What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future

Vladimir Putin has always regarded the internet with suspicion. Now, with western tech companies pulling out of Russia and control of the war narrative slipping, he sees an opening. Will Putin wall off Russia from the rest of the digital world?Guests:Yana Pashaeva, Moscow-based journalistJustin Sherman, fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Second Sight restored partial vision to hundreds of patients around the world through retinal implants. Then, on the verge of bankruptcy, they abandoned the project. Now, over 300 patients with Second Sight technology in their bodies are asking: what will happen to us?Guest: Eliza Strickland, senior editor at IEEE SpectrumHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up against one of the world's most effective propaganda operations, Ukraine has taken control of the online narrative. With Russian troops closing in, how important is winning the information war?Guest: Casey Newton, writer at PlatformerHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Thiel spent the better part of two decades molding the tech industry in his image. Now, he's leaving Facebook behind and turning his attention to politics. Is Thiel the next kingmaker for the populist right?Max Chafkin, writer for Bloomberg and is the author of The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For seven years, Ukraine has served as a virtual testing ground for a generation of cyber weaponry capable of taking down power grids, networks, and supply chains. With an invasion of Ukraine underway, will these weapons come into play?Guest: Andy Greenberg, senior writer at WIRED and the author of the book Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers Host: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over two years into the pandemic, much of the world remains either unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or lacking access to mRNA vaccines entirely. How did the leading effort to vaccinate the world go so wrong?Guest: Achal Prabhala, coordinator of the AccessIBSA project and a fellow of the Shuttleworth Foundation, in Bangalore.Host: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued Tesla. It accuses the electric vehicle maker of fostering a workplace rife with racism and discrimination.What's happening inside Tesla's Fremont plant?Guest: Dana Hull, reporter for BloombergHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In just a few short years, the Chinese fast fashion company Shein upended the way countless young women shop online. It’s approach could soon shape the way everyone else shops, too. Guest: Louise Matsakis, freelance technology reporterHost: Lizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Facebook’s first crack at the metaverse has a problem: kids. Underage users seem to be flooding Horizon Worlds, potentially putting themselves at risk. Is Meta doomed to repeat Facebook’s mistakes?Guest: Will Oremus, technology news analysis writer for the Washington Post. Host: Lizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Banks, healthcare providers, and retailers around the world still rely on COBOL, a programming language originally developed in the 1960s. By all accounts the code is powerful, practical, and very rarely problematic. But the small group of people who still know the language are aging out of the workforce. What happens when there are no more COBOL coders left?Guest: Clive Thompson, journalist and author of "Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World."Host: Lizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.