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

Trump, Tax and the EU: Richard Curran on Ireland's uncertain tech future

Is Ireland’s tech juggernaut grinding to a halt? Are we alienating ourselves from Europe with corporate tax? And how do we approach the Trump administration? Richard Curran,?columnist with the Sunday Independent and presenter of The Business on RTÉ Radio 1, joins Donal O’Donovan on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. With the EU and the US increasingly butting heads on the issue of tech regulation, Ireland may soon find itself in problematic territory between the EU and the Trump administr...

Feb 20, 202523 min

Apple’s new iPhone SE and hands on with Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra

What can we expect from the new iPhone SE? Is it worth getting the Samsung S25 Ultra? And why are the new AI features on phones so underwhelming? JJ Clarke, producer, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. Adrian has spent the last month trying out the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. According to the tech editor the device keeps its perch atop all Android flagship phones, but he argues that the new AI features may not keep it there for much longer. The phone comes with great ca...

Feb 13, 202526 min

Shein and Temu no more; plus scam texts set to be blocked in Ireland

Are ultra-cheap online buys from Temu and Shein about to be a thing of the past? Who will benefit? And what is Comreg doing about scam texts? JJ Clarke, producer, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. Both the EU and the US moved to cutdown the free flow of low-cost online purchases from China to the West. On the EU side, customs checks, and increased costs will be imposed on ultra-cheap packages from China. The US has gone further with Trump’s new tariff programme prompting...

Feb 11, 202520 min

Active shooter drills no more: why one Irish tech founder came home from America

What is life like for an Irish tech co-founder in the US? Is America a more dynamic space for technology? And what are the downsides to living in a Trump nation? Markham Nolan, co-founder of the AI startup Noan, joins Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. The co-founder lived in the US for a decade, seven years in Manhattan and then 3 years in a suburb of the city called Larchmont. Nolan argues that America is a place of dynamism for tech companies but there are also downsides. He ...

Feb 06, 202528 min

The watchdog tsar who stops Zuckerberg from going full MAGA in Europe with Facebook

Could Mark Zuckerberg’s makeover of Meta cost Irish jobs? Will Trump go to war against Dublin based EU privacy fines? Will users see an uptick in hate speech? Thomas Hughes, chief executive of Appeals Centre Europe, joins Adrian on The Big Tech Show this week. The Appeals Centre Europe is a Dublin-based agency with a staff of 25. It was recently given regulatory imprimatur by Ireland’s media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, as a qualified body to accept and adjudicate on user complaints from across...

Feb 04, 202523 min

What is DeepSeek AI? The Chinese company shaking up the tech world

What is DeepSeek AI? How did it wipe over a trillion dollars off the US NASDAQ Index? And why are experts urging users to be cautious? Founder and CEO of Galvia AI, John Clancy, joins Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show to discuss. DeepSeek AI is a free AI-powered chatbot founded in 2023 by Chinese hedge fund manager Liang Wenfeng. The product uses a reasoning model, which means it shows the user how it arrives at an answer. The technology uses less memory than its rivals like Ope...

Jan 30, 202528 min

Storm tech survival guide: home generators, solar batteries and supersers

Is it worth getting a generator for stormy weather? What kind of generator should you get? And do you need an electrician to install one? ?Peter Finn, also known as Pete the Builder on Instagram, and star of the Home Rescue TV show joined Adrian on the show to discuss. In the wake of storm Éowyn last week, hundreds of thousands of homes in Ireland were left without electricity and many still have no power. Peter Finn advised people to get a generator installed by an electrician. The builder also...

Jan 28, 202524 min

What to expect from artificial intelligence in 2025

Is Ireland a natural place for artificial intelligence? Are we overregulating when it comes to data centres? And what can we expect from AI in 2025? ?Mark Kelly, founder of AI Ireland and chief customer officer of Alldus, joins Adrian to discuss. The founder began by saying that agentic artificial intelligence will become more common over the coming year. Agentic AI is the technology that powers AI agents so they can act autonomously without human oversight. By serving as a comprehensive platfor...

Jan 21, 202530 min

Everything you need to know about the TikTok ban

What does a TikTok ban mean for us? Who will or won’t be able access it? And what are the implications for the Irish workforce? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 16, 202518 min

How romance scams work and why they’re surging

January means dark days, cold weather and isolation. A new opportunity, a change of life, and that means it’s one of the most vulnerable times for those at risk from romance scammers. How do you spot a romance scam? Who are they targeting? And if it happens to you, how do you report it? Detective superintendent, Michael Cryan from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, joins Adrian on The Big Tech Show to discuss. ?The detective superintendent described romance fraud as a scam that takes plac...

Jan 14, 202527 min

Don’t buy an electric car without listening to this

Are you thinking of buying an electric car in 2025? Why did EV sales drop by almost 24% last year? And from cold weather to charging points, what should you consider before purchasing? JJ Clarke, producer, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. Adrian began by quoting The Society of the Irish Motor Industry’s figures that showed that in 2024 there were 121,195 new car registrations and only 17,459 of them were electric cars. There was a decrease of 23.6% from the 22,852 regis...

Jan 07, 202531 min

2025 predictions: a TikTok ban, crypto fortunes and a rift between Musk and Trump

What are the big tech trends for 2025? What will happen with crypto, Amazon.ie and the Trump-Musk relationship? Maybe we will see the world’s first company worth four trillion dollars but will hear about via Threads or X? JJ Clarke, producer, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 31, 202436 min

From laptops to headphones: the best tech gadgets of 2024

As 2024 comes to a close, what were the best phones, laptops, tablets and headphones? Of the many to cross Adrian’s desk, here are the ones that stood out and are still worth getting. JJ Clarke, producer, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 24, 202425 min

Why accused killer Luigi Mangione has become a hero online

Why is Luigi Mangione being lauded as a hero online? What does this response say about online culture? And what does this say about the status of healthcare in the US? Reporter for WIRED magazine, David Gilbert, joined Adrian on The Big Tech Show today See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 17, 202424 min

What to do about social media: kids, encryption and anonymity

Is social media now ungovernable? Have we created an online world of manipulation, misinformation, controlled by a handful of billionaires? And if so, what can we do about it? Privacy expert, one of the inventors of social networking and author of Restoring Our Sanity Online, Mark Weinstein, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 12, 202425 min

Revisited - Emojis, ringtones and loudspeakers – 10 tech habits that mark you out as older

Do you have a thick phone wallet? Do you use a novelty ringtone or set notifications to ping constantly? Is the crying laughing emoji one of your go-to texting characters? Well, you may not think of yourself this way, but you're middle aged. In this revisited episode of The Big Tech Show from July of this year, Adrian speaks to producer, JJ Clarke. Adrian kicked off the conversation by talking about the older generations' annoying habit of leaving their ringtone on in public places. There was so...

Dec 03, 202424 min

Revisited - The art of people hacking with burglar for hire Jenny Radcliffe

Are people easy to hack? Are we vulnerable to manipulation? And could this skill be used to gain entry to a property? In this revisited episode of The Big Tech Show from March of this year, Adrian speaks to the people hacker, Jenny Radcliffe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 28, 202421 min

Bitcoin’s bull run to $100,000

Why are Crypto and Bitcoin on a bull run at the moment? Was it set off by a Trump victory? And how long will it continue? Lory Kehoe, Chief commercial officer and head of international at M2 joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 26, 202426 min

Why Bluesky is soaring and how to set up an account

Why is Bluesky getting a million new followers a day? How big is it in Ireland? And how do you find people once you join? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. Bluesky is a social media platform that was founded as part of Twitter in 2019. In 2021, Jay Graber became CEO of the platform, with Dorsey leaving the platform's board in May. The site was initially invitation-only but was then opened to the public. Adrian began by addressing the narrative that p...

Nov 21, 202425 min

MacBook Pro M4 review verdict — best in class or overkill?

Is Apple’s new MacBook Pro M4 worth getting? Is it better than an updated MacBook Air? And what type of work requires one? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. For the last week Adrian has been testing out the 16-inch space-black, nano-texture version of the new MacBook Pro M4. He gives his verdict on the laptop which starts at a fairly lofty €2,999. Whereas the entry-level 14-inch M4 model (€1,949) has a few immediate upgrades worth noting, including d...

Nov 19, 202426 min

The inside story of how the FBI caught criminals by making and controlling encrypted phones

Why did the FBI set up their own encrypted phone company? How did it result in the biggest drug trafficking sting in history? And is law enforcement finally catching up with criminals online? Author of Dark Wire and co-founder of 404 Media, Joseph Cox, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. In 2018 the Federal Bureau of Investigation set up ANOM, a supposedly secure smartphone-based proprietary messaging app. It was a sting operation that intercepted millions of messages sent...

Nov 14, 202421 min

What Trump and Elon Musk plan to do and how it could affect Ireland

What effect will President Trump’s win have on Ireland? Is it the end of Ireland’s US multinational corporation tax bonanza? And will Elon Musk be given free rein to promote his interests? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 12, 202431 min

‘I would walk into reception and ask to speak to the CEO,’ co-founder of Irish startup Talio on the importance of networking

How do you make an impression as a startup founder? Does walking into a big company and asking to see the CEO work? And how do you get past gatekeepers? Oran O’Flynn, CEO and co-founder of Talio, an AI-powered market research co-pilot platform joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 05, 202418 min

Time, money and security: Irish startup Nocomed on the things you give up when building a business

What is the hardest part of founding a tech startup? How do you choose a business partner? And what do you give up in the pursuit of success? Adrian was joined this week on The Big Tech Show by Nocomed founders, Rosemary Durkan and Donal Adams to discuss their startup journey. Nocomed is the first sustainability platform for life science companies. The business allows companies to measure and reduce their carbon emission. Adrian asked the co-founders about how they chose each other, and it turns...

Oct 31, 202419 min

Field of dreams: how blind people can now ‘feel’ matches in a stadium thanks to an Irish startup

How can tech allow blind people not just hear but feel the action as a fan? How does Field of Vision’s haptic device work? And how was the Irish startup created? Co-founder of Field of Vision, David Deneher, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. David describes the device as a tablet which has a small magnetic finger piece that moves based on where the ball is on the pitch. There are tactile pitch lines which the blind or visually impaired person can feel which allows the fa...

Oct 29, 202414 min
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