Today, tech talk with an old friend of the pod, Kevin Roose of The New York Times, who is also host of the 'Hard Fork' podcast.
This is a show about everything. And it’s going to remain a show about everything because I’m a little bit interested in everything. But one cost of that purposeful lack of narrow focus is that sometimes you fail to communicate the ... Show More
Today
America's Tax System Is Broken
If you're a typical worker with a salary, you have almost no control over how much tax you owe. But if you own a company worth billions of dollars, the income tax is, in the words of my guest today, "largely optional." Countries around the world struggle to get billionaires to pa ... Show More
1h 4m
Mar 20
The Casino-ification of America
In 2017, Americans legally bet about $5 billion on sports. Last year, that number rose to $160 billion. Gambling hasn’t just taken over sports. It’s invaded culture, politics, and even international warfare. Bettors have already made millions of dollars wagering on the precise da ... Show More
1h 11m
Mar 17
"Yes, AI Is a Bubble. There Is No Question."
The AI buildout continues to break records, as the hyperscalers pour hundreds of billions of dollars into chips and data centers, even as investors punish their stock prices. But the revenue side of the ledger is showing signs of takeoff. In the last few weeks, OpenAI and Anthrop ... Show More
1h 9m
Jan 2025
Goodbye TikTok, Ni Hao RedNote? + A.I.'s Environmental Impact + Meta's Masculine Energy
<p>The deadline for TikTok to sell or to face a ban is fast approaching. We discuss how Supreme Court justices — who opted on Friday to uphold the law — reacted to arguments in the case, whether the Chinese government might allow Elon Musk to buy the app, and why self-proclaimed ... Show More
1h 13m
Aug 2025
China Might Not Need US Chips For Long
China continues to show signs that it might not need American AI chips much longer. A weird story about that big recent Tesla trial ruling. Look, AI being too much of a sycophant is clearly becoming a big problem. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Alibaba ... Show More
22m 15s
