On with Kara Swisher America’s New Power Order: Kara in Conversation with Walter Isaacson
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Apr 6, 2026 
Walter Isaacson, journalist and bestselling biographer of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, turns the tables in a lively live chat with Kara Swisher. They dig into AI’s scramble for power in Washington. They spar over tech regulation, Section 230, and toxic online culture. They also touch on shifting media, longevity grifters, defense tech, and why fiction still beats AI slop.
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X Makes The World Feel Worse Than It Is
- Kara Swisher says X now distorts reality because bots, abuse, and malignant actors swamp genuine conversation and news discovery.
- She contrasts it with Threads and BlueSky, saying Threads feels closer to old Twitter while X has become “a death cult.”
Why Kara Swisher Saw Trump's Appeal Early
- Kara Swisher says she believed Trump could win because The Apprentice and internet culture showed he understood trolling, virality, and persona-driven politics.
- She links that to a coal-country event where she bluntly told workers coal was not coming back and challenged the idea that only they were “real Americans.”
AI May Shrink White Collar Work Before New Jobs Appear
- Kara Swisher says AI will likely eliminate many white-collar jobs faster than past technological shifts, even if new work eventually appears.
- She cites Barry Diller’s expectation that 6,000 programmers could become 2,000 as AI tools let fewer people do much more.
