Tech News Briefing
About
Available on
Community
1077 episodes
Plus: BYD’s sales jumped in March. And shares of Donald Trump’s social media company fall. Alex Ossola hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
MGM Resorts’ Las Vegas hotels and casinos were thrown into chaos last year after being hit with a ransomware attack https://www.wsj.com/tech/cybersecurity/mgm-hack-casino-hackers-group-0366c641?st=81v6m383wjfu8a5&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink that took its systems offline for six days. WSJ reporter Robert McMillan tells host Alex Ossola what happened, what we know about the hackers, and why the attack serves as a warning to other companies. Plus, why you might want to take some precautions https://www.wsj.com/tech/cybersecurity/inflight-wifi-security-precautions-93400d59?st=vjfs4x61q81plp5&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink the next time you use airplane Wi-Fi. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plus: xAI releases the next generation of its generative AI model, Grok. And Tesla embraces advertising. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
For years, Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin had been a central figure in Russia’s global disinformation operation. Now, months after his death, new cybersecurity research from Google shows that his troll farms are still active https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/prigozhin-is-dead-but-his-troll-farms-are-alive-and-peddling-disinformation-e25c4441?st=964if5epv5uk18f&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink and continue to peddle disinformation, with a few subtle shifts. WSJ cybersecurity and intelligence reporter Dustin Volz tells host Alex Ossola how these online campaigns operate, and how they could influence opinions about the 2024 US election. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plus: Spotify is adding new features to promote University Music artists. And stock in software company MicroStrategy falls after a short seller said the company is overvalued. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
In November 2022, FTX, then one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges, collapsed. The company filed for bankruptcy, and criminal cases were opened against its former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried. He was later convicted of fraud and conspiracy and is set to be sentenced today. But in the aftermath of the collapse, the lawyers and advisers running FTX’s bankruptcy explored the possibility of rebooting the company https://www.wsj.com/finance/currencies/the-crypto-reboot-that-wasnt-why-ftx-2-0-floundered-5e729c4c?st=r0oashn4t3lnppp&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink. WSJ reporter Alexander Osipovich tells host Alex Ossola why that reboot didn’t happen—and why some people say that’s a missed opportunity. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plus: Amazon deepens its stake in AI startup Anthropic. And online gambling companies draw federal scrutiny over targeting big spenders. Danny Lewis hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
The biggest social-media platforms have tens of millions of teen users in the U.S., according to a Pew Research Center survey in October. But newly signed legislation https://www.wsj.com/tech/can-floridas-social-media-ban-for-minors-work-3823480e?st=f30n4dduvneboq4&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink in Florida prohibits people under the age of 14 from having social-media accounts, regardless of parental consent. It’s set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2025. WSJ reporter Sarah Needleman tells host Alex Ossola about how the new law would work and some of the challenges of implementing it. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plus: Amazon expands its same-day pharmacy services to New York and Los Angeles. And Tesla is promoting its advanced driver-assistance technology. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Back in 2018 and 2019, it looked like the electric vehicle boom had finally arrived. Sales of Tesla’s Model 3 sedan were taking off and a number of other startups were getting in on the action. Companies like Rivian and Lucid seemed poised to take on automotive giants like Ford and General Motors. Now, more than five years later, amid a slowdown in demand for EVs, the financial picture for these companies is less rosy https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/rivian-tesla-lucid-fisker-polestar-vinfast-ev-8676ec4c?st=4n9652wcbcbm95v&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink. WSJ reporter Sean McLain tells host Alex Ossola how the once-buzzy companies are faring. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plus: The U.S. government hits alleged Chinese hackers with sanctions and criminal charges. And EV maker Fisker says its talks with a large automaker have broken down. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s not just Neuralink—several companies are working on brain implants that can help patients communicate with computers using their thoughts. One, Precision Neuroscience https://www.wsj.com/science/inside-the-operating-room-doctors-test-a-revolutionary-brain-computer-implant-f69eb0c2?st=p9rov6g2436t0ry&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink, is developing implants to help patients with severe paralysis who can't use their hands or arms to operate a computer. But making an implant that can do this requires a lot of testing. WSJ science bureau chief Jo Craven McGinty recently saw one of those tests. She tells host Alex Ossola about the operation and when brain-computer interfaces might hit the market. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plus: Hyundai and Kia recall nearly 150,000 EVs over a charging issue. And shareholders approved a plan to take Truth Social public. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Justice Department and more than a dozen states sued Apple https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-antitrust-lawsuit-16066694?st=qy0dvjrunuarurj&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink on Thursday. The complaint alleges that the company blocked software developers and mobile gaming companies from offering better options on the iPhone, resulting in higher prices for consumers. WSJ tech editor Bradley Olson tells host Alex Ossola why the suit matters, and what it could mean for Apple’s future. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plus: Senator Elizabeth Warren calls on the SEC to investigate Tesla. And Reddit shares soar in long-awaited IPO. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Since its founding in 2005, social-media platform Reddit has built a business as a free online hub where users talk about things that interest them within user-led communities. Now, as the company goes public https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/reddit-ipo-stock-shares-8108d242?st=2yy1qq5q2zly8ar&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink, its leadership will see if investors are as enthusiastic as its users. WSJ reporters Sarah Needleman and Hannah Miao tell host Alex Ossola about Reddit’s background, what makes this IPO unique https://www.wsj.com/tech/reddit-ipo-huffman-meme-stock-38b498b7?st=ezvp3bwa6wo22sn&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink and what it could mean for the market. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plus: France fines Google 250 million euros, or about $270 million. And the Biden administration awards Intel up to $8.5 billion to build new U.S. chip plants. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Since the early days of Elon Musk’s takeover of X, he has tried to recruit creators to post their content on the platform in an effort to rival TikTok and YouTube. Viral content engages users and could attract big advertisers. But so far, X’s efforts have fallen somewhat flat. WSJ reporter Alexa Corse tells host Alex Ossola what some creators are saying about X’s strategy, and what the company can do about it. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plus: Nvidia CEO says next generation of AI chips will be affordable. And crypto lender Genesis Global Capital pays to settle charges with federal regulators. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
More than half of Americans are on TikTok. But for the first time in the app’s history, its user growth is stagnating—just as TikTok finds itself mired in battles with U.S. lawmakers and the world’s biggest music company. Stalling growth could be bad news for the company, which relies on advertising for its revenue. WSJ technology reporter Meghan Bobrowsky tells host Alex Ossola what this means for TikTok’s business https://www.wsj.com/tech/tiktoks-american-growth-is-already-stalling-980aa276?st=35vnlzx0w15osto&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plus: EV maker Fisker pauses production for six weeks. And Don Lemon releases his interview with Elon Musk. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-podcasts-e100656c?st=0q6q77a4arjdc9p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Meta may be in legal hot water again. U.S. prosecutors in Virginia have been serving subpoenas and asking questions in a criminal grand jury probe. The probe is looking into whether Meta’s social media platforms are facilitating and profiting from the illicit sale of drugs, according to documents and people familiar with the matter. WSJ reporter Salvador Rodriguez tells host Alex Ossola what might result from the probe, and what it could mean for Meta and its users. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. WSJ.com/tech/Google-Podcasts https://www.wsj.com/tech/Google-Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plus: Apple pays nearly $500 million to settle a lawsuit with investors. And India cuts import tariffs in an effort to woo Tesla. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. WSJ.com/tech/Google-Podcasts http://WSJ.com/tech/Google-Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Many conditions, such as sickle cell and heart disease, are caused by genetic mutations. Over the past few years, scientists have learned how to treat some of those conditions by introducing cells that have been edited with bioengineering tools like CRISPR. But in the future, doctors could treat those conditions by editing patients’ cells while they’re still in their bodies—an approach called in vivo gene editing https://www.wsj.com/health/pharma/doctors-can-now-edit-the-genes-inside-your-body-4c8e1aea?st=w3r4ffsfsav7r5w&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink. Cordilia James spoke with WSJ senior writer Betsy McKay about how the approach works and its potential risks. Alex Ossola hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plus: Meta plans to shut down a longstanding data tool. And SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft completed its longest test flight yet. Alex Ossola hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sora, OpenAI’s new text-to-video artificial intelligence model, can create highly realistic, detailed scenes. When its AI-generated video clips hit social media last month, people were blown away by the quality, though OpenAI won’t publicly release Sora until later this year. In an exclusive conversation, WSJ senior personal tech columnist Joanna Stern sat down with OpenAI’s CTO Mira Murati to better understand how Sora works, and how it might change in the future. You can watch Joanna’s full video here https://www.wsj.com/video/series/joanna-stern-personal-technology/openai-made-me-crazy-videosthen-the-cto-answered-most-of-my-questions/C2188768-D570-4456-8574-9941D4F9D7E2?mod=hp_lead_pos7. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plus: European lawmakers pass sweeping rules for artificial intelligence. And Don Lemon says Elon Musk canceled Lemon’s show on X. Alex Ossola hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Amid an unstable economy, many Nigerians have turned to cryptocurrency. The country has the second-highest adoption of crypto in the world, after India, according to data provider Chainalysis. Now, in Nigeria’s current financial crisis—the inflation rate for its local currency, the naira, hit 30% in January—the government is blaming Binance https://www.wsj.com/finance/currencies/crypto-gets-blamed-for-a-real-life-currency-crisis-e3e3b343?st=u3a5dnswtn6wmab&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink, the world’s biggest crypto exchange. WSJ reporter Caitlin Ostroff tells host Alex Ossola about the situation, and what it could mean for the future of crypto in the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Plus: OpenAI says Elon Musk’s claims are “often incoherent” in a legal filing. And Tesla and Ford receive “poor” grades in a study of their driver-assist technology. Alex Ossola hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
Back in 2017, Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, was critical of cryptocurrency. Now, just seven years later, the former skeptic is helping to take bitcoin mainstream https://www.wsj.com/finance/investing/how-bitcoin-made-a-believer-out-of-blackrock-abebb140?st=zevk8c7f388gs2w&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink as BlackRock rakes in billions of dollars selling bitcoin in a low-cost ETF. WSJ reporter Vicky Ge Huang tells host Alex Ossola about what BlackRock’s reversal means for the company, investors and crypto writ large. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
