The Big Tech Show

Irish Independent Tech Editor Adrian Weckler hosts this award-winning business podcast which dives deep into the biggest industry advances and tracks the key movers and shakers behind the innovation. From interviewing Big Tech CEOs to investigations into how tech affects our working lives, the show has become Ireland’s most listened-to technology podcast.

Why Bluesky is soaring and how to set up an account

Why is Bluesky getting a million new followers a day? How big is it in Ireland? And how do you find people once you join? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. Bluesky is a social media platform that was founded as part of Twitter in 2019. In 2021, Jay Graber became CEO of the platform, with Dorsey leaving the platform's board in May. The site was initially invitation-only but was then opened to the public. Adrian began by addressing the narrative that people are leaving X and joining Bluesky on account of political ideology. However, he said the main reason users are signing up to the platform is because it is the first alternative to X where users can go and get the news. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11-21
26:48

MacBook Pro M4 review verdict — best in class or overkill?

Is Apple’s new MacBook Pro M4 worth getting? Is it better than an updated MacBook Air? And what type of work requires one? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. For the last week Adrian has been testing out the 16-inch space-black, nano-texture version of the new MacBook Pro M4. He gives his verdict on the laptop which starts at a fairly lofty €2,999. Whereas the entry-level 14-inch M4 model (€1,949) has a few immediate upgrades worth noting, including double the RAM (16GB), a better chip (M4) and its €100 less than the M3 model. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11-19
27:55

The inside story of how the FBI caught criminals by making and controlling encrypted phones

Why did the FBI set up their own encrypted phone company? How did it result in the biggest drug trafficking sting in history? And is law enforcement finally catching up with criminals online? Author of Dark Wire and co-founder of 404 Media, Joseph Cox, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. In 2018 the Federal Bureau of Investigation set up ANOM, a supposedly secure smartphone-based proprietary messaging app. It was a sting operation that intercepted millions of messages sent through the service. The ANOM service was widely used by criminals, but instead of providing secure and encrypted communication, it was in fact a trojan horse distributed covertly by the FBI between 2018 and 2021. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11-14
22:38

What Trump and Elon Musk plan to do and how it could affect Ireland

What effect will President Trump’s win have on Ireland? Is it the end of Ireland’s US multinational corporation tax bonanza? And will Elon Musk be given free rein to promote his interests? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11-12
32:01

‘I would walk into reception and ask to speak to the CEO,’ co-founder of Irish startup Talio on the importance of networking

How do you make an impression as a startup founder? Does walking into a big company and asking to see the CEO work? And how do you get past gatekeepers? Oran O’Flynn, CEO and co-founder of Talio, an AI-powered market research co-pilot platform joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11-05
19:56

Time, money and security: Irish startup Nocomed on the things you give up when building a business

What is the hardest part of founding a tech startup? How do you choose a business partner? And what do you give up in the pursuit of success? Adrian was joined this week on The Big Tech Show by Nocomed founders, Rosemary Durkan and Donal Adams to discuss their startup journey. Nocomed is the first sustainability platform for life science companies. The business allows companies to measure and reduce their carbon emission. Adrian asked the co-founders about how they chose each other, and it turns out that Rosemary and Donal sat together on the first day. The tech editor quizzed them about what they had to give up, Rosemary spoke about less money while Donal mentioned the time demands to get the enterprise on its feet. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-31
20:41

Field of dreams: how blind people can now ‘feel’ matches in a stadium thanks to an Irish startup

How can tech allow blind people not just hear but feel the action as a fan? How does Field of Vision’s haptic device work? And how was the Irish startup created? Co-founder of Field of Vision, David Deneher, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. David describes the device as a tablet which has a small magnetic finger piece that moves based on where the ball is on the pitch. There are tactile pitch lines which the blind or visually impaired person can feel which allows the fan to feel exactly where the ball is on the pitch at any given moment. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-29
15:09

The race to a €10,000 electric car as Ireland's outgoing government gets a failing grade

What’s going on with electric cars? Has Ireland made a complete bags of it? Or is it just a blip in a general upward trend? And what are the top EV models to look at right now? This week on the Big Tech Show, Adrian is joined by Derek Reilly, partnership director with Nevo. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-24
27:16

AI and Adrian’s mole: how the technology is finally starting to make sense

How big is the rift emerging between the US and EU over AI? Why are tech giants going big on nuclear AI data centres? And are we witnessing the end of the non-robotic taxi? To discuss, Adrian was joined by head of growth at Humanloop and founder of Taxbot.ie, Conor Kelly, on the Big Tech Show. Conor began by talking about his recent move to San Francisco and the attitude there to Europe. He said that all the innovation in the artificial intelligence space is coming out of Silicon Valley with all big tech companies releasing new AI models there. The Dublin native noted that Europe is so far behind the US that the newer models can’t even be brought to Europe anymore. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-21
27:24

Google goes nuclear for data centres — time for Ireland to follow suit

Is the answer to Ireland’s data center energy problem nuclear power? Why are Google and Microsoft investing in it? And why are 15 data centres across the country paused? Adrian was joined by Senior Lecturer in Clean Energy at University College Cork, Dr. Paul Deane, to discuss the issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-17
19:03

Tesla’s robotaxi flop, ‘enshittification’ and the failed war on dodgy boxes

Is the war on dodgy boxes a failure? Was Tesla’s robotaxi launch more Flinstones than Jetsons? And why is the Irish social media regulator warning of “enshittification”? Producer, JJ Clarke, joins Adrian to discuss this week’s technology news.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-15
27:13

Tesla’s robotaxi reveal: will it conquer or crash? Plus: Google’s potential breakup and Ireland’s new mega-startups

Is Google about to be broken up? Will Tesla’s Robotaxi be a hit? And what are the bargains and swizzes in this years’ Amazon’s Prime Day sale? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on The Big Tech Show this week to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-10
27:09

The inside story of how Elon Musk destroyed Twitter

The inside story of how Elon Musk bought Twitter, and its mismanaged ever since, is a fascinating one. This week, Adrian is joined by the New York Times journalists, Ryan Mac and Kate Conger, who wrote a blow-by-blow account of how it all happened, with insider access to people involved in the deal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-08
24:48

The video game fan who founded an AI company

What makes a tech founder? When is the right time to pivot? and how do they perfect their elevator pitch? Co-founder and head of technology at Kreoh, an AI engine, Fareed Idris, joined Adrian on The Big Tech Show this week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-03
26:14

From eating dogs to relatable Russians: a look at disinformation ahead of US elections

What is the scale of disinformation in the runup to the US election? Who is behind it? And has it got its claws into Europe? Reporter for WIRED magazine, David Gilbert, joined Adrian on The Big Tech Show today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-01
32:13

YouTube Premium’s price hike and what to know about the Amazon.ie launch

Is YouTube Premium worth sticking with despite the price hike? What does Ireland get out of the Amazon.ie launch? And why is Meta’s Nick Clegg calling Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner a mailbox? Producer, JJ Clarke, joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

09-26
28:13

YouTube superstar Max Fosh on building an audience of four million subscribers

How did Max Fosh amass a YouTube following of over four million? Is sneaking into London Fashion week easy? And how close did he come to being Mayor of London? YouTuber, Max Fosh joined Adrian on The Big Tech Show this week to discuss his new European tour Loophole. During the interview, Adrian asked Max about his knowledge of the YouTube algorithim and what does well on the platform. Fosh explained that negative emotions play better than positive ones on YouTube. He said, titles like the ‘worst restaurant’ or ‘worst experience’ tend to trend higher than positive title descriptions. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

09-24
25:54

Hands on with Apple’s new AirPods 4 and what it’s actually like to be a tech reviewer

What’s does the life of a tech reviewer involve? Do you get to keep any of it? And are the AirPods 4 worth a purchase? Producer, JJ Clarke, joins Adrian to discuss the life of a tech reviewer on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

09-19
27:30

Myth-busting: ‘AI isn’t ready for business’

Is artificial intelligence all it’s cracked up to be for business? Does it move the needle when it comes to enterprise? And is the belief that AI isn’t ready for commercial application accurate? There's a growing trend to say that AI isn't yet ready for enterprise business because it makes too many mistakes, or it can't turn jumbled silos of information into something reliably simple for business executives to use. Cofounders of NOAN, Neal Mann and Markham Nolan joined Adrian on this week’s episode of The Big Tech Show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

09-17
24:12

Hands on with the iPhone 16 and Apple Watch Series 10

Did Apple do enough to impress people at its iPhone 16 event? Will people buy one for the Apple intelligence features alone? And will the standoff between Apple and the EU stop people upgrading?  Adrian is currently in Cupertino at Apple Park, California, where Apple just showcased their latest product upgrades. There were three main areas of focus; iPhones, Air Pods and watches.  Freelance tech journalist, Britta O’Boyle, CCS Insight analysts, Ben Wood and Leo Gebbie, joined Adrian to discuss the new products. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

09-10
22:14

Mohab

why no one comments

08-20 Reply

TThompson

didn't like this guy, far too pushy.

10-12 Reply

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