This Week in Tech - Archive

This week's episode confronts the mounting legal battles over addictive social apps, questioning whether court rulings should reshape Instagram and YouTube's design. Explore the heated clash between user autonomy, scientific uncertainty, and the next wave of regulation. NASA: Artemis II Artemis II Live Tracker – Real-Time Orion Spacecraft Position, Speed & Trajectory NASA did eventually solve Artemis II's Outlook glitch How many products does Microsoft have named 'Copilot'? I mapped every one Phone-free bars and restaurants on the rise across the U.S. Claude Code's Source Didn't Leak. It Was Already

Big Tech just faced a courtroom reckoning, with Meta and Google found liable for platform "addictiveness" in a social media trial that could unleash a tidal wave of lawsuits. Find out why attorneys, entrepreneurs, and everyday users are suddenly on edge. • Social media addiction lawsuits hit Meta, Google, YouTube • Section 230 and First Amendment implications debated after court verdicts • Supreme Court sides with Cox; ISPs not liable for user piracy • Elon Musk's lawsuit over X (Twitter) ad boycotts thrown out • Anthropic versus Department of Defense:

Elon Musk faces a multi-billion dollar verdict after a California jury finds his tweets misled Twitter shareholders, raising the stakes for tech CEOs with unchecked social media influence. Plus, CBS kills its legendary radio news service while podcasting explodes, signaling a dramatic shift in how America consumes, trusts, and pays for news. CBS News Shutters Radio Service After Nearly a Century A US appeals court puts on hold an earlier ruling that had blocked Perplexity from using its agentic shopping tool to shop on Amazon's marketplace FBI is buying location

From "gainfully employed robots" to AI that accidentally ruins lives, this week's conversation unpacks the real-world fallout of futuristic promises. Leo, JPT, Iain, and Richard tackle energy sources, social media effects, tech layoffs, and the algorithms quietly taking charge. Meta is planning sweeping layoffs as AI costs mount Meta Said to Push Back Launch of Avocado Model Social media addiction trial: the plaintiff, Meta, and YouTube make closing arguments; jurors begin deliberations Friday on liability for harm to children Trump administration will reportedly get $10 billion for brokering the TikTok

Between copyright-free AI art, government blacklists, and data brokers run amok, this episode spotlights the fierce new battles for privacy, agency, and control in our digital lives. Plus, hear Cory Doctorow break down why the AI gold rush may be headed for a colossal crash. Pentagon Officially Tells Anthropic It Is a Supply Chain Risk Trump moves to blacklist Anthropic AI from all government work If AI is a weapon, why don't we regulate it like one? Sam Altman's greed and dishonesty are finally catching up to him ChatGPT user

Anthropic's clash with the Pentagon pits tech ethics against government demands, raising explosive questions about AI's role in surveillance and weaponry. If you care about who controls the future of artificial intelligence, this episode is a must-listen. Sam Altman says OpenAI shares Anthropic's red lines in Pentagon fight The whole thing was a scam OpenAI allows NSA to use GPT for surveilling Americans Anthropic's Claude hits No. 1 on Apple's top free apps list after Pentagon rejection Layoffs at Block Crypto exchange Gemini plans to lay off up to 200

What do jailbreaking fighter jets, lost Amazon vans, and swapping your phone's smart features for a handful of mud have in common? TWiT dives into the wild, occasionally absurd future of tech, where yesterday's sci-fi is tomorrow's supply-chain headache. Mark Zuckerberg and his Ray-Ban entourage have their day in court Instagram Boss Says 16 Hours of Daily Use Is Not Addiction Meta Begins $65 Million Election Push To Advance AI Agenda - Slashdot Australia's Social Media Ban Is Isolating Kids With Disabilities—Just Like Critics Warned Google I/O 2026 set for

Is social media addictive by design or just irresistible entertainment? The panel tackles the lawsuit that's dragging tech giants onto the witness stand and how surveillance tech is quietly expanding while lawmakers and users scramble to catch up. Jury told that Meta, Google 'engineered addiction' at landmark US trial Instagram Chief Says Social Media Is Not 'Clinically Addictive' in Landmark Trial Section 230 turns 30 as it faces its biggest tests yet Meta apparently thinks we're too distracted to care about facial recognition and Ray-Bans Amazon Ring's Super Bowl ad

Will Elon Musk really launch a million data centers into orbit, and why is McDonald's so worried about you using "McNuggets" as your password? This week's tech roundtable takes on wild new frontiers and everyday security headaches with insight and a bit of irreverence. More schools are banning phones so students can focus. Ohio's results show it's not that simple After Australia, Which Countries Could Be Next to Ban Social Media for Children EU says TikTok must disable 'addictive' features like infinite scroll, fix its recommendation engine Anthropic and OpenAI

What happens when AI bots get their own social network, Silicon Valley execs cozy up to power, and Apple takes a cut from creators? This week's panel calls out the bold, bizarre, and often problematic ways tech's biggest players are reshaping everything from AI assistants to your everyday privacy. There's a social network for AI agents, and it's getting weird Moltbook is the most interesting place on the internet right now Exposed Moltbook Database Let Anyone Take Control of Any AI Agent on the Site Pentagon clashes with Anthropic over