The 404 Media Podcast

The video game industry has had a turbulent few years. The pandemic made people play more and caused a small boom, which then subsided, resulting in wave after wave of massive layoffs. Microsoft, one of the major console manufacturers, is shifting its strategy for Xbox as the company shifts its focus to AI. And now, Electronic Arts, once a load-bearing publisher for the industry with brands like The Sims and Madden, is going private via a leveraged buyout in a deal involving Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Jared Kushner. Video games are more popular than ever, but many of the biggest companies in the business seem like they are struggling to adapt and convert that popularity into stability and sustainability. To try and understand what the hell is going on, this week we have a conversation between Emanuel and Jason Schreier, who reports about video games for Bloomberg and one of the best journalists on this beat. Jason helps us unpack why Microsoft is now aiming for higher-than-average profit margins at Xbox and why the company is seemingly bowing out of the console business despite a massive acquisition spree. We also talk about what the EA deal tells us about other game publishers, and what all these problems tell us about changing player habits and the future of big budget video games. YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/6ydF7hD6cFI Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Microsoft Pushes Xbox Division to Hit Higher Profit Margins EA's Deal to Go Private Could Be Good for Investors, Bad for Employees EA Buyout Highlights Gaming Struggles as Growth Slows The Video-Game Industry Has a Problem: There Are Too Many Games Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start with Matthew Gault’s dive into a battle between a small town and the construction of a massive datacenter for America’s nuclear weapon scientists. After the break, Joseph explains why people are 3D-printing whistles in Chicago. In the subscribers-only section, Jason zooms out and tells us what librarians are seeing with AI and tech, and how that is impacting their work and knowledge more broadly. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/rHk580uKwHw 6:03 - Our New FOIA Forum! 11/19, 1PM ET7:50 - A Small Town Is Fighting a $1.2 Billion AI Datacenter for America's Nuclear Weapon Scientists12:27 - 'A Black Hole of Energy Use': Meta's Massive AI Data Center Is Stressing Out a Louisiana Community21:09 - 'House of Dynamite' Is About the Zoom Call that Ends the World30:35 - The Latest Defense Against ICE: 3D-Printed Whistles SUBSCRIBER'S STORY: AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve been to a national park in the U.S. recently, you might have noticed some odd new signs about “beauty” and “grandeur.” Or, some signs you were used to seeing might now be missing completely. An executive order issued earlier this year put the history and educational aspects of the parks system under threat–but a group of librarians stepped in to save it.  This week we have a conversation between Sam and two of the leaders of the independent volunteer archiving project Save Our Signs, an effort to archive national park signs and monument placards. It’s a community collaboration project co-founded by a group of librarians, public historians, and data experts in partnership with the Data Rescue Project and Safeguarding Research & Culture.  Lynda Kellam leads the Research Data and Digital Scholarship team at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries and is a founding organizer of the Data Rescue Project. Jenny McBurney is the Government Publications Librarian and Regional Depository Coordinator at the University of Minnesota Libraries. In this episode, they discuss turning “frustration, dismay and disbelief” at parks history under threat into action: compiling more than 10,000 images from over 300 national parks into a database to be preserved for the people. YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/xrCElwgY5Co ‘Save Our Signs’ Archive and Submission Site 'Save Our Signs' Wants to Save the Real History of National Parks Before Trump Erases It ‘Save Our Signs’ Preservation Project Launches Archive of 10,000 National Park Signs Archivists Work to Identify and Save the Thousands of Datasets Disappearing From Data.gov Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have something of a Meta Ray-Bans smart glasses bumper episode this week. We start with Joseph and Jason’s piece on a $60 mod that disables the privacy-protecting recording light in the smart glasses. After the break, Emanuel tells us how some people are abusing the glasses to film massage workers, and he explains the difference between a phone and a pair of smartglasses, if you need that spelled out for you. In the subscribers-only section, Jason tells us about the future of advertising: AI-generated ads personalized directly to you. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/tAmhRnHc16Q 1:00 - A $60 Mod to Meta’s Ray-Bans Disables Its Privacy-Protecting Recording Light 18:03 - Meta's Ray-Ban Glasses Users Film and Harass Massage Parlor Workers SUBSCRIBER'S STORY: The Future of Advertising Is AI Generated Ads That Are Directly Personalized to You Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joseph speaks to Joshua Aaron, the creator of ICEBlock. Apple recently removed ICEBlock from its App Store after direct pressure from the Department of Justice. Joshua and Joseph talk about how the idea for ICEBlock came about, Apple and Google’s broader crackdown on similar apps, and what this all means for people trying to access information about ICE. ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’ Google Calls ICE Agents a Vulnerable Group, Removes ICE-Spotting App ‘Red Dot’ Apple Banned an App That Simply Archived Videos of ICE Abuses YouTube version: https://youtu.be/WLpyObHkPqc Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Jason’s explanation of what Grokipedia is, and how it compares to the very much human-made Wikipedia. After the break, we talk all about the hell of updating Windows PCs and what that means specifically for Windows 10 users. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel explains what a16z is doing with a ‘speedrun’ to a wholly AI-generated world. Intro0:00 - Merch drop2:38 - Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever (use code WIRE20 for 20% off)3:25 - First Contact: The Story of Our Obsession with Aliens Stories5:00 - Grokipedia Is the Antithesis of Everything That Makes Wikipedia Good, Useful, and Human10:48 - Elon Musk's Grokipedia Pushes Far-Right Talking Points23:04 - The End of Windows 10 Support Is an E-Waste Disaster in the Making32:00 - Nathan Proctor interview Subscriber's Stories: a16z-Backed Startup Sells Thousands of ‘Synthetic Influencers’ to Manipulate Social Media as a Service a16z Is Funding a 'Speedrun' to AI-Generated Hell on Earth YouTube version: https://youtu.be/LqYMoK7dlDA Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Joseph’s articles about a hacking group that doxed DHS, ICE, FBI, and DOJ officials. The group then sent us the personal data of officials from the NSA and a bunch of other government agencies. After the break, Emanuel revisits Wikipedia’s AI problem. In the subscribers-only section, Sam explains OpenAI’s inevitable path to an AI sex bot.0:00 - Intro0:50 - How Artists Are Keeping 'the Lost Art' of Neon Signs Alive4:42 - Hackers Dox Hundreds of DHS, ICE, FBI, and DOJ Officials 13:53 - Hackers Say They Have Personal Data of Thousands of NSA and Other Government Officials 31:58 - Wikipedia Says AI Is Causing a Dangerous Decline in Human Visitors SUBSCRIBER'S SEGMENT: OpenAI Catches Up to AI Market Reality: People Are Horny YouTube version: https://youtu.be/7P2a4Y7P5UESubscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Jason’s article about an internal Meta message telling workers to increase their output by 5x with AI. That’s five times, not five percent. After the break, Joseph and Sam tell us all about the catastrophic Discord breach. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph explains what happened when AI came for craft beer (nothing is sacred). YouTube version: https://youtu.be/VJLHVJ-OOj8 Help Us Investigate Book Bans and Educational Censorship Around America Meta Tells Workers Building Metaverse to Use AI to ‘Go 5x Faster’ The Discord Hack is Every User’s Worst Nightmare What Happened When AI Came for Craft Beer TIMESTAMPS: 0:51 - Help Us Investigate Book Bans and Educational Censorship Around America 3:57 - Meta Tells Workers Building Metaverse to Use AI to ‘Go 5x Faster’ 19:44 - The Discord Hack is Every User’s Worst Nightmare SUBSCRIBER'S STORY: What Happened When AI Came for Craft Beer This is a production of 404 Media, a journalist-owned tech website. Learn more and subscribe at: htttps://404media.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason is joined by US PIRG's right to repair campaign director Nathan Proctor, who explains why the imminent end of free support for Windows 10 computers is a ticking timebomb, with millions of computers slated for recycling centers and landfills. Nathan and Jason discuss the state of right to repair legislation all over the United States, the progress that has been made, and the next areas that right to repair experts are going to be focusing on.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with a couple of our articles about Sora 2, OpenAI’s new AI slop app. People are already using tools to remove watermarks from its AI-generated videos. Great! After the break, we talk about Apple and Google removing various ICE-spotting apps from their app stores, with Apple doing it after direct pressure from the U.S. government. In the subscribers-only section, we have a substantial update to a story concerning Flock and a woman who self-administered an abortion. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/fTz5ODv_uZQ 4:55 - OpenAI’s Sora 2 Copyright Infringement Machine Features Nazi SpongeBobs and Criminal Pikachus⁠ 14:30 - People Are Farming and Selling Sora 2 Invite Codes on eBay⁠ 25:27 - ⁠Sora 2 Watermark Removers Flood the Web⁠ 29:08 - ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’⁠ 37:39 - Google Calls ICE Agents a Vulnerable Group, Removes ICE-Spotting App ‘Red Dot’⁠ BONUS STORY: ⁠Police Said They Surveilled Woman Who Had an Abortion for Her 'Safety.' Court Records Show They Considered Charging Her With a Crime⁠ This is a production of 404 Media, a journalist-owned tech website. Learn more and subscribe at: htttps://404media.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Joseph’s article about landlords and income verification companies demanding login details from potential renters so the companies can log in and scrape their paystubs. That has some potential legal issues for everyone involved! After the break, 18 lawyers tell us why they used AI. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel breaks down the massive drama around Ruby. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/KtvSBb6rtHE Landlords Demand Tenants’ Workplace Logins to Scrape Their Paystubs 18 Lawyers Caught Using AI Explain Why They Did It How Ruby Went Off the Rails Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with some news: we are suing ICE for access to its $2 million contract with a company that sells powerful spyware. Paragon sells tech for remotely breaking into phones and reading messages from encrypted chat apps without a target even clicking a link. After the break, we talk about a couple of stories about AI ‘workslop’ and the engineers who fix peoples’ vibe coding. In the subscribers-only section, we start with a malicious game on Steam stealing cryptocurrency from a cancer patient, then we talk about Silk Song. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/NWuDzmKE8kg We’re Suing ICE for Its $2 Million Spyware Contract AI ‘Workslop’ Is Killing Productivity and Making Workers Miserable The Software Engineers Paid to Fix Vibe Coded Messes Steam Hosted Malware Game that Stole $32,000 from a Cancer Patient Live on Stream Does Silksong Seem Unreasonably Hard? You Probably Took a Wrong Turn Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Joseph’s investigation into Nexar, a popular dashcam company that was catastrophically hacked. Nexar is also uploading user footage to a publicly available map without some drivers’ knowledge. After the break, Sam tells us about her trip to San Diego to cover the sentencing of someone she has covered for years. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about the Charlie Kirk assassination and our reporting around that. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/-51f4patIkw This Company Turns Dashcams into ‘Virtual CCTV Cameras.’ Then Hackers Got In Michael Pratt, GirlsDoPorn Ringleader, Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison Comcast Executives Warn Workers To Not Say The Wrong Thing About Charlie Kirk Charlie Kirk Was Not Practicing Politics the Right Way Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we talk about how 'Boring History' AI slop is taking over YouTube and making it harder to discover content that humans spend months researching, filming, and editing. Then we talk about how Meta has totally given up on content moderation. In the bonus segment, we discuss the 'AI Darwin Awards,' which is, uhh, celebrating the dumbest uses of AI.YouTube Version: AI Generated Boring History Videos Are Flooding YouTube And Drowning Out Real History Instagram Account Promotes Holocaust Denial T-Shirts To 400,000 Followers AI Darwin Awards Shows AI's Biggest Problem Is Human Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a recording of our live show in Los Angeles in July! In this show we spoke all about ICE's technology and our reporting on it. Facial recognition, Palantir, Flock, and more. And we take questions from the audience. Thank you to everyone who came and we hope you enjoy the discussion! Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with our articles about Trump’s tariffs, and how they’re impacting everything from LEGO to cameras to sex toys. After the break, Emanuel explains how misfired DMCA complaints designed to help adult creators are targeting other sites, including ours. In the subscribers-only section, we do a wrap-up of a bunch of recent ChatGPT stories about suicide and murder. A content warning for suicide and self-harm for that section. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/srdUOWq_hfg Trump Take LEGO Trump Tariffs Cause Chaos on Ebay as Every Hobby Becomes Logistical Minefield How OnlyFans Piracy Is Ruining the Internet for Everyone ChatGPT Encouraged Suicidal Teen Not To Seek Help, Lawsuit Claims ChatGPT Answered 'High Risk' Questions About Suicide, New Study Finds Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's the podcast recorded at our recent second anniversary party in New York! We answered a bunch of reader and listener questions. Thank you to everyone that came and thank you for listening to this podcast too! Thanks again to DeleteMe, use code 404media for 20% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Joseph’s investigation into people selling custom patches for the Flipper Zero, a piece of hacking tech that car thieves can now use to break into a wide range of vehicles. After the break, Jason tells us about the new meta in AI slop: making 80s nostalgia videos. In the subscribers-only section, we all talk about Citizen, and how the app is pushing AI-written crime alerts without human intervention. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/nV3qShvuoKw Inside the Underground Trade of ‘Flipper Zero’ Tech to Break into Cars 80s Nostalgia AI Slop Is Boomerfying the Masses for a Past That Never Existed Citizen Is Using AI to Generate Crime Alerts With No Human Review. It’s Making a Lot of Mistakes VICE News Presents: Vigilante, Inc. Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Emanuel’s big investigation into the Tea app, and especially how it aggressively grew by raiding women safety groups. After the break, we talk about TikTok Shop selling GPS trackers. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph explains how Grok was exposing some of its AI persona prompts, and the sometimes NSFW nature of them. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/vRFaNoU-cGI You're Invited: 404 Media's Second Anniversary Party and LIVE PODCAST! How Tea’s Founder Convinced Millions of Women to Spill Their Secrets, Then Exposed Them to the World TikTok Shop Sells Viral GPS Trackers Marketed to Stalkers Grok Exposes Underlying Prompts for Its AI Personas: ‘EVEN PUTTING THINGS IN YOUR ASS’ Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Jason’s article about a CBP official wearing Meta Ray-Bans smart glasses to an immigration raid. A lot of stuff happened after we published that article too. After the break, Sam tells us about the bargain that voice actors are making with AI. In the subscribers-only section, Jason tells us how a DEA official used a cop’s password to AI cameras to then do immigration surveillance. YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxHFsQSVRkE Get your subscriber code and tickets for the live event here A CBP Agent Wore Meta Smart Glasses to an Immigration Raid in Los Angeles Voiceover Artists Weigh the 'Faustian Bargain' of Lending Their Talents to AI Feds Used Local Cop's Password to Do Immigration Surveillance With Flock Cameras Congress Launches Investigation into Flock After 404 Media Reporting Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices