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.
451
Introducing: ICYMI
We’re online so you don’t have to be.
28 min
452
The Fight Over Vaccine Passports
Standardizing vaccine credentials won’t be an easy task.
22 min
453
The AstraZeneca Saga
By all accounts, Oxford and AstraZeneca made a good vaccine. So why has the path to approval been so painful?
22 min
454
Hate, Lies, and AI
Artificial Intelligence transformed technology across Facebook. But it’s not being employed to fix the company’s biggest problem.
23 min
455
Does Google Actually Want to Hire Black Engineers?
The tech giant’s partnerships with HBCUs are still coming up short.
21 min
456
The Failing Lifeline for Low-Income Americans
A Reagan-era program designed to provide phone access for the poor has hardly changed in 40 years.
20 min
457
Australia’s Kinda-Sorta Win Over Big Tech
A new type of legislation could change the way governments and big tech do business.
19 min
458
Why Texas Went Dark
The state is no stranger to extreme weather. But not like this.
20 min
459
How Clubhouse Cracked China’s Firewall
Two weeks of extraordinary conversations led to an inevitable result.
21 min
460
India Turns Off the Internet
India ranks second in the world in mobile internet subscribers. It ranks first in shutdowns.
17 min
461
Inside the Subreddit That Blew Up GameStop
How an irreverent band of Reddit investors cost Wall Street millions.
20 min
462
Why the Vaccine Websites Suck
The states’ struggles with digital delivery started long before 2020.
26 min
463
Where the Far Right Is Meeting Now
Extreme groups have been banned from mainstream social media platforms. Is that a good thing?
16 min
464
Deplatforming the President
With just 12 days left in his term, the social media giants have relieved the president of his megaphone.
17 min
465
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
466
Everybody Sues Facebook
This isn’t the first antitrust suit against a big tech company, but it is the most ambitious.
20 min
467
How Hackers Hold Schools for Ransom
When classes move online, hackers see an opportunity.
20 min
468
Inside Biden’s COVID Team
One of the president-elect’s coronavirus advisers says Trump’s refusal to concede is costing lives.
20 min
469
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
470
How the Gig Economy Won in California
An unprecedented ballot measure could shape the gig economy for years to come.
18 min
471
The Fight Against Election Day Falsehoods
Researchers are expecting a deluge misinformation on Election Day.
21 min
472
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
473
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
474
What Landlords Have on You
Automated background checks help landlords decide who gets to rent their properties. They’re deeply flawed.
18 min
475
The Attack on Florida’s Latino Voters
A flood of Spanish-language misinformation could tip the scales in Florida.
15 min