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

The George Soros Succession

18 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One son was preparing to take over George Soros’s multi-billion-dollar empire. Then, there was a falling out, and a new heir-apparent was chosen.  ...

Reddit’s Rolling Blackouts

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Across Reddit, thousands of forums have gone “private” and effectively disappeared. Users are protesting the site’s plan to capitalize on its da...

Are You Ready For A.I. Generated Actors?

11 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As “deep fakes” have demonstrated, it’s getting easier and easier to swap an actor for a digital likeness—something that contributed to the Sc...

Is Crypto Toast?

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, the SEC sued Binance, the largest crypto exchange in the world, and Coinbase, the largest crypto exchange in the US. Is it a sign that the ...

Tech’s Newest Trillion Dollar Company

04 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Until recently, Nvidia was a company known for graphics cards—a brand name among gamers but not necessarily the general public. But as part of the A...

When Your Childhood Was Their Content

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When someone posts a photo of you online without your consent, it should be easy to have it taken down or confront the person who posted it. But what ...

The Trouble With TikTok Songs

28 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How the music streaming business opened the door to billions of dollars in fraud. Guest: Ashley Carman, Bloomberg News reporter covering the podcasti...

Tweetering on the Glass Cliff

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How Twitter’s new CEO Linda Yaccarino finds herself on the edge of “the glass cliff”: when a woman is sent in to fix a big mess.  Guest: Vittor...

Tweetering on the Glass Cliff

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How Twitter’s new CEO Linda Yaccarino finds herself on the edge of “the glass cliff”: when a woman is sent in to fix a big mess. Guest: Vittori...

A Tipping Point for Digital Tipping

21 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From the coffee shop to the salon to the grocery store, Americans feel like they’re being prompted and prodded for tips more than ever—and they’...

Why Sports Are All in on Betting

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Out of the smoky backrooms, Vegas and clandestine dens, and straight to your phone—how did gambling on sports go from forbidden to inescapable seemi...

Space After NASA

14 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Space might seem to be heading from the domain of big government programs to a playground for billionaires. But just below the surface, a world of sta...

Who’s Afraid of A.I.?

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence—as it already exists today—is drawing from huge troves of surveillance data and is rife with the biases built into the alg...

What's Going on at Meta?

07 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Meta’s reached a sort of mid-life crisis. Between the layoffs, the stagnant metaverse and Facebook’s dwindling profile, does Zuckerberg have a pla...

What the Writers' Strike Is Really About

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When television and screenwriters went on strike in 2007, Netflix had just started offering the option to stream content. This week, the Writer’s Gu...

Is Your Uber Drivers' Pay Rigged?

30 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Two gig workers standing side-by-side can be offered the very same job and get offered two different wages. Set by an algorithm and based on calculati...

Stephen King Is Just as Confused About Blue Checks as You Are

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Twitter’s “blue check” verification went from something you applied for, to something you could pay for, to something you had to pay for…to so...

"Crap Apps": Why Weather Apps Suck

23 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Weather apps can be frustrating. And with how much we rely on them to know if we should wear pants or shorts, they'll still leave you in the rain. But...

Will A.I. Close Off the Internet?

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Reddit announced it will start charging companies to use its huge, ever-growing trove of text to train A.I. chatbots. It’s another expense for the f...

Will Banning Social Media Help Kids?

16 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A new law in Utah that goes into effect next year states that anyone under 18 needs parental permission to use social media. Is it a necessary step to...

How Gamers Leaked Classified Pentagon Docs

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Discord is a place to share a community online. Most often, it's for gaming. So why did classified intelligence from the Pentagon end up on a small se...

Why Flying Is So Bad Now

09 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. air travel is being strained on all sides—travel demand is back to 2019 levels, but the number of pilots and planes and ground crew hasn’t ca...

Wait, TikTok Has a Sister App?

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, is fighting to keep its flagship app from being banned in the United States, it’s also pushing a new app...

Seeking Asylum Via App

02 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

CBP One, U.S. Customs and Border Protection's app that is supposed to make crossing the border more efficient, is littered with bugs. But even a perfe...

When A.I. Denies Your Health Care

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As Medicare Advantage plans have increased their reliance on software to determine what their customers require—and, therefore, receive—elderly pa...

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Woes

26 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk has been promising fully self-driving Teslas to the public for years and the beta version of Full Self-Driving is already in over 300,000 ca...

The Case Against TikTok

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

To most of its 150 million American consumers, TikTok is a fun app. To some creators, TikTok is a job and their platform. But to members of the US gov...

When A.I. Steals Your Voice

19 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Using just what you’ve posted to social media, generative A.I. can create a “puppet version” of your voice—one that’s close enough to scam y...

Where Is Silicon Valley Going to Bank Now?

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The economy is doing well almost every but in tech, where headlines about layoffs have been replaced with news about Silicon Valley Bank’s demise. T...

Would You Let A.I. Date For You?

12 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The online dating world can be brutal and repetitive—just the kind of thing you might want to automate. But, in one tech writer’s experience, arti...

When Meta Tells Law Enforcement About Your Abortion

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Just weeks before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a Nebraska woman and her daughter were charged with performing an illegal abortion, thanks...

The Hollywood Weight Loss Wonder Drug

05 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The diabetes medication Ozempic has exploded in popularity, particularly amongst those in Hollywood looking to lose a few extra pounds. But a silver b...

What Would Convince a Lab Leak Skeptic?

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It was reported this week that the U.S. Department of Energy now believes, “with low confidence,” that the COVID-19 virus came from a lab. But is ...

Is a 25-Year-Old’s Brain Mature?

26 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

New understandings of how our brains develop are changing how the law considers who is mature and who isn’t. But If our brains are still developing,...

Why A.I. Says the Darndest Things

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Microsoft has been testing out their new artificial intelligence on their long-ridiculed search engine Bing. The results? A chatbot that lies brazenly...

The Baby-Sleep Industrial Complex

19 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The tech-laden, luxury bassinet “Snoo” has been presented as preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, helping babies sleep longer, and a totally r...

What Made the Balloon Drama Pop Off?

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Come to think of it, a giant balloon seems like a pretty conspicuous way to spy on another country. So what was that Chinese spy balloon doing above t...

Contraband Tech Behind Bars

12 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s hard to put a number on it but judging from the number of videos emerging online, there are more and more contraband cell phones finding their ...

Why Ban TikTok?

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

TikTok was banned on government agency devices in December; several schools and universities have banned it on their devices and wifi networks, and th...

Did a Twentysomething Con America’s Biggest Bank?

05 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

JP Morgan Chase is getting an education on FAFSA and financial aid–which would’ve been helpful before they acquired a now, quite dubious seeming s...

How COVID Changes Our Immune Systems

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Last fall it seemed like everyone got sick—not just with COVID, but from a slew of respiratory diseases, from the mild to the severe. Researchers ar...

Did A.I. Write This Headline?

29 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The proliferation of chatbots and A.I.-generated art has consumers and tech companies alike convinced that artificial intelligence is ready to be inte...

Will Google Get Broken Up?

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. Department of Justice announced this week that it is suing Google over its ad technology. What do they contend Google has been doing? And doe...

Does Meta Even Care When Its Users Get Hacked?

22 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It can feel very personal to have your Facebook or Instagram page hacked—they’re your pictures and your friends after all. But Meta, the social me...

An Antivax Dog Whistle Goes Viral

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The idea that COVID-19 vaccines are linked to sudden deaths among young people has no scientific support, but the theory nevertheless has a lot of tra...

Tesla’s No Good, Very Bad Year

15 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk was promising an “epic” Q4 at Tesla last year. But 2022 ended closer to what might be considered an “epic fail,” with the stock pric...

Why the Feds Want to Kill Noncompetes

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You might think of noncompete agreements as mostly limited to highly skilled, highly paid tech workers to protect trade secrets. But one-third of work...

How War in Taiwan Could Short-Circuit U.S. Tech

08 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Roughly 95 percent of advanced semiconductor chip manufacturing happens in Taiwan, leaving the U.S. vulnerable to supply chain shocks and national sec...

Will Southwest Be Held Accountable?

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Over the holidays, thousands of passengers were left stranded or delayed when Southwest Airline’s outdated re-booking software broke down. Who can b...

One Year - 1942: The Most Hated Man in America

23 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At the beginning of World War II, the greatest threat to the American war effort wasn’t the Nazis or the Japanese—it was runaway inflation. The ma...

Are You Ready For Lab-Grown Meat?

18 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Food and Drug Administration gave an important thumbs up to lab-grown chicken, which means we could start seeing it in stores as soon as next year...

SBF's Worst Week Yet

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Even in a crazy year for crypto, Sam Bankman-Fried’s story is undeniably the most bananas. And even in the context of the implosion of FTX, getting ...

San Francisco’s Self-Driving Mess

11 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Self-driving cars and robotaxis are starting to appear on the streets of San Francisco. While we have a whole regulatory system in place for drivers, ...

Let’s Talk, Chatbots

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence is growing in leaps and bounds, and everywhere from Big Tech companies like Google to small teams like OpenAI are developing m...

Big Tech’s Boogeymen In Washington

04 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Biden administration’s Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission are both staffed with accomplished progressives who are proving more a...

Twitter's Vulnerabilities, Exposed

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dating back to the Arab Spring, Twitter’s potential for real-time organizing has been a selling point. But trying to find information on China’s “...

The Trap of Buy Now, Pay Later

27 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The option to “buy now and pay later” over installments exploded over the past two years, thanks to people being flush with stimulus cash and shop...

The End of the Tech Boom

20 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After decades as America’s booming industry, tens of thousands of tech workers have been laid off in November alone. Is the venture-capital, low-int...

The Case Against Climate Reparations

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At this year’s annual UN conference on climate change, they are discussing “climate reparations,” wherein the rich countries that grew their wea...

Is This The Cryptocalypse?

13 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The (once) third-largest cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, collapsed in stunning fashion this week, highlighting why consumers really do want regulation, ...

Senator Chris Murphy on Elon's Acquisition of Twitter

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The second largest investor in Twitter, after Elon Musk, is the Saudis, which raises questions about what kinds of “free speech” Musk is really co...

Why Are So Many Little Kids Sick Right Now?

06 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a rough autumn for parents of little kids, as non-COVID respiratory diseases are taking advantage of the first fall since 2019 where schoo...

So How’s It Going, Elon?

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One week in as head honcho of Twitter and Elon Musk is in a tight spot: how do you balance the desires of advertisers with your ostensible zeal for fr...

Big Brother, Big Tech and China

30 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There are some 400 million surveillance cameras installed in China, one for every three to four civilians. Built with the help of American tech compan...

Twitter Is Dead; Long Live Twitter

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Twitter has been a lot of things—where you posted your lunch, where you met your people, where you were subjected to a harassment campaign. Now, as ...

Can We Make an Alzheimer’s Drug That Works?

23 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alzheimer’s treatment hasn’t changed much in the past two decades, and the way researchers have been thinking about and approaching the disease ma...

When An Algorithm Raises Your Rent

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One company’s software is helping set prices for apartments across the country. But when does an algorithm telling landlords how much to charge—by...

Are You Ready to Be Composted When You Die?

16 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of composting a human body may seem unsettling—or even gross—and it runs counter to the normal American funeral rites of embalming and in...

The Next Amazon Union Fight

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Following their victory in Staten Island, the Amazon Labor Union is still facing an uphill battle. Both the company and the union are closely watching...

When Your Church Surveils Your Phone

09 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Churches are using accountability apps to keep tabs on their members' behavior. But if your pastor wants to monitor your phone, can you truly consent?...

Could the Supreme Court Kill the Internet As We Know It?

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Twenty-six words defined the internet as we know it today. What happens if they’re deleted? Guest: Jeff Kosseff Host: Lizzie O'Leary The Twenty-Six...

The Philosopher With Silicon Valley's Ear

02 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Longtermism, the idea that positively influencing the future is a key moral priority of our time, is hot in Silicon Valley. But does it miss the bigge...

When Climate Change Makes You Sell Your House

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With disaster relief funds from Hurricane Harvey, Houston's Harris County instituted a mandatory buyout program for residents in flood-prone areas. Bu...

Can Nuclear Power Be Green?

25 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nuclear technology has become more important than ever, thanks to a global energy crisis and climate change. But it also has a complicated history. Gu...

The Fight Over Online Speech Headed to the Supreme Court

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Conservative lawmakers in Florida and Texas are taking aim at content moderation on social media, with implications that go far beyond just the platfo...

The Hidden Abuse Behind Those Spam Texts You're Getting

18 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Victims of a new and high tech kind of human trafficking are forced to scam people all around the world. Guest: Cezary Podkul Host: Lizzie O'Leary Hu...

How Big Internet Keeps Small Communities Disconnected

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A small parish in Louisiana tried to get affordable, fast internet. An incumbent ISP stopped them. Guest: Issie Lapowsky, Wanda Manning Host: Lizzie O...

The Chaos That Made YouTube a Juggernaut

11 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An inside look at the rise of YouTube into a social media behemoth. Guests: Mark Bergen and Claire Stapleton Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about you...

Can A.I. Make Great Art?

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Technology is transforming the creative economy and ideas about what "art" even is. Guest: Drew Harwell Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad ...

The Summer Vaccine of the Future

04 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

LYMErix, the first vaccine against Lyme, was pulled from the market amid poor sales and pressure from the public. Now, over 20 years later, a new vacc...

A.I. Made to Fight Child Porn Ensnared an Innocent Dad

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A father took a photo of his son for their doctor. He wound up being investigated by the police. Guest: Kashmir Hill Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more a...

The Streaming TV Bloodbath

28 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shows are disappearing. Staff are getting axed. Is It greed, or necessary for the networks' survival? Guest: Julia Alexander Host: Lizzie O'Leary Lear...

The Hacker Blowing the Whistle on Twitter

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Legendary hacker Peiter "Mudge" Zatko’s reputation in the cybersecurity world is unmatched. His allegations against Twitter’s security are all the...

We're Expecting the Wrong Things From the CDC

21 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There's no way to remove politics from public health. Guest: Tim Requarth Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...

What All That Money for Green Tech in the Climate Bill Is Buying

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Inflation Reduction Act is spurring progress towards new climate technology that, at times, sounds like something out of a science fiction movie. ...

Big Pharma’s Bet on Psychedelics

14 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The psychedelic renaissance is here. But not everyone’s on board. Guest: John Semley Host: Sonari Glinton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

Crypto Could Leave Texas in the Dark

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Crypto mining is booming in Texas. Will the power grid be able to handle it? Guest: Russell Gold Host: Sonari Glinton Learn more about your ad choices...

The Monkeypox Vaccine Monopoly

07 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It makes intuitive sense for companies that develop a technology to hold its intellectual property rights. But in the case of vaccines and medical tre...

The Homes We Forgot to Build a Decade Ago

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The US has been in a housing shortage for decades. Can it ever be fixed? Guest: Conor Dougherty Host: Emily Peck Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

The Dark Web of Online Spider Sales

31 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers have untangled a world of illicit trade that threatens ecosystems and endangers species. Guest: Dr. Alice Hughes, Richard Stewart Host: Li...

Paging Dr. Bezos

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In buying One Medical, Amazon is primed to be your doctor. Are they disrupting health care, or just collecting more data? Guest: Rebecca Pifer Host: ...

Smart City: Dumb Idea?

24 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Toronto’s Quayside project is a telling example of how smart cities have failed. Could it also show how to make them better? Guest: Ben Green, Jenni...

Europe Is Burning

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The continent's deadly heat wave is only the tip of the melting iceberg. Guest: Henry Grabar Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

Silicon Valley's Hidden Discrimination

17 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Thenmozhi Soundararajan was scheduled to give a talk at Google for Dalit History Month. It led to vicious attacks against her from some of its employe...

Can Twitter Sue Elon Musk Into Submission?

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dysfunction is nothing new to Twitter. But Elon Musk pulling his offer to buy the company adds a new layer of chaos. Guest: Alex Kantrowitz Host: Lizz...

Paxlovid's Mysteries

10 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There's still a lot unknown about COVID's new wonder drug. Guest: Rachel Gutman-Wei Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

Can FEMA Keep Up With Climate Change?

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Climate change is causing unprecedented severe weather. Is the agency prepared for it to get worse? Guest: Craig Fugate and Ashley Nerbovig Host: Lizz...

The Good Hackers

03 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

According to the Justice Department, there’s a right way — and a wrong way — to be a hacker. Guest: Josephine Wolff Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn m...

TikTok’s Mental Health Influencers

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Social media makes mental health information accessible. But it's not a perfect solution. Guest: Lindsay Lee Wallace Host: Mary C. Curtis Learn more a...

Does Crypto Investment Need to Be Regulated?

26 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fidelity made headlines when they announced you could invest your retirement savings in Bitcoin. Then the crypto market crashed. Guest: Anthony Lee Zh...