News Media in an AI World | Interview: Jim VandeHei

Despite repeated floggings, First Mate Steve Hayes is once again up to no good. With Capt. Jonah Goldberg having gone ashore to purchase more books about Abraham Lincoln, Hayes has seized the helm of the HMS Remnant and is once again joy-cruising with his friends. And while most of the freeloaders Steve invites aboard are scalawags and ne’er-do-wells, there is one particular exception. Jim VandeHei, the co-founder and CEO of Axios, is on deck to talk about how to simplify our lives in an increasingly complicated world. Jim and Steve cover how to confront and eliminate unnecessary tasks, prioritize what matters, and achieve informational simplicity in the age of AI, and discuss what the future of news reporting holds. Show Notes: The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including the Saturday Ruminant, audio versions of all our articles and newsletters, and Jonah’s twice-weekly G-File—⁠click here⁠. Instructions on how to set up your members-only feed can be found here, and if you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Steve Hayes is CEO and editor of The Dispatch, based in Annapolis, Maryland. Prior to co-founding the company in 2019, he worked at The Weekly Standard for 18 years, covering Washington, politics, and national security. Steve is the author of two New York Times bestsellers. He also worked as a contributor at CNN and Fox News, and currently serves as a political analyst at NBC News. When Steve is not focused on The Dispatch, he’s probably traveling with his family, grilling, or riding his mountain bike. The podcast transcription below was generated using artificial intelligence and may include occasional errors or misspellings. Music 0:00 [instrumental music] Ladies and gentlemen. Music 0:16 Could I please have your attention? Can you dig it? [crowd cheering] Steve Hayes 0:27 Greetings, dear listeners. I'm not Jonah Goldberg. It's Steve Hayes, Jonah's Dispatch co-founder, trying to fill his very big shoes on The Remnant. On today's episode, I talk to Jim VandeHei, a former reporter with The Washington Post who went on to found Politico and Axios, where he now serves as CEO. We talk about Jim's new book, Simplify, which he co-authored with Mike Allen and Roy Schwartz, and discuss the tools needed to survive in this increasingly chaotic information environment. Oh, and just to make Jonah mad, we'll talk about the Green Bay Packers too. Jim VandeHei, welcome to The Remnant. Great to have you. Jim VandeHei 1:03 Great to be here. Steve Hayes 1:04 Let me start with an opening question that Jonah asks every author he hosts on The Remnant. What is your book about? Interactive transcripts are available to Premium members. Join to follow along with the audio. Join Now More We Think You’d Like