Jon Stewart on AI, Lina Khan, and the other things Apple didn’t want him to say

In the months since the cancellation of The Problem With Jon Stewart on Apple TV Plus, the former host of the show, Jon Stewart, has revealed details here and there about the acrimonious relationship with Apple. While interviewing FTC Chair Lina Khan yesterday on The Daily Show about tech companies and antitrust behavior, he revealed more, telling Khan, “I wanted to have you on a podcast,” but Apple “literally said, ‘Please don’t talk to her.’”

The whole episode is worth a watch when you get a chance. The episode’s first segment included Stewart lampooning the hyperbolic promises tech companies frequently make about AI, interspersed with clips of tech execs discussing AI’s potential for replacing human labor or explaining AI-enabled layoffs. Then, he settled down for his interview with Khan — near the end, his former employer came up.

“I didn’t think they cared for you is what happened,” Stewart said. “They wouldn’t let us do even that dumb thing we just did in the first act on AI. What is that sensitivity? Why are they so afraid to even have these conversations out in the public sphere?”

“I think it just shows the danger of what happens when you concentrate so much power and so much decision-making in a small number of companies,” Khan replied.

Stewart and Apple went their separate ways after just two seasons of his show, with early reports citing “creative differences.” In February, Stewart said during a CBS Mornings interview that Apple canceled the show partly because of his plans to cover topics like AI and China.