This Week in Tech (Audio)

The Electric State, Kill Switches, Baidu's AI, Scopely, Careless People, Gemini Robotics An arbitrator instructs a former Meta employee to stop promoting and publishing her book alleging company misconduct; publisher Flatiron Books earlier objected DeepMind's latest AI model can help robots fold origami and close Ziploc bags Future Today Strategy Group, or FTSG. Intel has a new CEO Russo Brothers' Busy, Boring Netflix Sci-Fi Directors Anthony and Joe Russo say they're building a high-tech studio aiming to help artists use AI as a creative tool to make films, shows, and video games Baidu launches two new versions of its AI model Ernie Startup Claims Its Upcoming (RISC-V ISA) Zeus GPU is 10X Faster Than Nvidia's RTX 5090 Pokemon Go is getting a new owner after almost 9 years with Niantic Developer convicted for "kill switch" code activated upon his termination TikTok will play 'calming music' to remind teens to stop using the app F-35 kill switch concerns non-US countries Firmware update bricks HP printers, makes them unable to use HP cartridges Sonos Cancels Its Streaming Video Player - Slashdot Everything You Say To Your Echo Will Be Sent To Amazon Starting On March 28 Musk-led cuts drive US consumer protection agency to ask for Amazon trial delay Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Amy Webb, Glenn Fleishman, and Mikah Sargent Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: zscaler.com/security shopify.com/twit joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT ZipRecruiter.com/Twit uscloud.com

'Spring forward' no more: Trump and Musk want to end Daylight Saving Time changes. Here's what health experts say The $100 Trillion Disruption: The Unforeseen Economic Earthquake Apple Is Delaying the 'More Personalized Siri' Apple Intelligence Features An audit found that 10 top AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini, repeated false claims from a pro-Kremlin disinformation network 33% of the time Digg is getting another revival, this time with an injection of AI The Weird and Wacky Gadgets We Saw at MWC 2025 AMD finally has a decent NVIDIA killer with the Radeon 9070 + 9070 XT Sources: there haven't been negotiations between ByteDance and prospective TikTok US buyers, amid confusion over who's leading Trump administration negotiations Crony Crypto Capitalism Utah Passes First US App Store Age Verification Law The modern era of low-flying satellites may begin this week YouTube Premium and Music Surpass 125 Million Subscribers America's Justice Department Still Wants Google to Sell Chrome Remembering 'Space Ghost' Voice Actor George Lowe Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Devindra Hardawar, Mike Elgan, and Louis Maresca Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com for This Week in Tech bitwarden.com/twit expressvpn.com/twit NetSuite.com/TWIT coda.io/twit

Amazon Alexa event live blog: all the news from the keynote Amazon announces AI-powered Alexa Plus An in-depth look at Apple's AI crisis, as some in Apple's AI division believe that a true conversational "LLM Siri" won't be ready until iOS 20 at best in 2027 Google's co-founder tells AI staff to stop "building nanny products 'I want him to be prepared': why parents are teaching their gen Alpha kids to use AI Skype is shutting down after two decades Researchers accuse North Korea of $1.4 billion Bybit crypto heist House Democrats take aim at $TRUMP crypto meme coin Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard suggests UK broke agreement in secretly asking Apple to build iCloud backdoor Biden Justice Department downplayed U.K. demand for Apple 'back door' "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week ordered U.S. Cybercommand to "stand down" on Russia Meta Apologizes for Error That Flooded Instagram With Violent Content YouTube Says It Now Has More Than 1 Billion Monthly Viewers of Podcast Content 'The Brutalist' Director Brady Corbet Responds to AI Backlash Netflix is building an anti-Disneyland An small microbial ecosystem has formed on the International Space Station All 50 States Have Now Introduced Right to Repair Legislation Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Emily Forlini, Doc Rock, and Janko Roettgers Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT ziprecruiter.com/twit zscaler.com/security expressvpn.com/twit

Over $1.4 billion taken from Bybit crypto exchange Apple Removes Cloud Encryption Feature From UK After Backdoor Order iOS18.4 Beta adds priority notifications, support for robot vacs in Apple Home, but no smarter siri Amazon's revamped Alexa might launch over a month after its announcement event OpenAI now serves 400M users every week The New York Times adopts AI tools in the newsroom Amazon Appstore for Android is shutting down in August Spotify is making it easier to release audiobooks narrated by AI California privacy regulator seeks to fine Florida data broker after huge breach of Social Security numbers Donald Trump Is Turning CISA Into The Embodiment Of His Election Conspiracy Theories Asus Continues Fragrant Device Trend With an Aromatic Mouse - Slashdot iPhone 16E: all the news on Apple's new $599 phone Smart ring tracks health, fitness data with long battery life Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, Abrar Al-Heeti, and Larry Magid Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: expressvpn.com/twit ziprecruiter.com/twit uscloud.com threatlocker.com for This Week in Tech Melissa.com/twit

TikTok is back on the App Store and the Play Store in the U.S. Elon Musk's DOGE Website Is Already Getting Hacked IRS Acquiring Nvidia Supercomputer Elon's bid for OpenAI is about making the for-profit transition as painful as possible for Altman, Intel has spoken with the Trump administration and TSMC over the past few months about a deal for TSMC to take control of Intel's foundry business Broadcom Joins TSMC In Considering Deals For Parts of Intel Arm to start making server CPUs in-house Thomson Reuters wins the first major US AI copyright ruling against fair use, in a case filed in May 2020 against legal research AI startup Ross Intelligence Perplexity just made AI research crazy cheap—what that means for the industry YouTube Surprise: CEO Says TV Overtakes Mobile as "Primary Device" for Viewing Google Maps now shows the 'Gulf of America' Scarlett Johansson Urges Government to Limit A.I. After Faked Video of Her Opposing Kanye West Goes Viral Google CEO Sees 'Useful' Quantum Computers 5 to 10 Years Away Trump says he has directed US Treasury to stop minting new pennies, citing rising cost Nearly 10 years after Data and Goliath, Bruce Schneier says: Privacy's still screwed Amazon's revamped Alexa might launch over a month after its announcement event Meta's Brain-to-Text AI Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Wesley Faulkner, Iain Thomson, and Brian McCullough Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: shopify.com/twit oracle.com/twit zscaler.com/security ziprecruiter.com/twit joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT

UK orders Apple to give it access to encrypted cloud data Google rolls back DEI efforts, including hiring goals Brits Want to Ban 'Smarter Than Human' AI Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl 'Trades' Pit State Regulators Against Feds Google pulls incorrect Gouda stat from its AI Super Bowl ad "Torrenting from a corporate laptop doesn't feel right": Meta emails unsealed Amazon's AI revamp of Alexa assistant nears unveiling Google starts testing new Search 'AI Mode' internally – Here's an early look at it In Upholding The TikTok Ban, SCOTUS Compromises, And With It The First Amendment TikTok advises Android users in the US to sideload the app In Other SCOTUS First Amendment News, It Also Just Heard Oral Argument Over Yet Another Texas Law Censoring The Internet Teen on Musk's DOGE Team Graduated from 'The Com' CISA staffers offered deferred resignations, extending broader cybersecurity fears Elon Musk Ally Tells Staff 'AI-First' Is the Future of Key Government Agency German civil activists win victory in election case against Musk's X Trump Ends Legal Challenge Over Twitter Ban After Jan. 6 Riot Crypto-stealing apps found in Apple App Store for the first time Apple's Long-Awaited Overhaul of iPhone SE Nears Release Former iOS engineer sued by Apple issues apology as lawsuit is dismissed PS5 sales more than twice Xbox Series X/S reveals Take-Two by accident Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Daniel Rubino, Cathy Gellis, and Lisa Schmeiser Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com for This Week in Tech coda.io/twit bitwarden.com/twit expressvpn.com/twit NetSuite.com/TWIT

Takeaways From a Monumental Week for AI Sam Altman: OpenAI has been on the 'wrong side of history' concerning open source | TechCrunch DeepSeek's AI success is overshadowed by a serious security breac AI systems with 'unacceptable risk' are now banned in the EU | TechCrunch OpenAI partners with U.S. National Laboratories on scientific research, nuclear weapons security The NTSB chooses Elon Musk's X to update the press on plane crashes OpenAI launches o3-mini, its latest 'reasoning' model | TechCrunch Rabbit R1 and Pebble Apple's AI and AR Struggles Show It Has Lost Some of Its Product Edge Elon Musk's X begins its push into financial services with Visa deal Elon Musk's X sues Lego, Nestlé and more brands, accusing them of advertising boycott Thousands of U.S. Government Web Pages Have Been Taken Down Since Friday Musk aides lock workers out of OPM computer systems Elon Musk seizes computer system, locks out senior government officials Google says it will change Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America' in Maps app after government updates Comcast unveils ultra-low lag Internet connection 23andMe might sell itself as it runs out of money Streaming prices climb in 2025 after already surpassing inflation rates Super Bowl Sundays are really noisy everywhere in the US Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Shoshana Weissmann, Christina Warren, and Dan Patterson Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: uscloud.com canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT ZipRecruiter.com/Twit joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT zscaler.com/security

The Microsoft 365 Copilot launch was a total disaster Satya Nadella says he's 'good for $80 billion' after Elon Musk claims Stargate Project doesn't have the cash How Chinese AI Startup DeepSeek Made a Model that Rivals OpenAI Tesla brand value drops $15B in 2024 Wall Street Banks Prepare to Sell Billions of Dollars of X Loans Mark Zuckerberg post re: Llama 4 Hundreds of Subreddits Are Considering Banning All Links to X Crypto czar David Sacks says NFTs and memecoins are collectibles, not securities Trump's Crypto Venture Divides the Industry He Aims to Support Paul McCartney calls on UK government to protect artists from AI | TechCrunch Sony Japan ends production of recordable Blu-rays with 'no successor' planned Startups are built on dreams. This one is just more literal about it. When S.F. fought 'Pac-Man' Interview with Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz Bill Gates: Trump, Musk and how my neurodiversity made me Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Ed Bott, Sam Abuelsamid, and Owen Thomas Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: oracle.com/twit zscaler.com/security expressvpn.com/twit Melissa.com/twit ZipRecruiter.com/Twit

Supreme Court Upholds Law That Threatens US TikTok Ban Trumpcoin Texas Sues Allstate Over Its Collection of Driver Data Skyrocketing car-insurance premiums are pushing inflation higher Behind the Curtain — Coming soon: Ph.D.-level super-agents 4 surprise products we could see at Samsung Unpacked 2025 Apple suspends error-strewn AI generated news alerts US Finalizes Rule Banning Smart Cars With Russian, Chinese Tech Natrium 'advanced nuclear' power plant wins Wyoming permit - WyoFile Cash App parent fined $175 million for 'woefully incomplete' response to fraud FDA Proposes Significant Step Toward Reducing Nicotine to Minimally or Nonaddictive Level in Cigarettes and Certain Other Combusted Tobacco Products Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Jason Hiner, Paris Martineau, and Molly White Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT ziprecruiter.com/twit NetSuite.com/TWIT canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT shopify.com/twit

The panel discusses CES 2025 How Watch Duty's wildfire tracking app became a crucial lifeline for LA Worst in Show awards 2025 Aaron Swartz v Sam Altman We've not been trained for this: life after the Newag DRM disclosure All the Meta stuff (fact checking, etc.) Heritage Foundation plans to 'identify and target' Wikipedia editors The Government Wants to Protect Robux From Hackers Twitch Streamers Come Home After Big-Money Contracts at Rivals Dried Up Candy Crush, Tinder, MyFitnessPal: See the Thousands of Apps Hijacked to Spy on Your Location Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Nicholas De Leon, Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ, and Cory Doctorow Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: coda.io/twit expressvpn.com/twit threatlocker.com for This Week in Tech uscloud.com bitwarden.com/twit

Touching the Sun, Fake Spotify Artists, Banished Words AI Needs So Much Power, It's Making Yours Worse How many billions Big Tech spent on AI data centers in 2024 NASA Spacecraft 'Touches Sun' In Defining Moment For Humankind Elon Musk Calls Out NASA's Moon Ambitions: 'We're Going Straight to Mars' Elon Musk and the right's war on Wikipedia Trump Asks Supreme Court to Pause Law Threatening TikTok Ban US Treasury says Chinese hackers stole documents in 'major incident' Judge blocks parts of California bid to protect kids from social media Finland probes Russian shadow fleet oil tanker after cable-cutting incident US appeals court blocks Biden administration effort to restore net-neutrality rules The Ghosts in the Machine (fake spotify artists) Massive VW Data Leak Exposed 800,000 EV Owners' Movements, From Homes To Brothels Banished Words | Lake Superior State University 2025 Public Domain Day 2025 Happy Birthday, Bitcoin! The top cryptocurrency is old enough to drive End of the lines? QR-style codes could replace barcodes 'within two years' Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Richard Campbell, Anthony Ha, and Stacey Higginbotham Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/Twit joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT zscaler.com/security

TWiT wishes all listeners and viewers a Happy New Year and peaceful 2025! Padre's CES 2024 haul Cory Doctorow's infamous ensh*ttification term Tesla teases a robotaxi Last in-studio audience for TWiT Padre on the AI priest Google Search gets worse Christina Warren's Rabbit R1 Snowflake and the AT&T breach Crowdstrike's big outag Last in-studio episode before moving out Salt Hank shows off his new cookbook TWiT's 1000th episode brings back old friends The State of X/Twitter under Elon Parenting with TWiT daddies Tech billionaires affecting Trump's transition team Host: Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

What's behind the tech industry's mass layoffs in 2024? : NPR Rabbit R1 AI Assistant: Price, Specs, Release Date | WIRED Stealing everything you've ever typed or viewed on your own Windows PC is now possible with two lines of code — inside the Copilot+ Recall disaster. Microsoft delays Recall after security concerns, and asks Windows Insiders for help The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Architecture Deep Dive: Getting To Know Oryon and Adreno X1 Elon Musk: First Human Receives Neuralink Brain Chip Apple hit with €1.8bn fine for breaking EU law over music streaming Bluesky emerges The hidden high cost of return-to-office mandates Apple's Car Was Doomed by Its Lofty Ambitions to Outdo Tesla SpaceX pulls off unprecedented feat, grabs descending rocket with mechanical arms U.S. versus Apple: A first reaction Google Says It Won't Force Gemini on Partners in Antitrust Remedy Proposal U.S. Accuses Chinese Hackers of Targeting Critical Infrastructure in America U.S. Agency Warns Employees About Phone Use Amid Ongoing China Hack AT&T says criminals stole phone records of 'nearly all' customers in new data breach National Public Data confirms breach exposing Social Security numbers Schools Want to Ban Phones. Parents Say No. New York passes legislation that would ban 'addictive' social media algorithms for kids GPT-4o (omni) + new "Her"-style AI assistant (it's nuts) Google emissions jump nearly 50% over five years as AI use surges Trump proposes strategic national crypto stockpile at Bitcoin Conference Ten additional US states join DOJ antitrust lawsuit looking to break up Live Nation and TicketmasterThe Internet Archive just lost its appeal over ebook lending Hezbollah Pagers Explode in Apparent Attack Across Lebanon OpenAI raises $6.6 billion in largest VC round ever Painting by A.I.-Powered Robot Sells for $1.1 Million Netflix's Live Mike Tyson Vs. Jake Paul Fight Battling Sound & Streaming Glitches In Lead-Up To Main Event Infowars Sale to The Onion Rejected by Federal Bankruptcy Judge Supreme Court agrees to hear challenge to TikTok ban So You Want to Solve the NJ Drone Mystery? Our Expert Has Some Ideas Beeper's push for iMessage on Android is really over The Quiet Death of Ello's Big Dreams Japan finally ends mandatory form submission on floppy disks We'll Miss You: Pioneering instant messaging program ICQ is finally shutting down after nearly 30 years Spotify is going to break every Car Thing gadget it ever sold Game Informer to Shut Down After 33 Years In Memoriam Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ, Richard Campbell, and Mikah Sargent Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: bitwarden.com/twit

So You Want to Solve the NJ Drone Mystery? Our Expert Has Some Ideas Infowars Sale to The Onion Rejected by Federal Bankruptcy Judge Federal appeals court declines to temporarily block ban on TikTok, teeing up showdown at SCOTUS over controversial law WordPress parent company must stop blocking WP Engine, judge rules Crypto's Legacy Is Finally Clear Tech Industry and CEOs Curry Favor With Trump Ahead of His Inauguration AI Is Detecting More Breast Cancer Cases, Study Suggests Huge randomized trial of AI boosts discovery — at least for good scientists GM Calls It Quits on Mary Barra's $50 Billion Robotaxi Dream You Can Buy a Car on Amazon Now Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Cathy Gellis, Mike Elgan, and Emily Forlini Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: mintmobile.com/twit shopify.com/twit

Leo Laporte, Harry McCracken, Christina Warren, and Lou Maresca discuss the evolving relationship between the tech industry and the incoming Trump administration, the future of TikTok in the U.S., advances in AI and its impact on everything from weather forecasting to web browsing, and much more. • Elon Musk and other tech billionaires are playing a major role in shaping President-elect Trump's transition team. The panel debated what this could mean for issues like antitrust regulation of Big Tech. • Trump has named entrepreneur and investor David Sacks as the White House AI and Crypto Czar. Sacks is an Elon Musk ally who has been critical of OpenAI. • The Hak Tuah cryptocurrency project suffered a 90% price crash shortly after launch amid controversy, in what may have been a "rug pull" scam. • Trump's pick to lead NASA, private astronaut Jared Isaacman, is expected to push the agency to partner more with SpaceX and the commercial space industry. But his close ties to Elon Musk could face political hurdles. • TikTok's future remains murky as U.S courts uphold a potential ban. The crew discusses the free speech implications and the role of geopolitics. EU also probes TikTok over Russian election interference. • Entrepreneur Frank McCourt's Project Liberty consortium is reportedly advancing a bid to acquire TikTok's U.S. operations, positioning it as a "people's bid." • The U.S. House is set to approve an additional $3 billion to fund the removal of Chinese telecom equipment like Huawei and ZTE from domestic networks. • Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger is departing after a challenging 3-year stint. The chip giant's future strategy is up in the air as it faces intensifying competition, but the chip company did outline breakthroughs at a conference in advanced transistors, packaging, and interconnects that could help it regain a manufacturing edge. • OpenAI is running a "12 Days of OpenAI" promotion highlighting new AI models and services. The TWiT panel debated whether it's mainly a technical showcase or a monetization push. • Google unveiled a weather forecasting AI model that it says outperforms the leading U.S. and European forecast systems, especially for predicting extreme events. • ElevenLabs launched a beta product that allows users to create and edit entire AI-generated podcast episodes, sparking discussions about the impact on human podcast creators. • With the rise of AI, could we see a new generation of AI-infused web browsers that better understand our behavior? A long blog post by tech guru Om Malik explored the possibilities. • In the wake of China's "Salt Typhoon" hacks of telecom networks, the FCC is proposing new cybersecurity rules - but with a twist that would allow law enforcement backdoor access. • In the latest twist in the CSAM scanning saga, Apple is being sued for abandoning the controversial child abuse image detection feature, after previously being pilloried for trying to implement it. • A sleeker, more accurate definition of a "second" based on atomic clocks using Strontium instead of Cesium atoms could be coming by 2030, enabling new scientific breakthroughs. • Just in time for Christmas, a pair of the iconic ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz sold at auction for a whopping $28 million, a new record for movie memorabilia. Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Harry McCracken, Christina Warren, and Louis Maresca Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT expressvpn.com/twit lookout.com veeam.com ZipRecruiter.com/Twit

In this week's episode of This Week in Tech, Leo Laporte and guests Devindra Hardawar, Doc Rock, and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy discuss a wide range of topics including Australia's ban on social media for under 16s, the latest in smart home technology and Matter protocol, CES 2024 expectations, Black Friday sales records, Elon Musk's legal battles, the FTC's efforts to protect consumers, and the growing threat of infrastructure sabotage. The panel also touches on the lifespan of smart devices, the ownership of social media accounts, and the growth of Bluesky. Australia bans social media for everyone under 16, sparking a discussion on the challenges of age verification, the necessity of such measures, and the potential impact on children's social lives Jennifer shares her thoughts on the progress and challenges of Matter protocol, the future of smart home technology, and the killer use cases like energy management that could drive broader adoption Devindra looks forward to checking out the latest tech at CES 2024, while the panel discusses the impact of potential tariffs on consumer electronics prices Black Friday online sales hit a record $74.4B, up 5% from last year, with over half of spending done on mobile devices and a surge in traffic to retail sites from AI chatbots Elon Musk files for an injunction to halt OpenAI's transition to a for-profit, accusing the company of discouraging investors from backing rivals like his own xAI Musk admits X is throttling links, effectively limiting people from reading news on the platform, which could impact content creators and marketers The panel discusses the implications of X's objection to The Onion buying InfoWars, reminding users that they do not own their social media accounts or followers As alternative social media platforms like Bluesky gain traction, the panel considers the challenges of managing multiple platforms and the potential for a more decentralized social media landscape The FTC releases a report on the hidden lifespan of smart devices, highlighting the need for transparency and the potential security risks of unsupported devices FTC changes its telemarketing rules to better protect consumers from growing 'tech support scam' calls Supreme Court considers whether ISPs should be liable for users' piracy, with potential far-reaching consequences Concerns rise over infrastructure sabotage as a Chinese ship's crew is suspected of deliberately dragging an anchor for 100 miles to cut Baltic cables Meta plans to build a $10B subsea cable spanning the world to support its services and ensure data traffic flow Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, Doc Rock, and Devindra Hardawar Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: NetSuite.com/TWIT bitwarden.com/twit e-e.com/twit INFO.ACILEARNING.COM/TWIT - code TWIT100

In this episode of This Week in Tech, the panel tackles the "biggest hack in US history," the future of AI, and the role of government in tech. From the Chinese hack's implications to Microsoft's AI-powered Recall, the Supreme Court's tech-related cases, and the push for social media age verification, Leo Laporte, Patrick Beja, Wesley Faulkner, and Alex Wilhelm provide insightful analysis and lively discussion on the most pressing issues facing the industry today. China's "Salt Typhoon" hack, dubbed the "worst hack in our nation's history," which compromised US telecommunications infrastructure and allowed surveillance of high-profile individuals The panel debates the challenges of securing outdated infrastructure and the role of government in regulating tech companies DOJ's push for Google to sell off Chrome to break its search monopoly, and the potential implications for competition and innovation Alex Wilhelm's article "If you like startups, you should love anti-trust" and the importance of fostering competition in the tech industry Microsoft's Windows 365 Link, a $349 mini PC that streams Windows from the cloud, and the potential for thin client computing Microsoft's Recall AI feature, which records and indexes users' screen activity, raising security concerns but offering potential benefits for users The Supreme Court's involvement in cases related to Facebook's Cambridge Analytica data breach and the fate of America's low-income broadband fund The panel also discusses their personal experiences with parenting in the digital age and the challenges of balancing screen time, privacy, and education for children Meta's push for Apple and Google to verify users' ages on social media platforms, and the challenges of implementing effective age verification while protecting user privacy Amazon's talks with Instacart, Uber, Ticketmaster, and others to enhance its AI-powered Alexa assistant Spirit Airlines filing for bankruptcy amidst financial losses and mounting debt payments Alex laments the addition of ads to Amazon Prime Video and the panel debates the tradeoffs of bundled subscription services Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Patrick Beja, Wesley Faulkner, and Alex Wilhelm Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: Melissa.com/twit shopify.com/twit veeam.com lookout.com bitwarden.com/twit

How Bluesky, Alternative to X and Facebook, Is Handling Explosive Growth Netflix's Live Mike Tyson Vs. Jake Paul Fight Battling Sound & Streaming Glitches In Lead-Up To Main Event Biden Asked Microsoft to "Raise the Bar on Cybersecurity." He May Have Helped Create an Illegal Monopoly. CFPB looks to place Google under federal supervision, setting up clash Apple's Tim Cook Has Ways to Cope With the Looming Trump Tariffs Apple Removes Another RFE/RL App At Request Of Russian Regulator Here's Why I Decided To Buy 'InfoWars' Elon Musk's X Corp. files notice in Alex Jones' Infowars bankruptcy case Spotify's Plans For AI Generated Music, Podcasts, and Recommendations, According To Its Co-President, CTO, and CPO Gustav Söderström This 'AI Granny' Bores Scammers to Tears Congress ponders underwater alien civilizations, human hybrids, and other unexplained stuff In Memoriam: Thomas E. Kurtz, 1928–2024 Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Alex Kantrowitz, Daniel Rubino, and Iain Thomson Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: expressvpn.com/twit Fundrise.com/TWIT 1password.com/twit canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT NetSuite.com/TWIT

Apple launched the iPod 23 years ago, and changed the world Apple Quietly Introduced iPhone Reboot Code Which is Locking Out Cops How the 2024 US presidential election will determine tech's future Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman, Tim Cook and other tech leaders congratulate Trump on election win AI didn't sway the election, but it deepened the partisan divide YouTube dominated Election Day as viewers guzzled 84 million hours of presidential news The other election night winner: Perplexity Dogecoin and other memecoins surge as Trump wins presidential election Detroit to Accept Crypto for Tax Payments in Bid to Spur Tech Innovation, Fuel Economic Growth Painting by A.I.-Powered Robot Sells for $1.1 Million OpenAI defeats news outlets' copyright lawsuit over AI training, for now Anthropic teams up with Palantir and AWS to sell AI to defense customers OpenAI acquired Chat.com Even Microsoft Notepad is getting AI text editing now Roblox is banning kids from 'social hangout' spaces Reddit Passes Snap Canada orders shutdown of TikTok's Canadian business, app access to continue Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Abrar Al-Heeti, Dan Patterson, and Lisa Eadicicco Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: lookout.com ziprecruiter.com/twit mintmobile.com/twit e-e.com/twit expressvpn.com/twit

The panel discusses the implications of the 2024 US elections to the tech industry Alexa's New AI Brain Is Stuck in the Lab Why do we keep changing our clocks? ChatGPT Search Online political ads--we're almost done! Elon Musk Wants You to Think This Election's Being Stolen Open-source AI must reveal its training data, per new OSI definition Chinese sanctions hit US drone maker supplying Ukraine Digital ad market booms for Big Tech Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Shoshana Weissmann, Nicholas De Leon, and Amy Webb Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: bitwarden.com/twit lookout.com NetSuite.com/TWIT ZipRecruiter.com/Twit canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT