What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future
Slate PodcastsEvery Friday and Sunday, Slate’s popular daily news podcast What Next brings you TBD, a clear-eyed look into the future. From fake news to fake meat, algorithms to augmented reality, Lizzie O’Leary is your guide to the tech industry and the world it’s creating for us to live in.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
| Publishes | Twice weekly | Episodes | 692 | Founded | 9 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | TechnologyNews | |||
Listen to this Podcast
Latest Episodes
Does Meta’s $17 billion (give or take) settlement address people’s concerns about social media and its impact on teenagers… or is it already too late?
Guest: Paresh Dave, senior writer for WIRED.
Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to ... more
Through stealing your job or simply tanking the stock market—whichever comes first—the rise of artificial intelligence (companies) is a very futuristic sounding problem. It may have some very old-fashioned sounding solutions however.
Guest: Cory Doc... more
Hundreds of millions of dollars, desperation for insider info, fury and accusations of conspiracy when it doesn’t go your way—is this gambling or elections? Through the magic of prediction markets, it’s both!
Guest: David Gilbert, reporter at WIRED... more
In a world where everyone is carrying smartphones and setting up Ring cameras, you could be forgiven for thinking the war is over and the surveillance state won. But Flock cameras being denounced in town halls and smashed on the street have become a ... more
Key Facts
Similar Podcasts
People also subscribe to these shows.
Recent Guests
Host
Reviews
- Just advert after advert
Tried to bear it but I’m out
Apple Podcasts1Flash0983
United Kingdoma year ago - Too much ads
Sick
Apple Podcasts1FuuuuuuckThisGame
United States2 years ago - I love this podcast, but …
It’s played in What Next? also, so I decided to unsubscribe, so I wouldn’t have the same episode show up on my feed. Lizzie O’Leary is awesome. I used to enjoy hearing her in Marketplace. I’m happy to here her again
Apple Podcasts5semipenguinUnited States3 years ago - Shallow summaries of tech issues filled with ads
There is a huge demand for deep dive podcasts into the hot topic tech issues like AI and the Metaverse etc. This podcasts taps exactly into that but fails miserably. After summarizing an issue, which basically takes the entire episode because of all the ads (funded by the same companies they critique i.e. Apple), they end each episode with a “ok so what does this all mean?” segment. Except this segment lasts 30 sec followed by more ads and then the podcast ends.
So if you are looking for dee... more
Apple Podcasts1Samd199United States3 years ago - OMG… now I realize why trump will get re-elected
Generally enjoy the show, but just listened to
Apple Podcasts2bluebill987United States3 years ago
Listeners Say
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
Chart Rankings
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #246 | United States/Technology |
Apple Podcasts | #151 |  China/Technology |
Apple Podcasts | #188 |  South Africa/Technology |
Apple Podcasts | #202 |  Ireland/Technology |
Apple Podcasts | #203 |  Indonesia/Technology |
Apple Podcasts | #205 |  New Zealand/Technology |
Talking Points
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Audience Metrics
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
| Listeners per Episode | |
|---|---|
| Gender Skew | |
| Location | |
| Interests | |
| Professions | |
| Age Range | |
| Household Income | |
| Social Media Reach |
Frequently Asked Questions About What Next: TBD
What is What Next: TBD about and what kind of topics does it cover?
The show consistently centers tech policy, AI, data privacy, and the broader impact of technology on society and economy. Episodes often pair rigorous reporting with big-picture asks about how regulators, markets, and platforms shape innovation, labor, and civil liberties. Noteworthy are investigative deep-dives into surveillance, AI hype vs. real-world gains, and high-profile policy debates—often featuring journalist guests, economists, regulators, and industry insiders. The format tends toward sharp, issue-focused conversations that translate complex tech topics into practical implications for listeners who aspect technology's influence on business, policy, and everyday life. A standout trait is the podcast's readiness to challenge tech n... more
Where can I find podcast stats for What Next: TBD?
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for What Next: TBD. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to What Next: TBD and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
How many listeners does What Next: TBD get?
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for What Next: TBD, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
What are the audience demographics for What Next: TBD?
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for What Next: TBD, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
How many subscribers and views does What Next: TBD have?
To see how many followers or subscribers What Next: TBD has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
Which podcasts are similar to What Next: TBD?
These podcasts share a similar audience with What Next: TBD:
1. Slate Money
2. What Next | Daily News and Analysis
3. Uncanny Valley | WIRED
4. Hard Fork
5. Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts
How many episodes of What Next: TBD are there?
What Next: TBD launched 9 years ago and published 692 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
How do I contact What Next: TBD?
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Where can I see ratings and reviews for What Next: TBD?
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for What Next: TBD from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
How do I access podcast episode transcripts for What Next: TBD?
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of What Next: TBD. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
What guests have appeared on What Next: TBD?
Recent guests on What Next: TBD include:
1. David Gilbert
2. Joseph Cox
3. Ed Elson
4. Ben Casselman
5. Andrea Bernstein
6. Nitish Pahwa
7. Cory Doctorow
8. Mark Follman
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.