Tech Life
Tech Life discovers and explains the ways technology is changing our lives, wherever we are in the world. We meet the people with bright ideas for rethinking the way we work, learn and play, and get hands-on with the products they dream up. We hold tech giants to account for their huge power to affect our lives, and ask who wins, and who loses, in the technology transformation. Tech Life is your guide to a future being made, and remade, at lightning speed in front of our eyes.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 25 minutes
- Episodes
- 320
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Can bitcoin mining ever be green?
The cryptocurrency business tries to boost its green credentials with the formation of a 'Bitcoin Mining Council' and the help of Elon Musk. Will it make a difference? Jaime Leverton, boss of Hut 8 M…
Estonia’s digital society and the pandemic
President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid discusses how the wide availability of online government services helped citizens during the lockdown. Plus, how Google hopes a tie-up with Samsung will give its…
Ransomware hackers disable key oil pipeline
Has the threat to infrastructure from hackers demanding money been underestimated? Plus, a Facebook moderator tells the Irish Parliament of the toll the work is taking on her mental health. And we ch…
Trump question comes back to Facebook
The platform’s external Oversight Board says Facebook was right to suspend Donald Trump’s account after the January riot in Washington DC, but wrong to do it indefinitely and without enough explanati…
Is Apple iOS 14.5 hurting advertisers?
Apple’s long-awaited iPhone software update arrives with new features to block trackers. What effect is it having so far? Plus, how a machine learning startup aims to help doctors detect lung cancer …
The big noise in social media
Facebook and Reddit follow Clubhouse into social audio. Does the idea have lasting appeal? Plus, home-made jet suit builder Richard Browning on what’s next for his creation. And why England’s former …
The global workforce
Tech founder Phil Libin tells us why he’s doing away with offices for good and no longer advertising jobs with a location. Plus, is China reigning in its tech giants after Alibaba is given a $2bn fin…
Ad cookies facing the crunch
How Apple and Google’s privacy clampdown will bring upheaval to online advertising. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter David Molloy. Produced by Jat Gill.
The future of computing
The CEO of ARM on why its new chips focus on security and artificial intelligence. Plus we hear about two exciting projects to bring quantum computing out of the lab. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, …
Why Intel will make chips for its rivals
The tech giant says it aims to rebalance world chip supply from Asia to the US and Europe. Plus, what can President Biden do about hackers backed by Russia and China? And is crowdtasking the next par…
Uber’s u-turn on drivers
The ride-hailing giant says it will pay UK drivers a minimum wage and other benefits. Will other gig-economy firms be forced to follow suit? Plus how cryptocurrency is a craze in India but faces a go…
The $69m digital artwork
How the boom in 'non-fungible tokens' helped one artist become a multimillionaire. Mike Winkelmann - also known as Beeple - explains why his art has sold for $69m at auction despite being freely avai…
The new “space race” for chips
A close look at how the latest silicon chips are made, what they’re used for, and why they represent “the new space race” at the heart of US-China rivalry. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC On…
Who blinked - Facebook or Australia?
Facebook and the Australian government reach a compromise over a new law requiring tech giants to pay publishers for news content. Is it a model for other countries to follow? Plus, how water-soluble…
Facebook blocks Australia’s news
The social giant takes down news content ahead of a new law that would force it to pay media publishers. Plus, are digital vaccine certificates or passports essential for a return to normal life or a…
Bitcoin’s energy cost
The buzz around the cryptocurrency grows after Elon Musk’s Tesla reveals it has bought $1.5bn worth of Bitcoin. But what’s its impact on global energy use? Plus how people in China have been using th…
A tale of two ecommerce giants
Jeff Bezos's Amazon and Jack Ma's Alibaba report bumper profits, but both online shopping giants face challenges. Rory Cellan-Jones speaks to the BBC's Asia business correspondent Karishma Vaswani ab…
Robert Downey Jr. on backing green tech
The Iron Man star tells us how he wants to help tackle the climate crisis. Plus, how small investors on a Reddit forum took on Wall Street and won - for now at least. And have your shopping habits ch…
Biden’s plan for big tech
Will the new US President bring a new era in relations with the tech giants? Plus, as schools remain closed in many places, how online learning is helping educate children. And why a global semicondu…
Amazon gives Parler the boot
The social platform favoured by Donald Trump supporters loses its online home after Amazon Web Services withdraws its cloud hosting. Plus, how the pandemic has fired the imagination of gadget-makers …