What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the...
Every Friday, 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.
1
When Your Childhood Was Their Content
The first generation to grow up with their entire childhood documented on social media is coming of age—and wondering how to get some privacy.
24 min
2
The Trouble With TikTok Songs
Sped-up versions of songs are siphoning off already-paltry streaming revenues
18 min
3
Tweetering on the Glass Cliff
Is Elon Musk’s CEO pick set up to fail?
20 min
4
A Tipping Point for Digital Tipping
Why exactly are self-service checkouts asking us to pay more?
28 min
5
Why Sports Are All in on Betting
The tech that turned sports gambling from an illegal vice to an inescapable cash cow.
24 min
6
Space After NASA
The passionate weirdos and hedge funds that want to boldly go where only governments have gone before.
30 min
7
Who’s Afraid of A.I.?
Real harm from A.I. doesn’t have to look like Skynet—it’s already happening.
29 min
8
What's Going on at Meta?
Market instability, bad bets and low morale are putting Silicon Valley's poster child in uncharted territory. Can it claw its way back?
29 min
9
What the Writers' Strike Is Really About
The WGA is fighting to get ahead of A.I.—and finally catch up with the streaming era.
27 min
10
Is Your Uber Drivers' Pay Rigged?
Same ride. Same route. Different pay.
21 min
11
Stephen King Is Just as Confused About Blue Che...
A meltdown over its subscription service reveals Twitter’s wheels coming off.
30 min
12
"Crap Apps": Why Weather Apps Suck
Why our smartphone forecasts are so mercurial.
21 min
13
Will A.I. Close Off the Internet?
As A.I. companies are sucking up as much data as they can to train their systems, social platforms are starting to put their most valuable resource behind a paywall.
22 min
14
Will Banning Social Media Help Kids?
What the science says about Utah’s social media ban for teens.
29 min
15
How Gamers Leaked Classified Pentagon Docs
How highly classified documents from the Pentagon ended up in a small Discord server.
30 min
16
Why Flying Is So Bad Now
A series of near misses, antiquated tech and a shortage of airline employees are exposing the cracks in our air travel system.
28 min
17
Wait, TikTok Has a Sister App?
While TikTok is in Washington’s crosshairs, Bytedance has been quietly pushing out Lemon8, a new social media app that promises to marry Instagram and Pinterest. Will it stick?
24 min
18
Seeking Asylum Via App
CBP’s glitchy smartphone app leaves desperate people searching for instructions, wifi and even phones to use it.
33 min
19
When A.I. Denies Your Health Care
A predictive algorithm tucked into Medicare Advantage plans is routinely denying coverage for patients, leaving them with little recourse.
26 min
20
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Woes
Cost cutting, regulators, and Elon’s obsession with Twitter have cast doubt on Tesla’s promise of a fully autonomous vehicle.
29 min
21
The Case Against TikTok
After years of negotiations, and a testy hearing, the government seems set to ban it.
32 min
22
When A.I. Steals Your Voice
Your mom hears you calling in distress, but it’s not really you.
22 min
23
Where Is Silicon Valley Going to Bank Now?
The easiest money is gone for the industry.
25 min
24
Would You Let A.I. Date For You?
Would your personal profile benefit from an impersonal touch?
26 min
25
When Meta Tells Law Enforcement About Your Abor...
What does Big Tech need to do to protect users in Post-Roe America?
22 min