This Week in Tech (Audio)

iPhone 17 event live blog: on the ground at Apple's keynote Google Court Doc: Open Web Is In Rapid Decline Anthropic Judge Rejects $1.5 Billion AI Copyright Settlement (1) The Software Engineers Paid to Fix Vibe Coded Messes What to expect from Meta Connect SpaceX strikes $17B deal to buy EchoStar's spectrum for Starlink's direct-to-phone service Tesla Wants Out of the Car Business Tesla Offers Elon Musk an Unprecedented $1 Trillion Pay Package Gen Z protests in Nepal, sparked by a social media ban, have killed nearly 2 dozen and injured hundreds. Here's what to know Microdramas are TikTok turned up to 11, and they're coming for your time and money Tiny Vinyl is a new pocketable record format for the Spotify age Kodak's mini camera fits on your keyring and is smaller than an AirPods case Geek News Central Mourns the Loss of Todd Cochrane Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Dan Patterson, Victoria Song, and Jason Hiner Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: expressvpn.com/twit bitwarden.com/twit oracle.com/twit shopify.com/twit NetSuite.com/TWIT

Google walks away from another monopoly ruling with barely a scratch, while tech giants gather at the White House to praise a president who holds their futures in the balance. Inside, our panel questions whether "playing the game on the field" is killing tech innovation and U.S. privacy for good. Google avoids harshest penalties in landmark search monopoly ruling Google fined $3.5 billion by EU over ad-tech business Probe finds Houston police using surveillance tool like a search engine iPhone 17 specifications leak, 'Air' model rumors, and what to expect at Apple's Awe Dropping' event Instagram coming to iPad after 15 years Anthropic to pay $1.5 billion to settle author copyright claims Apple accused of training AI models on pirated books Trump hosts tech CEOs at first event in newly renovated Rose Garden Postal traffic to the US down over 80% amid tariffs, UN says Satellite companies like SpaceX ignore astronomers' calls to save the night sky Microsoft says Azure service affected by damaged Red Sea cables Meta still hasn't given up on the Facebook poke after 21 years Fake celebrity chatbots send risqué messages to teens on top AI app First brain-wide map of decision-making charted in mice NVIDIA's sale-and-leaseback chip schemes raise questions about AI bubble Tesla changes meaning of 'full self-driving' and gives up on autonomy promise Atlassian agrees to acquire The Browser Co. for $610 million Warner Bros. Discovery sues AI company Midjourney for copyright infringement in major legal battle Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Alex Wilhelm and Harry McCracken Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: zscaler.com/security miro.com smarty.com/twit ZipRecruiter.com/twit canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT

Cloudflare's latest moves to police who can access the internet and governments' push for age verification set off alarms for the future of the open web, as panelists debate the hidden costs of centralization and regulation. Microsoft fires four workers for on-site protests over company's ties to Israel Taco Bell rethinks AI drive-through after man orders 18,000 water Nvidia says two mystery customers accounted for 39% of Q2 revenue FBI cyber cop: Salt Typhoon pwned 'nearly every American Mastodon says it doesn't 'have the means' to comply with age verification law UK's Online Safety Act censors the internet — a preview of US proposal Meta updates chatbot rules to avoid inappropriate topics with teen user Meta reportedly allowed unauthorized celebrity AI chatbots on its service UK's demand for Apple backdoor may have been broader than previously though Bluesky now platform of choice for science community SpaceX's giant Starship Mars rocket nails critical 10th test flight in stunning comeback FCC rejects calls for cable-like fees on broadband providers The web does not need gatekeepers Intel warns a US equity stake could trigger "adverse reactions" US firms are racing through a $1 trillion buyback spree in record time Microsoft reveals two in-house AI models Authors celebrate "historic" settlement coming soon in Anthropic class action A rule exempting small packages from tariffs is ending today Framework is working on a giant haptic touchpad, Trackpoint nub, and eGPU for its laptops Germany fines economist Thomas Vierhaus €16,100 for sarcastic X posts Google wants to make sideloading Android apps safer by verifying developers' identities South Korea bans smartphones in all middle and elementary school classrooms Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Shoshana Weissmann, Cory Doctorow, and Louis Maresca Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: shopify.com/twit ZipRecruiter.com/twit NetSuite.com/TWIT zscaler.com/security smarty.com/twit

You should buy a faster CPU The Trump-Intel deal is official Trump signals fourth delay of TikTok ban Trump to tap Airbnb co-founder as first government design chief Meet Macrohard, Elon Musk's AI simulation of Microsoft Google announces Pixel 10 lineup with heavy AI integration Gemini for Home is Google's biggest smart home play in years Copilot app gets a glowup, new features, for Windows 11 Apple explores using Google Gemini AI to power revamped Siri Bluesky blocks service in Mississippi over age assurance law 4chan will refuse to pay daily online safety fines, lawyer tells BBC Sports streaming enters a bold new era Waymo can now test its self-driving vehicles in New York City Oura secures decisive legal victory with ITC patent ruling T-Mobile claimed selling location data without consent is legal—judges disagree Developer gets prison time for sabotaging former employer's network with a 'kill switch' Nonprofit search engine Ecosia offers $0 for control of Chrome Perplexity's Comet AI browser tricked into buying fake items online Agentic browser security: indirect prompt injection in Perplexity Comet New zero-day startup offers $20 million for tools that can hack any smartphone YouTuber Mark Rober is getting a Netflix series German court revives case that could threaten ad blockers Satya Nadella says Microsoft must move beyond Bill Gates' software factory vision More frozen shrimp recalled for possible radioactive contamination Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Daniel Rubino and Paris Martineau Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: zscaler.com/security expressvpn.com/twit canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT smarty.com/twit helixsleep.com/twit

Privacy preserving age verification is bullsh!t The Supreme Court lets Mississippi's social media age-verification law go into effect Meta's flirty AI chatbot invited a retiree to New York. AI data centers made Americans' electricity bills 30% higher AI experts return from China stunned: The U.S. grid is so weak, the race may already be over Ford reveals breakthrough process for lower priced EVs More thoughts from Sam on the Ford EV platform Popular car brand wants you to pay monthly to unlock more horsepower Apple Plots Expansion Into AI Robots, Home Security and Smart Displays Elli-q After researchers unmasked a prolific SMS scammer, a new operation has emerged in its wake Starlink tries to block Virginia's plan to bring fiber Internet to residents China Launches Three-Day Robot Olympics Featuring Football and Table Tennis The Key to Crack the CIA's Mysterious 'Kryptos' Sculpture Is Up for Sale PACER Hacked By Malicious Entities, Briefly Turning It Into A Useful Source For Federal Court Documents Court blocks FTC investigation into Media Matters' alleged scheme against X Google AI Overviews linked to 25% drop in publisher referral traffic, new data shows Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, Sam Abuelsamid, and Lisa Schmeiser Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: miro.com storyblok.com/twittv-25 code TWIT25 ZipRecruiter.com/twit expressvpn.com/twit zscaler.com/security

GPT-5: Overdue, overhyped and underwhelming. And that's not the worst of it. Guy Gives Himself 19th Century Psychiatric Illness After Consulting With ChatGPT Disney Scraps Deepfake Dwayne Johnson After Lawyers Panic About The Public Domain Perplexity gives Apple new reason not to acquire the AI company Trump's Threat to Hit Chips With 100% Tariffs Raises Big Questions Apple chipmaker TSMC says it too is exempt from US tariffs - 9to5Mac Oracle 21 Better Faster Cheaper Apple is reportedly working with Samsung to build iPhone image sensors in Texas Apple's bid to close the AI gap could be hampered by AI brain drain Didn't Take Long To Reveal The UK's Online Safety Act Is Exactly The Privacy-Crushing Failure Everyone Warned About Amazon Cuts 100 Wondery Jobs Amid Podcast Strategy Shift Nuclear reactor on the moon is actually kind of doable? Hubble Network plans massive satellite upgrade to create global Bluetooth layer San Francisco metro area's unemployment hits highest level since 2024 Tesla withheld data, lied, and misdirected police and plaintiffs to avoid blame in Autopilot crash Dial-up Internet to be discontinued Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Owen Thomas, Doc Rock, and Wesley Faulkner Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: bitwarden.com/twit oracle.com/twit expressvpn.com/twit NetSuite.com/TWIT shopify.com/twit

A jury orders Tesla to pay more than $240 million in Autopilot crash Apple reports biggest revenue growth since December 2021 Apple's New 'Answers' Team Eyes ChatGPT-Like Product in AI Push Apple says DOJ's antitrust lawsuit would 'reduce consumer choice' Alphabet beats earnings expectations, raises spending forecast Australia widens teen social media ban to YouTube, scraps exemption YouTube rolls out age-estimation tech to identify US teens and apply additional protections Amazon to Pay New York Times $20 Million a Year in AI Deal A.I. Researchers Are Negotiating $250 Million Pay Packages. Just Like N.B.A. Stars. Anthropic studied what gives an AI system its 'personality' — and what makes it 'evil' AI Capex is Eating the Economy Will data centers crash the economy? What content strategy looks like in the age of AI Inside the LG G5's shocking last-place finish at the 2025 TV Shootout Senate confirms Sean Cairncross to be national cyber director under Trump How Podcast-Obsessed Tech Investors Made a New Media Industry Y2K38 bug? Debian switching to 64-bit time for everything Lina Kahn Takes a Victory Lap for Figma IPO Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Richard Campbell, Brian McCullough, and Mike Elgan Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT ZipRecruiter.com/twit zscaler.com/security miro.com uscloud.com

OpenAI prepares to launch GPT-5 in August Trump's AI Action Plan Is a Crusade Against 'Bias'—and Regulation UN tech chief pleads for global AI regulatory cooperation Trump, who promised to save TikTok, threatens to shut down TikTok Google AI Mode has 100M users, 2.5 Pro & Deep Search rolls out FDA's New Drug Approval AI Is Generating Fake Studies: Report Tesla is set to face off with the California DMV over claims it exaggerated Autopilot's and FSD's capabilities and misled consumers, in a five-day Oakland trial Google, Microsoft say Chinese hackers are exploiting SharePoint zero-day A look at Tea, a woman-only safety app with 4M users that lets users anonymously assign red or green flags to local men, as it goes viral with 900K new signups People in the UK now have to take an age verification selfie to watch porn online Intel is laying off tens of thousands and cancelling factories AMD CEO Sees Chips From TSMC's US Plant Costing 5%-20% More Spotify Publishes AI-Generated Songs From Dead Artists Without Permission DJI couldn't confirm or deny it disguised this drone to evade a US ban FCC approves Skydance-Paramount merger Gwyneth Paltrow is the new face of a kiss-cam tech scandal Julian LeFay, 'Father of The Elder Scrolls,' Has Died Aged 59 Tom Lehrer, Musical Satirist With a Dark Streak, Dies at 97 Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Molly White, Janko Roettgers, and Jacob Ward Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: smarty.com/twit zscaler.com/security expressvpn.com/twit uscloud.com spaceship.com/twit

Coldplay kiss-cam flap proves we're already our own surveillance state Amazon Ring Cashes in on Techno-Authoritarianism and Mass Surveillance OpenAI LLM's gold medal-level performance on the world's most prestigious math competition Thinking Machines Lab Raises $2 Billion at $10 Billion Valuation The Epic Battle for AI Talent—With Exploding Offers, Secret Deals and Tears Trump Signs Stablecoin Bill, Delivering Win for Crypto Industry Engadget Podcast: Ancestra director Eliza McNitt defends AI as a creative tool DOGE staffer with access to Americans' personal data leaked private xAI API key DOGE Put Free Tax Filing Tool on Chopping Block After One Meeting With Lobbyists EU backs down on Big Tech tax ahead of US trade deal Reddit begins age verification checks for UK users Roblox will require a facial scan or government ID to have unfiltered chats EU to test age-check app under new child safety rules - 9to5Mac Trump administration to spend $1 billion on 'offensive' hacking operations | TechCrunch A Little-Known Microsoft Program Could Expose the Defense Department to Chinese Hackers Uber to invest in Lucid and Nuro in massive robotaxi deal YouTuber leaked iOS secrets via friend spying on dev's phone, Apple lawsuit claims This Is the Commodore Comeback Fans Have Waited for—but the Odds Are Still Against It I Tested the Galaxy Z Fold 7: It's Slim, Powerful and Surprisingly Practical Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Abrar Al-Heeti, Iain Thomson, and Devindra Hardawar Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: ZipRecruiter.com/twit helixsleep.com/twit uscloud.com zscaler.com/security storyblok.com/twittv-25 code TWIT25

A New Era of Internet Regulation Is About to Begin Australia is quietly rolling out age checks for search engines like Google Bluesky is rolling out age verification in the UK House "crypto week" could change how Americans use, save money Latest stablecoin bill addresses foreign issuers, national security safeguards Grok team apologizes for the chatbot's 'horrific behavior' and blames 'MechaHitler' on a bad update Grok 4 seems to consult Elon Musk to answer controversial questions European Union Unveils Rules for Powerful A.I. Systems Gemini can now turn your photos into video with Veo 3 Denmark to tackle deepfakes by giving people copyright to their own features Belkin shutting down these Wemo smart home products in 2026 It's YouTube vs. Netflix as the Streaming Wars Come Down to 2 Jack Dorsey launches a WhatsApp messaging rival built on Bluetooth GameStop's Nintendo Switch 2 stapler sells for more than $100,000 on eBay after viral mishap Professor Oak's voice actor, James Carter Cathcart, has died Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Harper Reed and Amy Webb Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: expressvpn.com/twit NetSuite.com/TWIT bitwarden.com/twit shopify.com/twit oracle.com/twit

SCOTUS Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton Adalytics finds 9,000+ pirated movies, including summer blockbusters, TV shows, and live sports on YouTube, amassing a collective 250M+ views from July to May SCOTUS granting cert to Cox v. Sony Bartz v. Anthropic AI copyright case Kadrey v. Meta AI copyright case Microsoft layoffs hit 9,000 employees in new wave of cuts Here are the letters that let Apple and Google ignore the TikTok ban Identities of More Than 80 Americans Stolen for North Korean IT Worker Scams Everyone in tech has an opinion about Soham Parekh | TechCrunch Elon Musk's Starlink Adds $750 Congestion Charge Mystery recall of iPhone engineers may be Chinese interference in Apple's plans Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Cathy Gellis and Nicholas De Leon Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: storyblok.com/twittv-25 code TWIT25 zscaler.com/security miro.com oracle.com/twit canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT

The panel discusses the current gaming environment More on Apple's Trust-Eroding 'F1 The Movie' Wallet Ad Low-income broadband fund can keep running, says Supreme Court The Supreme Court just upended internet law, and I have questions Meta and Anthropic prevailed in copyright suits against them, but the rulings have major caveats and don't address when AI output might infringe copyright ICE Is Using a New Facial Recognition App to Identify People, Leaked Emails Show Meta says it's winning the talent war with OpenAI Android phones could soon warn you of "Stingrays" snooping on your communications Tesla Ordered to Stop 'Deceptive Practices' on Cars' Self-Driving Capabilities in France or Face Thousands in Fines Trump's 'big beautiful bill' could mean slower Wi-Fi for you Future of States' AI Laws Hinges on Senate Rules for Tax Bill The NO FAKES Act Has Changed – and It's So Much Worse Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Dan Patterson, Patrick Beja, and Daniel Rubino Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: NetSuite.com/TWIT shopify.com/twit zscaler.com/security outsystems.com/twit expressvpn.com/twit

Pope Leo makes AI's threat to humanity a signature issue Why We Don't Talk About Job Destruction Israel-Tied Predatory Sparrow Hackers Are Waging Cyberwar on Iran's Financial System Iran restricts internet access to ward off Israeli cyberattacks The AI Slop Fight Between Iran and Israel It's Official: Streaming Is Now the King of TV AI search finds publishers starved of referral traffic Mastodon updates its terms to prohibit AI model training For the first time, social media overtakes TV as Americans' top news source Trump extends TikTok ban deadline for a third time The People Search Sites in the Suspected Minnesota Killer's Notebook Are a Failure of Congress 40,000 Cameras, From Bird Feeders to Baby Monitors, Exposed to the Internet Pavel Durov on his arrest in France, Macron, Russia, the FBI — and the fight for Telegram WhatsApp's rollout of ads will change the app forever Here's your first look at the rebooted Digg Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Jason Calacanis, Amanda Silberling, and Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: spaceship.com/twit uscloud.com canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT storyblok.com/twittv-25 code TWIT25 ZipRecruiter.com/twit

Opinionated Design: Early Reactions to Apple's Liquid Glass Design Language Big Tech Is Dealing Flat Design a Death Blow Apple gets over its hang-ups, and the iPad enters a new era Apple Targets Spring 2026 for Release of Delayed Siri AI Upgrade Apple's de-chatbot-ification of AI is nearly complete Google launches Android 16, rolling out now to Pixel Google offers voluntary buyouts to US staff across several businesses and units, including the one housing its core search team and much of the ads organization IBM aims to build the world's first large-scale, error-corrected quantum computer by 2028 Blue Origin Delays Second New Glenn Launch Anne Wojcicki Wins Bidding for 23andMe Twenty-seven states and DC sue 23andMe to oppose the sale of DNA data from its customers without their direct consent YouTube says its ecosystem created 490K jobs and added $55B to the US GDP in 2024 God is hungry for Context: First thoughts on o3 pro Army reserve tech executives meta palantir Nintendo Switch 2 Is Fastest-Selling Game Console of All Time - Slashdot An Experimental New Dating Site Matches Singles Based on Their Browser Histories Anker recalls 1.1 million power banks due to fire hazard risk Local Malls Are Sitting Empty, and Becoming a Headache for Small Towns Bald eagle live cam update: Babies are leaving nest. What's next? Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Jason Hiner, Harry McCracken, and Jason Snell Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: oracle.com/twit Melissa.com/twit drata.com/weekintech expressvpn.com/twit zscaler.com/security

Bill Atkinson, Macintosh Pioneer and Inventor of Hypercard, Dies at 74 Folklore.org: Round Rects Are Everywhere! OpenAI slams court order to save all ChatGPT logs, including deleted chats A ban on state AI laws could smash Big Tech's legal guardrails Federal judge blocks Florida from enforcing social media ban for kids while lawsuit continues TikTok dodges U.S. ban — again — as Trump administration pushes deadline back Supreme Court Gives Doge Access to Social Security Data The IRS Tax Filing Software TurboTax Is Trying to Kill Just Got Open Sourced The hidden time bomb in the tax code that's fueling mass tech layoffs AI Startup Revealed To Be 700 Indian Employees Pretending To Be Chatbots - Slashdot Google's NotebookLM now lets you share your notebook — and AI podcasts — publicly Holding your cellphone while driving for navigation is illegal, California court rules Volvo Debuts New IoT Seatbelt Design - Slashdot Ending USB-C® Port Confusion Walmart to Expand Wing Drone Deliveries to 100 Stores Nintendo Switch 2 Has Record-Breaking Launch, Selling Over 3 Million Units - Slashdot Calling All Cars Named Eleanor! The Ninth Circuit Has Decided You're Not Copyrightable After All California county accused of using drones to spy on residents Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Sam Abuelsamid, Cathy Gellis, and Larry Magid Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: bitwarden.com/twit shopify.com/twit ZipRecruiter.com/Twit threatlocker.com/twit NetSuite.com/TWIT

YouTube Is Swallowing TV Whole, and It's Coming for the Sitcom Trump Taps Palantir to Compile Data on Americans Trump makes a last-minute backtrack on his pick to lead NASA Xbox co-founder J Allard is working on 'breakthrough' devices at Amazon GitHub Users Angry at the Prospect of AI-Written Issues From Copilot Using technology may sharpen aging brains, not harm them We Bought a 'Peeing' Robot Attack Dog From Temu. It Was Even Weirder Than Expected Humanoid Robots for $3000, Hugging Face Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Louis Maresca, Doc Rock, and Iain Thomson Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: zscaler.com/security canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT expressvpn.com/twit spaceship.com/twit

In this jam-packed episode celebrating Towel Day, the TWiT crew dives into Apple's terrible week with Trump's tariff threats, Google and Microsoft's latest AI advances, the death of CAPTCHAs, and some wild new tech including laser-powered smart homes and sock-picking robot vacuums. Trump's Phone Tariff Ultimatum - President threatens 25% tariffs on iPhones and Samsung devices unless manufacturing moves to the US, putting Apple in an impossible position between economics and politics The Sock-Stealing Robot Revolution - Jennifer tests a $2,600 Roborock vacuum with an arm that picks up socks and occasionally tries to grab cats Microsoft's AI Science Breakthrough - Microsoft Build showcases agentic AI platform that helped create new coolant liquids by analyzing scientific journals and generating novel molecular compounds Windows Goes Agentic - Microsoft announces MCP protocol integration into Windows, raising both excitement about AI capabilities and concerns about data security Gaming Industry Consolidation - FTC finally drops its challenge to Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition after three years of failed legal battles Meta's Monopoly Defense Strategy - Company argues that Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions were beneficial rather than anti-competitive, as antitrust trial concludes Google's Hyper-Realistic AI Videos - Veo 3 generates convincing fake videos that blur the line between reality and AI creation, raising concerns about misinformation Revenge Porn Legislation Concerns - New "Take It Down" Act passes with bipartisan support but raises censorship worries about its 48-hour removal requirements Smart Glasses Make a Comeback - Google announces Android XR partnerships with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, signaling the return of consumer AR eyewear The $6.5 Billion AI Hardware Gamble - OpenAI's record-breaking acquisition of Jony Ive's design firm sparks debate about whether AI needs dedicated hardware devices Amazon's Smart Speaker Surveillance - Investigation reveals how much personal data Echo devices collect and store, highlighting the privacy costs of convenient AI assistants The Death of CAPTCHAs - AI now solves visual puzzles better than humans, making traditional bot-detection methods obsolete and forcing a rethink of online security America Abandons the Penny - The US will stop minting pennies due to production costs exceeding face value, ending a century-old currency tradition Air Traffic Control Crisis Exposed - Newark Airport's radar failures reveal America's dangerously outdated aviation infrastructure held together by 1990s technology and hope Fortnite's App Store Victory - Epic Games successfully returns to iOS after Apple quickly capitulates under legal pressure, ending years of bitter disputes Brain-Computer Interface Competition - Valve's Gabe Newell announces Neuralink competitor, expanding the race to connect human brains directly to computers Infrared Contact Lenses Enable Night Vision - Researchers develop contacts that let wearers see heat signatures even with eyes closed, promising superhuman vision capabilities 23andMe's Genetic Data Gold Rush - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals acquires the DNA testing company for $256 million, raising questions about genetic privacy and Stolen These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech/episodes/1033 Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, Brian McCullough, and Mike Elgan Sponsors: outsystems.com/twit expressvpn.com/twit spaceship.com/twit uscloud.com storyblok.com/twittv-25 code TWIT25

GTA 6 trailer 2 and anticipation Grok Pivots From 'White Genocide' to Being 'Skeptical' About the Holocaust Elon Musk's apparent power play at the Copyright Office completely backfired Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Explains How He's Making Himself Obsolete With AI How Finland's district heating systems are harvesting heat from data centers; Microsoft's project in Kirkkonummi will be the largest in the world when completed OpenAI launches Codex, an AI coding agent, in ChatGPT China begins assembling its supercomputer in space NASA engineers revive Voyager 1's dead thrusters from 15 billion miles away 25% of steam playeres play Blue Prince Jamie Lee Curtis publicly shamed Mark Zuckerberg to remove a deepfaked ad Fortnite players can speak with Darth Vader through a James Earl Jones-voiced AI Epic Games says Apple is blocking Fortnite from the US and EU App Stores Epic wants the court to compel Apple to approve Fortnite's return to the US App Store Nextcloud accuses Google of "Big Tech gatekeeping" over Android app permissions Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge starts off the super thin phone era Square's $399 Handheld accepts tap-to-pay at your table Montana Becomes First State To Close the Law Enforcement Data Broker Loophole - Slashdot Republicans Try to Cram Ban on AI Regulation Into Budget Reconciliation Bill The first US hub for experimental medical treatments is coming The US Army is getting in on right-to-repair They're just giving up and calling it HBO Max again Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Wil Harris, Devindra Hardawar, and Harper Reed Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: oracle.com/twit ziprecruiter.com/twit drata.com/weekintech monarchmoney.com with code TWIT Melissa.com/twit

Apple asks court to halt App Store rule changes while it appeals Proposed Amicus Brief – #1300, Att. #1 in UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. GOOGLE LLC (D.D.C., 1:20-cv-03010) – CourtListener.com Eddy Cue Causes a Stir for Google DOJ pushes for Google to sell its advertising platforms Google Will Pay $1.4 Billion to Texas to Settle Claims It Collected User Data Without Permission What Stacey has been doing Attorney General Bailey Files Groundbreaking Rule to End Big Tech's Censorship Monopoly and Protect Online Free Speech DOGE bro Kyle Schutt's computer infected by malware, credentials found in stealer logs The Signal Clone the Trump Admin Uses Was Hacked Samsung is paying $350 million for audio brands Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Marantz and Polk Zuckerberg's Grand Vision: Most of Your Friends Will Be AI - Slashdot How AI Demand Is Draining Local Water Supplies Tom Brady, Stephen Curry and other big names are mostly off the hook from the FTX fallout FTC Bans Hidden Fees For Live Events and Short-Term Rentals - Slashdot The FTC puts off enforcing its 'click-to-cancel' rule 20 years to give away virtually all my wealth | Bill Gates Mexico is suing Google over 'Gulf of America' name change for US users Switzerland To Hold Referendum on Introducing Electronic ID Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Shoshana Weissmann, Wesley Faulkner, and Stacey Higginbotham Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: expressvpn.com/twit bitwarden.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit NetSuite.com/TWIT shopify.com/twit

Judge Blasts Apple For Violating Antitrust Ruling Google's Sundar Pichai Calls US Remedies 'De Facto' Spinoff of Search - Slashdot Firefox could be doomed without Google search deal, says executive Visa Announces Plans to Give AI Agents Your Credit Card Information The Age of Realtime Deepfake Fraud Is Here The TAKE IT DOWN Act: A Flawed Attempt to Protect Victims That Will Lead to Censorship Congress Moving Forward On Unconstitutional Take It Down Act White House Slams Amazon After Report it Will Highlight Tariff Costs The Kickstarter you backed may soon ask for more money to cover Trump's tariffs Microsoft Raises Xbox Prices 20% as Tariffs Drive Up Cost of Development UPS will cut 20,000 jobs because fewer Amazon packages are coming Elon Musk's DOGE ties could get his companies out of $2 billion in potential liability President Trump's fiscal 2026 budget proposal suggests slashing $491M from CISA's ~$3B budget, claiming the cut "refocuses CISA on its core mission" Government Actually Threatens Wikipedia's Editorial Freedom; Self-Proclaimed Free Speech Warriors Suddenly Have Other Plans Mark Zuckerberg Sailed 5,300 Miles With Two Superyachts Only to Helicopter Up a Mountain and Ski Down in Billionaire Style - Sustainability Times Massive power outage in Spain, Portugal leaves millions in dark Wall Street Banks Sell Final Slug of Elon Musk's X Debt Elon Musk's SpaceX gets a company town in Texas Amazon deploys the first Project Kuiper internet satellites Researchers Secretly Ran a Massive, Unauthorized AI Persuasion Experiment on Reddit Users How Badly Did ChatGPT and Copilot Fail to Predict the Winners of the Kentucky Derby? - Slashdot Quantum message travels record distance over fiber optic network Photo appears to show Mike Waltz using Signal-like app that can archive messages Chinese university designed 'world's first silicon-free 2D GAAFET transistor,' claims new bismuth-based tech is both the fastest and lowest-power transistor yet The one interview question that will protect you from North Korean fake workers Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Owen Thomas, Iain Thomson, and Gary Rivlin Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: canary.tools/twit - use code: TWIT outsystems.com/twit drata.com/weekintech coda.io/twit zscaler.com/security