What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future - podcast cover

What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future

Slate Podcastsslate.com
Every Friday and Sunday, 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.

Episodes

The Monkeypox Vaccine Monopoly

It makes intuitive sense for companies that develop a technology to hold its intellectual property rights. But in the case of vaccines and medical treatments, IP laws slow down manufacturing and distribution and give private companies the power to make huge decisions that affect public health globally. Guest: Zain Rizvi, researcher for advocacy group Public Citizen, specializing in pharmaceutical innovation and access to medicine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 07, 202229 min

The Homes We Forgot to Build a Decade Ago

The US has been in a housing shortage for decades. Can it ever be fixed? Guest: Conor Dougherty Host: Emily Peck Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 05, 202229 min

The Dark Web of Online Spider Sales

Researchers have untangled a world of illicit trade that threatens ecosystems and endangers species. Guest: Dr. Alice Hughes, Richard Stewart Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 31, 202223 min

Paging Dr. Bezos

In buying One Medical, Amazon is primed to be your doctor. Are they disrupting health care, or just collecting more data? Guest: Rebecca Pifer Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 29, 202231 min

Smart City: Dumb Idea?

Toronto’s Quayside project is a telling example of how smart cities have failed. Could it also show how to make them better? Guest: Ben Green, Jennifer Keesmaat Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 24, 202229 min

Europe Is Burning

The continent's deadly heat wave is only the tip of the melting iceberg. Guest: Henry Grabar Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 22, 202228 min

Silicon Valley's Hidden Discrimination

Thenmozhi Soundararajan was scheduled to give a talk at Google for Dalit History Month. It led to vicious attacks against her from some of its employees. Guest: Thenmozhi Soundararajan Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 17, 202225 min

Can Twitter Sue Elon Musk Into Submission?

Dysfunction is nothing new to Twitter. But Elon Musk pulling his offer to buy the company adds a new layer of chaos. Guest: Alex Kantrowitz Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 15, 202230 min

Paxlovid's Mysteries

There's still a lot unknown about COVID's new wonder drug. Guest: Rachel Gutman-Wei Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 10, 202226 min

Can FEMA Keep Up With Climate Change?

Climate change is causing unprecedented severe weather. Is the agency prepared for it to get worse? Guest: Craig Fugate and Ashley Nerbovig Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 08, 202229 min

The Good Hackers

According to the Justice Department, there’s a right way — and a wrong way — to be a hacker. Guest: Josephine Wolff Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 03, 202226 min

TikTok’s Mental Health Influencers

Social media makes mental health information accessible. But it's not a perfect solution. Guest: Lindsay Lee Wallace Host: Mary C. Curtis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 01, 202230 min

Does Crypto Investment Need to Be Regulated?

Fidelity made headlines when they announced you could invest your retirement savings in Bitcoin. Then the crypto market crashed. Guest: Anthony Lee Zhang Host: Sonari Glinton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 26, 202222 min

Can the Law Keep Up With the Internet?

The openness of the internet is its greatest strength. Or a glaring weakness, depending on who you ask. Does something need to change? Guest: Jared Schroeder Host: Sonari Glinton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 24, 202226 min

From the Vault: It's Hot. It's Flooding. Is This the New Normal?

This episode originally aired in July 2021. Last year, North Americans saw record-breaking heat, droughts, wildfires, and floods. The science is clear: we are living through the effects of climate change. Now scientists are trying to answer: is this the new normal? Guest: Daniel Swain, climate scientist at UCLA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 19, 202225 min

The Culture War Over Electric Cars

One state wants to stop people from buying one. But can electric vehicles be stopped? Guest: Ryan Cornell Host: Sonari Glinton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 17, 202224 min

Sheryl Sandberg’s Complicated Legacy

She wanted to be an icon for working women. What went wrong? Guest: Sheera Frenkel Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 12, 202229 min

Bots! What Are They Good For?

Elon Musk isn't wrong that Twitter has a bot problem. But he's kind of missing the point. Guest: Samuel Woolley Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 10, 202227 min

Is Elon Musk Any Good at Business?

Some call him revolutionary. Others call him a hack. Is his success warranted? Guest: Ashlee Vance Host: Lizzie O'Leary Thanks Avast.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 05, 202228 min

Can an Algorithm Spot a Shooter?

Schools have spent millions to detect threats online. It mostly doesn’t work. Guest: Arijit Sen Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 03, 202224 min

Online Privacy in a Post-Roe World

What can current surveillance infrastructure tell us about online privacy after the fall of Roe? Guest: Lily Hay Newman Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 29, 202221 min

Will Bitcoin Ruin El Salvador?

Is El Salvador heading for default after going all in on crypto? Guest: Anna-Cat Brigida Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 27, 202224 min

North Korea's Hacking Army

They’ve stolen billions of dollars. Is the U.S. ready to crack down? Guest: Jason Bartlett, research associate in the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 22, 202223 min

How Buffalo Could Transform Social Media

The shooting in Buffalo raises questions about the effectiveness of content moderation. Is the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism the answer to how social media can moderate extremist content? Guest: Emma Llansó, director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology Host: Ray Suarez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 20, 202221 min

Inside Trump’s Twitter Clone

Trump's Truth Social network was supposed to be the right's answer to Twitter. What happens to the company if Elon takes over? Guest: Drew Harwell, reporter for the Washington Post Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 15, 202222 min

Can A.I. Know What You're Feeling?

Companies are developing and selling A.I. products intended to tell your boss or your teacher how you're feeling. Guest: Kate Kaye, reporter for Protocol Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 13, 202220 min

Is Free Speech Online Just a Myth?

A conversation with one of the smartest First Amendment lawyers in the country. Guest: Jameel Jaffer Host: Lizzie O'Leary Thanks Avast.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 08, 202227 min

Can the Internet Rescue Abortion Access?

The pandemic changed the way abortion care could be provided online. So what happens now? Guest: Dr. Mai Fleming, family medicine physician and Fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health. Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 06, 202220 min

The Fantasy of Internet for All

Can Starlink ever fulfill its promise of connecting the world, especially places left behind by traditional internet? Or will it be just another toy for the rich? Guest: Meaghan Tobin, reporter at Rest of World Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 01, 202219 min

What Elon Wants With Twitter

Twitter is the platform of choice for politicians, journalists, academics, and many other agenda-setters. Twitter influences conversations that take place in newsrooms and statehouses. What happens if the company’s placed in the hands of a pugnacious, provocative plutocrat like Elon Musk? Guest: Will Oremus, tech reporter for the Washington Post Host: Seth Stevenson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 29, 202224 min