Tech News Weekly (Audio)

Amanda Silberling from TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent this week! Spotify's latest update gives users more control over their listening experience. Students are using AI more widely to cheat. Microsoft's latest Surface devices still utilize Snapdragon X. And Netflix is rolling out a major UI redesign, which includes algorithmic changes and a TikTok-like feed. Amanda talks about Spotify's rollout of its latest update, which utilizes AI-driven features, including enhanced playlists and "smart shuffle." Mikah shares a New York Magazine article that highlights the increasing use of AI tools by students to complete assignments and the impact the reliance of these tools will have on students' critical thinking skills. Brian Westover of PCMag joins Mikah to talk about Microsoft's latest Surface devices, including a 13-inch Surface Laptop and 12-inch Surface Pro tablet. Mikah chats about Netflix rolling out a significant redesign of its user interface, incorporating algorithmic changes and a feed similar to TikTok, as a way to boost user engagement and keep users hooked in Netflix's ecosystem. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Brian Westover Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. 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 spaceship.com/twit cachefly.com/twit

In this episode of Tech News Weekly, Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti explore the growing role of AI in consumer tech, the latest legal setback for Apple's App Store policies, and two in-depth interviews: Bloomberg's Leah Nylen breaks down the DOJ's proposed remedies in the antitrust case against Google, and Wikimedia's Leila Zia shares the foundation's new AI strategy that centers humans—not machines. ChatGPT Adds Shopping Tools: Abrar Al-Heeti highlights OpenAI's new AI-powered shopping experience in ChatGPT, which personalizes product recommendations and integrates purchase links—all without leaving the chat window. She and Mikah explore the implications for consumer trust, affiliate marketing, and the future of Amazon and Google as default shopping destinations. Apple vs. Epic: Court Strikes Back: Mikah breaks down a dramatic new ruling against Apple, in which a judge found the company in violation of a 2021 injunction and imposed strict limits on how it can control third-party payments. Mikah and Abrar discuss how this could reshape the App Store's fee model and what it means for developers and users alike. Google's Antitrust Remedy Phase: Bloomberg antitrust reporter Leah Nylen returns to unpack the latest in the DOJ's case against Google. She explains the three proposed remedies—including a possible Chrome browser divestiture—and what testimony from tech competitors like DuckDuckGo, Perplexity, and OpenAI revealed about Google's dominance in search and AI. Wikipedia's Human-Centered AI Strategy: Leila Zia, Head of Research at the Wikimedia Foundation, outlines their new AI roadmap, which focuses on supporting Wikipedia's volunteer editors rather than replacing them. She details how AI will assist with moderation, multilingual knowledge expansion, and mentorship—all while upholding values of transparency and human agency. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti Guests: Leah Nylen and Leila Zia Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. 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: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT drata.com/technews

Abrar-Al Heeti and Emily Forlini are here this week for Tech News Weekly! Is Mark Zuckerberg envious of Instagram's popularity, even after purchasing the company? The first Tesla robotaxis are hitting the road. Apple drops the 'available now' tagline from its Apple Intelligence page. And Motorola RAZR announces a new lineup of its foldable devices, including a $1,300 option! Abrar discusses information that became public during Meta's antitrust trial, highlighting how Meta has sought to reduce Instagram's popularity. Emily wrote a story on Tesla's first robotaxis hitting roadways in Austin and San Francisco. Apple has quietly removed its 'available now' advertising tagline from its Apple Intelligence page following an inquiry from the National Advertising Division. And Mike Sorrentino of CNET joins Abrar to talk about Motorola's recently announced updated RAZR foldable phones, including a premium version called the RAZR Ultra. Hosts: Abrar Al-Heeti and Emily Forlini Guest: Mike Sorrentino Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. 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 spaceship.com/twit

Google's ad business takes a loss against the DoJ. OpenAI is working on its own social network. Inside Zuckerberg's negotiations to end the antitrust case against Meta. And ChatGPT's newest AI models is performing 'reverse location searches' from photos. Breaking news as the Department of Justice finds Google's Ad Tech violates antitrust laws. OpenAI is building a social network that looks to take on other social networks such as Meta and X. But why would OpenAI be interested in a social network? A Wall Street Journal article looks into Mark Zuckerberg's negotiations with the FTC to drop Meta's antitrust case. And ChatGPT's latest AI models, o3 and o4-mini, are being utilized to perform 'reverse location searches' through uploaded photos. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. 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: threatlocker.com for Tech News Weekly Melissa.com/twit joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT

A Waymo robotaxi got stuck in a unique space. A rebooted digg.com launches an early-access community. How Apple fumbled the AI makeover of Siri. Samsung is finally releasing its Ballie device later this summer, which was initially unveiled back in 2020. Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch is here this week! Amanda talks about a Waymo robotaxi that got trapped in a Chick-fil-A drive-through after dropping off a passenger at the fast-food restaurant. Mikah Sargent talks about the rebooted digg.com website launching an early-access community with a $5 fee that gives early adopters insight into the website's rebuilding and other perks. Mikah also talks about a great report from Wayne Ma of The Information about Apple's fumble with Siri's AI makeover. And Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge stops by to talk about Samsung's Ballie, which is finally getting a release later this summer after being announced back in 2020. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. 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 zscaler.com/security zocdoc.com/tnw cachefly.com/twit

Amazon makes a bid for TikTok in the US. What Amazon's new Alexa+ can and cannot do. Nintendo officially unveils the Switch 2 console. And OpenAI & Anthropic are taking on the education market. Abrar Al-Heet of CNET joins Mikah Sargent this week! Abrar talks about Amazon making a bid to purchase TikTok in the US as Bytedance scrambles to divest ownership of the social media app. Mikah talks about Amazon's Alexa+ and some of the features that the service has yet to include following its launch. Kyle Orland of Ars Technica joins the show to talk about Nintendo's new Switch 2 console and some of the positives and negatives of the newly unveiled console. And Mikah rounds things out with OpenAI and Anthropic's push into the education market with new features to support university students. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti Guest: Kyle Orland Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. 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: drata.com/technews joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT

Some alternatives to Teslas. A law in Utah makes app stores rather than companies responsible for age verification. 23andMe files for bankruptcy. And OpenAI is following in the footsteps of its rival, Anthropic. Emily Forlini of PCMag joins Mikah Sargent this week! Emily talks about some alternatives to Teslas that cover various price ranges. Mikah talks about a new law passed in Utah that pushes the responsibility of age verification from tech companies to app stores. Geoffrey Fowler of The Washington Post joins Mikah to talk about 23andMe filing for bankruptcy, why you should swiftly delete your DNA information from the company, and shares how you can delete that information. And OpenAI is following Anthropic in adopting the company's standard for connecting AI models to data. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Emily Forlini Guest: Geoffrey Fowler Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. 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: get.stash.com/tnw veeam.com bitwarden.com/twit

Will iRobot's new Roomba's bring the company back to the forefront of robotic vacuums? What to know about Amazon's change of handling voice recordings through Alexa devices. Two new PebbleOS watches are available for pre-order! And the lowdown on the new Pixel 9a smartphone that Google recently announced. Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge joins Mikah Sargent this week! Jennifer talks about the new Roombas that iRobot has unveiled but is unimpressed by the lack of innovation in these new robotic vacuums. Do you have Alexa devices in your household? Be aware of some of the new changes Amazon is making to how Echo devices handle voice recordings. Two new Pebble watches are available for pre-order after Google open-sourced PebbleOS in January of this year! And friend of the network, Jason Howell, talks with Mikah about Google's newly announced Pixel 9a phone. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Guest: Jason Howell Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. 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: threatlocker.com for Tech News Weekly joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT veeam.com Melissa.com/twit

Does OpenAI have the capability for creative writing? Would you want to be coached in gaming through AI? What is Apple planning for its possible operating system redesign? And does AI have inconsistencies when providing the correct information to search queries? Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent this week. Amanda talks about OpenAI and Sam Altman's social media post about how OpenAI is good at creative writing. Mikah talks about Microsoft's plan to launch Xbox Copilot, an AI-powered gaming assistant that can offer tips, guides, and information about the games you are playing. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg stops by to talk about Apple's plans to dramatically overhaul the look of its operating systems with the next iterations of iOS, iPadOS, and Mac OS. And Mikah talks about a study from the Tao Center and how AI systems are frequently providing incorrect information and citations from various sources and news articles. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Mark Gurman Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. 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: veeam.com uscloud.com get.stash.com/macbreak zscaler.com/security

There was something in the air for sure as Apple released updates to the iPad and iPad Air, alongside the M4 MacBook Air and Mac Studio with the M4 Max and M4 Ultra chips. Some of the exciting and interesting devices shown at the Mobile World Congress 2025 event. The recent iOS 18.4 beta introduced AI-powered summaries in the App Store. And Prime Video is testing AI-powered dubbing for some of its video content. Dan Moren of SixColors joins Mikah Sargent to talk about the new devices announced throughout the week: the updated iPad and iPad Air, MacBook Air with the M4 chip, and the Mac Studio with the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. Patrick Holland of CNET stops by to share with Mikah some of the new and exciting devices that came out of the Mobile World Congress 2025 event, alongside the more interesting concepts and gadgets from the event. Mikah talks about the the latest iOS 18.4 beta that is out now and how it has introduced AI-powered review summaries in the App Store. And continuning the trend of AI-powered features, Amazon's Prime Video is testing AI-powered dubbing for some of its select videos in English and Spanish. Host: Mikah Sargent Guests: Dan Moren and Patrick Holland Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. 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: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT bitwarden.com/twit veeam.com cachefly.com/twit