What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future
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.
- Update frequency
- every 3 days
- Average duration
- 28 minutes
- Episodes
- 601
- Years Active
- 2017 - 2025
The Rise of the Therapy Apps
Since the start of the pandemic, usage of apps like BetterHelp and Talkspace has skyrocketed. These apps might make mental health care more accessible, but are the products they sell really the same …
00:25:28 |
Fri 09 Apr 2021
Introducing: ICYMI
ICYMI is Slate’s new podcast about internet culture. It’s a show for people who have a healthy relationship with the internet, made by people who really, really don’t. It’s hosted by Slate’s Madison …
00:28:36 |
Sun 04 Apr 2021
The Fight Over Vaccine Passports
There are at least 17 different “vaccine passport” initiatives underway in the United States. And leaked documents reveal that the Biden administration fears that “a chaotic and ineffective vaccine c…
00:25:56 |
Fri 02 Apr 2021
The AstraZeneca Saga
Back in April 2020, AstraZeneca was hailed as a frontrunner in the race to get an effective vaccine to market. A year later, after a series of trial pauses, communication blunders, and PR problems, t…
00:25:49 |
Fri 26 Mar 2021
Hate, Lies, and AI
Facebook’s failure to contain the spread of dangerous misinformation is no secret. For years, the company has pledged publicly to fix the problem. But in the wake of the Capitol riots, it’s clear tha…
00:26:06 |
Fri 19 Mar 2021
Does Google Actually Want to Hire Black Engineers?
Back in 2014, Google released in-depth diversity data for its workforce for the first time. 1.1 percent of its tech team identified as Black. Six years later, after millions of dollars spent and a mu…
00:24:52 |
Fri 12 Mar 2021
The Failing Lifeline for Low-Income Americans
The federal Lifeline program was intended to bridge the gap between Americans who could comfortably pay for phone and internet service, and those who couldn’t. But in the midst of the pandemic, Lifel…
00:23:48 |
Fri 05 Mar 2021
Australia’s Kinda-Sorta Win Over Big Tech
Over the last year, the Australian government has been waging a quiet war against Facebook and Google. Through a new law, it plans to force the big tech companies to pay news outlets in exchange for …
00:22:33 |
Fri 26 Feb 2021
Why Texas Went Dark
Over the last week, millions of Texans have been forced to live without power or heat. At least 16 have died since Monday. In a state that’s no stranger to extreme weather and high power demand, how …
00:22:56 |
Fri 19 Feb 2021
How Clubhouse Cracked China’s Firewall
For most of the last year, Clubhouse—the audio-only social media app—has been dominated by conversations about business, branding, and Elon Musk. But as users picked up the app around the globe, some…
00:24:52 |
Fri 12 Feb 2021
India Turns Off the Internet
Last week, in response to protests by farmers outside New Delhi, India, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi restricted access to the mobile web in areas where the protests were unfolding. …
00:20:50 |
Fri 05 Feb 2021
Inside the Subreddit That Blew Up GameStop
The story of how GameStop went from the verge of a bankruptcy to a $15 billion market value isn’t an easy one to wrap your head around. But it helps to go back to the beginning; almost three years ag…
00:23:57 |
Fri 29 Jan 2021
Why the Vaccine Websites Suck
Most people thought developing the vaccine in record time would be the hard part. That, or shipping millions of doses at subzero temperatures to every corner of the country. But nobody--or, almost no…
00:29:48 |
Fri 22 Jan 2021
Where the Far Right Is Meeting Now
After Facebook and Twitter banned thousands of accounts in the wake of the Capitol riots, fringe groups are flocking to platforms like Signal and Telegram. With the inauguration just days away, and g…
00:20:05 |
Fri 15 Jan 2021
Deplatforming the President
This week, in the wake of violent protests at the Capitol, the social media platforms took unprecedented steps to rein in the president. Facebook banned his account at least through Inauguration Day.…
00:19:26 |
Fri 08 Jan 2021
Was This Google Ethicist Fired for Doing Her Job?
Recently, one of the world’s leading AI ethics researchers, Timnit Gebru, left Google. Google says she resigned. Timnit says she was fired. In the days since, Timnit’s departure has turned into a pub…
00:22:12 |
Tue 15 Dec 2020
Everybody Sues Facebook
This week, the FTC and more than 40 state attorneys general brought antitrust lawsuits against Facebook. And they’re not pulling their punches. They are calling for Facebook to spin off Instagram and…
00:22:16 |
Fri 11 Dec 2020
How Hackers Hold Schools for Ransom
Ransomware attacks--when hackers break into digital systems, encrypt files, and demand payment to unlock them, isn’t new. But 2020 has seen an explosion in the frequency of these hacks, which are oft…
00:22:42 |
Fri 04 Dec 2020
Inside Biden’s COVID Team
When Joe Biden takes office in two months, the federal government will take on a new stance in its fight to contain the coronavirus. The broad strokes of that strategy have been outlined in debates a…
00:23:06 |
Fri 20 Nov 2020
How Tough Will Biden Really Be on Big Tech?
When Barack Obama first won the White House, back in 2008, with Joe Biden as his vice president, the executive branch’s stance towards tech and tech companies was seen as cooperative, progressive, an…
00:21:43 |
Fri 13 Nov 2020
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