On with Kara Swisher

Elon Musk’s SpaceX debuted on the Nasdaq in June with the largest IPO ever, raising a record $86 billion. But the stock has been on a wild ride ever since.

Kara sits down with a panel of experts to assess SpaceX after its inaugural post-IPO earnings report and the first in a series of lockup expirations that released more than 900 million shares for trading. They break down where SpaceX is actually making money (spoiler: it’s Starlink) and what its massive AI spending, xAI acquisition and increasingly expansive ambitions reveal about Musk’s long-term strategy.

Ed Elson is an analyst, writer, and co-host of the Prof G Markets podcast from the Vox Media Podcast Network. Tim Higgins is a business columnist for The Wall Street Journal, a CNBC contributor, and the author of books including iWar: Fortnite, Elon Musk, Spotify, WeChat, and Laying Siege to Apple’s Empire. Bethany McLean is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, a columnist at Yahoo Finance, a CNBC contributor, and the author of books including The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron.

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

Come see Kara for a live taping of On at the Odoo Experience conference in San Francisco on September 2. Register for the conference on Odoo's website.
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California is one of the most Democratic states in the nation. But former Fox News host and British American Steve Hilton is mounting a long-shot bid to be the state’s next Republican governor. He’s banking on voters’ disaffection with the state’s notoriously high cost of living to beat Democrat Xavier Becerra in November.

While Hilton scored President Trump’s endorsement ahead of the primary, he’ll need to win over a lot of Democrats and Independents who loathe Trump to have any shot at winning. Is that even possible for a Republican in 2026?

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.

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As the AI boom fuels a massive data-center buildout, communities across the country are pushing back. Kara speaks with environmental activist and consumer advocate Erin Brockovich, Utah climate scientist Logan Mitchell, Virginia organizer Elena Schlossberg and Lansing, Mich., Mayor Andy Schor about the industry’s environmental and political impact.

They examine the secretive deals and tax incentives behind many data-center projects, and they debate whether even responsibly designed developments can win community support.

The panel also explores what meaningful guardrails might look like, whether cleaner energy and greater transparency could make data centers a genuine public benefit, and if it’s even possible to shift public opinion as data centers become increasingly wrapped up in a broader backlash against AI.

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.
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After moving to Ireland at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, Rosie O’Donnell is back in the U.S. to stage her one-woman show in New York and guest host “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” at the end of the month. While she’s taken some time out of the spotlight, Rosie remains an outspoken critic of the president and his policies at a time when a lot of public figures have gone quiet.

Kara and Rosie talk about why she decided to turn her life into a theater production, the joys and challenges of raising a child with autism, and the new energy she’s found in her 60s. They also talk about why Rosie continues to speak out against Trump despite the personal costs.

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.
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Americans feel pessimistic about the economy even as the stock market soars and unemployment remains low. Kara speaks with a panel of economic experts to explain the disconnect. She’s joined by Atlantic staff writer Annie Lowrey, Catherine Rampell of MS NOW and The Bulwark and economist Claudia Sahm.

They examine the impact of President Trump’s latest round of tariffs, the economic fallout from the Iran war and the hidden weaknesses in the current labor market.

Plus: How vulnerable is the broader economy to an AI bubble? And what happens when economic growth increasingly benefits investors rather than workers?

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.
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