What Next: TBD

A weekly podcast about tech, power, and the future.

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About the Show

Every Friday, Slate’s popular daily news podcast What Next brings you TBD, a clear-eyed look into the future. From fake news to fake meat, algorithms to augmented reality, Lizzie O’Leary is your guide to the tech industry and the world it’s creating for us to live in.

Host

  • Lizzie O’Leary is the host of What Next: TBD, Slate’s show about technology, power, and the future. Previously, she created and hosted Marketplace Weekend. She has reported for CNN, Bloomberg News, and the New York Times Magazine, among others. She is also a contributing writer at the Atlantic.

What’s a City Without the Office?

The future of the corporate office and the future of the American city aren’t easily separated.

A Hidden Side of Police Abuse

You can’t reform the police if you don’t know what surveillance technology they’re using.

Why Remote Learning Failed

After three months of school closures, data about the impact of the coronavirus on learning is starting to trickle in. It’s far from reassuring.

Is This the End of Facial Recognition?

In the space of a week, development of the powerful surveillance technology has come to a screeching halt.

Your Delivery Habit Isn’t Helping

Apps like DoorDash and Grubhub are doing more harm than good.

Trump and Twitter Go to War

Twitter fact-checked the president’s tweets. Two days later, he issued an executive order that aims to redefine free speech online.

What Is Elon Musk Thinking?

A public battle over a Tesla plant closure shows what happens when big tech goes up against local government.

Decoding the Flood of COVID Data

How to turn data into decisions.

Should You Get an Antibody Test?

A layperson and a scientist talk us through what they’re good for.

How the Crisis Could Embolden Big Tech

While much of the economy suffers fallout from the coronavirus, the tech giants see an opportunity.

Can We Really Make a Safe Vaccine in 18 Months?

How fast is too fast when it comes to finding the fix for COVID-19?

Can the U.S. Really Track the Coronavirus?

Widespread contact tracing will be critical for preventing a resurgence of the coronavirus.

The Limits of Coronavirus Predictions

Can mathematical models chart the course of this pandemic?

Risking Your Life for $8.71

While much of the country shelters indoors, Instacart workers have found themselves on the front lines of COVID-19. Who’s keeping them safe?

Where Are All the Tests?

Here’s why America isn’t ready for widespread coronavirus testing.

Big Tech Eyes the Pandemic

Silicon Valley’s biggest players have been trying to break into health care for years. The coronavirus may provide an opportunity.

What if They Close All the Schools?

As the coronavirus spreads across the country, many schools are considering moving their classes online. For many, that’s not a realistic option.

Did the Internet Doom a Pregnancy?

The real-life cost of online misinformation.

Did Money Corrupt an A.I. Utopia?

OpenAI was supposed to democratize the race to build artificial intelligence. Then profits got in the way.

Inside Facebook’s Supreme Court

The social network spent a year building its own version of an independent judiciary. Can it succeed?