logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2022
31m 51s

What Next TBD: So How’s It Going, Elon?

Slate Podcasts
About this episode

One week in as head honcho of Twitter and Elon Musk is in a tight spot: how do you balance the desires of advertisers with your ostensible zeal for free speech? How do you make something for which you’ve already overpaid turn a profit? How do you convince Stephen King to pony up for a blue check?


Guest: Alex Kirshner, contributing writer at Slate. 


Host: Lizzie O’Leary


If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.


Podcast production by Madeline Ducharme.


Thanks Avast.com! Learn more about Avast One at Avast.com

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

Up next
Yesterday
What Next: TBD | Trump Vs. Cancer Research
President Trump has proposed cutting $2.5 billion from the National Cancer Institute, which in addition to cuts to the National Institutes of Health and research universities almost makes you wonder: whose side is he on in the fight against cancer? Guest: Angus Chen, cancer repor ... Show More
30m 18s
Aug 23
Slate Money | ATM Scam Summer School
This week: We got more details on the ATM scam that swept New York City thanks to a teen summer job program and an infinite money glitch last month. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck discuss the mechanics of the scam, the fallout for the many parties involved, and th ... Show More
57m 42s
Aug 23
ICYMI | ChatGPT Has Ruined the Em Dash
Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay get into the war between em dashes and artificial intelligence. Back in 2024, what started as a developer question became an all-out grammar war, with the use of em dashes becoming a possible indicator that something was written using ChatGPT. In the ... Show More
39m 40s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2024
Money Talks: 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 office became an “invisible ... Show More
39m 22s
Nov 2023
Slate Money Goes to the Movies: Dumb Money
In the first episode of Slate Money Goes to the Movies, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers talk with Joe Nocera, author of “The Big Fail” about Dumb Money. Can you make a good movie about something that happened two years ago? What’s it like to watch the COVID pandemic ... Show More
48m 30s
Feb 2024
What Next: The American Oligarch Class
How did America end up back in a Gilded Age of incredible wealth disparity, and how did a new generation of oligarchs bend society to their vision?  Guest: Tim Murphy, senior reporter for Mother Jones. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus ... Show More
26m 34s
Sep 2021
What Next: Why a Hollywood #MeToo Organization Imploded
Time’s Up was founded in 2018 in the wake of the #MeToo movement to fight sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace. How, then, was the organization felled by accusations of a toxic work environment and close associations with abusers? Guest: Lili Loofbourow, s ... Show More
26m 41s
Jul 2023
Slate Money: Can Threads Take Down Twitter?
Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk about Threads, the new competitor to Twitter. They also discuss Janet Yellen’s trip to China and what it means for American foreign policy. Finally, have tipping and service charges gone too far?In the plus segment: Pregnant wor ... Show More
54m 42s
Nov 2023
Slate Money Goes to the Movies: The Insider
The Slate Money crew is joined by a familiar voice in Jordan Weissmann to discuss “The Insider”. They talk about the many conflicts of interest, how to make journalism look interesting, and the problem with Michael Mann movies.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up fo ... Show More
52m 31s
Nov 2023
Slate Money Travel: Maybe We Should Walk
In this episode of Slate Money Travel, Felix Salmon speaks with Craig Mod about why he loves to walk on vacation. Check out Craig Mod’s latest book, “Things Become Other Things”. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free ... Show More
31m 28s
Jan 2024
Is Billionaire Charity a Sham?
This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spears debate the value of massive, tax-deductible donations that spend years in administrative limbo. Also: Biden is cranking up production in American factories, and private equity may be making healthcare sick. In the Plus seg ... Show More
48m 4s
Dec 2023
This Year, Give Cash
Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers speak with Rory Stewart of GiveDirectly and the author of “How Not to Be a Politician.” They discuss the faults of many approaches to philanthropy, and why giving cash to those in need may be the most effective way to help. If you enj ... Show More
47m 45s
Aug 2023
What Next: U.S. vs Trump
We’re eight months into the year—and former president Donald Trump has now been indicted three times. On Tuesday, a federal grand jury charged Trump with three counts of conspiracy and one count of obstruction. But what exactly does that mean? And can someone really run for presi ... Show More
25m 51s