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.
101
The Elon-Trump Alliance
Two main characters who finally found each other.
17 min
102
23andMe...And a Looming Data Disaster
The company is on the ropes. How safe is your DNA?
22 min
103
Trump’s Crypto Gurus
How two shady guys with a history of lawsuits, debts and prison time ended up running the new Trump family crypto venture.
19 min
104
A.I. Goes Nuclear
Why Microsoft is reopening Three Mile Island.
23 min
105
Helene Proves Nowhere is Safe
Why Americans keep moving into disaster zones.
21 min
106
American Life is a Highway
Another lane isn’t going to unsnarl the traffic.
20 min
107
Big Tech Fears Her
A conversation with Europe's top antitrust regulator.
28 min
108
Trump Called. Laura Loomer Answered.
How a rightwing provocateur entered the chat, right into the former president’s inner circle.
22 min
109
Can Instagram Really Keep Kids Safe?
Is a safer social media just a few settings away?
27 min
110
Is Boeing Lost in Space?
How the Starliner derailed Boeing’s space ambitions.
21 min
111
TikTok Goes to Court
The law has been signed, but lawmakers are still on the app.
22 min
112
The Misguided Buzz About Mosquitoes
21st century mosquitoes need 21st century solutions.
20 min
113
US v. Google… Again
The Justice Department won its case against Google’s search monopoly. Now it turns its focus to Google ads.
20 min
114
Telegram's CEO Just Got Arrested. Huh?
Why you should be paying attention to Pavel Durov’s arrest.
25 min
115
Back To School… Without Phones
Are smartphones really a detriment to learning—or a scapegoat?
26 min
116
Who’s Going to Regulate AI?
A.I. companies don’t like SB1047—not too surprising—but what’s Nancy Pelosi’s problem with it?
19 min
117
Crypto Courts the 2024 Vote
No, the industry’s not dead. It’s rich.
22 min
118
The Rise of Off-Brand Ozempic
Compounding pharmacies are shoring up the Ozempic and Wegovy shortage, often via telehealth—but there’s a catch.
19 min
119
Elon Musk’s Bully Pulpit
Remade in its owner’s image, X is rife with hate-speech, misinformation and fear-mongering.
21 min
120
Tesla’s Out of Juice. But Are EVs?
Tesla isn’t the whole story. Cars aren’t even the whole story.
23 min
121
Google’s a Monopoly. What About The Rest?
The Department of Justice proves it can take on Big Tech and win.
20 min
122
If They Can Get Sydney Sweeney They Can Get You
Why telecom networks are terrible at holding our sensitive data.
22 min
123
Why Are More Young People Getting Cancer?
Can a new colon cancer test help?
22 min
124
The Panopticon Olympics
Even the most advanced surveillance network couldn’t stop an attack on the Games’ first day.
25 min
125
Is Silicon Valley Trump-Vance Country?
Or will a Californian on top of the Democratic ticket win back tech’s votes?
20 min