Episode
Across the Bar Podcast, Episode 53 - Was the Microsoft Survey Rigged, Graham Platner's Background Check Problem & The Scott Pelley Firing
- Podcast
- Across The Bar Podcast
- Published
- Jun 5, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2461
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://share.transistor.fm/s/877212d4
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/across-the-bar-podcast-7317541/episodes/across-the-bar-podcast-episode-53-was-the-microsoft-survey-rigged-graham-platner-s-background-check-problem-the-scott-pelley-firing/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/across-the-bar-podcast-7317541/across-the-bar-podcast-episode-53-was-the-microsoft-survey-rigged-graham-platner-s-background-check-problem-the-scott-pelley-firing.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
This week on the Across the Bar Podcast, employment attorney Peter Rahbar and journalist Laura Brounstein break down a packed week in workplace news — from corporate transparency failures to what a Senate candidate's controversies teach us about background checks, to the AI spending reckoning hitting companies everywhere. Microsoft is facing backlash after employee's questions the integrity of a recent employee survey. Employees noticed some questions missing, and they're not happy. Peter and Laura unpack what it means when employers control not just the answer, but the question. The Graham Platner saga offers a surprisingly instructive lesson for anyone navigating a background check. Whether you're a Senate candidate or a C-suite hire, someone's going to ask about your skeletons — and who gets that information, how it's handled, and what happens when it leaks matters enormously. Peter walks through how to protect yourself, what to ask your prospective employer, and when to loop in an attorney before you say a word. Uber blew through its entire 2026 AI budget in four months and has now capped employee spending at $1,500 per tool per month. What went wrong, who's responsible, and what should employers actually be doing to manage AI use before the bills spiral? Peter and Laura break it down. AI isn't just costing money — it's eliminating the entry-level pipeline. Companies are demanding experience that new grads can't possibly have yet, and no one's filling that training gap. Peter and Laura talk about what that means for recent grads, what companies are risking long-term, and what smart job seekers should be doing right now. And the Scott Pelley firing: Was it a blaze-of-glory exit? A wrongful termination? A little of both? Peter walks through the "for cause" legal fram…