Techish is back! This week, Abadesi and Michael kick off the episode with the backlash over Stormzy’s McDonald’s collaboration. They also break down Meta’s latest layoffs and how performance reviews play into the mix.  Then, they take a look at the rising cost of concert tickets—why are prices for artists like Beyoncé skyrocketing? Finally, they discuss the future of DEI in corporate America and what these shifts mean for the people driving the work forward. 

Chapters 

00:25 Stormzy's McDonald's Collaboration Sparks Backlash
09:49 Meta Lays Off "Low Performers"
16:03 Cowboy Carter Tour: Concert Ticket Economics
21:11 The DEI Backlash: Are We Centering the Wrong Narrative?

Extra reading & resources 

• Stormzy denies he ‘compromised beliefs’ with McDonald’s partnership [The Guardian]
• McDonald's to buy back Israeli restaurants after boycotts [BBC]
• Meta’s laid-off ‘low performers’ defend themselves on LinkedIn and Reddit [Fast Company]
• Early Meta employee sues for sexual harassment, gender discrimination [TechCrunch] 
• Donate now to The First Woke War play by Abadesi at tinyurl.com/abadesikickstarter

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This week on Techish, Michael and Abadesi break down DeepSeek, China's open-source AI rival, what the rise in AI agents means for jobs, and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) hiring Daniel Perry, the man who placed Jordan Neely in a lethal chokehold on a NYC subway. They also discuss Kendrick Lamar's Grammy sweep for his Drake diss track and why Bianca Censori, Kanye West's wife, never seems to be wearing any clothes. 

Chapters
00:30 The Rise of Deepseek: A Game Changer in AI 
07:33 Job Ads for AI Agents
12:55 Kendrick Wins 5 Grammys for Dissing Drake 
19:28 Andreessen Horowitz Hires Daniel Penny 
26:48 Kanye West's Wife Bianca Censori Is Naked Again 

Extra Reading and Resources 

• Drake Withdraws ‘Not Like Us’ Petition Against Spotify And UMG [POCIT]
• EXCLUSIVE: Daniel Penny Gets Hired by Andreessen Horowitz [The Free Press]
• Donate now to The First Woke War play by Abadesi at tinyurl.com/abadesikickstarter 

Support the show

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This week on Techish, Abadesi sits down with Alphonso David, a Human Rights and civil rights lawyer and advocate, to talk about his work as President and CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum. They dive into breaking down barriers for marginalized communities, why diversity, equity, and inclusion actually matters, and the need for real investment in Black and Brown businesses. Alphonso also shares the secret to his perseverance and what we can learn from the past to drive change today.

Chapters
00:00 Breaking Down Barriers for Marginalized Communities
03:20 Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Actually Matters
06:00  Investing in Black and Brown Entrepreneurs
09:44 Perseverance, Resilience, and Learning From The Past
13:20 Alphonso’s Recommended Content 

Extra Reading and Resources 

• Find out more about Alphonso David: https://www.alphonsodavid.com/
• Find out more about the Global Black Economic Forum https://www.gbef.com/ 
• Book recommendation: Conversations with James Baldwin by James Baldwin
• Documentary recommendation: Hostages (HBO) 

Donate now to The First Woke War play by Abadesi at tinyurl.com/abadesikickstarter

Support the show

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In this Techish episode, hosts Abadesi and Michael chat about tech's latest spite-fueled innovation, the buzz around the inauguration and crypto ball, and what Trump’s second presidency could mean for the intersection of tech and politics. And, of course, they tackle the big question on everyone’s mind: why is dating such a mess these days?


Chapters

00:40 Gas Founder Creates App To Spite Snapchat
04:00 Tech Giants at the Inauguration
08:52 Rappers Perform at the Trump Crypto Party
12:50 Meme Coins Are a Scam
14:25 TikTok's Future: Sale or Ban?
19:33 Doomed To Reschedule Hinge Dates Until We Die?


Extra reading & resources

• Nikita Bier launches Explode app to spite Snapchat [X] 
• I knew one day I'd have to watch powerful men burn the world down – I just didn't expect them to be such losers [The Guardian]
• OP-ED: Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross Nelly, And Soulja Boy Perform For Trump's Inauguration—At What Cost? [Essence] 
• Apple will pay $95 million to people who were spied on by Siri [The Verge] 

Support the show

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In this episode, Abadesi and Michael discuss the realities of layoffs, sharing personal experiences and insights on how to identify signs of potential layoffs, prepare for them, and navigate the aftermath. They emphasize the importance of mental health, financial planning, and the value of side hustles as a means of diversifying income. The conversation provides practical advice for anyone facing job insecurity or recovering from a layoff.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Layoffs and Personal Experiences
06:13 Understanding Job Security in Different Roles
15:04 Immediate Steps After Being Laid Off

Support the show

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Join our Patreon for extra-long episodes and ad-free content: https://www.patreon.com/techish

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Techish is back with a fresh new season to kick off 2025! 

Michael and Abadesi dive into US politics—talking elections, inflations, and the role of 'liberal elites'. They break down the debate about H-1B visas (no, Trump and Musk don't actually care about immigrants), Zuckerberg's MAGA pivot, and what censorship on social media actually means. They wrap things off by asking what owning an Android means for your dating life.

Chapters 
00:00 Why Trump Won The Election
08:05 Trump and Musk Back H-1B Visas
15:30 Mark Zuckerberg Pivots to MAGA
18:00 How Censorship Is Weaponized Online
24:00 Androids Give Women the Ick?


Extra Reading & Resources

• Trump sides with Musk on support for H-1B visas for foreign tech workers [The Guardian]
• Behind the Curtain: Meta's make-up-with-MAGA map [Axios]
• What Meta Axing Its Fact-Checking System Means For People Of Color [POCIT]

Support the show

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Support the show

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Brand new Techish! In this episode, hosts Michael and Abadesi look back at a tough year in tech, from job market shake-ups to the rise of content creation. They chat about AI’s impact on work, pivoting business models, job-hunting tips, investment trends, and the remote vs. office work debate.  

Chapters 

• Reflections on a Challenging Year (00:00)
• Everyone’s a Content Creator (02:25)
• Navigating Industry Changes - Adapt and Survive (09:36)
• We Love Scrappy Founders (12:58)
• The Future of Remote Work (14:15)
• How to Get and Stay Employed in 2025 (17:20)

Extra Reading & Resources

• Venture capitalists are now charging founders for meetings: $2500 for 30 minutes on a Zoom [San Francisco Standard]
• Ben Lang’s Substack, Next Play
• Spotify’s HR chief says remote staff aren’t ‘children’ as company reaffirms work-from-anywhere policy [Fortune] 
• Check out Tressly, the booking system & community for self-employed hairstylists. 

Support the show

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This week, Techish hosts Michael and Abadesi dig into Gen Z politics, focusing on why some young men are shifting conservative. They chat about how social media and creators fuel toxic views on women and masculinity, the need for healthier masculinity, and the struggles young men face today. Plus, they tackle ageism in startups, questioning stereotypes about younger and older workers.

• Gen Z men are more conservative (00:17)
• Are online creators grooming boys to hate women?(06:55)
• The need for healthy masculinity (12:55)
• Should startups hire over 30s? (17:45)

Extra Reading & Resources
• Sex Talks podcast by Emma-Louise Boynton 
• A new global gender divide is emerging [FT] 
• What Prevents & What Drives Gendered Ideological Polarisation? [Alice Evans]
• Boys being groomed online to hate women, British author warns [Reuters]

Support the show

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This week on Techish, Michael and Abadesi tackle UK and US politics—covering Kemi Badenoch, budget hits for small businesses, and tax headaches for high earners. They also chat about Big Tech’s stance on the US elections, the tech industry’s broken promises, and wrap up with a look at catfishing in online dating.

00:20 Kemi Badenoch Is Now the UK Conservative Party Leader
04:55 Is the New UK Budget Anti-Business?
09:37 6-Figure Salaries, Childcare, and the Tax Debate
16:40 US Elections and Big Tech
26:22 Sweet Bobby and Catfishing

Extra Reading and Resources

• Who is Kemi Badenoch, the first Black woman to lead Britain’s Conservative Party? [AP News]
• 'We earn £100,000 together. We are not worse off after the Budget' [BBC News]
• Sweet Bobby: Watch on Netflix or listen to the original podcast series on Tortoise Media 

Support the show

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