The Big Tech Show - podcast cover

The Big Tech Show

Irish Independentwww.independent.ie
Irish Independent Tech Editor Adrian Weckler hosts this award-winning business podcast which dives deep into the biggest industry advances and tracks the key movers and shakers behind the innovation. From interviewing Big Tech CEOs to investigations into how tech affects our working lives, the show has become Ireland’s most listened-to technology podcast.
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Episodes

Why Elon Musk may withdraw X from Europe after EU legal action

Have Musk’s birds finally come home to roost? Will the EU’s legal action bring the billionaire to heel? And what are the potential outcomes from this investigation? On The Big Tech Show this week, Adrian chats to producer, JJ Clarke, about the three possible consequences. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 18, 202326 min

Bitcoin has come roaring back – but will it continue?

Why has crypto roared back to almost €40,000? Are we seeing the return of a bull market? Can anything damage the appeal of Bitcoin? And what comes next? This week, Adrian talks to Lory Kehoe, adjunct assistant professor in technology trends at Trinity College Dublin and head of stablecoin at MSX Limited, about the spike in value. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 14, 202321 min

Is Slush conference in Helsinki Web Summit’s new rival?

What is Slush tech conference in Finland? Does it stack up to Web Summit? And why did so many Irish choose to travel to it? Adrian chats to producer, JJ Clarke, about the highs and lows of the event in Finland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 07, 202326 min

Taking on the US audio industry with CEO of Onesonic David Cawley

What makes a good pair of headphones? how did Ireland’s only audio brand get the name OneSonic? And can it make it in the US? This week, Adrian chats to CEO of OneSonic, David Cawley, to discuss starting a headphones company in the pandemic and the drive for quality audio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 05, 202324 min

The anatomy of a scam call: harassment, fake office sounds and one victim's story

How do we make sure we don’t get caught out by scam calls? What should we tell our loved ones to watch out for? This is a victim’s story of a phone scam, a cyber security expert’s walkthrough of the situation, and how you can defend against these types of frauds. Adrian was joined by victim of a scam call, Gus Fitzpatrick, and managing director of Waystone Compliance Solutions, Conor Flynn, on this week’s episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Nov 30, 202320 min

Dublin riots: Did social media light the fuse?

After the Dublin riots, what comes next from a tech point of view? Will this be the catalyst for enacting new hate speech laws? And is garda use of facial recognition technology a shoo-in? On this week’s Big Tech Show, Adrian asks if we are likely to overcorrect following the violence seen in Dublin last Thursday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 27, 202323 min

Sam Altman returns as OpenAI CEO — can this drama get any stranger?

Five days on from his dismissal, OpenAI have announced Sam Altman will return as CEO. Why was he reinstated? Who are the winners and losers in this soap opera? Adrian walks through why the company brought the co-founder back. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 22, 202322 min

Why is there open revolt at the home of ChatGPT?

What’s going on in OpenAI? Why did OpenAI fire Sam Altman? And what moves has the former CEO made since his shock termination last Friday? Adrian was joined by AI expert and founder of Taxbot.ie, Conor Kelly, to shed light on the tumult unfolding in the Silicon Valley company. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 20, 202321 min

Was Web Summit a flop? The suprising reality of an event that was 'buzzing'

What was the Web Summit like without Paddy Cosgrave? Will it survive? Was it worth going to the event in Portugal this week? Adrian discusses the highs and lows of the convention in Lisbon, where he has been for the past four days. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 17, 202324 min

‘Our position doesn’t change based on jurisdiction’. Signal’s CEO says it will leave the Irish market if asked to create a backdoor for the app

In the world of privacy, why are messaging apps like Signal fighting to stop governments creating back doors into its app? How does this affect the user's privacy? And can messages that are not encrypted be turned over to law enforcement? Adrian spoke to Signal’s president, Meredith Whittaker, at the Web Summit in Portugal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 16, 202328 min

The right to repair: Saving a generation that can’t change a tyre

What is the EU’s right to repair proposal? Will it help an age group that don’t know how to change a lightbulb? And will it save the average customer money when fixing their tech? Adrian is joined by technology presenter on Ireland AM, Gadget guy and CEO of back from the future, Colin Baker. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 14, 202321 min

Steps, calories and electricity: Are we obsessed with tracking

Has technology made us compulsive trackers? Fitness wearables, electricity monitoring apps, travelling at the most efficient speed in your EV and the list goes on. Have we become obsessed? Can the constant pinging of your fitness watch be good for you? Professor of psychiatry at Trinity College, Brendan Kelly, looks at the unhealthy side of constantly measuring and when to give them up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 09, 202321 min

How Musk killed the bird: a year on with Elon as the Twitter owner

Does the news still happen on twitter? Do journalists still hang out there? Can the new name, logo and freedom of speech policy prove successful? Or has disinformation, reinstated banned accounts and trying to be the ‘’everything app’’, led to demise of X? Under Elon Musk's ownership, sweeping changes have meant one thing for the company – controversy. Adrian chats to producer, JJ Clarke, about the year that was at X under Elon’s governance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Nov 07, 202325 min

What the hell is Web 3, anyway?

What is Web 3? What will this new era of the internet mean for the average web user? And what technologies will come with it? Alex Tapscott, who has just written a book on the top, peels back the layers of Web 3 jargon to explain what works and what’s hype. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 02, 202322 min

Hidden features and tricks of the iPhone 15

Are you getting the most out of your iPhone 15? What are the unknown functions on the device that Apple doesn’t advertise? On the show today, Adrian runs through the features you probably didn’t know were available. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 31, 202320 min

Baby Monitors: What parents should consider

On the Big Tech Show this week, we investigate baby monitors. How much do they cost? What do they measure? And which are the top picks? One technology that has emerged to aid parents during this nervy time is the baby monitor. Adrian was joined on the show today by Freelance Lifestyle Journalist, Cat Hufton to discuss the parenting aid. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 26, 202318 min

Major data breach exposes thousands of Irish drivers’ sensitive data to hackers

Thousands of motorists' sensitive data was accessible to hackers in a major Garda towing firm IT breach. Over a half a million documents of drivers’, including vehicle registration certs, card details and insurance information were accessible. Joining Adrian to discuss the breach is international cyber-security researcher, Jeremiah Fowler, who discovered the issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 23, 202319 min

What now for Web Summit? The continued fallout from Paddy Cosgrave’s comments

Following claims last week by Web Summit founder Paddy Cosgrave that Israel was engaging in “war crimes” in the Gaza Strip, a number of big-name guests have withdrawn from the tech conference in Lisbon next month. On the Big Tech Show today Adrian speaks to Irish Independent reporter, Tabitha Monahan, about the impact that this will have on the organisation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 20, 202318 min

What Big Tech can learn from the Downfall of Blackberry

What lessons did the downfall of Blackberry teach the tech sector? Is the next generation coming to unsettle the tech giants of today? Will Apple and Google become cautionary tales as Blackberry did? Reporter with the Globe and Mail and co-Author of ‘Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of Blackberry’, Sean Silcoff, joins Adrian to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 19, 202318 min

Europe’s Spyware Problem: The Irish Connection

Today on the Big Tech Show, Adrian dives into the clandestine world of spyware. This follows the disclosure of the Predator files which is a new investigation into the global surveillance crisis by the European Investigative Collaborations media network, with technical assistance from Amnesty International’s Security Lab. Offaly native and head of the Security Lab at Amnesty International, Donncha O'Cearbhaill spoke to Adrian about the negative impact of the Predator spyware application. See omn...

Oct 10, 202320 min

Apple’s Succession Plans

What's next for Apple? Who's the next CEO going to be? And are they still working on a car or are they facing trouble in China? And will its mixed reality headset the Vision Pro be a success? Journalist and founder of the price comparison platform Squirrel, Stuart Miles, joined me on the Big Tech show to discuss what are the next moves for the Tech See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 05, 202318 min

The increasingly extreme nature of Elon Musk’s latest Tweets

The iPhone 15 Pro which has scarcely been out for two weeks has encountered issues with some users reporting the device is overheating. The tech company has blamed a bug in its operating system as a main reason for this problem. On the Big Tech Show, Adrian reviews the Ray-Ban Meta Smart glasses and how the technology become more seamless. Finally, Adrian dives into the tweets of Elon Musk over the past 72 hours (about 3 days) and their increasingly extreme nature. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Oct 02, 202328 min

Secretive plans for new Californian city backed by the Collisons

In recent months it's emerged that a syndicate of Silicon Valley billionaires, including Ireland's Patrick and John Collison, have bought 55,000 acres of farmland in California with the purpose of starting a new city from scratch. Is this a dystopian idea or a fresh way to tackling San Francisco’s housing crisis? Adrian is joined by J.K Dineen from the San Francisco Chronicle to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 28, 202318 min

More security, less privacy? – everything to know before buying a smart doorbell

There’s plenty to consider before adding a smart doorbell to your home – what brand to go for, what you’ll use it for, wired or rechargeable. It’s not quite as simple as sticking the bell on the door either, with some models coming with monthly subscription services. With the added security could come concerns around privacy. Is a smart doorbell right for you? Adrian Weckler is joined by Belfast Telegraph technology columnist Kurtis Reid. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Sep 26, 202318 min

"You give up relationships to do a college startup": Robert Davitt on being a student and an award-winning founder

How do you run a successful startup while studying in college? And what happens when you try to pitch to one of the Collison brothers when you're doing so? On the Big Tech Show this week, Adrian is joined by entrepreneur Robert Davitt who just won Trinity College's Launchpad competition with his startup Fam World, formerly known as HEBE Adventures. It's self-described as the Airbnb of student travel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Sep 21, 202316 min

New AirPods Pro review and the best new features in iOS 17 for your iPhone

While a lot of focus was on the new iPhone and Apple Watch releases last week, Apple also released a new AirPods Pro model. With the USB-C charging port the most obvious change, are the earbuds worth upgrading too? iOS 17 was also released this week with some notable updates for your current iPhone. Adrian takes a look at the updates, reviews the new AirPods and examines the new WhatsApp social media feed, Channels. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Sep 19, 202322 min
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