Slate News What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future - The A.I. Disruption Is Here
Feb 20, 2026
Emily Peck, national correspondent at Axios and Slate Money co-host, reports on tech, markets, and how AI reshapes work. She traces AI-driven market swings, explains hyperscalers’ massive spending and its effects, and explores which industries and software firms face disruption. Short takes on developer anxiety, productivity shifts in newsrooms, and who stands to win from AI infrastructure.
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Dot‑Com Echoes In Today's AI Frenzy
- Emily recalls the dot-com era with examples like Pets.com to show parallels to today's AI mania.
- She notes timelines compress now but the pattern of hype, bust, and eventual restructuring repeats.
Big Tech's AI CapEx Sparks Investor Anxiety
- Big tech announced massive AI capex and the market wiped out over a trillion dollars from their market caps.
- Investors fear these firms are shifting from capital-light cash machines to heavy infrastructure businesses.
Vibe Coding Changed Perception Of Software Labor
- New tools like Claude Code triggered "vibe coding," making software development feel suddenly accessible to nonexperts.
- That perception accelerated fears that software engineers and software demand could shrink dramatically.