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
The White House's Favorite Tech Billionaire
Google's Ex-CEO built considerable influence in Biden's Office of Science and Technology Policy. Did he cross the line?
19 min
327
The Cost of Going Off-Grid
Is there a downside to being entirely energy self-sufficient?
18 min
328
Why the Zelensky Deepfake Failed
Even low-quality deepfakes can have an enormous impact.
19 min
329
The Startup Delivering Adderall
What happens when you pair the Silicon Valley playbook with prescription drugs?
15 min
330
Hong Kong’s Covid Crisis
Why did the city fail to vaccinate its elderly population?
18 min
331
How Minnesota Spied On Protesters
Operation Safety Net was supposed to keep the peace during the Chauvin trial. Did it abuse its power?
17 min
332
Putin's Internet Crackdown
The Kremlin is resorting to extreme measures to control the information landscape in Russia.
27 min
333
When Your Retina Needs a Software Update
What do you do when your bionic eye becomes obsolete?
19 min
334
Ukraine’s Information War
How the embattled country took control of the social media narrative.
18 min
335
Peter Thiel, Patron of the Populist Right
Why the enigmatic founder and investor is turning his attention to politics full-time.
20 min
336
Russia's Other Battlefront
Vladimir Putin has spent years testing an arsenal of cyber weapons against Ukraine.
21 min
337
The COVAX Fantasy
How a plan to vaccinate the world came undone.
25 min
338
"Rampant Racism" at Tesla
What's happening inside Elon Musk's Fremont plant?
18 min
339
The Rise of a Fast Fashion Juggernaut
Shein isn’t just changing the fast fashion industry. It’s changing the way Americans shop.
15 min
340
How Safe is the Metaverse?
For early adopters, there’s a dark underbelly to Meta’s new world.
22 min
341
The Code That Runs Your Life
COBOL is 60 years old and still propping up the world’s financial and healthcare institutions.
17 min
342
Spotify’s Joe Rogan Mess
For the Swedish streaming service, the Experience has been a wakeup call.
20 min
343
The Downfall of One of the World's Biggest Brains
IBM’s Watson was supposed to transform health care. Last week, it was sold off for scrap.
21 min
344
Why Does Matt Damon Want Me to Buy Crypto?
A former teen star unpacks the hottest Hollywood hustle.
14 min
345
Where Are The Little Kids' Vaccines?
Why don’t they seem to be a priority for the government or the pharmaceutical companies, while parents are stressed to a breaking point?
20 min
346
The Aftermath of Elizabeth Holmes
Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty of defrauding investors this week in federal court.
23 min
347
Best of 2021: It’s Time to Talk About U.F.O.s
A new report shows that the government is changing its tune on unidentified aerial phenomena.
21 min
348
Best of 2021: Are We Getting COVID Testing All...
It may be time to reimagine how we use tests in the U.S.
26 min
349
The Carbon Capture Fantasy
The IPCC says we may need to pull carbon out of the atmosphere to keep the planet from overheating. That won’t be easy.
23 min
350
Who Online Justice Leaves Behind
The courts’ arrival in the modern era came with some unexpected tradeoffs.
15 min