Meta Episodes

Facebook news and rumors, including updates on Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus.
March 14, 2019

Thu. 03/14 - Facebook Under Criminal Investigation

Facebook’s data sharing is now under criminal investigation, and the company had a bad night with its services intermittently down across the globe, Dropbox is cracking down on freeloaders, Silicon Valley wants to build a mo…
March 7, 2019

Thu. 03/07 - Facebook Pivots To Privacy

Facebook pivots to privacy, Huawei follows through on suing the US government, Duplex rolls out wide, and Bird’s white label scooter scheme. Sponsors: Lightstream.com/ride Metalab.co Links: A Privacy-Focused Vision for So…
March 2, 2019

Casey Newton on His Facebook Moderators Piece

It's rare that I've seen an investigative piece get as much pickup as The Trauma Floor, Casey Newton's look at the secret lives of Facebook content moderators. It was all anyone could talk about at the beginning of the week.…
Guest: Casey Newton
Feb. 15, 2019

Fri. 02/15 - FTC To Fine Facebook?

More fallout and analysis of Amazon ghosting NYC, more signs of blockchain actually taking hold on Wall Street, Samsung’s lineup of gadgets leaks and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Tiny.website Data…
Feb. 7, 2019

Thu. 02/07 - Facebook Dinged In Germany; Killin' It In China

Germany is this week’s headache for Facebook, Twitter mixes up its MAU and DAU game, Cluno is subscriptions but for cars and Optimus Ride is what we mean by starting small with autonomous vehicles. Sponsors: Metalab.co Data…
Feb. 5, 2019

Tue. 02/05 - Facebook Turns Fifteen

It’s getting more expensive for Google to make money, Facebook turns fifteen, choosing your own adventure is becoming a trend, and one specific way Fortnite is measurably bigger than the Super Bowl. Sponsors: Metalab.co Da…
Feb. 1, 2019

Fri. 02/01 - The Apple/Facebook/Google Cold War

Turns out Google poked Apple in the eye also, layoffs hit Vice, Amazon reports earnings and reports that a ton of people responded to that minimum wage hike, and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: DataD…
Jan. 31, 2019

Thu. 01/31 - Facebook's Still Making Bank

Facebook returns to growth, iPhones might be getting USB-C and 3D cameras, Hulu’s launching pause-ads, and on Reddit, it’s paintings of paintings of paintings of birds, all the way down. Sponsors: Tiny.website DataDogHQ.com…
Jan. 30, 2019

Wed. 01/30 - Facebook "Slaps Apple In The Face"

Facebook decides to mix it up a bit: what if we had a scandal that pissed off our business partners? Apple’s earnings are mixed but you can see where they’re going with this. Why Americans no longer answer the phone and are …
Jan. 14, 2019

Mon. 01/14 - Am I Gonna Do That Egg Instagram Story?

Event sharing comes to stories, what this year’s CES says about where consumer tech is at the moment, and then a bunch of stories about what that means for the future in different ways, including wireless chips that suck pow…
Jan. 2, 2019

Wed. 01/02 - What would I have to pay you to give up Facebook for a year?

Today, Roku is quietly a major combatant in the Streaming Wars, Tesla slashes prices, how many cameras can we fit on a smartphone, how much would it cost to convince you to quit Facebook, and why Bandersnatch might just be t…
Dec. 28, 2018

Fri. 12/28 - Why Horizontal Instagram Might Be Inevitable

Instagram briefly goes horizontal, more on how epic Fortnite has been for Epic Games this year, Larry Ellison joins Tesla’s board, the global GPS wars are joined and the last weekend longreads of the year. Links: Instagram …
Dec. 21, 2018

Fri. 12/21 - Facebook Goes Crypto

Facebook is developing a cryptocoin for WhatsApp, Blind was not quite anonymous enough, which is the most accurate voice assistant and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Metalab.co The Internet of Thing…
Dec. 19, 2018

Wed. 12/19 - Something, Something... Another Facebook Scandal

I’m sorry. I truly am. Another Facebook scandal to tell you about. The Boring Company unveils its tunnel, Zwift is gamification, a fitness app play, a social network, VR, and e-sports all in one startup and why Touch ID migh…
Dec. 17, 2018

Mon. 12/17 - Actually, It's Instagram That's The Problem?

Facebook got all the press but the Russians really loved Instagram to spread misinformation, more tech real estate moves, the CEO of HQ Trivia passes away, and how to break into somebody’s phone with a 3D-printed head.Sponso…