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Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley’s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because...
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Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley’s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once. Each week, Oz Woloshyn and the brightest minds covering tech dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning. Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone’s Googling: whether AI will replace us, how social media is affecting our kids, and what it all says about us. Get in touch here: techstuffpodcast@gmail.com
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Episodes & Posts
Episodes
Posts
Transcribed
9 SEP 2026 · Are kids finally going to be safer on social media? Jonathan Haidt thinks a landmark $17.1 billion settlement with Meta is a gigantic step. Not because of the money, but because of the restrictions the company agreed to put in place for young users in the US. And he believes the world will follow. Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, joins Oz to explain why he believes the evidence linking social media to the teen mental health crisis is now overwhelming. They debate the early results of Australia’s under-16 social media ban, the privacy concerns around age verification, and why Haidt thinks it’s too early to say the ban is a failure.See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed
9 SEP 2026 · HurumoAI’s AI-agent staff welcomes a new hire: Julia, a social media contract worker who is, most importantly, a human. How will a real person integrate into the company culture, such as it is? Evan watches from behind the scenes, fretting over when and how much to intervene. He had anticipated a bumpy onboarding, but is ultimately unprepared for just how choppy Julia’s Hurumo journey becomes. To sign up for our newsletter, access ad-free episodes and browse our merch, visit shellgame.co. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed
4 SEP 2026 · Are kids going to be any safer online after the Meta settlement? Our trio of contributors—Taylor Lorenz (User Mag), Reed Albergotti (Semafor), and Nitasha Tiku (The Washington Post)—are skeptical. Then, are AI “civilizations” real, or is it all just tabloid journalism? Finally, school’s back in session, and teachers are rethinking the classroom for an age when anyone can generate the perfect answer.See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed
2 SEP 2026 · Do you judge people who are emotionally attached to their chatbots? Bridget Todd used to read stories about people forming intimate relationships with AI and think, “That’s so pathetic. That is so sad. That could never be me.” But when she needed support during a hard time, AI was there for her. Bridget Todd, host of There Are No Girls on the Internet and author of Love at First Prompt: AI and the Future of Intimacy, joins Oz to explain what’s really happening in these human-machine relationships – and why human connection reigns supreme.See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed
31 AUG 2026 · As HurumoAI prepares to bring on its first human employee, the team must wrestle with some difficult and timely questions about the role of AI in the hiring process. Meanwhile, Head of HR Jennifer Nauro enters a new dimension as she gears up to conduct job interviews… via video call. To sign up for our newsletter and access ad-free episodes, visit shellgame.co. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed
28 AUG 2026 · Did your college have a secret society? Well, Stanford has a secret off-campus class training the next generation of Silicon Valley billionaires. And it's literally called "How to Rule the World." Theo Baker arrived at Stanford as an aspiring coder with dreams of building the future. Instead, he stumbled into the "Stanford-within-Stanford" — a hidden pipeline connecting a select few students directly to Silicon Valley CEOs, yacht parties, and venture capitalists offering millions before you even have an idea. Then he decided to write a book about it. In How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University, Theo traces his freshman year transformation from tech idealist to award-winning investigative journalist — including the reporting that brought down Stanford's own president. He joins us to talk power, secrecy, and what Silicon Valley is really teaching the next generation. Additional Reading:
- https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/760317/how-to-rule-the-world-by-theo-baker/
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed
26 AUG 2026 · What would it mean to be a "great ancestor"? Futurist Ari Wallach believes that's the question everyone, including our tech leaders, should be asking right now.
Ari joins Oz to explain why the systems we're building today are laying rails for centuries to come. And he argues that shifting culture through storytelling is the fastest way to shift the systems that govern our lives. He also introduces The Protopias Collection, six graphic novels imagining worlds that are messy and human, but unmistakably better.
Additional Reading:
- https://www.ted.com/talks/ari_wallach_3_ways_to_plan_for_the_very_long_term
- https://www.amazon.com/Protopias-Collection-Various/dp/1953165788/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bBhS2FYK_Gq_Bh8KjStFjkVAupAvDwgY-QRvyxPKjsY0cWwkmaB1pSCTzJ26Ewh8iEqKuqYgsmn6OP8Xw9xeYv2fqAO_FUcHYrMopa9oJOa3id9wJaHbosh9gQ6de7n5HXXNJOvdvtI6Z3NKTZyzQrF6vOQAF56DZl_BZCfZhLs.ul_86eKr9ezPG8wrf7xjLY7d0Nwgu9S-aK9UkHLgM8M&dib_tag=se&keywords=protopias+collection&qid=1774463200&sr=8-1
See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed
24 AUG 2026 · On this week’s episode, we enter the sensitive realm of intra-office politics and inter-founder dynamics—between agents and agents, and agents and people. While HurumoAI gears up to hire its first human, Evan tries to resolve whether Kyle is really up for the challenge of building and leading the company and pushing the product, Sloth Surf, to unicorn-level execution. To sign up for our newsletter and access ad-free episodes, visit shellgame.co.See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed
21 AUG 2026 · Is the AI boom real… or are we watching a bubble get ready to burst? Billions of dollars are pouring into artificial intelligence, but figuring out where that money comes from, where it goes, and whether the spending can last is surprisingly complicated. Azeem Azhar, entrepreneur, author, and founder of Exponential View, joins Oz to break down the economics behind the AI boom and the findings from his new report, The State of the AI Economy. Azeem and Oz discuss whether today’s massive investments in chips and data centers are sustainable, why companies can spend years on AI before seeing a return, and what recent volatility in semiconductor stocks tells us about the industry. See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribed
19 AUG 2026 · The AI conversation has become a battle between utopian promises and apocalyptic warnings. But what happens when we stop asking what AI will do to the world and start asking what it’s actually good for? Oz sits down with Josh Tyrangiel, journalist and author of AI for Good: How Real People Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Fix Things That Matter, to find out where AI is already making a difference.
Oz and Josh explore why successful implementation depends more on stubborn humans than flashy technology. They also unpack the growing backlash against AI, the uncertain impact on jobs, and why Josh thinks we still have a narrow window to decide what we actually want AI to become.See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley’s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because...
show more
Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley’s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once. Each week, Oz Woloshyn and the brightest minds covering tech dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning. Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone’s Googling: whether AI will replace us, how social media is affecting our kids, and what it all says about us. Get in touch here: techstuffpodcast@gmail.com
show less
Information
| Author | How Stuff Works |
| Organization | iHeart Podcasts |
| Categories | Technology |
| Website | - |
| - |
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