What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the...
Every 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.
226
Washington vs. A.I.
The government's starting to focus on regulating A.I. But have they learned from previous efforts to keep an eye on the tech industry?
24 min
227
Why Tech Lays Women Off First
Rounds of layoffs have disproportionately affected women in tech—including those on maternity leave.
27 min
228
America’s $5 Trillion Grid Problem
The electric grid is the only thing making parts of America habitable this summer. It desperately needs a makeover.
24 min
229
America’s Killer Car Problem
U.S. infrastructure doesn't prioritize the lives of pedestrians. Why?
32 min
230
Will UPS Workers Join "Hot Strike Summer?"
It's not just Hollywood—UPS workers may soon be striking too.
29 min
231
Is Your Son Watching Andrew Tate?
How one of the biggest misogynists on the internet infected the mindset of a generation of teenage boys.
33 min
232
Threads vs. Twitter
If your rate limit has been exceeded one too many times, Mark Zuckerberg is here with an alternative.
24 min
233
Turning Your Face Into Your Ticket
Facial recognition tech at the airport is being sold as an opt-in convenience—for now.
20 min
234
The Never-Ending Cancer Drug Shortage
This problem isn't new—and it's completely preventable.
31 min
235
Can Ozempic Cure Addiction?
Some patients claim it "quiets their brain." Researchers have been studying its effect on addiction for years. Does it actually work?
26 min
236
The U.S. vs Amazon Prime
Does Amazon make canceling a Prime subscription unnecessarily difficult? The FTC thinks so.
22 min
237
The George Soros Succession
Life imitates prestige television for George Soros, his sons, and—because of their billions—politics across the world.
24 min
238
Reddit’s Rolling Blackouts
The site wants to monetize its data, but what’s it going to cost?
23 min
239
Are You Ready For A.I. Generated Actors?
The future actors are worried about may be waiting in the wings.
29 min
240
Is Crypto Toast?
Lawsuits against two of the biggest crypto exchanges show exactly what the SEC thinks of the industry.
30 min
241
Tech’s Newest Trillion Dollar Company
Nvidia’s valuation has ballooned off the back of A.I. hype, putting it in league with companies like Apple and Alphabet. Are they here to stay?
20 min
242
When Your Childhood Was Their Content
The first generation to grow up with their entire childhood documented on social media is coming of age—and wondering how to get some privacy.
24 min
243
The Trouble With TikTok Songs
Sped-up versions of songs are siphoning off already-paltry streaming revenues
18 min
244
Tweetering on the Glass Cliff
Is Elon Musk’s CEO pick set up to fail?
20 min
245
A Tipping Point for Digital Tipping
Why exactly are self-service checkouts asking us to pay more?
28 min
246
Why Sports Are All in on Betting
The tech that turned sports gambling from an illegal vice to an inescapable cash cow.
24 min
247
Space After NASA
The passionate weirdos and hedge funds that want to boldly go where only governments have gone before.
30 min
248
Who’s Afraid of A.I.?
Real harm from A.I. doesn’t have to look like Skynet—it’s already happening.
29 min
249
What's Going on at Meta?
Market instability, bad bets and low morale are putting Silicon Valley's poster child in uncharted territory. Can it claw its way back?
29 min
250
What the Writers' Strike Is Really About
The WGA is fighting to get ahead of A.I.—and finally catch up with the streaming era.
27 min