Slate Technology

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by Slate senior culture editor Jenny G. Zhang to discuss @Hubs.Life, an influencer who made content about his 9-5, only to become so successful, he quit. Connor Hubbard first gained traction online for his day in the life videos which were interesting to some, depressing to others. Despite their low entertainment quality, Hubbard’s TikTok videos gained him nearly 1 million followers from people fascinated by his typical life working a corporate job. Then, Hubbard announced he had quit his job to pursue content creation full-time, going as far as renting out a co-working cubicle to continue making content for his fans. Has Hubbard fallen into social media’s relatability trap, and why did Hubs Life’s unconventional attempt at rebranding fall flat for some viewers?This podcast is produced by Olivia Briley, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Memecoins are a niche type of cryptocurrency with no intrinsic value. But they remain a popular form of crypto, as seen earlier this year with President Trump’s own memecoin. And if it worked for him, then why not our little podcast? Guests: Azeem Khan, advisor to UNICEF’s crypto fund and cocreator of the blockchain Morph.Nitish Pahwa, Slate staff writer covering business and tech.Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim recap their weekends which include Waymo cars and accidentally bumping into content creators, which brings them to the recent kerfuffle between Glacier Express and Influencers in the Wild. Earlier this month, Influencers in the Wild — an Instagram account that crowdsources and posts footage of content creators in public spaces — was asked to remove a video that featured one of Glacier Express’ employees being filmed and posted without their consent. The train company cited Article 28 of the Swiss Civil code, which dictates that individuals have the right to their own image. But this incident begs the question: do accounts like Influencers in the Wild contribute to a troubling self-surveillance culture, and what rights do any of us have if we accidentally end up in someone’s vlog or Instagram post?This podcast is produced by Olivia Briley, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During his first term, President Trump and Jeff Bezos openly sparred with each other. During this second administration, though, it seems like Bezos is trying to endear himself - and his companies - to the White House. So what changed?Guest: Dana Mattioli, reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the author of The Everything War: Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power.Special thanks to David Maraniss.Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kate Lindsay and guest co-host senior Slate editor Rebecca Onion talk Adolescence, the new hit Netflix series Onion wrote is “one of the best shows of the year.” What looks on the surface to be a typical murder mystery unfolds as a brutal illustration of the rise of toxic masculinity online. Kate and Rebecca break down the manosphere ideology that radicalized the show’s protagonist, and how key manosphere figures like Andrew Tate continue to indoctrinate young boys. This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Olivia Briley, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Institutes of Health is the primary engine of biomedical research around the world, which makes the Trump administration's dramatic cuts to its grant program both confusing and potentially incredibly harmful.Guest: Katherine J. Wu, staff writer for the Atlantic.Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nitish Pahwa, a guest co-host known for his insights into internet culture, dives into the heated debate surrounding NYC influencers. He discusses the recent TikTok drama that labeled some creators as 'boring,' exploring the implications of this critique. Kate Lindsay introduces him to the nuances of influencer identity and how algorithms affect creators' visibility. The conversation challenges listeners to reconsider what makes influencers engaging and highlights the need for diverse voices in the influencer landscape.

With a Trump-friendly Supreme Court and a contentious relationship with the press, could Donald Trump follow through on his 2016 campaign goal of making it easier to sue media companies for libel—and imperil America’s free press?Guest: David Enrich, business investigations editor at the New York Times and author of “Murder The Truth.”Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay uncover the ways people are using the internet and other technology to protest the current government. From website hacking to AI videos to good old fashioned poop-throwing, there’s no shortage of tools to fight back. But which tactics are working, and which ones risk ending up as just another Instagram black square?This podcast is produced by Alexandra Botti, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The public’s anger towards Elon Musk and DOGE has found an outlet in the form of Musk’s car company Tesla. How long can the company put up with a sinking reputation and stock price? Guest: Pranshu Verma, tech reporter for the Washington Post. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.Podcast production by Evan Campbell and Patrick Fort. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices