Foundering - podcast cover

Foundering

Bloombergbloomberg.com
Foundering is an award-winning, serialized podcast from the journalists at Bloomberg Technology. Each season, Foundering brings you inside a different high-stakes drama from the technology industry, where its companies are wielding unprecedented capital and power.

Episodes

Introducing Prognosis Season 3: Superbugs

On this new season of Prognosis, we look at the spread of infections that are resistant to antimicrobial medicines. You're probably more likely to have heard of these as superbugs. Their rise has been described as a silent tsunami of catastrophic proportions. We travel to countries on the frontline of the crisis, and explore how hospitals and doctors around the world are fighting back. Prognosis’ new season launches Sept. 5. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Aug 27, 20193 min

For Police, Social Media Is Now Part of the Job

When police officer David Gomez was first stationed at a school in rural Idaho, he thought he’d spend his time breaking up fights in bathrooms and scanning the hallways for weed. Instead, he found that almost every problem was either happening on social media or started there. This week on Decrypted, reporter Shelly Banjo explores how age-old dangers like drugs, child predators and school shooters have shifted onto new platforms, and how one school has tried to adapt. See omnystudio.com/listener...

Jun 25, 201919 min

Why Silicon Valley Is Hiring Bird Experts

A few years ago, reporter Sarah McBride noticed that a top engineer at Twitter was also an expert on the brains of birds. Then, more and more, she started seeing that many top tech companies have bird brain experts in their highest ranks⁠—that includes Apple, Google, Intel and a secretive startup founded by Elon Musk. This week on Decrypted, Sarah and fellow reporter Ashlee Vance set out to understand why Silicon Valley is so interested in avian minds, and what they could tell us about tech’s ab...

Jun 18, 201927 min

Google Workers Rise Up: Inside the Protests

Google has long had a special relationship with staff, encouraging employee input on all sorts of internal matters. For the last two decades, this approach has worked well. But after a series of controversies and protests in the last two years, some workers are openly at war with Google. This week on Decrypted, editor Alistair Barr speaks to Irene Knapp, a senior software engineer who has had a front-row seat during the tumult inside the company. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Jun 11, 201924 min

The Science of Resurrecting Extinct Species

Northern White Rhinos are functionally extinct: The two remaining females have no males to breed with. But an ambitious plan is underway to save the species. This week on Decrypted, reporter Kristen V. Brown meets the scientists using cutting edge stem cell science to create a rhino embryo in a San Diego lab. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 04, 201921 min

WWDC Preview: A Conversation With Apple’s Former App Approval Chief

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is an annual pilgrimage for software developers whose businesses are built on the App Store. This week, Bloomberg Technology's Mark Gurman speaks to Phillip Shoemaker, the former head of app review at Apple who played a role in past WWDC conferences. They discuss the early days of the App Store and its place at the heart of Apple's nearly $50 billion-a-year services business. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

May 28, 201939 min

Bloomberg and Wondery Present: The Shrink Next Door

Marty Markowitz had his share of problems. His parents had recently died. He had troubles at work. A failing relationship. He needed someone to help him through this rough patch in his life. So he decided to get some professional help from a psychiatrist. What he did not count on, was what happened in his life over the next twenty-nine years. This is a story about power, control, and turning to the wrong person for help. Listen now at bloomberg.com/shrinknextdoor See omnystudio.com/listener for ...

May 23, 201912 min

Silicon Valley's Van-Dwellers

Mountain View, California, is home to Google and Silicon Valley's tech boom. Rents and home prices have soared, and hundreds of people have been forced to live in recreational vehicles parked on the city's streets. This week on Decrypted, we explore how the rising cost of living is fueling tension between homeowners and vehicle residents, resulting in a parking ban on RVs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 21, 201924 min

The Strange World of Virtual Bike Races

Cycling enthusiasts have a new way to work out at home: By hooking their bikes up to Zwift, they compete in a video game with other stationary cyclists. This week on Decrypted, reporter Gerrit de Vynck spends a month training on Zwift. He explores whether its new racing leagues could soon become a spectator sport. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 14, 201921 min

Your Guide to the Uber IPO

It's finally happening. A decade after Uber started out as a black car service in San Francisco, it's going public in one of the largest IPOs of all time. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg Technology's Eric Newcomer joins Brad Stone to discuss what it will take for Uber to become a profitable business, the potential of its other ventures, and what it would mean for Silicon Valley if Uber achieves the stratospheric valuation it’s seeking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

May 07, 201922 min

Silicon Valley Is Making Gasoline Out of Thin Air

A growing number of experts believe that a promising technology, known as carbon capture, will be an essential part of any plan to confront climate change. But until now the science of removing carbon from the air has only ever been demonstrated at a small scale—and the process of turning that carbon into useful products, such as fuel, has cost too much to make a real difference. This week on Decrypted, meet two startups that think they may have a solution. See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

Apr 30, 201919 min

As Amazon Gets Bigger, Sellers Feel the Squeeze

Jason Boyce built a successful business selling sports equipment on Amazon. As the platform has grown, Amazon has pushed sellers to lower prices, shorten delivery times and compete harder for every sale. This week on Decrypted, we explore whether entrepreneurs like Jason have reached a breaking point. They now face a competitor who's potentially unbeatable: Amazon itself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 23, 201924 min

Introducing "What Goes Up," A New Show From Bloomberg

On this new show from Bloomberg, hosts Mike Regan and Sarah Ponczek speak with expert guests each week about the main themes influencing global markets. They explore everything from stocks to bonds to currencies and commodities, and how each asset class affects trading in the others. Whether you’re a financial professional or just a curious retirement saver, What Goes Up keeps you apprised of the latest buzz on Wall Street and what the wildest movements in markets will mean for your investments....

Apr 18, 20192 min

The App That’s Helping Gay Couples Have Kids in China

With 40 million users, Blued is a popular dating app for gay men in China. This week on Decrypted, we explore the company's next venture: a service to help gay couples have babies by surrogate in California. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 16, 201925 min

Young Blood and the Pursuit of Eternal Youth

A company called Ambrosia Health signed up about 150 patients for a novel anti-aging procedure: young blood plasma transfusions. The only problem was the FDA. This week on Decrypted, the story of a startup that claimed it could restore lost youth with young people's blood. We’ll hear from a patient who got the treatment, the researchers who say it endangered patients, and the scientists who believe the idea isn’t as crazy as it seems. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Apr 09, 201924 min

Coming Soon: The Pay Check Season 2

The Pay Check is back for a second season! For the next six weeks, we’re going to dig into the number one reason women still make less money than men: Motherhood. Women start their careers earning just about the same as men do, but once they have their first kid, that pay gap grows to a chasm. This season, we’ll show you how this “motherhood penalty” plays out for real women, in real life and how it affects the global economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Apr 05, 20191 min

Why Drugs Are Still for Sale on Instagram

Instagram is full of vacation pics, brand campaigns and celebrity posts. But it's also a place where people go to find counterfeit prescription drugs and illegal street drugs. This week on Decrypted, we follow the story of Eileen Carey, who has tried for years to bring this troubling issue to Instagram's attention. Thanks in part to her efforts, Instagram has taken some steps to curbing drug-related content. But the problem still has not been contained. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Apr 02, 201927 min

Coming Soon: Pushing the Boundaries

Decrypted will be back next week. Here's an early peek at the stories we'll be covering this season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 26, 20192 min

A Message from The Pay Check

The Pay Check is collecting stories for our upcoming season, and we want to hear from you! Did having a kid change your career trajectory or the way you work? If you have anything you want to share, call and leave us a voicemail at (212) 617-0166. Stay tuned for more very soon! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 12, 201939 sec

Introducing "Works For Me," A New Podcast From Bloomberg

On this new show from Bloomberg, hosts Francesca Levy and Rebecca Greenfield navigate the productivity industry by way of their own experiences. In each episode, one of the two becomes a human guinea pig as she tries to solve a specific work-related problem. Using the advice of so-called productivity experts, the duo tackles obstacles like ineffective to-do lists, overflowing inboxes and unruly meetings. Follow along with their attempts, insights and missteps, and maybe find a solution that will...

Jan 08, 20193 min

Assault, Harassment and Lower Pay: Women in the Gig Economy

Jody Pagliocco drives for Uber and Lyft in Maine. Like many working mothers, she depends on the income and the flexibility of the job—but she can't stand the constant harassment from male passengers. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg Technology's Selina Wang and Brad Stone hear from women in the gig economy. Selina and Brad also discuss one study that examines the gender disparities that are putting women at a disadvantage in this emerging corner of the job market. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Dec 18, 201824 min

The Decrypted Gift Guide

'Tis the season to give your loved ones the latest and greatest tech gadgets. The only problem: a lot of them are now listening, watching and tracking us. As part of Decrypted's exploration of the unintended consequences of technology, this week Pia Gadkari and Mark Gurman look at the potential dark sides of your holiday generosity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 11, 201818 min

The Secrets Hidden in Our Google Location Data

When Theo Patt was 15 he built a software program that displayed his Google location data on a map online. For the teenager, it was a sentimental keepsake. But since then, hundreds of thousands of people have used it -- often in ways Theo never intended. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg Technology's Alistair Barr and Pia Gadkari explore the myriad secrets that our location data can reveal and some of the ways it can be used against us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Dec 04, 201824 min

Is the Tech Boom Coming to an End?

In August, Apple was worth a trillion dollars and analysts wondered when the other tech giants would join its ranks. But over the last three months, the stock prices of Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google have all plunged. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg Technology's Joshua Brustein and Brad Stone explore what's driving the losses and ask whether it's a sign the tech boom may finally be coming to an end. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Nov 27, 201819 min

Biohacking a Ripped Frog

This week on Decrypted, we're bringing you an episode from Bloomberg's newly-launched health and medicine podcast: Prognosis. Bloomberg's Kristen V Brown takes you on a tour of a biohacker's DNA experiment to change how frogs -- and possibly people -- grow muscles. It's an experiment he insists anyone can try at home. He'll even sell you a kit (frogs included) to do it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 20, 201829 min

The Blind Spots in Facebook's Ad Machine

Facebook’s ad platform is quick to learn, easy to use and incredibly profitable. But the complex algorithms that make the ads run are still a black box for most people, and that can create problems—particularly when it comes to politics. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg Technology’s Sarah Frier and Brad Stone take a look at how the system works and explain why fixing issues on the platform is harder than you might think. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Nov 13, 201823 min

Travel Genius, a New Show From Bloomberg

What’s the most sure-fire way to get a flight upgrade? How can you find the best, secret local restaurants by asking just one question? What's the first thing you should do when you get into a hotel room? On Bloomberg's new podcast Travel Genius, we'll give you those answers—and plenty more—as hosts Nikki Ekstein and Mark Ellwood quiz the world’s most experienced globetrotters for their tried-and-true travel hacks. Listen weekly, and even your work trips will go from a necessary evil to an exper...

Nov 07, 20182 min

The Cancer-Linked Chemical In America's Tap Water

Cottage Grove, Minnesota, has had a 3M factory in town since 1947. It makes everything from Post-It Notes and Scotch Tape to reflective road signs. In 2017, the city found out the state was lowering the acceptable level of PFAS, a chemical made and used at the factory, in its drinking water. Scientific studies show there could be serious health consequences for people exposed to it. And now dozens of U.S. cities are discovering PFAS is in their water too. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg's Tiff...

Nov 06, 201824 min

Prognosis, a New Show From Bloomberg

Where does a medical cure come from? 100 years ago, it wasn't uncommon for scientists to test medicines by taking a dose themselves. As medical technologies get cheaper and more accessible, patients and DIY tinkerers are trying something similar—and mainstream medicine is racing to catch up. Prognosis explores the leading edge of medical advances, and asks who gets—or should get—access to them. We look at how innovation happens, when it fails, and what it means to the people with a disease tryin...

Nov 02, 20182 min

The Bloody Consequences of the Scooter Revolution

Electric scooter-sharing programs have become very popular, and very polarizing. With companies like Bird and Lime operating in over 100 cities globally, an increasing number of grisly accidents have made it into the headlines. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg Technology's Olivia Carville and Joshua Brustein ask whether scooters are as safe as they should be, and who bears responsibility when accidents do happen? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Oct 30, 201820 min
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