Slate Technology

Slate Technology episodes:

• 04.16.2024

  Money Talks: Felix Wins His Crypto Bet

  Five years ago, tech investor Ben Horowitz of Andreessen Horowitz bet our own Felix Salmon a 100-year-old bottle of wine that 10% of Americans would be using Bitcoin to pay for something by now. Ben lost, of course, but he’s...

  
• 04.14.2024

  What Next TBD: Is America Ready for Legal Psychedelics?

  How the semi-legalization of marijuana has drawn a road map for legalizing psychedelics—and also provided a list of pitfalls to be avoided.  Guest: Jane C. Hu, science journalist and author of the newsletter The Microdose. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to...

  
• 04.13.2024

  Slate Money: Why America’s Internet Sucks

  This week, Slate Money hacks the mainframe! Washington Post tech writer Shira Ovide joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers to discuss what’s wrong with America’s internet industry, how YouTube became the media empire no one talks about, and...

  
• 04.12.2024

  What Next TBD: Does Google Suck Now?

  Why lately our search engines just don’t seem to deliver results.  Guest: Jason Koebler, cofounder of 404 Media and co-host of the 404 Media Podcast.  Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What...

  
• 04.10.2024

  ICYMI: What Next: TBD: Google’s Scam Obituary Problem

  Why scam obituaries are edging out earnest ones, with the help of artificial intelligence and an adept Google game. Guest: Mia Sato, reporter for The Verge. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What...

  
• 04.10.2024

  What Next: How the Government Botched Financial Aid

  How did an attempt to simplify a tedious student-aid form turn into a full-on debacle that has some high school seniors wondering if they will have to delay starting college?  Guest: Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, national higher education reporter for the Washington Post. Want...

  
• 04.07.2024

  What Next TBD: America Needs More Power

  The demand for electricity is surging in the U.S. With increasing amounts of power going towards artificial intelligence, manufacturing and electric vehicles, can the grid keep up? Guest: Evan Halper, business reporter covering the energy transition for the Washington Post Want more...

  
• 04.06.2024

  Slate Money: EVs Need a Charge-Up

  This week: Americans are less revved up about EVs. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss if Elon Musk’s mischief has played a role in slowing sales. Also: the crisis in the wine industry, and how a combination investigative...

  
• 04.05.2024

  What Next TBD: Truth Social’s Rocky Week

  Donald Trump got a huge financial boost when Truth Social went public last week—or did he? Guest: Nitish Pahwa, associate writer on business and tech for Slate. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the...

  
• 04.03.2024

  ICYMI: Rebecca Jennings on NYT Connections and Selling Out

  On today’s Internet Diary, Rachelle is joined by Rebecca Jennings, Vox’s senior correspondent covering social platforms and the creator economy. The two discuss Jennings’ recent pieces on why everyone loves NYT Connections and how self-promotion became the internet’s lingua franca. This podcast is produced...

  
• 04.02.2024

  Slate Money: How to Escape the Invisible Factory

  For this edition of Money Talks: Are you feeling trapped in Zoom/Teams/Slack purgatory? Author Cal Newport’s book Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout has a way forward. Host Emily Peck speaks with him about how the digital...

  
• 03.31.2024

  What Next TBD: The Psychological Toll of Mars

  From science fiction writers to American presidents to Elon Musk, everyone’s eager to send people to Mars. But, even if you could nail the physical aspects, are Earthlings cut out for life on Mars mentally?  Guest: Nathaniel Rich, contributing writer for...

  
• 03.30.2024

  ICYMI: To Ban or Not to Ban TikTok

  Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim ask their most pressing questions about the bipartisan bill that would require TikTok’s parent company to sell the app or face a ban on all devices in the U.S. While the bill is not expected...

  
• 03.29.2024

  What Next TBD: Can Boeing Pull Out of This Tailspin?

  How supply chains, the pandemic, and a steady stream of Wall Street money led to a crisis at Boeing. Guest: Jon Ostrower, editor-in-chief of the website the Air Current. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening...

  
• 03.27.2024

  ICYMI: Is Nara Smith Actually a Tradwife?

  On today’s show, Rachelle is joined by writer and reporter Gaby Del Valle to discuss the rapid, contested rise of model-turned-influencer Nara Smith. Described by Rolling Stone as the “hot, young tradwife making everyone on the internet mad”, Nara’s elaborate homemade meals, hot husband...

  
• 03.24.2024

  What Next TBD: The Next Round of the Union Fight

  After organized-labor victories at Amazon, with automakers, and in Hollywood, big corporations are striking back by, among other things, suing the National Labor Relations Board.   Guest: Noam Scheiber, reporter for the New York Times covering working and workers. Want more What Next...

  
• 03.23.2024

  Slate Money: Is Apple’s Monopoly Good for Us?

  This week: Biden’s comin’ for your iPhone! Or at least, his administration wants to make it less restrictive to third-party developers. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the new Apple DOJ lawsuit, how Reddit can leverage its massive...

  
• 03.23.2024

  ICYMI: Fybrefest, Fake Deaths and Acrylic vs. Wool

  Candice Lim is joined by internet culture reporter Morgan Sung to run through the five messiest moments that have wracked the knitting and crocheting communities. From the controversial acrylic vs. natural wool debate to knitfluencers overcharging their followers, they’ll recall...

  
• 03.22.2024

  What Next TBD: Reddit’s IPO Gamble

  Despite the blackouts, moderator revolts, and long string of controversies, Reddit remains an active, healthy website. As the site goes public this week, can it remain that way? Guest: Priya Anand, Bloomberg News tech reporter. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to...

  
• 03.20.2024

  ICYMI: Anatomy of a Vasectomy

  Rachelle and Candice catch up on Matthew Koma, the husband of singer/actress Hilary Duff, who got a vasectomy and documented his post-op Valium spiral on Instagram. Then, they give an update on Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who wiped her public Instagram and...

  
• 03.17.2024

  What Next TBD: When Private Equity Gets in to Health Care

  Private equity firms have been buying up doctors’ offices and hospitals around the country. But if profits are the primary goal, what happens to the cost and quality of healthcare for patients? Guest: Gretchen Morgenson, senior financial reporter for the NBC...

  
• 03.16.2024

  Amicus: Who Gets to Lie Online?

  While all eyes and brains are on what SCOTUS thinks about making Trump emperor-king, a lesser known case will be heard Monday that could have a huge impact on how social media can (or cannot) keep election workers safe this...

  
• 03.16.2024

  Slate Money: Work is Mid

  This week: Americans don’t care as much about work. They have better things to do. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the prospect of a four-day workweek and what it could mean for the economy. Also: How Liquid Death...

  
• 03.16.2024

  ICYMI: Reddit is the Real Host of “Love is Blind”

  On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by Jonquilyn Hill, the host and reporter of Vox’s policy and politics podcast The Weeds. The two reunite to discuss the most recent season of Netflix’s Love is Blind. Following an unmemorable season and a disastrous attempt...

  
• 03.15.2024

  What Next TBD: Is TikTok Cooked This Time?

  TikTok’s connection to the Chinese government has been a Washington talking point since the Trump administration, but earlier this month lawmakers in the House introduced a bill requiring the app’s parent company to either divest the company into American hands—or...

  
• 03.13.2024

  ICYMI: An ICYMI Birthday Spectacular

  This month marks not only the third birthday of In Case You Missed It but the birthdays of 75% of the ICYMI production team so what else could we do but host a birthday spectacular? On today’s episode, Rachelle and...

  
• 03.12.2024

  Death, Sex & Money: Who's Driving Your Uber?

  This week, we’re revisiting an episode about the transitional lives of Uber drivers. Anna and then-producer Katie Bishop hitched multiple rides in the Bay Area and heard stories about immigration, domestic violence, personal finance, and more.  Death, Sex & Money is...

  
• 03.10.2024

  What Next TBD: Instagram’s Pedophile Problem

  As the debate around child safety online rages on, an investigation by The New York Times found a seedy world of pedophiles interacting with child influencer accounts, often run by their parents, on Instagram.  Guest: Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, investigative reporter at the...

  
• 03.09.2024

  ICYMI: Protecting Child Influencers From Their Parents

  Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim are joined by writer and journalist Fortesa Latifi who has been reporting extensively on child influencer legislation for Teen Vogue. In August 2023, the governor of Illinois passed an amendment to the state’s child labor law that...

  
• 03.09.2024

  Slate Money: Are Wallets Obsolete?

  The New York Times declared that physical wallets are on the outs. But is digital enough? Felix Salmon Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers discuss! Also: Steve Mnuchin’s heroic $1 billion bailout of New York Community Bank, and new rules requiring...

  
• 03.08.2024

  What Next TBD: Why TikTok Went Silent

  Thousands of songs have disappeared from TikTok in recent months as music giant Universal Music Group, or UMG, has pulled its catalog from the app. UMG claims that TikTok is a music platform, and that TikTok needs to pay more...

  
• 03.06.2024

  ICYMI: An Entirely Objective Ranking of the Brit Crew

  On today’s show, Rachelle and Candice return to the halcyon days of YouTube in 2013, when wholesome youths with names like Zoe Sugg and Caspar Lee and Troye Sivan ruled supreme. Colloquially known as the Brit Crew, these teens and twenty-somethings...

  
• 03.03.2024

  What Next TBD: Google’s Scam Obituary Problem

  Why scam obituaries are edging out earnest ones, with the help of artificial intelligence and an adept Google game. Guest: Mia Sato, reporter for The Verge. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole...

  
• 03.02.2024

  Slate Money: Musk vs. the AI Overlords

  This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers ponder the future of computers, cars, and…fast food? They discuss why Elon Musk is suing Sam Altman and OpenAI and the altruistic origins of ChatGPT. Also: Wendy’s “surge pricing” gaff had...

  
• 03.02.2024

  ICYMI: Rachel Karten on Snark Subreddits and Ryan Sheckler

  Candice Lim is joined by Link in Bio writer Rachel Karten, whose Substack breaks down how Stanley Cups went viral, why the Duolingo owl got a BBL and how “seemingly ranch” hit supermarket shelves. Karten was a social media manager who started...

  
• 03.01.2024

  What Next TBD: The Supreme Court Takes on Content Moderation

  Is it censorship for social media platforms to moderate their content, or is censorship when the state tells social media platforms how to moderate their content?  Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, Slate writer on courts and the law.  Want more What Next TBD?...

  
• 02.28.2024

  ICYMI: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told…Through TikToks

  On today’s episode, Rachelle is joined by her best friend Danielle Hewitt, a producer at Prologue Projects and, formerly, Slate’s daily news podcast What Next. In a deeply revealing exercise, the two go through a selection of the 250 TikToks...

  
• 02.25.2024

  What Next TBD: Alabama’s IVF Mess

  Fertility doctors and their patients trying to conceive via in vitro fertilization (IVF) were stopped in their tracks this week, as the Alabama Supreme Court declared that embryos have the same rights as people. The decision has left doctors wondering...

  
• 02.24.2024

  Slate Money: Is Capital One’s Discover Deal Doomed?

  This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers come with 0% interest and no fees! They discuss what the proposed merger between Capital One and Discover would mean for the rest of us and why the government probably won’t...

  
• 02.24.2024

  ICYMI: Who TF Did Reesa Teesa Marry?

  Rachelle and Candice dive deep into the scammer story currently scratching the internet’s itch: Reesa Teesa’s 52-part “Who TF Did I Marry?” TikTok series. On February 14, @ReesaMTeesa detailed the very harrowing story of meeting, dating and divorcing a man she...

  
• 02.23.2024

  What Next TBD: The Coasts are Sinking

  Studies have found that, in tiny increments, America’s East Coast is sinking into the ground thanks to climate change. Can a new approach to urban planning mitigate the effect? Guest: Matt Simon, senior staff writer at Wired. You can read Matt’s reporting...

  
• 02.21.2024

  What Next: Why a Hi-Tech Gun Safety Tool Isn’t Working

  Shotspotter lost a huge contract and some face when Chicago opted out of its partnership with the gunfire-identification tech company.  Why can’t new policing tech seem to break the old patterns and problems? Guest: Jim Daley, investigations editor at South Side Weekly Want...

  
• 02.21.2024

  ICYMI: Inside the Internet’s Hottest—and Messiest—Club

  On today’s episode, Rachelle is joined by Nadira Goffe to dive into the firestorm engulfing two recent interviews on Shannon Sharpe’s delightfully dishy podcast Club Shay Shay. Katt Williams and Mo’Nique sat down with Sharpe in separate three-hour-long interviews that have set the internet...

  
• 02.18.2024

  What Next TBD: Apple Vision Pro: The Ultimate Surveillance Device?

  Apple Vision Pro goggles might be a crime against fashion but with the amount of data they can collect—both on the world around the user and on the users themselves—they have the potential to invade privacy right down to where...

  
• 02.17.2024

  ICYMI: The Turbulence of Air Force Taylor

  Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim catch up on the latest stories churning the Taylor Swift media machine, from her lawyers sending a cease and desist letter to a college student, to her possibly leading a groundbreaking case against AI deepfakes. Then, they...

  
• 02.16.2024

  What Next TBD: Warfare Enters the A.I. Era

  The war in Ukraine reordered the priorities of the country’s growing tech sector, and has become a place for foreign companies to test out new tools with less regulation or scrutiny. Guests: Vera Bergengruen, senior correspondent at Time If you enjoy this show,...

  
• 02.16.2024

  A Word: Ghost in the Medical Machine

  The promise of artificial intelligence in medicine is that it can reduce the influence of human error and bias in health care. But there’s growing concern that A.I. in medicine –as in other fields– can reflect the biases and lack...

  
• 02.14.2024

  Decoder Ring: Why Do So Many Coffee Shops Look the Same?

  The eerie similarity of coffee shops all over the world was so confounding to Kyle Chayka that it led him to write the new book Filterworld: How Algorithms Are Flattening Culture. In today’s episode, Kyle’s going to walk us through...

  
• 02.14.2024

  ICYMI: The State of Dating Apps

  Candice Lim is joined by dating culture researcher Lakshmi Rengarajan and culture writer Kate Lindsay to discuss the past, present and future of dating apps. Online dating has been around since the days of dial-up. But apps like Tinder disrupted...

  
• 02.11.2024

  What Next TBD: Breaking Up with Dating Apps

  For a while, it seemed like the only place to meet potential partners was through an app—Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, etc. But as the apps are trying to monetize their matchmaking—and some users now with a whole decade of striking out...