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.

The Great Climate Migration Begins

The largest mass movement of humans in history is starting. It could change everything.

The Limits of Filming Police Brutality

Smartphone ubiquity and body cameras were supposed to change policing for the better. What went wrong?

QAnon Goes Mainstream

How the conspiracy moved from the fringes of the internet to the White House press room.

What Went Wrong With Contact Tracing Apps

They were supposed to help us keep the virus in check. Why don’t any of them seem to actually work?

How Google Search Sold Out

The search engine used to be a gateway to the rest of the internet. Now, it’s something else entirely.

How One Block Got Through It

Chicago’s 75th Street seems like exactly the type of place that would have struggled to survive the pandemic. Instead, it’s thriving.

When America Can’t Pay the Rent

Is an eviction crisis around the corner?

New Orleans Without Music

The city’s music scene can’t work without visitors. What will become of its venues, musicians, and economy?

Cities Are Running Out of Money

Will the U.S. learn lessons from the Great Recession or just repeat the same mistakes?

Is “COVID Flight” a Thing?

There are countless reasons Americans move out of cities. Is the coronavirus really one of them?

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.