Business, Spoken

China's elderly are turning to social media apps like Douyin for connection and companionship, as smartphone costs fall and society becomes more atomized. This podcast explores the reasons behind their addiction, including combating loneliness and navigating a post-cash society.

Discussion on a potential DOJ settlement with Binance, where the exchange would pay a $4 billion penalty. Exploring the impact of Binance's collapse on the crypto industry, including ongoing regulatory issues.

Activists disrupt LA Auto Show demanding EV industry address coal power and labor practices. Hyundai and Toyota face criticism for supply chain practices. Environmental impact of mining minerals for EV batteries highlighted. Lead the Charge urges sustainable production and consent from indigenous communities.

A watchdog group is calling for an investigation into X's sneaky ads, which could be misleading. The podcast also covers X's revenue decline and advertisers' concerns about compliance.

Swedish dockworkers, cleaning crews, and mechanics are joining a labor dispute with Tesla, impacting Tesla's operations. This podcast explores the significance of the union action and draws parallels with a previous labor dispute involving Toys R Us.

Discover how the US government is becoming an appealing employer for tech workers amidst layoffs in major tech firms. Explore the efforts of the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the challenges of keeping up with the private sector. Learn about the movement to recruit new tech talent into government, focusing on the recent $1 trillion infrastructure law signed by President Joe Biden. Uncover the challenges and benefits of working in government and the growing interest among tech workers in transitioning to public sector roles.

Google DeepMind's machine learning algorithm accurately forecasts atmospheric measures, outperforming Europe's top weather center. The podcast explores the potential of AI in weather forecasting and discusses Google DeepMind's weather forecasting system utilizing graph neural networks. It also highlights the strengths and limitations of the AI weather forecasting model, Graphcast, and expresses hope for further improvements.

The podcast discusses the cancelation of the first small-scale nuclear plant in the US due to concerns about customer demand and increasing costs, as well as the challenges and failure of the project in addressing local concerns and securing customers.

Cruise and GM are re-evaluating their robotaxi strategy after a gruesome crash caused by a software fault. Cruise recalls cars, faces pushback from cities, and addresses safety concerns. GM's commitment to Cruise's approach, including the purchase of Softbank stake, raises concerns about safety and regulation.

An experimental AI assistant is developed to automate office tasks like processing invoices and screening job applicants by mimicking human interaction with web browsers.