Best Cringefest Podcasts (2025)

1
Google, sorry, but that Pixel event was a cringefest 7:03

Play Pause

19d ago7:03

7:03

Late-night host Jimmy Fallon shouted,“I P 6 8! I P 6 8!,” trying and failing to fake excitement about the new Pixel smartphones. Fallon, who likely had never heard the technical term before, didn’t seem to realize that IP68 — a rating that indicates phones can survive being submerged in water — isn’t all that interesting as a selling point, nor is …

1
Apple’s latest iPhone security feature just made life more difficult for spyware makers 7:26

3m ago7:26

7:26

The feature is called Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE) and is designed to help stop memory corruption bugs, which are some of the most common vulnerabilities exploited by spyware developers and makers of phone forensic devices used by law enforcement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices…

1
Justice Department sues Uber for allegedly discriminating against people with disabilities, also, FTC launches inquiry into AI chatbot companions 6:37

11h ago6:37

6:37

The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Uber, accusing the ride-hailing company of violating federal law by discriminating against people with physical disabilities. In particular, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) civil rights division claims that the company and its drivers “routinely refuse to serve individuals with disabilities,…

1
How Bill Gates’s fellowship program is adapting to global uncertainty, plus a California bill that would regulate AI companion chatbots is close to becoming law 8:38

22h ago8:38

8:38

There’s plenty of uncertainty to go around this year, including a global trade war, shifting policy priorities, and an economy that’s starting to stumble. Breakthrough Energy, a climate tech organization founded by Bill Gates, has also been shifting in response. The group always placed long bets, though it appears to be reappraising some of them. I…

1
OpenAI and Oracle reportedly ink historic cloud computing deal, also Thinking Machines Lab wants to make AI models more consistent 5:43

1d ago5:43

5:43

Oracle sent its shares soaring after markets closed yesterday after reporting that it signed multiple multi-billion-dollar contracts with several customers. Now, we have an idea of who those customers might be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy TechCrunch

1
Vimeo to be acquired by Bending Spoons in $1.38B all-cash deal, plus Anchor’s co-founders are back with Oboe 6:05

2d ago6:05

6:05

Video platform Vimeo announced on Wednesday that it has agreed to be acquired by Bending Spoons, one of Europe’s largest mobile app developers, in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $1.38 billion. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Vimeo will be delisted from …

1
Apple’s creator-centric iPhone 17 Pro will make the vlogging camera obsolete 6:20

1h ago6:20

6:20

Apple unveiled its new line of iPhones on Tuesday, and the iPhone 17 Pro is making a direct appeal to content creators. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy TechCrunch

1
Sam Altman says that bots are making social media feel ‘fake’ ... and more 7:22

3d ago7:22

7:22

After watching Reddit's OpenAI and Anthropic communities, Sam Altman thinks social media cannot be trusted. And bots are to blame. Also, OpenAI executives are discussing a potential relocation out of California as increasing political resistance threatens the company's efforts to convert from nonprofit to for-profit status, according to The WSJ, bu…

1
4 claim that Meta suppressed children’s safety research, also Salesloft says Drift customer data thefts linked to March GitHub account hack 6:11

3d ago6:11

6:11

Meta changed its policies around researching sensitive topics — like politics, children, gender, race, and harassment — six weeks after whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal documents that showed how Meta’s own research found that Instagram can damage teen girls’ mental health. Also, Salesloft said a breach of its GitHub account in March all…

1
Are bad incentives to blame for AI hallucinations? 5:23

10h ago5:23

5:23

A new research paper from OpenAI asks why large language models like GPT-5 and chatbots like ChatGPT still hallucinate, and whether anything can be done to reduce those hallucinations. In a blog post summarizing the paper, OpenAI defines hallucinations as plausible but false statements generated by language models, and it acknowledges that despite …

1
Why is an Amazon-backed AI startup making Orson Welles fan fiction? Plus, Anthropic’s $1.5B copyright settlement sucks for writers 7:30

4d ago7:30

7:30

Why is a startup that bills itself as the Netflix of AI, and that recently raised money from Amazon’s Alexa Fund, talking about remaking a movie that was first released in 1942? Also, around half a million writers will be eligible for a payday of at least $3,000, thanks to a historic $1.5 billion settlement in a class action lawsuit that a group of…

1
Tesla proposes new pay package for Elon Musk worth up to $1T, also, Snapchat's new Lens, and Rivian cut more workers 5:19

7d ago5:19

5:19

Tesla has proposed a new 10-year compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk that could be worth as much as $1 trillion even as the EV maker’s car business stumbles and it sets its sights on humanoid robotics and AI. Also, Snapchat is launching a new Lens that lets users create and edit images using a text-to-image AI generator, the company told TechCrunch…

1
Facebook is trying to make ‘pokes’ happen again, also, Stripe will build a new blockchain 5:21

7d ago5:21

5:21

The classic feature from Facebook’s early days lets users get a friend’s attention with a virtual nudge of sorts. While the poke fell out of use ages ago, the company has more recently seen an uptick in its use among younger users, which has now prompted it to make the poke a more central part of the Facebook experience. Also, the classic feature f…

1
Captions rebrands as Mirage; also, JetBlue will use Amazon’s satellites for free in-flight internet 5:11

4d ago5:11

5:11

Captions, an AI-powered video creation and editing app for content creators that has secured over $100 million in venture capital to date at a valuation of $500 million, is rebranding to Mirage, the company announced on Thursday. Also, JetBlue will use Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites for free in-flight internet. Learn more about your ad choices.…

1
Roblox expands use of age-estimation tech and Scale AI is suing a former employee and rival Mercor 8:50

8d ago8:50

8:50

Amid lawsuits alleging child safety concerns, online gaming service Roblox announced on Wednesday that it’s expanding its age-estimation technology to all users and partnering with the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) to provide age and content ratings for the games and apps on its platform. The company said that by year’s end, the age-est…

1
Netflix updates its Moments feature and PayPal and Venmo are giving out Comet invites 4:46

9d ago4:46

4:46

Netflix launched a scene-clipping feature for mobile last year called “Moments,” which lets users quickly save their favorite scenes from shows and movies within the Netflix app. The streaming giant rolled out an update on Wednesday, allowing users to specify both a starting point and an endpoint when saving a scene. Also, invites to Perplexity’s n…

1
Google avoids break up, but has to give up exclusive search deals in antitrust trial , and more tech news 9:57

9d ago9:57

9:57

Google will not be forced to break up its search business, but a federal judge has tentatively ordered other changes to the tech giant’s business practices to keep it from further anticompetitive behavior. Also, the battle over $20 billion worth of climate-related funding authorized by Congress continues as an appellate court ruled on Tuesday in fa…

1
OpenAI to route sensitive conversations to GPT-5 and introduce parental controls 6:57

9d ago6:57

6:57

OpenAI said Tuesday it plans to route sensitive conversations to reasoning models like GPT-5 and roll out parental controls within the next month — part of an ongoing response to recent safety incidents involving ChatGPT failing to detect mental distress. The new guardrails come in the aftermath of the suicide of teenager Adam Raine, who discussed …

1
Space investing goes mainstream as VCs ditch the rocket science requirements 7:04

10d ago7:04

7:04

Five years ago, investor Katelin Holloway made what she calls a “literal moon shot” investment. A founding partner of the generalist venture firm Seven Seven Six admits she and her team had “no clue” what rocket company Stoke Space was talking about when they pitched the firm on its reusable launch technology. She says, ‘we knew full well we were n…

1
Taco Bell is having second thoughts about relying on AI at the drive-through plus cracks are forming in Meta’s partnership with Scale AI 4:47

11d ago4:47

4:47

Taco Bell’s chief digital officer says the company is having an “active conversation” about when to use and not use AI. The company has apparently rolled out voice AI-powered ordering at more than 500 drive-throughs. Also, it’s only been since June that Meta invested $14.3 billion in the data-labeling vendor Scale AI, bringing on CEO Alexandr Wang …

1
Murder at Burning Man turns Silicon Valley’s desert playground into a crime scene plus Nvidia's two mystery customers 5:42

11d ago5:42

5:42

A homicide investigation has rocked the final days of Burning Man after a man was found dead “lying in a pool of blood” Saturday night at the Nevada desert festival, according to the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office. According to the New York Times, the grim discovery occurred around 9:14 p.m. just as the festival’s iconic wooden “Man” effigy began…

1
Mastodon says it doesn’t ‘have the means’ to comply with age verification laws; also Trump administration’s deal is structured to prevent Intel from selling foundry unit 6:02

14d ago6:02

6:02

Decentralized social network Mastodon says it can’t comply with Mississippi’s age verification law — the same law that saw rival Bluesky pull out of the state — because it doesn’t have the means to do so. Also, The Trump administration seems intent on controlling Intel’s ability to make key business decisions around its floundering foundry business…

1
Anthropic users face a new choice – opt out or share your chats for AI training 5:45

14d ago5:45

5:45

As TechCrunch's Connie Loizos writes, Anthropic is making some big changes to how it handles user data, requiring all Claude users to decide by September 28 whether they want their conversations used to train AI models. While the company directed us to its blog post on the policy changes when asked about what prompted the move, we’ve formed some th…

1
MathGPT.ai expands to over 50 institutions, also Mississippi’s age assurance law puts decentralized social networks to the test 9:50

15d ago9:50

9:50

Following a successful pilot program at 30 colleges and universities in the U.S., MathGPT.ai is preparing to nearly double its availability this fall, with hundreds of instructors planning to incorporate the tool. Schools implementing MathGPT.ai in their classrooms include Penn State University, Tufts University, and Liberty University, among other…

1
Nvidia reports record sales as the AI boom continues, also 911 centers are so understaffed, they’re turning to AI to answer calls 7:12

15d ago7:12

7:12

Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, reported another quarter of sustained sales growth in its earnings statement Wednesday, with $46.7 billion in revenue, a 56% increase compared to the same period last year. That growth was largely fueled by AI-dominated data center business, which saw a 56% year-over-year increase in revenue. Learn more ab…

1
A 1997 Radiohead song is topping the charts, thanks to TikTok, plus Anthropic settled its AI book-training lawsuit, and US sanctioned a fraud network used by North Koreans 6:56

16d ago6:56

6:56

Thanks to an unexpected surge in popularity on TikTok, Radiohead now has its fourth-ever song on the Billboard Hot 100: the morosely gorgeous track “Let Down” from the 1997 album “OK Computer.” “Let Down” never broke through to mainstream attention like Radiohead’s “Creep” or “Karma Police,” but it’s by no means a deep cut, like the Pavement B-side…

1
DOGE uploaded live copy of Soc. Sec. database to ‘vulnerable’ cloud server, plus Libby is adding AI and folks are not happy 8:47

16d ago8:47

8:47

A top Social Security Administration official turned whistleblower says members of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, better known as DOGE uploaded hundreds of millions of Social Security records to a vulnerable cloud server, putting the personal information of most Americans at risk of compromise. Library e-book and au…

1
Tesla could have avoided that $242.5M Autopilot verdict, plus more tech news 6:05

17d ago6:05

6:05

Months before a jury awarded a $242.5 million verdict against Tesla over its culpability in a 2019 fatal crash, the automaker had a chance to settle for $60 million. Instead, Tesla rejected that offer, according to new legal filings that were first reported by Reuters. Also, Google is tightening security measures around Android app distribution, th…

1
Bounce launched a service for moving accounts between Bluesky and Mastodon, Elon Musk xAI is suing Apple and OpenAI, and Silicon Valley is pouring millions into pro-AI PACs to sway midterms 5:47

18d ago5:47

5:47

Today, Mastodon users unhappy with the service can opt to move their account to a different Mastodon server, while Bluesky is developing technology that allows users to migrate their account to a new PDS (Bluesky’s term for “personal data server”) on its network. However, Mastodon runs on the ActivityPub Protocol and Bluesky on the AT Protocol, whi…

1
The Trump administration’s big Intel investment comes from already awarded grants ... and more Tech news 5:28

18d ago5:28

5:28

Intel officially announced an agreement with President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday afternoon, following Trump’s statement that the government would be taking a 10% stake in the struggling chipmaker. While Intel says the government is making an “$8.9 billion investment in Intel common stock,” the administration does not appear to be comm…

1
Not everybody is happy about Meta’s $10B data center, Waymo will start testing in NYC, and more 5:31

21d ago5:31

5:31

When Meta selected a site in Louisiana for its largest data center to date, it signed a deal with Entergy to power the site with three massive natural gas power plants. Earlier this week a state regulator approved Entergy’s plans. The power plants are expected to come online in 2028 and 2029, and at full strength, they’ll generate 2.25 gigawatts of…

1
Microsoft AI chief says it’s ‘dangerous’ to study AI consciousness, plus former X employees may get severance 8:43

21d ago8:43

8:43

The debate over whether AI models could one day be conscious — and merit legal safeguards — is dividing tech leaders. In Silicon Valley, this nascent field has become known as “AI welfare,” and if you think it’s a little out there, you’re not alone. Also, more than two years after leaving the company, some former Twitter employees may finally recei…

1
Hackers who exposed North Korean government hacker explain why they did it 4:33

19d ago4:33

4:33

Earlier this year, two hackers broke into a computer and soon realized the significance of what this machine was. As it turned out, they had landed on the computer of a hacker who allegedly works for the North Korean government. The two hackers decided to keep digging and found evidence that they say linked the hacker to cyberespionage operations c…

1
Zoox taps ex-UberPool exec’s startup for routing software help, also Notion now works without an internet connection 5:59

23d ago5:59

5:59

When James Cox, the former leader of Uber’s ride-share product, UberPool, left that company in 2019, the Silicon Valley giant had abandoned its autonomous vehicle development and sold off the division entirely. While UberPool had struggled to take hold, Cox felt a massive opportunity had been missed: taking the core of UberPool’s tech and applying …

1
Appeals court says NLRB structure unconstitutional and Meta rolls out AI-powered translations to creators globally 5:36

23d ago5:36

5:36

A federal appeals court handed SpaceX a win on Tuesday, in a ruling that prevents the National Labor Relations Board from prosecuting unfair labor practices against the company. The ruling by the Fifth District Court of Appeals, which suggests the structure of the NLRB is likely unconstitutional, could have far-reaching effects. Also, Meta is rolli…

1
TikTok’s latest feature lets college students find and connect with classmates, Meta is shaking up it AI org again, and Google pays out $30M 4:54

24d ago4:54

4:54

In a move reminiscent of Facebook’s early days, TikTok is launching a new feature that allows college students to find and connect with others on their campus. The feature, called Campus Verification, lets users add their college campus to their TikTok profile and browse a list of students at their school. Also, On Friday, The Information reported …

1
X’s declining Android app installs are hurting subscription revenue plus Spotify’s latest feature 6:02

24d ago6:02

6:02

Elon Musk’s X is struggling on Android devices in terms of new installs, even while App Store downloads grow, according to new data from app intelligence provider Appfigures. In July 2025, X downloads on Google Play saw a significant decline, as new installs dropped by 44% year-over-year worldwide, even as iOS downloads grew by 15%. In other news, …

1
‘Crazy conspiracist’ and ‘unhinged comedian’: Grok’s AI persona prompts exposed, also Grammarly gets a design overhaul with multiple AI features 6:10

25d ago6:10

6:10

xAI’s website for its Grok chatbot is exposing the system prompts for several of its AI personas, including a “crazy conspiracist” that seems designed to handhold a user into beliefs that “a secret global cabal” controls the world. Also, the new interface adopts a block-first approach, letting you insert tables, columns, separators, lists and heade…

1
‘Stranger Things’ creators may be leaving Netflix plus AI stuffed animals and Anthropic says some Claude models can now end ‘harmful or abusive’ conversations 6:26

25d ago6:26

6:26

Earlier this week, Variety and other Hollywood publications reported that Matt and Ross Duffer, the brothers who created “Stranger Things” (and wrote and directed many episodes), were in talks to sign an exclusive deal with Paramount (now under the ownership of David Ellison’s Skydance). Then on Friday evening, Puck’s Matthew Belloni posted that th…

1
Bluesky rolls out massive revamp to policies and Community Guidelines and Louisiana's attorney general sues Roblox 8:55

28d ago8:55

8:55

Two years after launching, social network Bluesky is revising its Community Guidelines and other policies, and asking for feedback from its users on some of the changes. The startup, a competitor to X, Threads, and open networks like Mastodon, says its new policies are meant to offer improved clarity and more detail around its user safety procedure…

1
Co-founder of Elon Musk’s xAI departs the company plus a worthy music experience in a Waymo 6:56

28d ago6:56

6:56

Igor Babuschkin is leaving xAI less than three years after he co-founded the startup with Elon Musk, following a series of scandals at company. Also, riding in the back of a Waymo that’s autonomously navigating the busy streets of San Francisco and doing so with relative ease thanks to 29 external cameras, six radar, and five lidar sensors all feed…

1
How we found TeaOnHer spilling users’ driver’s licenses in less than 10 minutes 11:54

26d ago11:54

11:54

Exclusive: A dating gossip app for men exposed thousands of users' personal data, including scans of driver's licenses. CEO Xavier Lampkin won't say if he plans to notify affected users about the app's security lapse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy TechCrunch

1
How a once-tiny research lab helped Nvidia become a $4 trillion-dollar company 7:11

26d ago7:11

7:11

Nvidia's research lab developed the technology that took the company from a video game GPU startup to a $4 trillion-dollar company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy TechCrunch

1
Anthropic takes aim at OpenAI, offers Claude to ‘all three branches of government’ for $1 3:56

27d ago3:56

3:56

Anthropic’s escalation – a response to OpenAI’s attempt to undercut the competition – is a strategic play meant to broaden the company’s foothold in federal AI usage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy TechCrunch

1
Ford throws out Henry Ford’s assembly line to make low-cost EVs in America 6:18

27d ago6:18

6:18

The automaker is investing $2 billion into the Louisville Assembly Plant with a $30,000 EV pickup slated for 2027. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy TechCrunch

1
Elon Musk confirms shutdown of Tesla Dojo, ‘an evolutionary dead end’ ... and more tech news 7:00

1M ago7:00

7:00

“Once it became clear that all paths converged to AI6, I had to shut down Dojo and make some tough personnel choices, as Dojo 2 was now an evolutionary dead end,” Musk posted on X, the social media platform he owns, on Sunday. In other news, Nvidia, AMD may sell high-end AI chips to China if they pay US a cut. The global AI chip race narrative used…

1
Trump administration stops illegal freeze of $5B EV charger funds after losing in court and more news 5:13

1M ago5:13

5:13

The Trump administration has finally issued new guidance that states can use to dole out $5 billion in funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, after spending months withholding the money. Also, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Monday it has seized the servers and $1 million in bitcoin from the prolific Russian ransomware ga…

1
Rocket Lab eyes big defense opportunities with new acquisition, plus Openvibe combines news and social media in one app 6:22

29d ago6:22

6:22

Rocket Lab is taking the concept of an 'end-to-end' space company to new heights with a forthcoming acquisition. In other news, Openvibe, an app for tracking the open social web in one place, now supports RSS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy TechCrunch

1
Researchers unmasked a prolific SMS scammer and then a new one emerged in its wake and Sam Altman addresses ‘bumpy’ GPT-5 rollout 8:42

1M ago8:42

8:42

If you, like practically anyone else with a cell phone in the U.S. and beyond, have received a scam text message about an unpaid toll or undelivered mail item, there’s a good chance you have been targeted by a prolific scamming operation. But a series of opsec mistakes ultimately led security researchers and investigative journalists to the real-wo…

1
Hubble Network plans a massive satellite upgrade to create global Bluetooth layer ... and more tech news 10:28

1M ago10:28

10:28

Hubble Network's satellite-enabled Bluetooth network is getting a boost from Muon's new XL satellite bus. Also, Truth Social’s AI search is powered by Perplexity, but the platform can set limits on sources. The search engine, dubbed Truth Search AI, is already available on the web version of Truth Social, with public Beta testing on the iOS and And…