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.
251
Can Smart Guns Save Lives?
Is a gun only you can shoot really safer than a regular firearm?
26 min
252
Another Summer of COVID
COVID infections are up this summer - again. But it's hard to tell just how bad it is.
25 min
253
Tesla's Big Lie
Elon Musk’s most recent scandal may upend the way we think of an electric future.
26 min
254
America’s Downtown Ghost Towns
What happens to those offices when employees don’t “return to work?”
29 min
255
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
256
Why Tech Lays Women Off First
Rounds of layoffs have disproportionately affected women in tech—including those on maternity leave.
27 min
257
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
258
America’s Killer Car Problem
U.S. infrastructure doesn't prioritize the lives of pedestrians. Why?
32 min
259
Will UPS Workers Join "Hot Strike Summer?"
It's not just Hollywood—UPS workers may soon be striking too.
29 min
260
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
261
Threads vs. Twitter
If your rate limit has been exceeded one too many times, Mark Zuckerberg is here with an alternative.
24 min
262
Turning Your Face Into Your Ticket
Facial recognition tech at the airport is being sold as an opt-in convenience—for now.
20 min
263
The Never-Ending Cancer Drug Shortage
This problem isn't new—and it's completely preventable.
31 min
264
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
265
The U.S. vs Amazon Prime
Does Amazon make canceling a Prime subscription unnecessarily difficult? The FTC thinks so.
22 min
266
The George Soros Succession
Life imitates prestige television for George Soros, his sons, and—because of their billions—politics across the world.
24 min
267
Reddit’s Rolling Blackouts
The site wants to monetize its data, but what’s it going to cost?
23 min
268
Are You Ready For A.I. Generated Actors?
The future actors are worried about may be waiting in the wings.
29 min
269
Is Crypto Toast?
Lawsuits against two of the biggest crypto exchanges show exactly what the SEC thinks of the industry.
30 min
270
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
271
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
272
The Trouble With TikTok Songs
Sped-up versions of songs are siphoning off already-paltry streaming revenues
18 min
273
Tweetering on the Glass Cliff
Is Elon Musk’s CEO pick set up to fail?
20 min
274
A Tipping Point for Digital Tipping
Why exactly are self-service checkouts asking us to pay more?
28 min
275
Why Sports Are All in on Betting
The tech that turned sports gambling from an illegal vice to an inescapable cash cow.
24 min