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
Why Hospitals Keep Getting Hacked
New computer security systems may not be a priority for your hospital. They should be.
20 min
102
Scarlett Johansson vs OpenAI
Is OpenAI’s latest scandal a sign of what’s to come?
23 min
103
The Dark Side of GoFundMe
Even when it succeeds, it’s evidence of a broken system.
28 min
104
Too Stonks Too Furious
Meme stocks are back—wait, they never really went away.
21 min
105
Would You Choose Your Child’s Sex?
Almost every country has banned the practice—but in the US, its growing.
25 min
106
Meet the Trump Campaign’s A.I. Guy
The artificial intelligence election is on.
17 min
107
Can California Save Journalism?
The Sunshine State considers making Google and Meta pony up—and making news outlets spend that revenue on their staff.
20 min
108
Bird Flu—It’s in Milk?
Scientists are observing, for the first time, the virus spreading cow-to-cow—is human-to-human next?
21 min
109
The Failures of ‘Organic’ Farming
Organic farms try to make their products better for people, but that doesn’t mean better animal welfare.
24 min
110
So ... Is TikTok Banned?
Or has the long journey to banning the short-video app just begun?
19 min
111
The Internet Archive Endangered
A non-profit site just digitized Aruba’s history. They could be sued out of existence.
19 min
112
What’s Driving Tesla’s Layoffs?
The EV maker may be demonstrating why other car makers don’t do it this way.
19 min
113
Is America Ready for Legal Psychedelics?
How the push for legal ‘shrooms can avoid the problems plaguing legal cannabis.
23 min
114
Does Google Suck Now?
Wither our once-best search engine?
23 min
115
America Needs More Power
How building our renewable energy future domestically is keeping old power plants running.
26 min
116
Truth Social’s Rocky Week
Trump Media’s IPO may not be the blockbuster Trump was hoping for.
23 min
117
The Psychological Toll of Mars
We know how to get to space. But what happens to our minds when we’re there?
21 min
118
Can Boeing Pull Out of This Tailspin?
What needs to change at the company to restore public trust?
27 min
119
The Next Round of the Union Fight
Post-pandemic labor movements were losing momentum, but wins in the auto and film industries have put wind back in the sails.
17 min
120
Reddit’s IPO Gamble
Will the public upvote it?
24 min
121
When Private Equity Gets in to Health Care
What’s something expensive that people have no choice but to buy?
26 min
122
Is TikTok Cooked This Time?
Why does this issue snap a dysfunctional Congress into bipartisan agreement?
22 min
123
Instagram’s Pedophile Problem
Pedophiles are flooding the accounts of child influencers on Instagram. Who is to blame — and who can make them stop?
30 min
124
Why TikTok Went Silent
As TikTok and UMG argue over whether TikTok is a music platform or not, artists are left in the dark.
19 min
125
Google’s Scam Obituary Problem
What happens when your loved one’s death becomes funeral clickbait?
25 min