What Next: TBD

A twice weekly podcast about tech, power, and the future.

About the Show

Every 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.

Host

  • Lizzie O’Leary is the host of What Next: TBD, Slate’s show about technology, power, and the future. Previously, she created and hosted Marketplace Weekend. She has reported for CNN, Bloomberg News, and the New York Times Magazine, among others. She is also a contributing writer at the Atlantic.

The Internet Archive Endangered

A nonprofit site just digitized Aruba’s history. They could be sued out of existence.

What’s Driving Tesla’s Layoffs?

The EV maker may be demonstrating why other carmakers don’t do it this way.

Is America Ready for Legal Psychedelics?

How the push for legal ‘shrooms can avoid the problems plaguing legal cannabis.

Does Google Suck Now?

Wither our once-best search engine?

America Needs More Power

How building our renewable energy future domestically is keeping old power plants running.

Truth Social’s Rocky Week

Did Trump Media’s IPO solve the Donald’s financial problems?

The Psychological Toll of Mars

We know how to get to space. But what happens to our minds when we’re there?

Can Boeing Pull Out of This Tailspin?

What needs to change at the company to restore public trust?

The Next Round of the Union Fight

Post-pandemic labor movements were losing momentum, but wins in the auto and film industries have put wind back in the sails.

Reddit’s IPO Gamble

Will the public upvote it?

When Private Equity Gets Into Health Care

What’s something expensive that people have no choice but to buy?

Is TikTok Cooked This Time?

Why does this issue snap a dysfunctional Congress into bipartisan agreement?

Instagram’s Pedophile Problem

Pedophiles are flooding the accounts of child influencers on Instagram. Who is to blame—and who can make them stop?

Why TikTok Went Silent

As TikTok and UMG argue over whether TikTok is a music platform or not, artists are left in the dark.

Google’s Scam Obituary Problem

What happens when your loved one’s death becomes clickbait?

The Supreme Court Takes on Content Moderation

Does the First Amendment prevent social media companies from moderating their content—or defend their right to?

Alabama’s IVF Mess

How legal personhood for embryos will make having children harder.

The Coasts Are Sinking

As sea levels rise, the ground below us sinks.

Apple Vision Pro: The Ultimate Surveillance Device?

When you look through these smart goggles, they look back—and can tell what you’re seeing.

Warfare Enters the A.I. Era

How an invasion became an innovation hub for private tech companies - and the future of war.