Between April and June of this year, Zillow bought nearly 4,000 homes. And they had no intention of holding onto them. The plan was to flip houses, often and at scale, joining the ranks of companies like Opendoor and Offerpad, also known as iBuyers. 

So, why did Zillow put their plans on pause last weekend? Can online middlemen really change the way we buy and sell houses?

Guests: 

Tony Santos, homeowner

Patrick Clark, reporter at Bloomberg

Host: Henry Grabar

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the last month, the domain company Epik and the streaming service Twitch have fallen prey to massive-scale hacks. The hackers revealed not just email addresses, but detailed personal information too. For Twitch, it was the entire source code for their site. 

But the attackers aren’t holding this data for ransom. In fact, they don’t seem to want much of anything. What’s motivating this new wave of activist hacks? And who suffers?

Guest: Drew Harwell, tech reporter at the Washington Post

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The last month has seen a steady drip of leaked documents from inside Facebook, each seemingly more damning than the next. This week, the whistleblower behind the leaks revealed her identity.

What motivates Frances Haugen? And can she do real damage to the social media giant?

Guest: Jeff Horwitz, tech reporter at the Wall Street Journal. 

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since 2018, internal research teams at Facebook have been studying the effect on Instagram on mental health. Their results couldn’t be more clear: Instagram is causing problems, especially for teen girls. 

Why has it taken so long for their research to surface? And what can be done to improve the relationship between kids and the platform?

Guest: Georgia Wells, tech reporter at the Wall Street Journal. 

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the U.S., the PCR test is the gold standard for COVID testing. Common knowledge would have it that the test is more accurate—and therefore more effective at containing the spread of the dease—than the rapid antigen test. 

What if that isn’t quite true? 

Guest: Michael Mina, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The final episode of Season 1 features Ted Ross, Chief Information Officer for the City of Los Angeles. His role became more vital than ever during the pandemic, with L.A.’s 4 million residents and 50,000 employees relying on the city’s complex technological operation for support. Ted helped his city navigate the challenge with tech solutions built on principles designed to serve citizens and inspire employees: focus on people, improve lives, and lean into promising innovations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recently, China restricted video game playing to just three hours a week for its young people: 8pm to 9pm, Friday through Sunday.

And that’s not the only change. Over the last few months, private tutors, diehard celebrity fans, and tech giants have all faced fresh restrictions from Beijing. What’s behind this new wave of crackdowns?

Guest: Brenda Goh, technology correspondent for Reuters

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Colorado River Basin is experiencing its 22nd year of drought. Its reservoirs are at their lowest-ever levels. The water stored in the system is at just 40 percent of its capacity. How did the situation on the Colorado become so dire? And what does the shortage mean for the 40 million people who rely on its waters?

Guest: Abrahm Lustgarten, senior investigative reporter at ProPublica

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A medicine meant to treat parasites is the latest unproven COVID treatment craze. With warnings from the FDA, and prescribers clamping down, some are going to extreme lengths to get their hands on the drug. What’s behind Ivermectin’s sudden rise?

Guest: Brandy Zadrozny, senior reporter for NBC News 

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elizabeth Holmes convinced countless people that her company would change the world. Can she convince 12 jurors that she didn’t intend to deceive her company’s patients and investors?

Guest: Rebecca Jarvis, host of “The Dropout” podcast and ABC News Chief Business, Technology & Economics Correspondent 

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices