Mostly Human is a weekly podcast that explores technology through the most important lens: the human one. Hosted by award-winning tech journalist Laurie Segall, the immersive interview and investigative show tackles some of the defining questions of our time with headline-making tech titans and the people you don't know yet, but should. Mostly Human will leave you with a sense of agency over fear, and a clearer view of how tech can actually work for you.

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This week: Iranian propaganda gets a Lego makeover — and it's going viral. Kyle Chayka (The New Yorker) tracked down the collective behind the AI-animated videos flooding your feed. Nitasha Tiku (The Washington Post) was in a documentary, The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, and the press tour feels like ChatGPT doomsday déjà vu. Reed Albergotti (Semafor) celebrates Apple’s 50th birthday, but wonders if the company is entering its Microsoft era. Plus: SpaceX files for IPO — it could be the largest in history.

Additional Reading:

• The Team Behind a Pro-Iran, Lego-Themed Viral-Video Campaign | The New Yorker

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What drives a man to turn down half a million pounds at 18, test Mark Zuckerberg's sincerity over dinner, and wonder aloud if he can win a second Nobel Prize? For Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind, the answer is a lifelong pursuit of artificial general intelligence — and an unshakeable belief that the technology he's creating will change everything about what it means to be human. Oz speaks with journalist and author Sebastian Mallaby about his new book, The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence, tracing Demis's extraordinary journey from chess prodigy to the man at the center of the most consequential technological race of our time.

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The Week in Tech is back with a new roundtable! Every Friday, Oz and three of the best writers covering tech will discuss the latest news, decode emerging trends and debate what actually matters for the future of technology and for us.

This week: Big Tech loses in court. Twice. Nitasha Tiku (The Washington Post) breaks down what the verdicts mean for Meta and YouTube and why it seems like we’re living in the past. Reed Albergotti (Semafor) explains why OpenAI killed Sora, its video-generation tool, and what it reveals about the resource war quietly reshaping the entire global economy. Plus, Kyle Chayka (The New Yorker) found a weather app worth caring about. We're as surprised as you are.

Additional Reading:

• Verdicts against Meta, YouTube reshape legal protections for Big Tech
• A New Cost Crunch | Semafor
• Why You Hate Your Weather App | The New Yorker

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A $30,000-a-year piece of software has tech and finance bros beefing on LinkedIn. The Bloomberg Terminal has a rabid Wall Street fanbase. So when some tech bros claimed to have vibe-coded a version of the terminal, with one prompt, there were some strong emotions among its finance superfans. Oz talked to Isabelle Bousquette, a tech reporter for The Wall Street Journal, to break down the drama and what it says about the future of software. Then, Isabelle updates us on Nvidia’s massive developer conference last week, the company’s new OpenClaw obsession and why making a claw almost broke her brain.

Additional Reaching:

• Finance Bros to Tech Bros: Don’t Mess With My Bloomberg Terminal | Wall Street Journal

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The Week in Tech is now a roundtable! Every Friday, Oz and three of the best writers covering Silicon Valley will discuss the latest news, decode emerging trends and debate what actually matters for the future of technology and for us.

This week, guests Reed Albergotti (Semafor), Kyle Chayka (The New Yorker) and returning panelist Taylor Lorenz (User Mag) each share a story. Reed fills us in on what he saw at the Nvidia GTC conference in San Jose, and why we shouldn’t ignore OpenClaw. Taylor gives a primer on Section 230, the 30-year-old foundational internet law, and why there’s a campaign to repeal it. And finally, Kyle tells us what ‘taste’ means to Silicon Valley’s tech bros and why it may annoy you.

Additional Reading:

• We’re all living inside Jensen Huang’s ‘triangle’ | Semafor
• How Powerful People Became Obsessed w/ Section 230 | User Mag
• Why Tech Bros Are Now Obsessed with Taste | The New Yorker

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Iran's Shahed drone costs $30,000 to build. The US missile sent to destroy it? Up to $4 million. Pulitzer Prize-winning conflict journalist Ben C. Solomon wants you to do the math. Oz sits down with Ben to break down the economics driving the conflict with Iran, why the Pentagon may already be making impossible choices about what to defend, and why Ukraine — largely abandoned by the West — has quietly become the world's leading authority on drone warfare.

Additional Reading:

• Ben C. Solomon Instagram: Just follow the money.
• Pentagon acknowledges tough quest to counter Iranian drones | Military Times
• US may not have capacity to take down full barrage of Iranian drones, officials warn | US-Israel war on Iran | The Guardian

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The Week in Tech is back and it’s growing. Starting this Friday, Oz will be joined by a panel of the brightest minds covering Silicon Valley. Each week, they will discuss the latest news, decode emerging trends and debate what actually matters for the future of technology and for us.

This week, TechStuff asked Taylor Lorenz, Stephen Witt and Nitasha Tiku to share a story. Nitasha catches us up on the drama unfolding between Anthropic and the Pentagon. Stephen covers another tragic case of AI psychosis with fatal consequences. And Taylor makes the case for why 'social media addiction' is a harmful framework — and how age-verification laws could lead to mass surveillance and censorship of adults and children alike.

Additional Reading:

• Anthropic Sues Pentagon Over National Security Risk Label - The Washington Post
• Gemini Said They Could Only Be Together if He Killed Himself. Soon, He Was Dead. - WSJ
• Congress Is Considering Abolishing Your Right to Be Anonymous Online - The Intercept
• The world wants to ban children from social media, but there will be grave consequences for us all | Taylor Lorenz | The Guardian

This episode contains mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know needs support, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or visit 988lifeline.org.

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