Meta Episodes

Facebook news and rumors, including updates on Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus.
April 30, 2019

Tue. 04/30 - All The F8 Announcements

All the news from the Facebook F8 conference, Cheddar gets acquired, Alphabet shows weakness, and why does Ring, the smart doorbell, need a news editor? Sponsors: FlatironSchool.com/techmeme PixelUnion.net Links Facebook ...
April 19, 2019

Fri. 04/19 - With Facebook, It's Eternally Groundhog Day

Facebook finds a new way to handle the privacy scandal of the day, free, ad supported music from Amazon and Google, Dieter ended up reviewing the Samsung Galaxy Fold as best he could, and of course, the Weekend Longreads Sugg...
March 15, 2019

Fri. 03/15 - Does Chris Cox’s departure from Facebook mean the pivot is real?

Does Chris Cox’s departure from Facebook mean the pivot is real, Apple responds to Spotify’s complaint, and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: DataDogHQ.com/ridehome techmeme.robinhood.com Links: FACEB...
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 mon...
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 Soc...
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 DataD...
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 DataD...
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 Dat...
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: DataDo...
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 y...
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 powe...
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 th...
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 b...
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 Things...
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 might...
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.Sponsor...
Dec. 14, 2018

Fri. 12/14 - Facebook Faces a GDPR Inquiry

Fri. 12/14 - Facebook Faces a GDPR Inquiryhttps://feedpress.me/RideHome - Direct RSS feed starting this weekend, just in caseThe bomb scare email scam that demanded bitcoin, Facebook’s Photo API gave away too many photos, App...
Dec. 5, 2018

Wed. 12/05 - Facebook Gets Docu-dumped by the UK

The UK Parliament docu-dumps on Facebook, Qualcomm fires the starter pistol on 5G rollout, an actual test drive on Waymo’s new ride hailing service, and behind that $100 million Friends deal.Sponsors:Metalab.coDataDogHQ.com/r...
Nov. 15, 2018

Thu. 11/15 - The Bombshell NYTimes Story on Facebook

That huge New York Times story behind the scenes of Facebook, Google adds business messaging to Google Maps, Uber eats is a monster business, Amazon Go has a rival and there’s a new King of YouTube. Links: Delay, Deny and D...
Oct. 31, 2018

Wed. 10/31 - Facebook's Earnings Are Not a Disaster

Facebook earnings were not a disaster, another Alphabet employee is out because of scandal, Waymo has a permit to test real driverless cars on California roads, and if you don’t know what computational notebooks are, let me t...
Oct. 24, 2018

Wed. 10/24 - Tim Cook Attacks the "Data Industrial Complex"

Tim Cook attacks the “data industrial complex,” why political texts are flooding your phone, the US, China and the AI cold war, and how Facebook Messenger got its new look. Links: Apple’s Tim Cook Makes Blistering Attack On...
Oct. 12, 2018

Fri. 10/12 - Facebook Reports on its Breach Investigation

Facebook announces the results of their investigation into that data breach, the market downturn is biting some tech companies, has Spotify ruined music, and, of course, the Weekend Longreads suggestions. Links: An Update o...