What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future
453 episodes - English - Latest episode: 17 days ago - ★★★★ - 224 ratingsEvery Friday and Sunday, Slate’s popular daily news podcast What Next brings you TBD, a clear-eyed look into the future. From fake news to fake meat, algorithms to augmented reality, Lizzie O’Leary is your guide to the tech industry and the world it’s creating for us to live in.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Can A.I. Know What You're Feeling?
May 13, 2022 07:00 - 20 minutesCompanies are developing and selling A.I. products intended to tell your boss or your teacher how you're feeling. Guest: Kate Kaye, reporter for Protocol Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is Free Speech Online Just a Myth?
May 08, 2022 07:00 - 26 minutesA conversation with one of the smartest First Amendment lawyers in the country. Guest: Jameel Jaffer Host: Lizzie O'Leary Thanks Avast.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Can the Internet Rescue Abortion Access?
May 06, 2022 07:00 - 20 minutesThe pandemic changed the way abortion care could be provided online. So what happens now? Guest: Dr. Mai Fleming, family medicine physician and Fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health. Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Fantasy of Internet for All
May 01, 2022 07:00 - 19 minutesCan Starlink ever fulfill its promise of connecting the world, especially places left behind by traditional internet? Or will it be just another toy for the rich? Guest: Meaghan Tobin, reporter at Rest of World Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What Elon Wants With Twitter
April 29, 2022 07:00 - 23 minutesTwitter is the platform of choice for politicians, journalists, academics, and many other agenda-setters. Twitter influences conversations that take place in newsrooms and statehouses. What happens if the company’s placed in the hands of a pugnacious, provocative plutocrat like Elon Musk? Guest: Will Oremus, tech reporter for the Washington Post Host: Seth Stevenson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A New High-Tech Weapon in Ukraine
April 24, 2022 07:00 - 22 minutesThe conflict between Ukraine and Russia is uncovering new wartime applications for facial recognition technology. Guest: Aric Toler, director of research and training at Bellingcat Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The COVID Data Disaster
April 22, 2022 07:00 - 25 minutesAre we facing down yet another COVID wave right now? Does it matter? Guest: Katherine Wu, staff writer for The Atlantic Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How TurboTax Tricks Taxpayers
April 17, 2022 07:00 - 22 minutesHow did Intuit build its TurboTax empire? Guest: Justin Elliott, reporter for ProPublica Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Elonnnnnnnnnnnnn!
April 15, 2022 07:00 - 20 minutesIs Musk's bid to take Twitter private a genuine attempt to mold the social network in his image? Or is he just going to have some fun, make some money, and walk away? Guest: Felix Salmon, host of Slate Money and chief financial correspondent for Axios Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Uber Makes Nice With Cabs
April 10, 2022 07:00 - 22 minutesThe rideshare company's founder once called taxis “evil.” Now, Uber might need them to survive. Guest: Preetika Rana Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Elon Trolls the SEC
April 08, 2022 07:00 - 23 minutesWith 9.1% ownership of Twitter—and a board seat—Elon Musk is the new master of Twitter's future. Why did the wealthiest man in the world just take over the world's most influential platform? Guest: Ranjan Roy, writer of the Margins newsletter Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Conversation With Europe's Top Tech Cop
April 03, 2022 07:00 - 21 minutesFor nearly a decade, Margrethe Vestager has led Europe's efforts to rein in big tech. One newspaper article described Vestager as putting the fear of God into Silicon Valley. How is she thinking about fairness in tech in 2022? Guest: Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Europe fit for the Digital Age Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The White House's Favorite Tech Billionaire
April 01, 2022 07:00 - 23 minutesWhy did Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt spend over a decade building relationships with the most powerful Democrats in America? Guest: Alex Thompson, reporter at Politico Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Cost of Going Off-Grid
March 27, 2022 07:00 - 22 minutesGoing off-grid can seem appealing in lots of ways. But are there consequences if everyone unplugs from the system? Are there costs we haven’t considered? Guest: Ivan Penn, renewable energy correspondent for the New York Times Host: Seth Stevenson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why the Zelensky Deepfake Failed
March 25, 2022 07:00 - 24 minutesThe FBI warned that Russia would use deepfakes to support its invasion of Ukraine. Are they missing the real threat? Guest: Noah Giansiracusa, professor of math and data science at Bentley University. Host: Seth Stevenson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Startup Delivering Adderall
March 20, 2022 07:00 - 19 minutesIn just two years, the mental-health startup Cerebral has grown to operate in 50 states, registered more than 200,000 patients, and reached a $4.8 billion valuation. Has it prioritized growth over patient care? Guest: Caleb Melby Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hong Kong’s Covid Crisis
March 18, 2022 07:00 - 24 minutesHong Kong's zero-COVID policy got enviable results, but inadvertently set the stage for disaster. What will it take to change course? Guest: Dr. Karen Grépin, Associate Professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Minnesota Spied On Protesters
March 13, 2022 07:00 - 21 minutesWhen Minnesota's Operation Safety Net, a coordinated effort among nine Minnesota law enforcement agencies, was announced in February 2021, its mission was to ensure the trial of Derek Chauvin would proceed peacefully. It also promised to protect people's right to gather and demonstrate peacefully. Did Operation Safety Net keep its promise? Guest: Tate Ryan-Mosley, reporter for MIT Tech review Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Putin's Internet Crackdown
March 11, 2022 08:00 - 31 minutesVladimir Putin has always regarded the internet with suspicion. Now, with western tech companies pulling out of Russia and control of the war narrative slipping, he sees an opening. Will Putin wall off Russia from the rest of the digital world? Guests: Yana Pashaeva, Moscow-based journalist Justin Sherman, fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Your Retina Needs a Software Update
March 06, 2022 08:00 - 23 minutesSecond Sight restored partial vision to hundreds of patients around the world through retinal implants. Then, on the verge of bankruptcy, they abandoned the project. Now, over 300 patients with Second Sight technology in their bodies are asking: what will happen to us? Guest: Eliza Strickland, senior editor at IEEE Spectrum Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ukraine’s Information War
March 04, 2022 08:00 - 23 minutesUp against one of the world's most effective propaganda operations, Ukraine has taken control of the online narrative. With Russian troops closing in, how important is winning the information war? Guest: Casey Newton, writer at Platformer Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Peter Thiel, Patron of the Populist Right
February 27, 2022 08:00 - 24 minutesPeter Thiel spent the better part of two decades molding the tech industry in his image. Now, he's leaving Facebook behind and turning his attention to politics. Is Thiel the next kingmaker for the populist right? Max Chafkin, writer for Bloomberg and is the author of The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Russia's Other Battlefront
February 25, 2022 08:00 - 25 minutesFor seven years, Ukraine has served as a virtual testing ground for a generation of cyber weaponry capable of taking down power grids, networks, and supply chains. With an invasion of Ukraine underway, will these weapons come into play? Guest: Andy Greenberg, senior writer at WIRED and the author of the book Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The COVAX Fantasy
February 20, 2022 08:00 - 29 minutesOver two years into the pandemic, much of the world remains either unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or lacking access to mRNA vaccines entirely. How did the leading effort to vaccinate the world go so wrong? Guest: Achal Prabhala, coordinator of the AccessIBSA project and a fellow of the Shuttleworth Foundation, in Bangalore. Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"Rampant Racism" at Tesla
February 18, 2022 08:00 - 23 minutesLast week, California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued Tesla. It accuses the electric vehicle maker of fostering a workplace rife with racism and discrimination. What's happening inside Tesla's Fremont plant? Guest: Dana Hull, reporter for Bloomberg Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Rise of a Fast Fashion Juggernaut
February 13, 2022 08:00 - 19 minutesIn just a few short years, the Chinese fast fashion company Shein upended the way countless young women shop online. It’s approach could soon shape the way everyone else shops, too. Guest: Louise Matsakis, freelance technology reporter Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Safe is the Metaverse?
February 11, 2022 08:00 - 26 minutesFacebook’s first crack at the metaverse has a problem: kids. Underage users seem to be flooding Horizon Worlds, potentially putting themselves at risk. Is Meta doomed to repeat Facebook’s mistakes? Guest: Will Oremus, technology news analysis writer for the Washington Post. Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Code That Runs Your Life
February 06, 2022 08:00 - 21 minutesBanks, healthcare providers, and retailers around the world still rely on COBOL, a programming language originally developed in the 1960s. By all accounts the code is powerful, practical, and very rarely problematic. But the small group of people who still know the language are aging out of the workforce. What happens when there are no more COBOL coders left? Guest: Clive Thompson, journalist and author of "Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World." Host: Lizzie O’L...
Spotify’s Joe Rogan Mess
February 04, 2022 08:00 - 24 minutesFor Spotify, the last month has seen a cascade of controversies around its exclusive podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. Is it time for the streaming service to rethink its role as a podcast publisher? And is it even possible to moderate podcast misinformation? Guest: Evelyn Douek, lecturer at Harvard Law School, and Affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Downfall of One of the World's Biggest Brains
January 28, 2022 08:00 - 25 minutesTen years ago, IBM made a gamble. Through a monumental advertising and PR campaign, it promised that its AI technology–Watson–would transform the health care industry as we know it. A decade and billions of dollars later, Watson Health is being sold for parts. What went wrong with IBM’s “moonshot?” And what does Watson’s failure tell us about the promise of AI for health care? Guest: Casey Ross, national technology correspondent for STAT Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choic...
Why Does Matt Damon Want Me to Buy Crypto?
January 21, 2022 09:00 - 19 minutesA recent advertisement for crypto.com, featuring Matt Damon, was met with widespread mockery online. But Damon’s ad is only the most visible example of a much broader—and more insidious—trend of celebrity cryptocurrency endorsements. Is the partnership between crypto and Hollywood really dangerous? And what separates the trend from run-of-the-mill salesmanship? Guests: Jacob Silverman, staff writer for the New Republic and Ben McKenzie, actor, writer, and director. Host: Lizzie O’Leary Lear...
Where Are The Little Kids' Vaccines?
January 14, 2022 05:00 - 22 minutesToday on What Next TBD: What is going on with little kids' vaccines? Why don’t they seem to be a priority for the government or the pharmaceutical companies, while parents are stressed to a breaking point? We discuss with Meg Tirrell, health and science correspondent for CNBC, and co-host of the Readout Loud podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Aftermath of Elizabeth Holmes
January 07, 2022 05:00 - 27 minutesElizabeth Holmes was found guilty of defrauding investors this week in federal court. The former CEO, wunderkind, and blood mogul has been the subject of intense legal interest and public fascination ever since her company, Theranos, was beset by scandal in 2015. Today on What Next: TBD we follow-up with Rebecca Jarvis, host of “The Dropout” podcast and ABC News Chief Business, Technology & Economics Correspondent. We dig into the verdict and ask if Silicon Valley will finally confront the el...
Best of 2021: It’s Time to Talk About U.F.O.s
December 31, 2021 08:00 - 26 minutesThis episode originally aired in July 2021 Last week, the U.S. government released a new report that attempts to categorize 144 verified sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena, or U.A.P. They could only definitively explain one of them. The new report signals a shift in the way we think about U.A.P. As technology has advanced and evidence of these encounters have increased, the question has become more urgent: what exactly is happening in our skies? Guest: Shane Harris, intelligence a...
Best of 2021: Are We Getting COVID Testing All Wrong?
December 24, 2021 08:00 - 33 minutesThis episode originally aired in September. In the U.S., the PCR test is the gold standard for COVID testing. Common knowledge would have it that the test is more accurate—and therefore more effective at containing the spread of the disease—than the rapid antigen test. What if that isn’t quite true? Guest: Michael Mina, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Carbon Capture Fantasy
December 17, 2021 08:00 - 29 minutesUsing experimental technology to pull gigatons of carbon out of the air and bury it deep beneath the Earth sounds like a bad sci-fi plot point. If things don’t change soon, it also might be one of our only options. Guest: Clive Thompson, journalist and author of Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Who Online Justice Leaves Behind
December 10, 2021 08:00 - 21 minutesThe U.S. civil court system doesn’t get as much attention as the criminal courts, but it would be hard to overstate its importance. In 2018, for example, 47 percent of respondents to a Pew survey said they had dealt with the system in one way or another; from eviction proceedings, to debt collection, to child-support modifications. What happened when the pandemic upended such an important pillar of the justice system? Did new technologies fix existing problems—or just create new ones? Gues...
Did @jack Ruin Twitter?
December 03, 2021 08:00 - 21 minutesOn Monday, Jack Dorsey stepped down as CEO of Twitter. It’s not the first time he’s left the job. Is this really the end for the man who guided Twitter through the Trump era? And how will the platform change without him at the helm? Guest: Nick Bilton, special correspondent at Vanity Fair Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Best of 2021: Inside the Subreddit That Blew Up GameStop
November 26, 2021 10:00 - 24 minutesThis episode originally aired in January 2021 The story of how GameStop went from the verge of a bankruptcy to a $15 billion market value isn’t an easy one to wrap your head around. But it helps to go back to the beginning; almost three years ago, in a subreddit called r/wallstreetbets. Guests: Brandon Kochkodin, reporter at Bloomberg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Space Junk! (And Space Wars?)
November 19, 2021 08:00 - 26 minutesOver the weekend, Russia tested a new weapon—a type of missile that can fly into space and destroy a satellite in orbit. The test created thousands of pieces of debris, which will hurtle around the Earth’s orbit for years to come. What’s the real risk of the rapid increase in space junk? And is there anything to be done about it? Guest: Laura Grego, Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at MIT Host: Seth Stevenson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Kid-Vaccine Holdouts
November 12, 2021 08:00 - 28 minutesA recent poll showed that about a third of parents of younger children would get their kids vaccinated, a third would not, and the final third said they wanted to wait and see how the vaccines worked. Public health officials are asking: what will it take to convince that third group that now is the time to vaccinate? Guests: Julie Hamill Dr. Aaron Carroll, pediatrician and professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choice...
How Schools Surveil Your Kids
November 05, 2021 10:00 - 25 minutesIn schools across the country, tighter digital controls were put in place to keep kids on task during the pandemic. Are they here to stay? Guests: Priya Anand, reporter at Bloomberg Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why Are Bots Buying Sneakers?
October 29, 2021 10:00 - 29 minutesThe bots aren’t just buying cool sneakers. They’re buying concert tickets. Tickets to basketball games and Broadway shows. At the beginning of the pandemic, they were buying hand sanitizer and face masks. And later, they were booking vaccine reservation spots. Why are bots taking over certain markets? And is there anything we can do to slow them down? Guests: Derreck Johnson, designer at Slate Eric Budish, economics professor at the University of Chicago Host: Seth Stevenson Learn more ab...
Honey, I Sold the House to Zillow
October 22, 2021 10:00 - 23 minutesBetween April and June of this year, Zillow bought nearly 4,000 homes. And they had no intention of holding onto them. The plan was to flip houses, often and at scale, joining the ranks of companies like Opendoor and Offerpad, also known as iBuyers. So, why did Zillow put their plans on pause last weekend? Can online middlemen really change the way we buy and sell houses? Guests: Tony Santos, homeowner Patrick Clark, reporter at Bloomberg Host: Henry Grabar Learn more about your ad choic...
The Return of Hacktivism
October 15, 2021 10:00 - 25 minutesOver the last month, the domain company Epik and the streaming service Twitch have fallen prey to massive-scale hacks. The hackers revealed not just email addresses, but detailed personal information too. For Twitch, it was the entire source code for their site. But the attackers aren’t holding this data for ransom. In fact, they don’t seem to want much of anything. What’s motivating this new wave of activist hacks? And who suffers? Guest: Drew Harwell, tech reporter at the Washington Post...
Will the Facebook Whistleblower Make a Difference?
October 08, 2021 10:00 - 26 minutesThe last month has seen a steady drip of leaked documents from inside Facebook, each seemingly more damning than the next. This week, the whistleblower behind the leaks revealed her identity. What motivates Frances Haugen? And can she do real damage to the social media giant? Guest: Jeff Horwitz, tech reporter at the Wall Street Journal. Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What Instagram Does to Teens
October 01, 2021 10:00 - 25 minutesSince 2018, internal research teams at Facebook have been studying the effect on Instagram on mental health. Their results couldn’t be more clear: Instagram is causing problems, especially for teen girls. Why has it taken so long for their research to surface? And what can be done to improve the relationship between kids and the platform? Guest: Georgia Wells, tech reporter at the Wall Street Journal. Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Are We Getting COVID Testing All Wrong?
September 24, 2021 10:00 - 30 minutesIn the U.S., the PCR test is the gold standard for COVID testing. Common knowledge would have it that the test is more accurate—and therefore more effective at containing the spread of the dease—than the rapid antigen test. What if that isn’t quite true? Guest: Michael Mina, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sponsored: Tech Solutions that Serve L.A. Citizens with Ted Ross
September 22, 2021 10:00 - 30 minutesThe final episode of Season 1 features Ted Ross, Chief Information Officer for the City of Los Angeles. His role became more vital than ever during the pandemic, with L.A.’s 4 million residents and 50,000 employees relying on the city’s complex technological operation for support. Ted helped his city navigate the challenge with tech solutions built on principles designed to serve citizens and inspire employees: focus on people, improve lives, and lean into promising innovations. Learn more ab...
China vs. Video Games
September 17, 2021 10:00 - 18 minutesRecently, China restricted video game playing to just three hours a week for its young people: 8pm to 9pm, Friday through Sunday. And that’s not the only change. Over the last few months, private tutors, diehard celebrity fans, and tech giants have all faced fresh restrictions from Beijing. What’s behind this new wave of crackdowns? Guest: Brenda Goh, technology correspondent for Reuters Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices