Herbert Hovenkamp (Penn Law and Wharton) shares his thoughts on the progressive antitrust movement, the government’s antitrust campaign against Big Tech, the 2023 Merger Guidelines, the famous tech antitrust cases of the past, and more.Links:Charting Antitrust’s FutureAntitrust Policy After BidenStructural Antitrust Relief Against Digital PlatformsBreaking Up Google Would Be a Big MistakeWhat Big Tech Antitrust Gets Wrong

Jonathan Adler (Case Western Law) and Ari Cohn (FIRE) discuss the FDA’s war on vaping and the Supreme Court case FDA v. Wages and White Lion Investments.Topics include:The (comparative) health case for vapingYet another moral panicKids take risks!The bungling FDAA disappointing oral argumentFine points of administrative lawWill the Trump admin switch course?Links:En Banc Fifth Circuit Rejects FDA's Vaping Regulation "Surprise Switcheroo"Baptists, Bootleggers & Electronic CigarettesUneducating Americans on VapingThe Food & Drug Administration Has a Vaping ProblemMore Evidence that Bans on Flavored Vaping Products May Increase Teen SmokingSpeech Regulation and Tobacco Harm Reduction

Samantha Lai (Carnegie Endowment) discusses the state of federated social media (Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon, etc.).Topics include:A map of the fediverseWhat makes Bluesky new?Tools for tiny moderatorsTurning the dial of centralization“Community” or “echo chamber”?Will one platform “win” the fediverse?The beauty of exitThe beauty of the unknownLinks:Online Safety and the “Great Decentralization” – The Perils and Promises of Federated Social MediaSome (Slightly Biased) Thoughts on the State of Decentralized Social MediaDot Social with Mike McCueTech Policy Podcast 358: Information Animals Fighting Information WarsTech Policy Podcast 352: Yoel Roth on the Future of Content Moderation

In this engaging discussion, Geoff Manne, President of the International Center for Law & Economics and an antitrust law expert, dives into the Department of Justice's lawsuit against Apple. They explore Apple's closed ecosystem and its implications for consumer choice and competition. The conversation critiques the antitrust claims related to messaging services and examines the complexities of Apple's market power. They also ponder the potential consequences of a 'DoJ-designed smartphone' and what it could mean for innovation in the tech industry.

Daphne Keller, Director of Platform Regulation at Stanford Cyber Policy Center, dives into the implications of the EU’s Digital Services Act on content moderation and freedom of expression. They discuss the complexities of platform compliance and the challenges of auditing social media under new regulations. Keller highlights the philosophical dilemmas around data use, emphasizing the pitfalls of relying solely on metrics to understand human behavior. The conversation also touches on the dynamics between tech giants and regulators, and the evolving landscape of digital governance.

Marshall Kosloff (The Realignment) discusses the abundance agenda—what it is, what it could achieve, how it applies in various policy areas, how to build a political coalition around it, how to implement it, and more.Topics include:Abundance of what?Energy policy: wtf is going onFixing defense procurementFixing state capacityBuilding an abundance coalitionCulture war forever?Abundance after the 2024 electionLinks:The RealignmentArsenal of DemocracyThe Harris Broadband Rollout Has Been a FiascoThe White House Bet Big on Intel. Will It Backfire?(Still) Against DegrowthTech Policy Podcast 381: American Techno-Industrial Leadership — With Noah Smith

From April 12, 2022 (Episode 317): Alec Stapp discusses the work, goals, and philosophy of his innovative new think tank, Institute for Progress.Topics include:Metascience: the key field you’ve never heard ofTech industry 🤝 policy wonksAlec’s theory of changeHow to evangelize for progressBaby making music (j/k not j/k)The need for an abundance agendaLinks:Institute for Progress Tech Policy Podcast 381: American Techno-Industrial Leadership — With Noah Smith Tech Policy Podcast 327: The Collapse of Complex Societies — With Joseph Tainter

Paul Grewal (Coinbase) takes us on a deep dive into all aspects of crypto regulation, litigation, and legislation. A crossover episode with the Washington Legal Foundation / TechFreedom Tech in the Courts series.Topics include:The elevator pitch for cryptoSecurities law: it’s not the New Deal anymoreThe inconsistent SECSEC v. Coinbase / Coinbase v. SECOperation Choke Point 2.0The need for crypto legislationCentral bank digital currencies (are dumb)Satoshi Nakamoto: a $68 billion mysteryLinks:Keep Crypto FreeCoinbase’s Petition for Rulemaking to the SECOperation Choke Point 2.0 Is Underway, and Crypto Is in Its CrosshairsTech Policy Podcast 312: Web3

Corbin Barthold (TechFreedom) provides a guided tour of the Supreme Court’s major questions doctrine.Topics include:Major questions: an introductionNo one knows what it means, but it’s provocativeIs major questions new?Stories we tell about CongressWelcome to the kludgeocracyPolitics vs. expertiseThe Supreme Court cannot save usLinks:West Virginia v. EPA: Sound and Fury, Signifying What?Tech Policy Podcast 311: Administrative Law, and Why You Should Care

Sayash Kapoor, a Princeton researcher, and Arvind Narayanan, a co-author focusing on AI capabilities, delve into the murky waters of AI risk predictions. They discuss the concept of 'AI Snake Oil'—how misleading claims can cloud our understanding of AI's true potential. The duo emphasizes that our predictions about the impact of AI are often chaotic and subjective. They argue for a reassessment of how we perceive AI's threats, advocating for policy measures that prioritize practical issues rather than apocalyptic fears, and encourage grounded conversations on AI's actual capabilities.