Does Silicon Valley Run Washington? with former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo
Does Silicon Valley Run Washington? with former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo  
Podcast: Smart Girl Dumb Questions
Published On: Tue Apr 14 2026
Description: Dick Costolo is a powerful rich dude who gave an insider's edge to the HBO Series "Silicon Valley." Nayeema asks the almost-billion dollar investor: Is Elon or Trump more powerful now? Is venture capital a Ponzi scheme? Is big tech back in a bubble? Will AI lead us into a K-shaped economy where the shareholders get richer and everyone else gets replaced by bots? Also on the agenda: SpaceX at a $1.5T+ IPO (??), why so much value gets captured in private markets before the rest of us even get a shot to make money, the SEC rule change that helped companies stay private forever, and how crypto + prediction markets are winning over D.C. Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ.  Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.  And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and your drycleaner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices