TechStuff

If the 20th century was defined by oil, journalist and author Nicolas Niarchos bets that the 21st century will be defined by batteries. In his book, The Elements of Power: A Story of War, Technology and the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth, Niarchos unpacks the hidden costs behind the world’s battery boom. In this episode, he and Oz trace how the race for cobalt and other critical metals is reshaping global power—why China dominates refining and battery innovation, what the U.S. would actually have to build to compete, and whether trade deals can realistically “clean up” the system.
Additional Reading:
The Elements of Power by Nicolas Niarchos| PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
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How do you feel about AI in your art, your music, and your video games? Oz is joined by Kill Switch host, Dexter Thomas, to discuss Switchbot's AI Art Frame and the video gamers who are holding developers to account. But will the anti-AI outrage continue to make change? Then, Oz updates us on last week’s World Economic Forum — one Davos attendee spent the night in jail and Canada’s PM says there’s a rupture in the world order. Europe is listening and threatening to part ways with American tech companies.
Additional Reading:
An entrepreneur’s 13 hours in Davos jail: ‘The food was phenomenal’ | Semafor
Europe Prepare For A Nightmare Scenario: The US Blocking Access to Tech | Wall Street Journal
SwitchBot AI Art Frame Now Officially Available | Corporate - EQS News
Angry gamers are forcing studios to scrap or rethink new releases | Washington Post
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Audrey Tang’s path to government had very unusual origins: she is a hacker, an anarchist and the world’s first non-binary government minister. She now serves as Taiwan’s Cyber Ambassador and continues to advocate for greater internet freedom and civic participation globally. Audrey sits down with Oz to discuss Taiwan’s AI chip manufacturing and how it impacts their contentious relationship with China, how she stopped deepfake scams head on, her opinion on social media bans and why radical transparency heals polarization.
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You’re meeting us at a ‘very Chinese time in our lives’ and today’s episode is no exception — it’s all about China. First, Oz explains China’s attempt to claw a Singaporean AI company, Manus, back from Meta. And why Chinese customs are rejecting NVIDIA H200 chips. Is China fighting back? Then, Karah fills us in on why everyone on TikTok is saying they are Chinese. Finally, humans fold laundry for hours while humanoid robots just watch, TikTok launches a new app for microdramas and Silicon Valley is hiring ‘cracked’ engineers.
Additional Reading:
China Is Investigating Meta’s Acquisition of the AI Start-Up Manus | The New York Times
China blocks Nvidia H200 AI chips that US government cleared for export | The Guardian
TikTok Shows Americans In Their ‘Chinese Era’ of Health Habits | Bloomberg
In Chinese data factories, workers teach humanoid robots boring tasks | Rest Of World
TikTok quietly launches a microdrama app called 'PineDrama' | TechCrunch
Forget Vibe Coders: ‘Cracked Engineers’ Are All the Rage in Tech | The Information
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Ever wonder why Gen Z is so obsessed with Millennial culture? Casey Lewis can tell you. She’s a trend researcher and author of “After School,” a Substack newsletter about youth and internet culture. Casey joins Karah to discuss why Gen Z is doubling down on nostalgia and buying up analog products. She runs through the latest trends you may have seen, but didn’t understand… And she unpacks why Gen Alpha might not feel the need to get away from their screens.
Additional Reading:
Nostalgia Economy and Analog Awakening | After School
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