences behind viral “censorship” flashpoints. The conversation then pivots to today’s fractured social media landscape under Elon Musk, where outrage drives engagement, before landing on the looming AI power struggle—from internal industry rifts to Pentagon tensions over autonomy and control—revealing just how unprepared even the people building it are for what comes next. #trump #news #podcast #elonmusk #siliconvalley 00:00 - AI Arms Race 04:25 - From Second City Comedy to Running Twitter 08:50 - Trump’s New Tech Power Circle 13:15 - Silicon Valley’s Political Awakening 17:40 - Costolo’s Obama-Era Tech Meetings and Government Pressure 22:05 - The Brutal Reality of Running Twitter 26:30 - Why Social Platforms Drift Toward Conflict 30:55 - Can AI Fix the Internet? 35:20 - Why the “More Jobs” Narrative Doesn’t Add Up 📖 Title: I Know What All the Tech Bros Want from Trump 👂 Podcast: The Daily Beast Podcast 📺 Episode: Bonus Episode 🎧 Format: Full Podcast 📅 Date: April 4, 2026 👨💼 Guest: Dick Costolo 🎙️ Host: Joanna Coles Click here to become an official member of the Daily Beast's YouTube community: / @thedailybeast Have a question or comment for us? Send us an email: [email protected] The Daily Beast is committed to accurate, fair, independent, fast, and accountable journalism. We seek the truth and report it honestly, without fear or favor. We ground robust and provocative opinions in fact. Subscribe on YouTube: / @thedailybeast Follow us on Instagram: / thedailybeast Share this video on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thedailybeas... Share this video on X: / thedailybeast Share this video on Facebook: / thedailybeast
