What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future

Why Wall Street Can’t Quit Elon

06 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk’s polarizing persona and antics have created a toxic cloud around his companies, particularly Tesla. But despite that, Wall Street can’t...

Where DOGE Is Taking Us

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, DOGE set its sights  and scythe on the Department of Health and Human Services, with a goal of cutting 10,000 federal workers, once again ...

This Is Your Brain On Ketamine

30 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ketamine has gone from a recreational psychedelic to an approved treatment, and it has caught on in Silicon Valley in a big way. Are the long-term eff...

This Is Your Brain On Ketamine

30 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ketamine has gone from a recreational psychedelic to an approved treatment, and it has caught on in Silicon Valley in a big way. Are the long-term eff...

We Made a Memecoin

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Memecoins are a niche type of cryptocurrency with no intrinsic value. But they remain a popular form of crypto, as seen earlier this year with Preside...

Bezos 2.0

23 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

During his first term, President Trump and Jeff Bezos openly sparred with each other. During this second administration, though, it seems like Bezos i...

Trump's War on Scientific Research

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The National Institutes of Health is the primary engine of biomedical research around the world, which makes the Trump administration's dramatic cuts ...

How Trump Is Trying to Kill Press Freedom

16 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With a Trump-friendly Supreme Court and a contentious relationship with the press, could Donald Trump follow through on his 2016 campaign goal of maki...

Will Tesla Survive Elon Musk?

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The public’s anger towards Elon Musk and DOGE has found an outlet in the form of Musk’s car company Tesla. How long can the company put up with a ...

Zuckerberg and the Post-Factcheck Era

09 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After the election, Mark Zuckerberg announced that he was doing away with Facebook’s fact-checking apparatus in the US. With content creators gettin...

From 4Chan to Charlottesville to DOGE

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To understand the second Trump administration, you have to understand the internet culture that gave birth to it. Guest: Elle Reeve, CNN corresponden...

Cracking the Egg Crisis

02 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone’s talking about the price of eggs—so why are they so expensive? And when can we expect—if ever—the price to come back down? Guests: ...

The DOGE Resistance

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Federal workers in the U.S. Digital Service resigned in protest over what they viewed as indiscriminate, irresponsible firings coming from the DOGE of...

$Trump

23 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The crypto industry threw its weight and money behind Donald Trump, in hopes of legitimizing the industry. Before his Inauguration Day was over, Donal...

Elon's Endgame

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As someone whose companies receive billions of dollars from the government, it’s worth asking why Elon Musk is so zealous about cutting government s...

Can You Pay Attention, Please?

16 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The infinite scroll has no purpose other than keeping your attention. But that doesn’t mean it’s value-neutral. Guest: Chris Hayes, MSNBC news an...

Is Elon Actually Trying to Buy OpenAI?

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is Elon Musk’s $97.4 billion offer to buy OpenAI genuine—or an irresistible opportunity to troll Sam Altman? Guest: David A. Fahrenthold, investi...

Why Trump’s Data Purge is a Digital Book Burning

09 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Using Github, you can watch as government websites are brought into compliance with Donald Trump’s executive orders. Out goes the word “equity;”...

Bonus: The Discourse | Why is Elon Musk Cheating at Video Games?

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk is supposed to be running several companies and a new government department—so why is he also spending money to pretend to be good at vide...

Bonus: The Discourse | Why is Elon Musk Cheating at Video Games?

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk is supposed to be running several companies and a new government department—so why is he also spending money to pretend to be good at vide...

Is Elon Musk Unstoppable?

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You can’t doubt the enthusiasm of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. You can question the legality of some of their early moves.  ...

The DeepSeek Panic

02 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The artificial intelligence industry was thrown for a loop when the Chinese start-up DeepSeek rolled out a product that was more energy efficient, che...

RFK Jr. Is a Feature, Not a Bug

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tapped by Trump for the role of health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presents himself as someone willing to say what other politicians won’t. But...

The A.I. Will See You Now

26 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence is coming to a doctor’s office near you—if it isn’t already there, working in an administrative role. Are you ready for ...

Bonus: The Discourse | The Bro-ligarchs Take Washington

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Choice seats for Donald Trump’s second inauguration were filled with tech founders and CEOs, signaling their importance to this presidential term. T...

Bonus: The Discourse | The Bro-ligarchs Take Washington

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Choice seats for Donald Trump’s second inauguration were filled with tech founders and CEOs, signaling their importance to this presidential term. T...

Department of Government Elon

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Department of Government Efficiency was made to Elon Musk’s specifications, right down to its meme-indebted name. Now that DOGE is shaping up t...

As Fires Approached LA, Angelenos Turned to Watch Duty

19 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Looking for up-to-the-minute updates on where the fires are, LA residents have been turning to the app Watch Duty, rather than getting updates directl...

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta-Morphosis

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Misinformation, disinformation, politics—Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg is not going to shield users from those anymore. What’s behind the abrupt change...

Why Tech Is Bending the Knee

12 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How the FCC and its incoming head, Brenden Carr, could enact Trump’s top policy goal: punishing anyone who says mean stuff about Trump. Guest: Drew...

Will the Supreme Court Save TikTok?

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Will a First Amendment defense keep TikTok running in America?  Guest: Emily Baker White, tech reporter for Forbes.  Want more What Next TBD? Subscr...

Bitcoin Takes the White House

05 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cryptocurrency spent generously on this last election cycle, and now they’ve got their top pick in the White House, and wins across Congress. Where ...

Musk vs. MAGA

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Christmas Eve a fracas erupted on X, when Elon Musk posted in favor of H1-B visas for specialized and high-skill workers and was met with anger fro...

The Cost of Suicide Prevention Software

29 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between a third and half of American schoolchildren have a form of “mental health monitoring” software on their school devices, which scans for an...

2024 In Review: Would You Buy Poop On the Internet?

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“Fecal microbial transplants” treat someone’s unhealthy gut with poop from someone else’s healthy gut, and proponents of FMT claim it can help...

2024 In Review: Would You Buy Poop On the Internet?

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“Fecal microbial transplants” treat someone’s unhealthy gut with poop from someone else’s healthy gut, and proponents of FMT claim it can help...

Influencer vs. Influencer

22 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One influencer working for Amazon sued another influencer who works for Amazon for creating content that looks too similar to theirs. But with how the...

Influencer vs. Influencer

22 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One influencer working for Amazon sued another influencer who works for Amazon for creating content that looks too similar to theirs. But with how the...

Drones!??!!!?!!!

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Reports of flocks of drones, flying overhead nightly, are coming in from New Jersey down to Maryland. Are they UFOs? Nefarious foreign powers? Somethi...

The Surveillance State Trump Is Inheriting

15 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our lives, and our communication in particular, are increasingly conducted over the internet. This means we are increasingly able to be hacked and mo...

Elon Musk and Trump’s Shadow Transition Team

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk has been down in Florida with Donald Trump, inviting his fellow rich Silicon Valley friends to stop by and weigh in on the next administrati...

Spotify Trapped

08 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Spotify is shaping listening habits, so much so that musicians are shaping themselves for Spotify. It makes your musical world a little more prescribe...

The Influencer Administration

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From Dr. Oz to RFK Jr. to Donald Trump himself—the incoming administration looks like it will be populated with pitchmen and influencers. Will anyo...

When Your Flight’s GPS Gets Spoofed

01 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Anyone stuck in a knotted snarl of interstate clovers knows that GPS is both important and imperfect. But if GPS fails while you’re bringing a 737 i...

The Post-Election Social Media Wars

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Whatever X is, it ain’t the Twitter so many users fell in love with. Since the election, Bluesky has been on the rise, but it’s still only a fract...

Is Sickle Cell Anemia…Cured?

24 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last May, a 12-year-old with sickle cell anemia was the first person to receive a new gene therapy to treat the disease. The process is painful, expen...

What's Google Without Chrome?

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Department of Justice has released its recommendations for how Google’s monopoly on web search should be broken up. Top of their wishlist? Spinn...

What's Google Without Chrome?

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Department of Justice has released its recommendations for how Google’s monopoly on web search should be broken up. Top of their wishlist? Spinn...

The X-odus

17 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since Elon Musk took over, Twitter—er, sorry “X”—has been slowly deflating. But given that soon you’ll be getting yelled at by right-wing tr...

The X-odus

17 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since Elon Musk took over, Twitter—er, sorry “X”—has been slowly deflating. But given that soon you’ll be getting yelled at by right-wing tr...

The Manosphere That Delivered Trump Back to Power

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Going on Joe Rogan’s podcast didn’t fit into Kamala Harris’s last month of campaigning, which consisted of a careful diet of traditional media a...

The Polls Weren’t Wrong

10 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many folks were surprised at how soundly Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the election, especially since they thought the polls made it seem lik...

Elon Wins

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Elon Musk channeled his considerable resources towards Donald Trump’s campaign, there was talk about what his role in the new Trump administratio...

u up? Go vote.

03 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Voters in swing states are being subjected to constant political messages—on billboards, commercials and, increasingly, via text messages. But are d...

What Elon Wants From Trump

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How did Elon Musk go from a poster to someone pumping millions of dollars towards Donald Trump? And what’s he hoping to get for doing so? Guest: Ma...

Facebook for the Dead

27 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

He didn’t find his grandfather. But traveling to, photographing, and uploading his grandfather’s memorial stone gave him something else.  Guest:...

Can TikTok Sway this Election?

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This election cycle, TikTok has evolved into a news-and-politics delivery mechanism. Will it make a difference? Guest: Sapna Maheshwari, reporting on...

How Secure Is Our Election?

20 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

America’s head of cybersecurity isn’t worried about the election being hacked or the results being tampered with. But this election cycle does hav...

The Elon-Trump Alliance

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk went from voting for Hillary to supporting Trump so hard that he may have broken election laws. And with Musk influencing both on X and in c...

23andMe...And a Looming Data Disaster

13 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How did 23andMe go from the peak of the double-helix to a death spiral? And if it goes under, is all of the genetic data it collected at risk?  Gues...

Trump’s Crypto Gurus

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The crypto project “World Liberty Financial,” which was announced on X by Donald Trump, isn’t a cryptocurrency, nor a crypto-exchange, nor is it...

Trump’s Crypto Gurus

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The crypto project “World Liberty Financial,” which was announced on X by Donald Trump, isn’t a cryptocurrency, nor a crypto-exchange, nor is it...

A.I. Goes Nuclear

06 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Decades ago, Three Mile Island was shut down after a near catastrophic nuclear meltdown. So why is Microsoft paying over a billion dollars to open it ...

Helene Proves Nowhere is Safe

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the idea of a climate haven has been upended. And as the climate change gets worse every year, fewer places will...

American Life is a Highway

29 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

America is caught in a vicious cycle of trying to alleviate traffic by expanding and building more highways, only for them to clog right up with more ...

Big Tech Fears Her

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last decade, the European Union has been the vanguard regulating Big Tech, and the push has been led by Margrethe Vestager. As she steps down...

Trump Called. Laura Loomer Answered.

22 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Given Laura Loomer’s history of saying outright offensive and often bewildering things, how did she get into the Trump campaign’s inner circle?  ...

Can Instagram Really Keep Kids Safe?

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Instagram’s new default privacy settings for teenagers are designed to keep kids safe from strangers online. It’s a worthy endeavor, but are priva...

Is Boeing Lost in Space?

15 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Boeing’s Starliner has now landed successfully—but Butch and Sunny weren’t on it. With a pair of astronauts still stuck on the ISS, when will NA...

TikTok Goes to Court

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The law has been passed and signed by the president: TikTok’s parent company must sell or divest from the app. But that’s not happening without a ...

The Misguided Buzz About Mosquitoes

08 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An outbreak of eastern equine encephalitis in the northeast made headlines, but as far as mosquito-borne illnesses go, EEE is serious but still rare. ...

US v. Google… Again

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A month after a federal judge declared that Google was operating as a monopoly because of its search engine, the Justice Department has alleged that G...

Telegram's CEO Just Got Arrested. Huh?

01 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Telegram was supposed to be the platform with the freest of free speech, which meant it was also rife with the worst the internet has to offer—"crim...

Back To School… Without Phones

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since the pandemic, schools have been reporting that their students are more anxious and having trouble learning. How much does simply removing cell p...

Who’s Going to Regulate AI?

25 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why are national politicians like Nancy Pelosi lining up alongside artificial intelligence companies to oppose safety regulations on this new industry...

Crypto Courts the 2024 Vote

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The last crypto boom left the industry cash-rich and reputation-poor, so they’re doing what any beleaguered industry does—donating to politicians....

The Rise of Off-Brand Ozempic

18 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are in high demand and short supply. The internet makes it easy for you to have a compounding pharmacy whip you up...

Elon Musk’s Bully Pulpit

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter - now X - in 2022, he’s increasingly used it to push his conservative views. A suit against a non-profit brand saf...

Tesla’s Out of Juice. But Are EVs?

11 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The hype has slowed but electric vehicles aren’t going away—once the infrastructure is in place, they’ll go everywhere. Guests:  Nitish Pahwa,...

Google’s a Monopoly. What About The Rest?

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Should the other Silicon Valley giants be worried following the Department of Justice’s decisive win against Google?  Guest: Leah Nylen, antitrust...

If They Can Get Sydney Sweeney They Can Get You

04 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this month, AT&T was hit by the largest telecom hack ever. Not long after, Sydney Sweeney’s phone number was stolen by criminals, who used i...

Why Are More Young People Getting Cancer?

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The age when you need to start being screened for cancers may need to be updated, as rates among younger people are on the rise. New testing methods c...

The Panopticon Olympics

28 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How France changed its own laws to have the safest, most pervasively surveilled Olympics ever—and why some are worried the new security system will ...

Is Silicon Valley Trump-Vance Country?

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For years, Silicon Valley has felt like a liberal enclave.. This election, a handful of powerful voices like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel are expressing ...

The Conspiracy Theory Election

21 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the hours after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, conspiracy theories started circulating all over social media, often amplified by powerf...

America’s Tech Trustbuster

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The biggest companies in the world are now tech companies, which is why the biggest antitrust, anti-monopoly fights in recent memory are centered arou...

The New World of DIY Medical Tests

14 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“Home diagnostics” are a $5 billion industry—and growing. Spurred by social media, people are buying into at-home health tests, without input fr...

Boeing Pleads Guilty

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Boeing just pled guilty to felony charges of defrauding the federal government, leading to millions of dollars in fines, and new, external oversight. ...

The Blu-Ray-naissance Is Here. Sort of.

07 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The downsides of the streaming era are coming into focus for movie fans—uncontrollable, changing libraries; lower fidelity; lack of extras and featu...

Elon Says Have More Babies

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The world’s population has never been bigger, and it’s still growing. but there’s a movement of “pronatalists” who see the slowing birth rat...

Why Are IUDs Still a Mystery?

30 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The story of IUDs is a story of technology, reproductive rights, shortcomings in communication about women’s health, and politics.  Guest: Mia Ar...

Why Extreme Weather Keeps Surprising You

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Saying any one storm or heat wave or weather in general was “caused by climate change” is tricky—summer is, after all, usually pretty hot, and s...

Is Your Phone Tracking Your Driving?

23 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As cars get smarter, automakers - with the help of third-party apps - are leveraging the new data they’re able to collect on people's driving habits...

Amazon Wants Your Handprint

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Amazon has installed digital palm readers at Whole Foods. The reader scans your palm, collecting biometric data, and links it to your credit card to p...

The FBI Made a Phone Network. It Was A Trap.

16 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2021, one of the largest global law enforcement operations took place. It was all thanks to an encrypted phone service known as Anom, which was sec...

Apple Goes Intelligent

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, Tim Cook announced Apple was getting into artificial intelligence. Is Apple about to do for A.I. what it did for personal computers and sma...

Fee’d Up: A Musician’s Take on Ticketmaster

09 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s hard to imagine music fans mourning a break-up of Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation, as a Department of Justice lawsuit requests....

The Secret Semiconductor War

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How well is the Biden administration coaxing semiconductor companies to build their chips in the United States? Compared to Taiwan, South Korea, Japan...

Would You Buy Poop On the Internet?

02 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“Fecal microbial transplants” treat someone’s unhealthy gut with poop from someone else’s healthy gut, and proponents of FMT claim it can help...

He’s Suing Big Tech Over Uvalde

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

His law firm won a $73 million dollar settlement against Remington on behalf of nine Sandy Hook families. Now he’s filing a lawsuit against the gunm...