What Next: TBD

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

Advertisement

About the Show

Every Friday and Sunday, 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.

Let’s Talk, Chatbots

ChatGPT is better than any chatbot that came before it.

Big Tech’s Boogeymen In Washington

Is the most aggressive antitrust team in decades capable of reining in Silicon Valley?

Twitter’s Vulnerabilities, Exposed

Elon’s Twitter had its first test against bad actors from a foreign country. It didn’t go well.

The Trap of Buy Now, Pay Later

They’re billed as a safe alternative to credit. But only if you use it responsibly.

The End of the Tech Boom

After decades of growth, tech companies are now focusing on profits.

The Case Against Climate Reparations

There’s a great moral argument. Practically, it falls apart.

Is This the Cryptocalypse?

How will the demise of the third-largest crypto exchange affect the industry?

Sen. Chris Murphy on Elon’s Acquisition of Twitter

Why he asked the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to review Saudi Arabia’s considerable stake in Twitter.

Why Are So Many Little Kids Sick Right Now?

Those born under pandemic restrictions are getting their first “normal” autumn, replete with all the sniffles that entails.

So How’s It Going, Elon?

From canning executives to a plan to charge for blue checks, Twitter has entered the Musk Era.

Big Brother, Big Tech, and China

COVID may be an inflection point in the relationship between the surveillance state and the surveilled.

Twitter Is Dead; Long Live Twitter

No matter what Elon Musk does, Twitter will never be the same.

Can We Make an Alzheimer’s Drug That Works?

Advances towards an effective drug therapy have been uneven and unclear, but there are promising developments.

When an Algorithm Raises Your Rent

If it draws on data from many landlords to tell them what to charge, when does it become price-fixing?

Are You Ready to Be Composted When You Die?

How a bunch of environmentalists want to disrupt the American death industry.

The Next Amazon Union Fight

Why labor’s success in Staten Island has been so difficult to replicate.

When Your Church Surveils Your Phone

A look at the rise of accountability apps in churches.

Could the Supreme Court Kill the Internet as We Know It?

Section 230 has made it to the Supreme Court.

The Philosopher With Silicon Valley’s Ear

A deep dive into longtermism.

When Climate Change Makes You Sell Your House

How a mandatory buyout program in Harris County is upending a decades-old community.