Regulatory Oversight Podcast

Stephen C. Piepgrass, Ashley L. Taylor, Troutman Pepper Locke

Regulatory priorities can seemingly shift overnight with one lawsuit, investigative news article, election, or bill signing. Troutman Pepper Locke’s Regulatory Oversight Podcast analyzes the underlying trends that drive enforcement activity and provides expert perspectives on key focus areas. Featuring insights from members of the firm’s Regulatory Practice Group, including its nationally ranked State Attorneys General practice, with guest commentary from business leaders, regulatory experts, and current and former government officials, our podcast examines a range of topics affecting companies operating in highly regulated industries. Whether related to cybersecurity and data privacy, advertising and marketing, financial services and fintech, or emerging technology, Troutman Pepper Locke’s regulatory team offers informed counsel to clients, drawing on decades representing clients in their most critical regulatory challenges. Our lawyers rely on their regulatory experience in private practice as well as their tenure in state AG offices, at the FTC, CFPB, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and other federal and state enforcement bodies to develop legal strategies that align with each client’s goals. The Regulatory Oversight Podcast allows us to share our acumen and approach directly with our listeners.

  1. JAN 9

    From Vegas to Venezuela: High-Stakes Predictive Markets

    In this episode of Regulatory Oversight, host Stephen Piepgrass, who leads Troutman Pepper Locke's Regulatory Investigation Strategy and Enforcement (RISE) practice, is joined by partner Lu Reyes for a deep dive into the national security and enforcement implications of predictive markets. The discussion centers on a headline‑grabbing Polymarket trade that appeared to anticipate former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's capture and yielded roughly $400,000 in profit, raising questions about insider trading and classified information leaks. Stephen and Lu discuss how current regulatory frameworks and enforcement tools struggle to keep pace with emerging predictive markets, particularly where anonymity and digital assets can make it difficult to identify traders or trace funds. Drawing on Lu's experience as a senior national security official in the Bush administration, they explore how markets that allow betting on geopolitical and military outcomes could place a cash bounty on secrets, potentially encouraging espionage, recruitment of insiders, and even attempts to influence events rather than merely predict them. The episode also highlights key differences between predictive markets and traditional gambling, including post hoc event definitions and asymmetric access to information, and considers how regulators, Congress, and market operators might respond. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    21 min
  2. JAN 8

    AI, Algorithms, and Accountability: Unpacking the Colorado AI Act with Senator Rodriguez

    In this episode of Regulatory Oversight, host Ashley Taylor is joined by Colorado Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez and Troutman Pepper Locke Privacy + Cyber partner David Stauss for an in‑depth discussion of the Colorado AI Act—widely viewed as the nation's first comprehensive legislative framework focused on high‑risk AI systems and algorithmic discrimination. Senator Rodriguez explains how Colorado's work on consumer privacy laid the groundwork for AI regulation and walks through the origins, goals, and core provisions of the Act, including its emphasis on transparency, risk assessments, and protecting consumers in sectors such as employment, housing, health care, education, finance, and government services. Stauss situates the Colorado AI Act within the rapidly evolving state, federal, and international AI landscape, describing how lawmakers have sought to avoid a "Wild West" of conflicting state requirements by coordinating through a multi-state work group, and how that effort mirrors the development of state privacy laws. The conversation then turns to answer practical questions companies are asking—how to approach and structure AI risk assessments, the role of attorney-client privilege, how state attorneys general are likely to enforce these laws, and how to navigate growing tensions between state innovation and federal preemption efforts, including reported moves by the Trump administration to curb state AI regulations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    35 min
  3. 12/19/2025

    12 Days of Regulatory Insights: Day 12 – The SEC Reset

    In the final episode of our special 12 Days of Regulatory Insights podcast series, Regulatory Oversight co-host Stephen Piepgrass sits down with Partner Ghillaine Reid — co-leader of the firm's securities investigations and enforcement team and a former SEC New York Regional Office branch chief and staff attorney — to assess how shifts in SEC leadership and composition are reshaping rulemaking and enforcement. Stephen and Ghillaine begin with a discussion on the impact of SEC Chair Paul Atkins' tenure and the appointment of Enforcement Director Meg Ryan amid significant staff attrition and a cost-cutting "efficiency" ethos that has produced a leaner enforcement tempo, fewer cases, and lower settlement totals. They unpack what moving formal order authority back to a commission vote means in practice, the administration's sharpened focus on investor protection and disclosure accuracy, and what public companies should be doing now to ensure consistency across SEC filings, earnings calls, and marketing. They also cover the rise in state-level activity — especially from New York, Massachusetts, Washington, and increasingly Florida and Texas — as state AGs fill federal gaps with a distinct consumer-protection playbook. Looking ahead to 2026, they preview of areas likely to draw heightened scrutiny, including issuer reporting, while offering actionable guidance for navigating parallel federal-state investigations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    19 min
  4. 12/18/2025

    12 Days of Regulatory Insights: Day 11 – FTC Enforcement Trends in a New Age

    In this episode of our special 12 Days of Regulatory Insights podcast series, RISE Partner Clay Friedman is joined by colleague Christy Matelis — a member of the firm's antitrust practice and former Utah assistant attorney general — to unpack what a newly reactivated FTC means for the year ahead. Clay and Christy discuss the current composition of the three-member, all-Republican Commission following recent changes, the ongoing legal challenges related to former Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter's termination, as well as Chair Andrew Ferguson's draft priorities memo signaling continued focus on technology, privacy, and data security. Christy discusses what enforcement might look like under a second Trump term, including continued focus on health care, pharmaceuticals, and technology, but with a slower pace. She notes a shift on noncompete agreements, with the FTC moving from broad rulemaking to handling cases individually — shown by dropping appeals on the previous ban but starting a new enforcement action. The conversation also covers staffing changes at the agency and what practitioners are seeing on the ground. On the consumer protection front, Clay and Christy break down the FTC-and-states lawsuit against Ticketmaster/Live Nation (bait pricing, ticket limits, and broker coordination) and the $14 million Match.com settlement underscoring clear disclosures and easy cancellation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    19 min
  5. 12/17/2025

    12 Days of Regulatory Insights: Day 10 – State AGs on Pricing and Renewals

    In this episode of our special 12 Days of Regulatory Insights podcast series, RISE attorney Nam Kang welcomes Partners Clay Friedman and Mike Yaghi for a practical look at 2025 regulatory enforcement trends in advertising and marketing. The insightful discussion in this series begins with the growing push for transparent, all‑in pricing aimed at eliminating junk fees and drip pricing. Clay and Mike explain how new and existing state laws intersect with longstanding UDAP principles, and how this patchwork impacts brands across marketing channels. Drawing on decades of experience advising clients on regulatory enforcement actions in the advertising and marketing space, Clay and Mike map best practices: putting the total, unavoidable price upfront; clearly differentiating retailer charges from government taxes and other mandatory fees; preserving advertisements and web flows for compliance; and avoiding misleading "taxes and fees" (or similar) bundles. The trio also breaks down the FTC's recent Ticketmaster/Live Nation case, the status of the vacated "Click to Cancel" negative option amendments and continued risks under ROSCA and the FTC Act, and concrete guardrails for subscription disclosures, express informed consent, confirmations, renewal notices, and the requirements for easy cancellations. Looking ahead to 2026, they expect continued state-level pricing enforcement, renewed federal attention to negative-option rulemaking, a focus on combating actual fraud, and heightened exposure for brands that fall short on transparent pricing and auto‑renew practices. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    24 min

About

Regulatory priorities can seemingly shift overnight with one lawsuit, investigative news article, election, or bill signing. Troutman Pepper Locke’s Regulatory Oversight Podcast analyzes the underlying trends that drive enforcement activity and provides expert perspectives on key focus areas. Featuring insights from members of the firm’s Regulatory Practice Group, including its nationally ranked State Attorneys General practice, with guest commentary from business leaders, regulatory experts, and current and former government officials, our podcast examines a range of topics affecting companies operating in highly regulated industries. Whether related to cybersecurity and data privacy, advertising and marketing, financial services and fintech, or emerging technology, Troutman Pepper Locke’s regulatory team offers informed counsel to clients, drawing on decades representing clients in their most critical regulatory challenges. Our lawyers rely on their regulatory experience in private practice as well as their tenure in state AG offices, at the FTC, CFPB, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and other federal and state enforcement bodies to develop legal strategies that align with each client’s goals. The Regulatory Oversight Podcast allows us to share our acumen and approach directly with our listeners.

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