Slate Technology

Federal workers in the U.S. Digital Service resigned in protest over what they viewed as indiscriminate, irresponsible firings coming from the DOGE office. While lawsuits are entering the courts and protests are taking to the streets, will any of this make a difference to the chainsaw-minded leaders of DOGE? 

Guest: Ryan Mac, tech reporter at the New York Times and co-author of “Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter.”

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell and Patrick Fort.

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Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim break down YouTuber Ethan Klein’s attack on Fauxmoi and why public figures are starting to fire back at snark pages. Earlier this month, Klein’s wife Hila became a topic of discussion on Fauxmoi, a popular celebrity subreddit, after she posted an Instagram story that claimed a potential collaboration fell apart due to anti-semitism. Posts of problematic behavior and language the Kleins have exhibited on camera soon flooded the subreddit, calling out the podcasters for their past controversies. Since then, Ethan has used his platform to threaten multiple subreddits and seemingly gear up to come after Fauxmoi with lawyers. The Kleins’ battle against Fauxmoi begs the question: can you sue a subreddit for defamation? And should snark pages prepare for public figures to fight back?

This podcast is produced by Alexandra Botti, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay.

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The crypto industry threw its weight and money behind Donald Trump, in hopes of legitimizing the industry. Before his Inauguration Day was over, Donald Trump was already enriching himself via a memecoin, one of the scammier, least legitimate-looking uses of crypto.

Guest: David Yaffe-Bellany, reporter covering cryptocurrency for the New York Times.

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Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay aren’t immune to TikTok marketing, even when it comes to healthcare. From Hims and Hers to nutritional gummies to something called “beef tallow,” social media promises the answers to all your medical woes. To figure out how to responsibly navigate this new online healthcare landscape, Candice and Kate talk to NPR pharmaceuticals correspondent, Sydney Lupkin. Sydney recently wrote about the sometimes sketchy world of online weight loss drugs, and shares some tips for separating the solutions from the scams. 

This podcast is produced by Alexandra Botti, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay.

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As someone whose companies receive billions of dollars from the government, it’s worth asking why Elon Musk is so zealous about cutting government spending. 

Guest: Max Chafkin, features editor and tech reporter at Bloomberg Businessweek and cohost of the Elon, Inc podcast.

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell and Patrick Fort.

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Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay talk about the social media battle between Wishbone Kitchen’s Meredith Hayden and Bon Appétit. Hayden’s popularity exploded as a private chef in the Hamptons, where she’d post idyllic “day in my life” TikToks. Now, Hayden is accusing food magazine Bon Appétit of possibly stealing her “Dinner with Friends” concept, which is a video series she started back in January 2024. From copying her series title to emulating her color scheme, TikTok, Instagram, and even Reddit are standing up for Hayden and telling Bon Appétit to do better. But has the magazine ever recovered from their 2020 racial reckoning and mass exodus? Or has the rise of TikTok allowed a whole new cast of influencers to surpass the once-revered food media institution?

This podcast is produced by Alexandra Botti, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay.

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The infinite scroll has no purpose other than keeping your attention. But that doesn’t mean it’s value-neutral.

Guest: Chris Hayes, MSNBC news anchor and author of “The Siren's Call: How Attention Became The World's Most Endangered Resource.”

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Is Elon Musk’s $97.4 billion offer to buy OpenAI genuine—or an irresistible opportunity to troll Sam Altman?

Guest: David A. Fahrenthold, investigative reporter for the New York Times

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Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim dive into two internet stories they can’t stop thinking about. First, they explain how Montoya from Temptation Island became 2025’s crash-out king and created one of the first great international memes of the year. Then, they recap the journey of Onijah Andrew Robinson, an American who spent months in Pakistan after a catfish-gone-wrong, and used local media to become TikTok’s latest obsession.

This podcast is produced by Alexandra Botti, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay.

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Using Github, you can watch as government websites are brought into compliance with Donald Trump’s executive orders. Out goes the word “equity;” in comes “fair.” And health and science data, once publicly available, disappears.

Guest: Jason Koebler, cofounder of 404 Media.

Jeremy Prokop, data science advisor in the Midwest

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