This Week in Tech (Audio)

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