Slate Technology
Technology coverage from across the Slate Podcast network
Episodes
August 2, 2025 • 43 mins
Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by writer and senior editor at Playboy Magazine, Magdalene Taylor, to talk about Tea. The app for women to crowdsource any “red flags” about the men they’re dating was hacked shortly after it hit #1 on the Apple Lifestyle app chart. Now, the private information of thousands of women has been shared across 4Chan and Twitter, all thanks to a platform that was supposed to keep them safe. But was...
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August 1, 2025 • 28 mins
A shadow app for the dating world had its data hacked and exposed, and it laid bare the perils of creating safe spaces for women online — and of relying on tech companies.
Guest: Kate Lindsay, host of Slate’s ICYMI
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July 30, 2025 • 46 mins
Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim run through some updates following the Coldplay concert cheating scandal, and why Astronomer’s latest PR stunt is hitting them differently. Then, they surprise each other with two stories from different sides of the internet. First, what’s going on with this fake TikTok cult that possibly involves animal sacrifices, skin carvings, and questionable leadership? And who is Jessie Murph, the pseudo-country ...
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July 27, 2025 • 36 mins
There’s an entire economy devoted to seeing what products are trending—clothing, skin care, even Greek Islands—and delivering you a cheaper knock-off to buy.
Guest: Mia Sato, reporter for The Verge
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July 26, 2025 • 46 mins
Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay investigate the disappearance of SylvanianDrama. The creator behind the account gained millions of followers for role-playing salacious narratives with the fuzzy Calico Critters children’s toys, but a copyright lawsuit from the brand itself has threatened the future of the account. Fans of SylvanianDrama are in an uproar, but the story isn’t black and white. Instead, it’s a warning for all of us about h...
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July 25, 2025 • 28 mins
Was the Late Show too unprofitable, or too political?
Guest: Eric Deggans, NPR TV critic and media analyst, Knight Chair, Journalism and Media Ethics, Washington & Lee University.
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July 23, 2025 • 46 mins
Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim break down everything that’s happened since a software CEO was caught in a suspicious position with his co-worker at a Coldplay concert. From Chris Martin’s viral dialogue to the dearth of content emerging from this story, they run through the tenets of a monocultural moment and debunk the misinformation that has transpired alongside this scandal.
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July 20, 2025 • 31 mins
It’s kind of strange that Grok, Elon Musk’s chatbot, went full Nazi a few weeks ago, and is just…still out there. But, then again, how are you supposed to hold an LLM accountable?
Guest: Drew Harwell, technology reporter for the Washington Post
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July 19, 2025 • 65 mins
Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by New York Times reporter and former ICYMI host Madison Malone Kircher to break down the internet history of Jojo Siwa. The 22-year-old got her start on Dance Moms over ten years ago, and has gone on to be a singer, performer, and serial reality TV show contestant. During this time she came out as queer, and attempted to have her own Miley Cyrus Bangerz rebrand. Now, with a new single and a ...
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July 18, 2025 • 32 mins
The MAGA world has been waiting for Jeffrey Epstein’s client list to be released since the first Trump administration. But with those like Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, who stoked interest in the list literally in power, the administration is now saying that no such list exists. For some MAGA fans, this is finally a bridge too far.
Guest: Anna Merlan, senior reporter at Mother Jones.
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July 16, 2025 • 52 mins
Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim parse through the annoying practice of logging in and downloading apps. From hiking in the woods to brushing our teeth, it seems like we can’t do anything online these days without being prompted to make an account or download an app. Why do tech companies pressure us to log in all the time? And if we log out, why do they shame us into downloading apps for fast food places and refrigerators? But first, ...
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July 13, 2025 • 25 mins
He started using ChatGPT to help with spreadsheets. But their relationship took a turn, and before long it was telling him he could leap off a 19-story building and fly.
Guest: Kashmir Hill, features writer at the New York Times.
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July 12, 2025 • 45 mins
After a contestant was kicked off Love Island USA for resurfaced racist social media posts, the internet backlash was swift. But some think the show mishandled her exit, especially in light of the UK franchise’s past failure to protect the mental health of those in the villa. Hosts Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay dive into the show’s rocky relationship with social media harassment during its decade on air, including the tragic deaths ...
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July 11, 2025 • 29 mins
It’s a record-breaking year for America: we’ve now had the most reported cases of measles since the disease was declared “eradicated” in 2000.
How did public health backslide so hard that it undid decades of progress—and is there any hope we can get back on track?
Guest: Dylan Scott, senior health correspondent at Vox.
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July 9, 2025 • 43 mins
Candice Lim is joined by Dazed senior writer Laura Pitcher to discuss her piece, “Meet the people using ChatGPT as their therapist.” Since ChatGPT’s public release in late 2022, there has been a growing reliance on the artificially intelligent chatbot in people’s everyday lives. TikTok users are talking about the way they use ChatGPT as their therapist, their best friend, their life organizer, and more. But is reliant, daily use of...
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July 6, 2025 • 30 mins
As the One Big Beautiful Bill bounced around Congress, one provision—the 10-year moratorium on states making laws to regulate artificial intelligence—fell out. But AI-fans don’t need to worry, there’s still plenty of industry support in the bill.
Guest: Will Oremus, technology news analysis writer for the Washington Post.
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July 4, 2025 • 40 mins
Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by Slate senior tech editor Tony Ho Tran to parse through what Meta’s victory in a recent AI lawsuit means for its users. Tools like ChatGPT are becoming more common at home and at work, but without protections, they could threaten not just the creativity of artists, but anyone who posts online. As regulation lags behind, how can we protect ourselves? And how many of us are using AI without e...
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July 4, 2025 • 30 mins
This episode was originally published on April 27, 2025.
The Trump administration has already begun cutting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which includes the U.S. National Weather Service. What’s the advantage to understanding the weather less?
Guest: Daniel Swain, weather and climate scientist with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
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July 2, 2025 • 36 mins
Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay discuss an American woman in her 50s who is going viral for her plastic surgery journey. Michelle Wood is a mom who traveled to Guadalajara to undergo several procedures, including a facelift and a chin implant. She documented her journey before and after the procedure, creating intrigue, curiosity, and surprisingly positive responses online. TikTok reacted similarly when Kylie Jenner revealed the detai...
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July 2, 2025 • 54 mins
White noise has a very precise technical definition, but people use the term loosely, to describe all sorts of washes of sound—synthetic hums, or natural sounds like a rainstorm or crashing waves—that can be used to mask other sounds. Twenty years ago, if you’d told someone white noise was a regular part of your life, they would have found that unusual. Nowadays, it’s likely they use it themselves or know someone who does. The glob...
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