2min chapter

Planet Money cover image

The hack that almost broke the internet

Planet Money

CHAPTER

The Fragile Structure of the Internet: Debt and Software Vulnerabilities

This chapter explores the alarming rise of U.S. federal debt and its interest payments, now exceeding national defense spending. It also uses a Jenga tower metaphor to illustrate the vulnerabilities within open source software, spotlighting Lasse Kotlin and his work on XZ in the broader context of software fragility.

00:00

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode