IVF Disrupted: The Kindbody Story

When dozens of young women discover manipulated photos of themselves have been posted on a porn site, they fight back – joining up with a global band of investigators and hackers to battle the AI-fueled rise of deepfakes. Listen to episodes starting March 21.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stuck in her childhood home during the pandemic, Kayla is shocked to learn that photos of her, altered to make her look naked, are posted to a website where men swap violent fantasies about women. A conversation with police leaves Kayla discouraged. For official transcripts and additional information on this series, go to bloomberg.com/levittownSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Months after Kayla’s discovery, dozens of women in Levittown, a New York suburb on Long Island, learn they, too, are subjects of faked porn. Most are recent graduates of the local high school, and they zero in on a culprit. One of them sets out to prove it. For official transcripts and additional information on this series, go to bloomberg.com/levittownSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s not just Levittown. The website hosting the doctored photos is the nexus of campaigns to harass women across the world. A victim in New Zealand helps to spark a global battle against the site and its elusive owner. For official transcripts and additional information on this series, go to bloomberg.com/levittownSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An arrest in Levittown kicks off the next phase of an investigation. The central question for the prosecutors is: Is any of this a crime? And they’re on the clock. For official transcripts and additional information on this series, go to bloomberg.com/levittownSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kayla faces down her harasser in court. In New Zealand, an investigator summons a global army of hackers. For official transcripts and additional information on this series, go to bloomberg.com/levittownSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the series finale, our reporters try to crack the secretive companies behind nudify apps that let users create deepfakes in minutes. And a new case rocks another small town high school. For official transcripts and additional information on this series, go to bloomberg.com/levittownSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the first federal legislation on deepfake porn -- the Take It Down Act -- passed the U.S. House of Representatives. All it takes is a signature from the president to become law. Levittown co-host Olivia Carville joins TechStuff (Kaleidoscope/IHeart) to discuss how the law works, why it has come under early criticism and what it may mean for young women in Levittown and across the U.S.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US has a new federal law protecting victims of nonconsensual online porn, reflecting the ubiquity of AI-enabled harassment. What’s a parent to do? In this episode of the Levittown podcast, hosts Olivia Carville and Margi Murphy hear from one mother whose daughter pushed for laws and accountability … and another who discovers her son is part of a gang of online harassers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kindbody, one of the largest fertility companies in the US, sought to disrupt egg freezing and IVF by combining spa vibes with Silicon Valley efficiency. The startup raised millions, opened dozens of clinics, and became a billion-dollar unicorn. But its ambition came with consequences. In IVF Disrupted: The Kindbody Story, reporter Jackie Davalos takes listeners beyond Kindbody’s millennial-friendly waiting rooms and into the clinics themselves, showing the sometimes-heartbreaking consequences of bringing the “move fast and break things” mentality to the business of creating life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2018 a startup emerged, aiming to revolutionize fertility care with spa-like clinics and Silicon Valley swagger. Kindbody attracted millions from investors eager to disrupt a booming industry. But former employees describe a company that at times cut too many corners as it raced to expand. In this episode, reporter Jackie Davalos investigates what can happen when startup culture collides with the delicate science of creating life. Read more: IVF Disrupted: The Kindbody StorySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dina and B arrive at Kindbody for the embryo transfer they've dreamed about for years. But their doctor delivers news that will make them question whether coming to Kindbody was a mistake. In this episode, reporter Jackie Davalos investigates what went wrong and discovers that this error wasn't an isolated incident. Read more: IVF Disrupted: The Kindbody StorySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kindbody doubles its size overnight through a major acquisition, with executives telling employees they'll be rich enough to buy private jets. In this episode, reporter Jackie Davalos reports on internal documents revealing that the company is hemorrhaging cash. As layoffs reduce the number of patient-facing employees, one clinic's staffing crunch sets the stage for an error that led one woman to give up on her dream of motherhood. Read more: IVF Disrupted: The Kindbody StorySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kindbody implements quotas requiring doctors to perform more lucrative procedures, internal company documents show In this episode, patients report being pushed toward expensive IVF cycles and questionable add-ons. Reporter Jackie Davalos investigates how financial pressure drove medical decisions at the struggling fertility chain—including one woman's painful and seemingly unnecessary procedure that would leave her questioning everything. Read more: IVF Disrupted: The Kindbody StorySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Kindbody employee discovers the company is helping an imprisoned billionaire father multiple children through surrogates and egg donors. In this episode, reporter Jackie Davalos investigates Greg Lindberg's "baby project" and how it exposes the dark side of America's unregulated fertility industry—where with enough money, almost anything becomes possible.Read more: IVF Disrupted: The Kindbody StorySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.