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
American Life is a Highway
Another lane isn’t going to unsnarl the traffic.
20 min
102
Big Tech Fears Her
A conversation with Europe's top antitrust regulator.
28 min
103
Trump Called. Laura Loomer Answered.
How a rightwing provocateur entered the chat, right into the former president’s inner circle.
22 min
104
Can Instagram Really Keep Kids Safe?
Is a safer social media just a few settings away?
27 min
105
Is Boeing Lost in Space?
How the Starliner derailed Boeing’s space ambitions.
21 min
106
TikTok Goes to Court
The law has been signed, but lawmakers are still on the app.
22 min
107
The Misguided Buzz About Mosquitoes
21st century mosquitoes need 21st century solutions.
20 min
108
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
109
Telegram's CEO Just Got Arrested. Huh?
Why you should be paying attention to Pavel Durov’s arrest.
25 min
110
Back To School… Without Phones
Are smartphones really a detriment to learning—or a scapegoat?
26 min
111
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
112
Crypto Courts the 2024 Vote
No, the industry’s not dead. It’s rich.
22 min
113
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
114
Elon Musk’s Bully Pulpit
Remade in its owner’s image, X is rife with hate-speech, misinformation and fear-mongering.
21 min
115
Tesla’s Out of Juice. But Are EVs?
Tesla isn’t the whole story. Cars aren’t even the whole story.
23 min
116
Google’s a Monopoly. What About The Rest?
The Department of Justice proves it can take on Big Tech and win.
20 min
117
If They Can Get Sydney Sweeney They Can Get You
Why telecom networks are terrible at holding our sensitive data.
22 min
118
Why Are More Young People Getting Cancer?
Can a new colon cancer test help?
22 min
119
The Panopticon Olympics
Even the most advanced surveillance network couldn’t stop an attack on the Games’ first day.
25 min
120
Is Silicon Valley Trump-Vance Country?
Or will a Californian on top of the Democratic ticket win back tech’s votes?
20 min
121
The Conspiracy Theory Election
Misinformation from all sides is dominating this election, making it impossible to tell what’s real and what’s fake.
20 min
122
America’s Tech Trustbuster
AAG Jonathan Kanter talks A.I., rent-pricing software, and how he envisions fair competition.
29 min
123
The New World of DIY Medical Tests
Does the medical community have only itself to blame?
19 min
124
Boeing Pleads Guilty
Felony charges, half a billion in fines, and stranded astronauts—surely this must be rock bottom.
21 min
125
The Blu-Ray-naissance Is Here. Sort of.
Tired of movies slipping off streaming sites right when you want to watch them? There’s an obvious, off-the-shelf solution…
19 min