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How It Happened

by Axios

Elon Musk vs. Twitter: In the fifth season of How it Happened, hosted by Axios business reporter Erica Pandey, Axios reporters cover the collision between Elon Musk and Twitter through conversations with insiders at Twitter and members of Musk’s inner circle. How it Happened is an Axios podcast docu-series featuring instant histories. Each season, Axios reporters bring you behind closed doors to hear the people and decisions shaping the biggest stories of our time. Trump’s Last Stand: In the first season of How it Happened, national political reporter Jonathan Swan reveals the inside story of Donald Trump’s last few months in office. The story starts with his COVID-19 recovery and ends with the insurrection at the Capitol. The Next Astronauts: In the second season of How it Happened, Axios space reporter Miriam Kramer goes behind the scenes at SpaceX and the preparations for the first all-civilian mission into orbi

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Episodes

  1. Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part V: Cracks in the Empire

    How It Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part V: Cracks in the Empire explores whether Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter has made his cross-industry empire too big for one billionaire to run. Host Erica Pandey examines Musk's first months as CEO of Twitter and the simultaneous challenges facing…

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  2. Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part IV: Musk's Must-Do List

    How It Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part IV: Musk's Must-Do List features reporting from Axios media reporter Sara Fischer about the challenges at Twitter that Musk could inherit — and what he might do about them. Fischer takes listeners inside Twitter to understand how the platform has...

  3. Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part III: Musk Offers To Buy Twitter (Again)

    Just days before a trial to determine if Elon Musk would be forced to buy Twitter was scheduled to begin, Musk sent a letter offering once again to buy Twitter for the same price he'd originally offered in April. Musk has a unique tolerance for risk at his companies, but the surprise move still...

  4. Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part II: Empire of Risk

    How It Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part II: Empire of Risk explores how Musk's philosophy on risk brings people far beyond his consumers and employees into the experiments he runs. Axios reporters Joann Muller and Miriam Kramer draw on years of reporting on Tesla and SpaceX respectively to...

  5. Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part I: Not A Chill Normal Dude

    How It Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter Part I: Not A Chill Normal Dude tells the story of Musk's meteoric rise to become the world's richest man and a cross-industry mogul. Through interviews with people who were instrumental early in Musk's career, the episode chronicles how Musk moved from...

  6. Coming soon: Elon Musk vs. Twitter

    How it Happened: Elon Musk vs. Twitter is a first-of-its-kind newsroom collaboration featuring exclusive reporting on the rise of Elon Musk to become world's richest man, the parallel rise of Twitter as the global public square, and the collision of these two titans this year. This documentary...

  7. Putin’s Invasion Part V: The Fight for the Donbas

    How It Happened: Putin’s Invasion Part V: The Fight for the Donbas goes straight to the frontlines of the war, seen through the eyes of a journalist who has been covering the war there and a soldier who has been fighting there, both since 2014. After the failed effort to take Kyiv, Russian...

  8. Putin's Invasion Part IV: The View from Russia

    In part four of How It Happened: Putin’s Invasion, Axios World editor Dave Lawler digs into polling indications that Russians are rallying around their president even as Western sanctions and global condemnations escalate. This episode features interviews with a top political opposition leader…

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  9. Putin's Invasion Part III: How It Could End

    In part three of How It Happened: Putin’s Invasion, Axios World editor Dave Lawler examines a difficult reality — that the only clear path to peace in Ukraine is a deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but the red lines drawn by the Russian and...

  10. Putin's Invasion Part II: The Consequences

    In part two of How it Happened: Putin's Invasion, Axios world editor Dave Lawler explains how Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine catalyzed a chain of events that are reshaping our world. Lawler is joined by Axios managing editor Margaret Talev to discuss President…

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  11. Putin's Invasion Part I: How We Got Here

    In part one of How it Happened: Putin's Invasion, Axios world editor Dave Lawler presents reporting and analysis from the Axios newsroom on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Lawler shares insights from a career covering global affairs and dozens of interviews with experts and high ranking…

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  12. Coming Soon: Putin's Invasion

    In How it Happened: Putin's Invasion, Axios World editor Dave Lawler curates the best of Axios' reporting and analysis on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, explaining how the conflict played out in slow motion across eight years and then suddenly escalated. Lawler will share insights from a career...

  13. Trump’s Big Deal Part I: May Your House Be Destroyed

    Axios Middle East correspondent Barak Ravid and national political correspondent Jonathan Swan tell how Donald Trump’s grand plan to broker peace between the Israelis and Palestinians was doomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to compromise and a series of bizarre choices...

  14. Trump’s Big Deal Part II: From Secret Alliance to the Abraham Accords

    After Donald Trump’s peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians failed, there was a desperate attempt by the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates to stop Israel from annexing part of the occupied West Bank. That effort led to the most significant Middle East peace agreement in a generation. With...

  15. Coming soon: Trump’s Big Deal

    Axios’ Jonathan Swan is back with a sneak preview of How It Happened’s third season, coming later this month. With exclusive reporting, Swan and Axios’ Barak Ravid tell us the surprising story of the Abraham Accords — the deal between Israel and four Arab states which is changing the Middle East.

  16. The Next Astronauts Part V: The Launch

    Axios space reporter Miriam Kramer follows the Inspiration4 crew to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. to cover their launch and catches up with each of them after their return. Kramer takes listeners to the press center at the Kennedy Space Center and inside of a pre-launch press...

  17. The Next Astronauts Part IV: Risk

    Axios space reporter Miriam Kramer learns how the Inspiration4 crew is grappling with risk, something every company in the space industry and all astronauts must confront. Kramer speaks with the crew, the parent of a crew member, and a former NASA safety expert about how memories of the…

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  18. The Next Astronauts Part III: What It Takes

    Axios space reporter Miriam Kramer goes inside SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, California, to see the factory floor, the Inspiration4 crew's training regimen and how this mission fits into SpaceX's broader goals. Kramer speaks with SpaceX senior leadership and tours the facility, culminating…

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  19. The Next Astronauts Part II: The New Right Stuff

    Axios space reporter Miriam Kramer unpacks who historically has been able to go to space and why the selection of Inspiration4 crew members Sian Proctor and Hayley Arceneaux is a break from the status quo. Kramer shares what she asked Elon Musk in 2020 as the Dragon capsule flew humans for the...

  20. The Next Astronauts Part I: A Few Ordinary People

    Axios space reporter Miriam Kramer traces how a multi-day orbital mission to space without professional astronauts came together in just a matter of weeks. Kramer takes listeners back to February of 2021, to a press call where SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made a stunning announcement. She brings…

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  21. The Next Astronauts Prologue

    In How it Happened: The Next Astronauts, Axios space reporter Miriam Kramer follows the first space flight to orbit without professional astronauts. Kramer will take listeners inside the story of the Inspiration4 mission, which SpaceX aims to launch on September 15. The podcast will chronicle the...

  22. Trump's Last Stand: An Off-The-Books Mission

    In this bonus story for How It Happened: Trump's Last Stand, Axios political correspondent Jonathan Swan details a botched attempt, made during President Trump's final days in office, to rapidly withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Trump desperately wanted ending America's longest war to be...

  23. Trump's Last Stand Part V: Where It Ends

    National political correspondent Jonathan Swan tracks the unfolding of the Capitol insurrection on January 6, revealing what happened in the Senate and at the White House — and what it means. Swan brings listeners into the secure room where senators sheltered in place, heard remarks from both...

  24. Trump's Last Stand Part IV: The Point Of No Return

    National political correspondent Jonathan Swan chronicles how President Donald Trump destroyed his most valuable political relationship — his partnership with Vice President Mike Pence — and set the events of January 6 into motion. Swan uncovers the surprising catalyst that drove a wedge between...

  25. Trump's Last Stand Part III: The Break With Barr

    National political correspondent Jonathan Swan reveals the story behind President Trump's break from Attorney General William Barr, who had been deeply loyal and a key bridge between Trump and the Republican establishment. Swan takes listeners into the room for two explosive, consequential…

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  26. Trump's Last Stand Part II: The Legal Team

    National political correspondent Jonathan Swan traces how Donald Trump's strategy to dispute the result of the 2020 election evolved from targeted lawsuits to embracing — and amplifying — conspiracy theories. Starting with the Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference and digging into...

  27. Trump's Last Stand Part I: Where It Starts

    In part one of How It Happened: Trump's Last Stand, Axios political correspondent Jonathan Swan draws a direct line from President Trump's Election Night speech, in which he falsely declared victory, to the insurrection on the Capitol on January 6. But, but, but: The story really starts in early...

  28. Coming soon: How It Happened: Trump's Last Stand

    Axios's new documentary series premieres Monday. Featuring the reporting of Jonathan Swan, go inside the last days of the Trump administration with never before reported details.

About this show

Elon Musk vs. Twitter: In the fifth season of How it Happened, hosted by Axios business reporter Erica Pandey, Axios reporters cover the collision between Elon Musk and Twitter through conversations with insiders at Twitter and members of Musk’s inner circle.

How it Happened is an Axios podcast docu-series featuring instant histories. Each season, Axios reporters bring you behind closed doors to hear the people and decisions shaping the biggest stories of our time.

Trump’s Last Stand: In the first season of How it Happened, national political reporter Jonathan Swan reveals the inside story of Donald Trump’s last few months in office. The story starts with his COVID-19 recovery and ends with the insurrection at the Capitol.

The Next Astronauts: In the second season of How it Happened, Axios space reporter Miriam Kramer goes behind the scenes at SpaceX and the preparations for the first all-civilian mission into orbi

Hosted by

Axios

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Frequently asked questions

How many episodes does How It Happened have?

How It Happened has 28 episodes on PodParley. The most recent episode was published on January 18, 2023.

What is How It Happened about?

Elon Musk vs. Twitter: In the fifth season of How it Happened, hosted by Axios business reporter Erica Pandey, Axios reporters cover the collision between Elon Musk and Twitter through conversations with insiders at Twitter and members of Musk’s inner circle. How it Happened is an Axios podcast...

How often does How It Happened release new episodes?

How It Happened publishes monthly, based on its 28 episodes since January 2021.

Who hosts How It Happened?

How It Happened is created and hosted by Axios.
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