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.
401
Deplatforming the President
With just 12 days left in his term, the social media giants have relieved the president of his megaphone.
17 min
402
Was This Google Ethicist Fired for Doing Her Job?
A leader in the field of ethical AI was abruptly let go by the search giant.
20 min
403
Everybody Sues Facebook
This isn’t the first antitrust suit against a big tech company, but it is the most ambitious.
20 min
404
How Hackers Hold Schools for Ransom
When classes move online, hackers see an opportunity.
20 min
405
Inside Biden’s COVID Team
One of the president-elect’s coronavirus advisers says Trump’s refusal to concede is costing lives.
20 min
406
How Tough Will Biden Really Be on Big Tech?
His presidency may be the last chance to constrain the far-reaching power of the tech giants.
18 min
407
How the Gig Economy Won in California
An unprecedented ballot measure could shape the gig economy for years to come.
18 min
408
The Fight Against Election Day Falsehoods
Researchers are expecting a deluge misinformation on Election Day.
21 min
409
A Historic Case Against Google
For the first time in two decades, the federal government is trying to loosen Google’s grip on search.
18 min
410
Facebook Flips on Holocaust Denial
The social network’s reversal on its most controversial policy signals a shift to a new way of thinking about speech.
19 min
411
What Landlords Have on You
Automated background checks help landlords decide who gets to rent their properties. They’re deeply flawed.
18 min
412
The Attack on Florida’s Latino Voters
A flood of Spanish-language misinformation could tip the scales in Florida.
15 min
413
A Vaccine Won’t Be the End
Many of us are hoping that an effective vaccine will end mask-wearing and social distancing. That would be a mistake.
19 min
414
Did the Internet Doom a Pregnancy?
The real-life cost of online misinformation
20 min
415
The Great Climate Migration Begins
The largest mass movement of humans in history is starting. It could change everything.
18 min
416
The Limits of Filming Police Brutality
Smartphone ubiquity and body cameras were supposed to change policing for the better. What went wrong?
20 min
417
QAnon Goes Mainstream
How the conspiracy moved from the fringes of the internet to the White House press room.
16 min
418
What Went Wrong With Contact Tracing Apps
They were supposed to help us keep the virus in check. Why don’t any of them seem to actually work?
19 min
419
How Google Search Sold Out
The search engine used to be a gateway to the rest of the internet. Now, it’s something else entirely
18 min
420
How One Block Got Through It
Chicago’s 75th Street seems like exactly the type of place that would have struggled to survive the pandemic. Instead, it’s thriving.
20 min
421
When America Can’t Pay the Rent
Is an eviction crisis around the corner?
23 min
422
New Orleans Without Music
The city’s music scene can’t work without visitors. What will become of its venues, musicians, and economy?
19 min
423
Cities Are Running Out of Money
Will the U.S. learn lessons from the Great Recession or just repeat the same mistakes?
21 min
424
Is “Covid Flight” a Thing?
There are countless reasons why Americans move out of cities. Is the coronavirus really one of them?
19 min
425
What's a City Without the Office?
The future of the corporate office and the future of the American city aren’t easily separated.
18 min