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.
326
Why Are So Many Little Kids Sick Right Now?
Those born under pandemic restrictions are getting their first “normal” autumn, replete with all the sniffles that entails.
21 min
327
So How’s It Going, Elon?
From canning executives to a plan to charge for blue checks, Twitter has entered the Musk Era.
25 min
328
Big Brother, Big Tech and China
COVID may be an inflection point in the relationship between the surveillance state and the surveilled.
38 min
329
Twitter Is Dead; Long Live Twitter
No matter what Elon Musk does, Twitter will never be the same
36 min
330
Can We Make an Alzheimer’s Drug That Works?
Advances towards an effective drug therapy have been uneven and unclear, but there are promising developments.
30 min
331
When An Algorithm Raises Your Rent
If it draws on data from landlords and tells them what others are charging, when does it become price-fixing?
29 min
332
Are You Ready to Be Composted When You Die?
How a bunch of environmentalists want to disrupt the American death industry.
28 min
333
The Next Amazon Union Fight
The Amazon Labor Union gears up for a fight at a new warehouse outside Albany.
27 min
334
When Your Church Surveils Your Phone
A look at the rise of accountability apps in churches.
20 min
335
Could the Supreme Court Kill the Internet As We...
Section 230 has made it to the Supreme Court.
25 min
336
The Philosopher With Silicon Valley's Ear
A deep dive into longtermism.
54 min
337
When Climate Change Makes You Sell Your House
How a mandatory buyout program in Harris County is upending a decades-old community.
23 min
338
Can Nuclear Power Be Green?
The war in Ukraine and climate change are forcing countries to rethink their stance on nuclear power.
22 min
339
The Fight Over Online Speech Headed to the Supr...
How laws in Texas and Florida take aim at social media companies and how they moderate content.
28 min
340
The Hidden Abuse Behind Those Spam Texts You're...
Human trafficking victims in Asia are being forced into scamming people online.
26 min
341
How Big Internet Keeps Small Communities Discon...
The fight for internet between East Carroll Parish and Sparklight.
22 min
342
The Chaos That Made YouTube a Juggernaut
How the company has struggled with creators, extremism, and itself.
30 min
343
Can A.I. Make Great Art?
A.I. generated art is reaching new levels of sophistication at a rapid rate.
25 min
344
The Summer Vaccine of the Future
A new Lyme vaccine that's in late-stage trials would be the first in 20 years.
15 min
345
A.I. Made to Fight Child Porn Ensnared an Innoc...
The unintended victims of Google's A.I. used to fight child predators.
24 min
346
The Streaming TV Bloodbath
We're seeing a course correction in the streaming market.
24 min
347
The Hacker Blowing the Whistle on Twitter
Inside the explosive whistleblower complaint against Twitter.
30 min
348
We're Expecting the Wrong Things From the CDC
What to make of the latest COVID-19 guidelines from the CDC.
24 min
349
What All That Money for Green Tech in the Clima...
The Inflation Reduction Act is fast-tracking climate technologies.
23 min
350
Big Pharma’s Bet on Psychedelics
Psychedelic drug research is increasingly being funded by pharmaceutical companies.
22 min