Marketplace Tech

State pension funds are struggling to deliver the goods right now, leading some pension fund managers to invest in startups. Venture Capitalist Paul Kedrosky stops by to discuss if the risk is worth it and whether the tech world will benefit. Next, we'll talk about Verizon's plans for its Yahoo-AOL merger, "Oath," and then look at a new robot food delivery program from Starship Technologies.

A diverse group of players, including Facebook and the Ford Foundation, are starting a $14 million fund to advance news literacy. Professor Jeff Jarvis of the City University of New York, the institution administering the fund, stopped by to discuss how this plan is different from other initiatives and what will happen if it affects these companies' bottom lines. Afterwards, we'll chat with wellness guru Dave Asprey about his unconventional dieting suggestions, which aim to help people increase their "brainpower."

With the rise of virtual reality, what will the movie-going experience be like in the future? Ted Schilowitz, a "futurist" for 20th Century Fox, stopped by to discuss how there will be an emphasis on the sensation of being physically transported and "choose your own adventure" stories. Afterwards, we'll look at how museums around the world are also experimenting with virtual reality. The New Museum in New York City is encouraging artists to use VR as a medium for their art.

"Firm inequality" describes the phenomenon where workers across firms earn vastly different amounts in earnings. Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom joins us to discuss why he thinks tech companies epitomize the pay divide. Afterwards, we'll play this week's "Silicon Tally" with Daniela Galarza, a senior editor at Eater.

Samsung has released its latest flagship devices, the Samsung S8 and S8 Plus, and unveiled its artificial intelligence assistant Bixby. Following Samsung's series of scandals in the past year, we'll look at what shape the company's in. Afterwards, we'll explore the AARP's use of seminars to educate older generations on how to use smartphones.

A new resolution plans to scale back a set of privacy rules put in place by the Federal Communications Commission under President Obama. We'll discuss how the measure could affect what you see online as a user, and how much data telecommunications companies already collect. Also on the topic of data transparency: Uber has released a diversity report about its workforce. We'll take a look at the report's statistics, which show that men hold 85 percent of the company's tech jobs. And finally, we'll talk about the roll out of Facebook Stories, a service that seems a lot like Snapchat.

After last week's terrorist attack on Parliament, we revisit the topic of government access to encrypted apps. How does accessing end-to-end encrypted messaging services like Whatsapp resemble steaming open envelopes or tapping phones? Ben Johnson discusses how U.K. agencies are navigating this territory with professor and author Thomas Rid. Then, why Facebook Marketplace isn’t taking off as Craigslist endures.

Companies that exist solely to buy patents and sue tech firms, known as patent trolls, will be affected by a Supreme Court decision today that could limit where they file suits. Currently, venue is key to how patent trolls win cases — for example, one third of such cases are argued in the eastern district of Texas where rules are favorable to plaintiffs. Plus, a test run of Amazon's outfit compare feature, which joins several apps trying to take the place of a friend who tells you what to wear while compiling your shopping data.

Wells Fargo is going to start letting customers withdraw money from ATMs using their smartphones, no debit card required. We'll chat with the Tiffany Rad, the CEO and founder of the security firm Anatrope, about whether this method of transaction is actually safe. Afterwards, we'll play this week's Silicon Tally with Vanity Fair's Maya Kosoff, and then look at the Senate's decision to scrap various user privacy rules for Internet Service Providers.

The physical sports world is now trying to capitalize on the digital sports world. We'll look at the NBA's plan to launch eLeague, a group that'll feature top-notch video gamers who compete against one another. Afterwards, we'll chat with author Luke Dormehl about the history and future of artificial intelligence.