Axios co-founder and CEO Jim VandeHei joins the show to talk through how AI is changing the media industry, why he rejects the simple solutions floated by today’s politicians and how he’d handle saving legacy media institutions.

He then shares his philosophy on how to manage one’s time and business effectively as articulated in his new book book Simplify: Do 50 Percent More with 50 Percent Less co-written with his Axios co-founders, Mike Allen & Roy Schwartz

00:00 An Era As Significant As The Great Depression
2:46 Trust Loss In Institutions 
6:09 The Challenge Of Breaking News In An AI World 
11:42 How To Fix  Business Leaders Selling Out 
16:57 How Algorithms Shape Our Thinking
19:22 The Competing Incentives Between LLMs & Algorithms 
22:00 Can We Shut Down AI Even If We Wanted To
25:06 How Axios Rejects The AI Binary
35:05 The Future Of Work 
39:32 Working With OpenAi & Local News 
43:36 Legacy Media vs. Digital Journalists
48:42 You Don't Have To Do It - An Operating Manual For Life 
55:35 Our Brains & Businesses Need To Adapt To Technology’s Influence 
1:01:16 How To Be An Effective Manager & Employee in 2026
1:04:39 The One Trick To Being An Effective Communicator 
1:09:27 How to Fix CNN & Cable News