On this week’s If Then, Slate ’s April Glaser and Will Oremus talk about a new anti-tech lobbying group formed by ex-employees of Facebook and Google, the big trial that’s happening this week in San Francisco that involves Waymo accusing Uber of stealing trade secrets in a winner-take-all race for self-driving supremacy. The hosts are also joined by Marcy Wheeler, an independent journalist and long time expert on the ins and outs of FISA and mass digital surveillance. And as always, Don’t Close ...
Feb 07, 2018•40 min
On this week’s If Then, Slate ’s April Glaser and Will Oremus talk about about a clever effort to restore net neutrality in Montana and New York. They also discuss Facebook’s latest news feed tweaks: this time it’s trying to resuscitate the local news economy by putting more stories from local sources in your feed. The hosts are joined by Dipayan Ghosh, a former privacy and policy advisor to Facebook, the Obama Administration, and Hillary Clinton’s campaign - to talk about his recent report on h...
Jan 31, 2018•35 min
On this week’s If Then, Slate ’s April Glaser and Will Oremus talk about Facebook’s fraught plan to rate the media and the cool yet creepy Amazon store that automatically bills you for your purchases. The hosts are joined by Daily Beast technology and culture reporter Taylor Lorenz to talk about the incredible fame, wealth, and influence of young YouTube stars—and their startling business savvy. And, as always, Don’t Close My Tabs: Netflix’s price hike and an inside scoop on last year’s bizarre ...
Jan 24, 2018•31 min
On this week’s If Then, Slate ’s April Glaser and Will Oremus talk about the Senate’s stand on net neutrality and why Congress is set to renew a major piece of internet government mass surveillance legislation. The hosts are joined by Siva Vaidhyanathan, a professor of Media Studies at University of Virginia, to talk about Facebook’s big news feed changes and what they might mean for the way we read the news and talk to one another online. And on Don’t Close My Tabs: Google’s gorilla problem and...
Jan 17, 2018•34 min
On this week’s If Then, Slate ’s April Glaser and Will Oremus are at CES, the huge trade show put on by the Consumer Technology Association in Las Vegas. They talk about all the weird, wonderful, and unnecessary gadgets and tech they seen so far the convention, like the laundry folding robots that might not be very good at folding laundry, bizarre tech for your pets, drones and self driving cars, smart mirrors, and even a smart couch. The hosts will talk about the cybersecurity concerns surround...
Jan 10, 2018•32 min
On this week’s If Then, Slate ’s April Glaser and Will Oremus talk about a key detail in the new tax plan that could have a huge effect on gig workers in the tech sector—and maybe even robots. They also discuss Apple’s “batterygate” iPhone situation, what happened, and what can we take from their unusual apology? The hosts are also joined by Slate’s Future Tense editor Torie Bosch to talk about the anthology she co-edited What Future: The Year’s Best Ideas to Reclaim, Reanimate & Reinvent Ou...
Jan 03, 2018•33 min
On this week’s If Then, Slate ’s April Glaser and Will Oremus talk with the executive director of Mozilla about how Firefox competes with Chrome and the biggest threats to the Open Web. They break down the fallout from the FCC’s 3-2 vote to kill net neutrality and what it means for mega-mergers like Fox and Disney. And they speculate on the motivations behind Uber’s misdeeds, why Apple’s AirPods are sold out, and why the Koch brothers are trying to kill municipal broadband. Stories discussed on ...
Dec 20, 2017•38 min
On this week’s If Then, Slate ’s April Glaser and Will Oremus talk a little about why everyone is freaking out about Bitcoin. And in the run up to Thursday’s critical net neutrality decision from the FCC, the hosts speak with Columbia law professor Tim Wu - who actually coined the term net neutrality - about why it’s so crucial to save it, and what we might expect from legal challenges stemming from Thursday’s FCC announcement. If Then’s “Don’t Close My Tabs” recommendations: TechCrunch: Patreon...
Dec 13, 2017•29 min
On this week’s If Then, Slate’s April Glaser talks with Ellen Pao about sexism in Silicon Valley and why the tech industry hasn’t experienced the same fallout over accusations of sexual harassment and assault as the media and entertainment business. Pao discusses what gives her hope for tech and describes what she’s witnessed as CEO and founder of Project Include, a nonprofit organization dedicated to diversity in tech. They also discuss her time as interim CEO of Reddit and what platforms shoul...
Dec 06, 2017•25 min
On this week’s If Then, Slate’s April Glaser and Will Oremus discuss how bots messed up the net neutrality comment process and whether that gives advocates a last chance to preserve an open Internet. They also examine YouTube’s ongoing problems airing disturbing videos involving children and why its moderation algorithms don’t work. Then the hosts speak with Lina Khan, legal policy director of the Open Markets Institute and a fellow at Yale Law school, about AT&T’s now-troubled attempt to me...
Nov 29, 2017•35 min
On this week’s If Then, Slate’s April Glaser and Will Oremus talk about changes to net neutrality that were announced this week. They also talk a little about the digital media bubble and if it’s real, and April will also tell us about how living with a robot is going. We also have Black friday special for you - the hosts will talk with Brian Krebs, an expert on cybercrime - about everything retailers and consumers should know before the big day. And lastly, Don’t Close My Tabs - Will and April’...
Nov 22, 2017•40 min
On this week’s If Then, Slate’s April Glaser and Will Oremus discuss some recent tech news, like the head-scratching revelation that WikiLeaks actually sent Donald Trump, Jr. Direct Messages on Twitter before and after the election, and a speech by Senator Al Franken that suggests we should regulate big tech companies more like utilities. The hosts are also joined by T. Dalton Brown from Dopamine Labs, the cofounder of an interesting and controversial startup whose mission is to help other compa...
Nov 15, 2017•46 min
On this week’s If Then, Slate ’s April Glaser and Will Oremus discuss the news that YouTube has been showing disturbing videos to kids and why this might be a symptom of a much deeper problem for Internet companies. They also talk about the recent revelations from the Paradise Papers and how new details pertain to companies like Twitter and Apple. The hosts are also joined by Mercer University Professor Whitney Phillips. She’s the author of “This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Mapping the Rel...
Nov 08, 2017•36 min
Hosts and Slate journalists April Glaser and Will Oremus are excited to bring you this new weekly podcast: If Then. The hosts start by talking through some of the most interesting tech news of the week (we promise it's not just tech geeks fawning over their smart watches). They dig into the big story this week - how Facebook, Twitter, and Google all took a trip to congress this week to testify at three different hearings about how russian operatives used their platforms to interfere in the 2016 ...
Nov 02, 2017•42 min
If Then: a podcast about technology, society, and power. Each week, Slate‘s April Glaser and Will Oremus take you on a lively tour of the tech news that actually matters, from fake news in your Facebook feed to the algorithms that want your job to the Uber drivers who want a job with benefits. With news-making interviews of key tech-industry figures, fascinating academics, and top tech journalists, they explore not only how the technology that’s shaping our world works, but the ideas, ideologies...
Oct 27, 2017•9 min
