This Week in Tech (Audio)

AI giants are battling not just in code, but in politics, with behind-the-scenes lobbying, strategic naming, and rumors of blockbuster deals at the heart of this week's wildest tech stories. Get the inside scoop on who's pulling the strings.

• Apparently The Real Reason Anthropic's Models Are Offline: A Six-Year-Old Trump Grudge
• Trump says he no longer views Anthropic as a national security threat after G7 meeting with CEO
• Exc...

The US government abruptly forced Anthropic to pull its most advanced AI model offline after fears it was simply too powerful to be safe. Hear the real story behind the sudden shutdown that rocked the tech world—and what it reveals about the uneasy alliance between Washington and Silicon Valley.

• Anthropic's Fable 5 AI model release sparks cybersecurity and jailbreak concerns
• White House pressures Anthropic to withdr...

An astronomical amount of money is being poured into AI and data centers as tech giants fight for dominance, but is this fueling the next big tech bubble or just the price of staying in the game? Get the panel's opinions on wild IPO valuations, global power grabs, Build 2026, NVIDIA GTC Taipei, and even successful YouTuber movies!

• SpaceX IPO to Be Largest Ever at $135 Share Price
• Utah residents sue officials over Kevin O'Lear...

Explore everything from explosive technology for space to electric technology for the road. Leo, Molly, Gary, and Sam have deep discussions on Magnifica Humanitas takeaways, Wikipedia drama, Peter Thiel's mvoe to Argentina, and more!

• US Space Force confirms SpaceX will build sensor-to-shooter targeting network
• The most spectacular rocket explosion since N1 just happened in Florida
• What Pope Leo XIV's First Encyclical Says A...

Google is rewriting the rules of search, CBS News Radio just died after 99 years, and billionaires now own the newsrooms. This episode dives into what happens when technology giants tighten their grip on how we get information.

• Google's new Universal Cart wants to follow your entire shopping journey across the internet
• Hands-On With All of Google's New Upcoming Android XR Smart Glasses
• New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is l...

Is the era of American tech dominance ending? Get an inside look at how China's pragmatic approach to AI, robotics, and hardware is shifting the global balance, and why the US might need a new playbook to keep up.

• Trump and the CEOs go to China
• NVIDIA CEO joins Trump in China despite 'awkward' politics
• US clears H200 chip sales to 10 China firms as Nvidia CEO looks for breakthrough
• Empty Waymos invade Atlanta neighborhood, ...

Campus hacks bring final exams to a standstill, a blockbuster study on AI in education gets pulled, and the world's biggest technology companies face government crackdowns with barely a dent to their bottom lines. Plus, Apple returns to Intel as chip wars reshape US tech!

• Anthropic and OpenAI IPO Chatter
• Canvas Breach Disrupts Schools & Colleges Nationwide
• The Canvas Hack Is a New Kind of Ransomware Debacle
• Influential...

Big Tech is pouring hundreds of billions into AI, but with rising signs of an industry bubble and some real-world fallout, this week's episode digs into who actually wins, who stands to lose, and whether Apple's patient strategy may outsmart the hype.

• Big Tech firms beat earnings expectations amid AI spending questions
• RIP the $599 Mac Mini, you were too beautiful for this world
• Microsoft lifts 2026 AI spend by $25 billion t...

Tim Cook's surprise departure shakes Apple just as AI and product strategy take center stage, sending big questions through Silicon Valley about what comes next. From Toyota's camera-filled Woven City to questionable US police tracking and a Signal privacy gap, this episode digs into how quietly surveillance tech is encroaching on daily life.

• Toyota Woven City
• Tim Cook to become Apple Executive Chairman; John Ternus to become...