FT Tech Tonic

FT Tech Tonic

We are in the midst of a digital revolution, where the line between our physical world and cyberspace is blurring. Tech Tonic is the show that investigates the promises and perils of this new technological age.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 1 JUL

    Trump’s Tech Bros: Is ‘Maga Mark’ the real Mark Zuckerberg?

    Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has undergone a transformation, both physical and political. The skinny teenager who founded Facebook in his dorm room is now a muscular jiu-jitsu enthusiast who’s called US President Donald Trump a “badass” and wants to see more “masculine energy” in the workplace.  Is this all an act? Is Zuckerberg doing whatever it takes to ingratiate himself with the Trump administration and ensure that Meta emerges a winner in the AI race? Or has “Maga Mark” been the real Mark Zuckerberg all along?  Murad Ahmed speaks to Hannah Murphy, the FT’s technology correspondent in San Francisco, and to Katie Harbath, a former Facebook executive under Zuckerberg and now CEO of Anchor Change. Free to read: How Mark Zuckerberg unleashed his inner brawler How Joel Kaplan became Mark Zuckerberg’s most trusted political fixer OpenAI says Meta is trying to poach staff with $100mn sign-on offers Tech titans stand with Donald Trump to kill off activism in Silicon Valley This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Sound design by Odinn Ingibergsson, Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music, Manuela Saragosa and Topher Forhecz are the FT’s acting co-heads of audio. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 min
  2. 24 JUN

    Trump’s Tech Bros: Has Jeff Bezos sold out?

    Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was once a vocal critic of Donald Trump. But that changed during last year’s election campaign. Now, he has instructed the newspaper he owns, The Washington Post, to shift its editorial line to be more in line with the president. So what provoked Bezos’s political change of heart? Murad Ahmed and the FT’s US media editor Anna Nicolau speak to Marty Baron, the former executive editor of the Washington Post, about why Bezos bought the Post in the first place, the effect his ownership is having on the newspaper, and how the editorial shift is symptomatic of a larger impact the president seems to be having across the American media landscape.  Jeff Bezos and the Washington Post did not reply to a request for comment. Free to read: How Jeff Bezos made peace with Donald Trump  Jeff Bezos focuses Washington Post opinion pages on ‘personal liberties’ and ‘free markets’ Jeff Bezos to sell up to $4.75bn in Amazon stock Amazon to begin deploying rival satellites to Starlink this month  This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music, Manuela Saragosa and Topher Forhecz are the FT’s acting co-heads of audio. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    26 min
  3. 10 JUN

    Trump’s Tech Bros: Can Tim Cook save Apple from the trade war?

    During the US president’s first term in office, Tim Cook appeared to be the ultimate Trump whisperer, winning tariff exemptions despite Apple’s heavy reliance on Chinese manufacturing. Now, the iPhone-maker-in-chief has found himself under the toughest pressure yet from Trump, who has threatened smartphone tariffs as high as 25%. Does Tim Cook still have a way out, or is Apple out of options? And what does Cook's relationship with Trump tell us about the future of the trade war? FT tech editor Murad Ahmed speaks to Patrick McGee, author of Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company; Doug Guthrie, a former negotiator for Apple in Beijing; and FT tech correspondent Michael Acton about the complicated relationship between Cook and Trump. Free to read: Donald Trump threatens Apple and Samsung with 25% tariff on devices  Apple set to expand India supply chain through $1.5bn Foxconn plant  Apple delays iPhone AI features as it stumbles in race with rivals  This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music, Manuela Saragosa and Topher Forhecz are the FT’s acting heads of audio. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min

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4.4
out of 5
134 Ratings

About

We are in the midst of a digital revolution, where the line between our physical world and cyberspace is blurring. Tech Tonic is the show that investigates the promises and perils of this new technological age.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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