Recode Daily

By Recode

Society & Culture Technology

What's Recode Daily about?

Every story is a tech story. We live in a world where algorithms drive our interests, scientists are re-engineering our food supply, and a robot may be your next boss. Host Arielle Duhaime-Ross explores why–and how–tech is changing everything.

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Instagram is bad for teens’...

09.17.2021

New reporting from the Wall Street Journal confirms what many teens already knew: Instagram can be harmful to their body image and self-esteem. And as it turns out, the company knows it too. Recode Media’s Peter Kafka (@pkafka) asked Adam ...

Recode Daily episodes:

09.17.2021 Instagram is bad for teens’ self-esteem, and it knows it New reporting from the Wall Street Journal confirms what many teens already knew: Instagram can be harmful to their body image and self-esteem. And as it turns out, the company knows it too. Recode Media’s Peter Kafka (@pkafka) asked Adam ...
09.16.2021 California scheming Republicans primed their voters to believe the California recall was stolen. And right-wing media helped them. Vox’s Aaron Rupar explains. Read Aaron’s story here. Enjoyed this episode? Rate Recode Daily ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. What do ...
09.15.2021 The future of cybersex The mobile gaming giant Roblox is hugely popular among minors — most of them young kids. But it turns out the platform has a burgeoning strip club and sex work scene. Players say it’s all fun and games, but the ...
09.14.2021 Walgreens' Covid testing site exposes patient data Millions of people got Covid-19 tests through Walgreens. Their information wasn’t adequately protected. Recode’s Sara Morrison explains. Read her report here. Have a tip for one of our reporters? Email [email protected] Enjoyed this episode? Rate Recode Daily ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ and ...
09.13.2021 Facebook’s smart glasses: cool or creepy? Facebook and Ray-Ban announced their new collaboration: Ray-Ban Stories, their version of smart glasses. And they are surprisingly normal-looking, something developers hope will someday make their smart glasses as ubiquitous as a smartphone. Alex Heath (@alexehealth), senior reporter at The ...
09.10.2021 Why El Salvador made bitcoin a national currency El Salvador recently became the first and only country to recognize bitcoin as an official currency. It’s a high-risk, high-reward experiment for the and the world is watching. The Wall Street Journal’s Caitlin Ostroff explains. Read Caitlin’s work here. Enjoyed ...
09.09.2021 How gig work became a full-time job The pandemic put a lot into perspective, especially when it comes to work. Millions of Americans lost their jobs during lockdown, while others found themselves juggling remote work and child care. And now more and more people are juggling a ...
09.08.2021 You’ve got my mail We use email for practically everything. We use it for everyday things like food delivery apps, newsletters, and streaming services. We also use it for serious things like managing our finances, applying for jobs, and communicating with loved ones. But ...
09.07.2021 Start your holiday shopping NOW! The pandemic has put immense strain on the global supply chain. Everything from basic food items like chicken wings to critical tech components like computer chips is running low. Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil (@rebheilweil) and Vox’s Terry Nguyen (@terrygtnguyen) join Recode ...
09.02.2021 Air conditioning is not cool Air conditioning technology was considered revolutionary in the 20th century, but over the years, it’s proven to be devastating for the environment. Today, Recode’s Adam Clark Estes is joined by Eric Dean Wilson (@ericdeanwilson), the author behind After Cooling: On ...
09.01.2021 How the levees held Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday, August 29. The powerful storm grew to Category 4 by the time it crashed into the coast, and with a storm this strong, one big question was on everybody’s mind: Will the ...
08.31.2021 Mandating vaccines shouldn’t be a restaurant worker’s job In some parts of the US, customers in bars and restaurants are now required to show proof of vaccination against Covid-19 in order to enter the business. This can give servers, hosts, and bartenders peace of mind when they go ...
08.30.2021 Blaming Facebook won't solve the misinformation problem The New York Times’ Shira Ovide, writes the popular and incisive On Tech newsletter, which means she gets to write about… everything. She sits down with Recode’s Peter Kafka to discuss some of her latest stories in her column like ...
08.27.2021 Big Tech’s Taliban problem For the first time in 20 years, the Taliban controls Afghanistan. This change in power raises questions for companies like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube as they have to figure out how to handle what was once considered an insurgent, terrorist-affiliated ...
08.26.2021 Did we pull the plug on virtual school too soon? Students and teachers are returning to classrooms after more than a year of virtual learning, but going back to school doesn’t mean going back to normal. Vox’s Anna North (@annanorthtweets) joins Recode Daily to break down how schools are preparing. ...
08.25.2021 Is the future of work in employees’ hands? Many companies are preparing to return to the office this fall, but how is that going to work? Will the way we do our jobs be forever changed because of the pandemic? Do American workers have the motivation – and ...
08.24.2021 404: Podcast not found The World Wide Web is kept interconnected through hyperlinks. But what happens when those hyperlinks stop working? Researchers say hyperlinks are dying at an alarming rate, and it could signal trouble for journalists, historians, and academics. Clare Stanton (@clare_stanton) at ...
08.23.2021 Your next office could be inside a VR headset Work from home typically means Zoom calls and Slack, but Mark Zuckerberg is envisioning a new way to work remotely: virtual reality. Last week, he unveiled Workrooms: Facebook’s latest effort to enter the “metaverse.” Recode’s Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffary) explains. References: ...
08.20.2021 TikTok is making tax policy cool TikTok is the go-to place for memes and dance videos. But sometimes those pieces of content can play a critical role in letting lawmakers know which policies are working and which ones are not. Today, the Washington Post’s Dave Jorgenson ...
08.19.2021 Why am I so invested in Alabama sorority TikTok? Last week, videos of students hoping to join a sorority at the University of Alabama exploded on TikTok. For You pages were all about girls’ outfits and preferred houses, and for some reason, users could not get enough. Why did ...
08.18.2021 TikTok made me buy it TikTok has a tendency to make products fly off the shelves. But then they flame out fast. Vox’s in-house TikTok expert Rebecca Jennings explains the phenomenon, the relationship between influencers and brands, and the inevitable pitfalls that come with a ...
08.17.2021 Tesla is in trouble with the US government Tesla is in trouble. The US government is investigating Autopilot, a feature that Elon Musk says could turn Teslas into fully self-driving cars. Tesla has had numerous issues with the Autopilot program, but this investigation — the biggest one yet ...
08.16.2021 Why it’s always moms We know that working mothers had a really hard time during the pandemic. It was untenable. Three million women left the workforce last year, and less than half have returned. But why was it so common for moms to quit ...
08.13.2021 America is losing the electric car race Through his infrastructure bill and recent executive orders, Biden is pushing for more Americans to start driving electric vehicles. The president has made the technology a cornerstone of his agenda to fight climate change. But with scientists urging immediate action, ...
08.12.2021 Bitcoin and Biden’s infrastructure bill The Senate just passed a massive, trillion-dollar infrastructure deal, and lawmakers are looking to cryptocurrency to help pay for it. But users of the new technology are worried a small provision in the bill may burden the wrong people with ...
08.11.2021 Apple’s plan to protect kids by scanning your iPhone Apple announced new child safety features for the upcoming iOS 15 update. But, one of the measures has privacy advocates in an uproar: the ability to scan photos for child sexual abuse material on the iPhone itself. Recode’s Sara Morrison ...
08.10.2021 On tonight’s menu: Your personal data QR codes have been around for almost 30 years, but they’ve seen renewed interest during the pandemic. They’re convenient for customers, and they can help restaurant owners sell more. But they’re also a useful tool for collecting customers’ private data, ...
08.09.2021 Facebook banned researchers studying ... Facebook At this point, it’s old news that Facebook has a misinformation problem. Not just in user posts and comments, but within advertiser content, too. And a research team at the NYU Ad Observatory project has been studying exactly that — ...
08.06.2021 An app’s plan to profit off your fear Citizen, the controversial safety app, has a new feature called Protect. For $20 a month, you get extra security and access to Protect Agents, who can monitor your location and call for help. It’s kind of like OnStar, but not ...
08.05.2021 The risks of “buy now, pay later” apps Square just announced they’re buying out Afterpay, a “buy now, pay later” app. The move could mean CashApp will soon offer the option to pay for everything in four easy payments. It’s a trend that’s gaining traction among young shoppers, ...
08.04.2021 Tech companies: No shot, no coming back to the office Without a federal mandate in place, tech companies have started requiring their employees to get the Covid-19 vaccine before they return to work in person. First, it was Google and Facebook. Now, more companies in other industries are following suit. ...
08.03.2021 Another gaming giant reckons with its sexist work culture Hundreds of employees for the gaming studio Activision Blizzard are speaking out after the company was sued for sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination. The incident is highlighting the industry’s systemic issues of sexism and abuse. The Verge’s Zoë Schiffer (@ZoeSchiffer) ...
08.02.2021 OlympicTok The best place to watch the Olympics this year is TikTok. The videos – including behind-the-scenes clips of the Olympic Village, the training centers, and those cardboard beds that quickly went viral – have amassed billions of views on the ...
07.30.2021 A priest’s cautionary tale in dating and data privacy Earlier this month, a Catholic media outlet published a story exposing a priest for using the dating app Grindr, costing him his job. The article was based on private location data that was traced to a phone belonging to the ...
07.29.2021 Big Retail is watching you Some of the country’s biggest retailers are being accused of using face recognition technology without customers’ knowledge. Stores can use this biometric data to predict people’s shopping habits and send targeted ads their way. Privacy advocates say the technology should ...
07.28.2021 Congress vs. Covid lies Well over a year into the pandemic, and major social media platforms are still failing to moderate Covid-19 misinformation. With cases rising in all 50 states, the delta variant rapidly spreading, and the vaccination rate slowing… things appear to be ...
07.27.2021 Why Netflix wants to be a gaming app Netflix is betting on gaming to be its next big offering. The company saw lackluster growth as the world began to come out of the pandemic lockdown, so now it’s hoping a free library of video games will be enough ...
07.26.2021 The rest stop doctor’s appointment When you were stuck at home last year, did you visit a doctor online? For some people, it was a convenient option; for others, it gave them potentially life-saving care from out of state. But what happens now that states ...
07.23.2021 Roblox: 40 million games in one Roblox is one of the fastest growing games in the world right now. But depending on who you ask, some would say it’s more than a game. The app lets users not only play, but also join virtual birthday parties, ...
07.22.2021 Did Anthony Bourdain say that? The new documentary Roadrunner takes a look at the life of Anthony Bourdain, the late celebrity chef, author, and travel show host. But one decision by the filmmakers is raising questions: The film uses artificial intelligence to recreate Bourdain’s voice. ...
07.21.2021 Yes, iPhones can be hacked iPhones have a reputation for being unhackable. But that’s not exactly the case. This weekend, we learned about Pegasus, software specifically designed to hack iPhones. This raises questions about who is using this software and why, but raises an even ...
07.20.2021 How much does it cost to leave Earth? Rich entrepreneurs have taken significant steps in recent weeks to make civilian space travel a reality. But that reality is only accessible to those who can afford the staggeringly expensive ticket. New York magazine’s Paola Rosa-Aquino (@prosaaquino) joins Recode’s Rani ...
07.19.2021 Bring on the 4-day workweek The pandemic changed where we work and how we work — and our work-life balance pretty much disappeared. That’s especially true for working mothers, who did more child care and household labor than their male partners. Now, as people start ...
07.16.2021 Social media’s racial bias problem Social media has a problem with racism, and it knows it. But as social media giants like Facebook and Twitter promise to make things better, their users still have to deal with the consequences, whether that’s being exposed to racist ...
07.15.2021 Why is everything so expensive right now? Lots of consumer products and services have gotten more expensive over the last year, when the pandemic threw prices out of whack. Some have worried this could signal a coming period of stagnation, or even an economic collapse. But economists ...
07.14.2021 How social media threatens humanity Social media has, in an incredibly short period of time, drastically restructured the way we communicate. But there's a problem: We know very little about its dangers. A new paper in the scientific journal PNAS argues that if left misunderstood ...
07.13.2021 The power grid vs. climate change Recent extreme temperature events, like snowstorms in Texas and heat waves in Oregon and California, have put the United States’ power grid to the test. Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil (@rebheilweil) reports the country’s energy infrastructure is facing significant challenges as climate ...
07.12.2021 The real reason Trump is suing Big Tech Donald Trump filed lawsuits against Facebook, Twitter, and Google last week, accusing the companies of violating his and other conservatives’ First Amendment rights. The cases likely won’t hold up in court, but winning these lawsuits seems to be beside the ...
07.09.2021 A billionaire, a cryptocurrency, and a disaster in India Crypto philanthropy is a burgeoning field, and one with lots of unique complications. Take the case of Vitalik Buterin, the programmer who co-founded the cryptocurrency ethereum, and his recent donation to a charity in India to help respond to the ...
07.07.2021 The problem with post-pandemic work A special repost from the folks at Vox Quick Hits! While the Recode Daily team is out enjoying some vacation, Tell Me More host Emily Stewart and Vox senior correspondent Anna North are here to explore the ways the pandemic ...

Older episodes

Recode Daily

What's Recode Daily about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Recode Daily episodes:

Instagram is bad for teens’ self-esteem, and it knows it

California scheming

The future of cybersex

Walgreens' Covid testing site exposes patient data

Facebook’s smart glasses: cool or creepy?

Why El Salvador made bitcoin a national currency

How gig work became a full-time job

You’ve got my mail

Start your holiday shopping NOW!

Air conditioning is not cool

How the levees held

Mandating vaccines shouldn’t be a restaurant worker’s job

Blaming Facebook won't solve the misinformation problem

Big Tech’s Taliban problem

Did we pull the plug on virtual school too soon?

Is the future of work in employees’ hands?

404: Podcast not found

Your next office could be inside a VR headset

TikTok is making tax policy cool

Why am I so invested in Alabama sorority TikTok?

TikTok made me buy it

Tesla is in trouble with the US government

Why it’s always moms

America is losing the electric car race

Bitcoin and Biden’s infrastructure bill

Apple’s plan to protect kids by scanning your iPhone

On tonight’s menu: Your personal data

Facebook banned researchers studying ... Facebook

An app’s plan to profit off your fear

The risks of “buy now, pay later” apps

Tech companies: No shot, no coming back to the office

Another gaming giant reckons with its sexist work culture

OlympicTok

A priest’s cautionary tale in dating and data privacy

Big Retail is watching you

Congress vs. Covid lies

Why Netflix wants to be a gaming app

The rest stop doctor’s appointment

Roblox: 40 million games in one

Did Anthony Bourdain say that?

Yes, iPhones can be hacked

How much does it cost to leave Earth?

Bring on the 4-day workweek

Social media’s racial bias problem

Why is everything so expensive right now?

How social media threatens humanity

The power grid vs. climate change

The real reason Trump is suing Big Tech

A billionaire, a cryptocurrency, and a disaster in India

The problem with post-pandemic work

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