Best Hacker Valley Media Podcasts (2025)

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

Play Pause

12m 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

7h 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
The Power of Shortwave Radio. And, What Gets Lost with Voice of America? 50:36

3d ago50:36

50:36

This month, the director of Voice of America is being forced out in the latest of many moves to dismantle the state broadcasting service. On this week’s On the Media, a history of the Voice of America, and how it’s been politicized. Plus, hear why propagandists in Russia, China, and Iran are celebrating cuts to U.S.-funded foreign reporting. [01:00…

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

3d 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

3d 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

4d 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
Mentorship to Mastery: AI and Community Lessons with Ron Eddings 32:22

4d ago32:22

32:22

AI might analyze your logs in seconds, but only the community can put you in the room that changes your career. In this solo episode, Ron Eddings discusses the powerful balance between human connection and artificial intelligence in shaping the future of cybersecurity and beyond. From the sacrifices that sparked his career to the mentors who opened…

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

4d 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
Zoox taps ex-UberPool exec’s startup for routing software help, also Notion now works without an internet connection 5:59

5d 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

5d 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
The Forgotten Shock Jock Who Paved the Way for Rush Limbaugh 9:39

5d ago9:39

9:39

This week, we're airing part two of a documentary series, courtesy of Radio Diaries, about three radio personalities who had huge audiences in their time, but today, are largely forgotten. These days, we’re used to media that thrives on conflict, that amplifies the most outrageous voices in the room. It’s something we often trace back to shock jock…

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

6d 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

6d 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

7d 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

7d 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

10d 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

10d 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
Silicon Valley's Rightwing Roots. Plus, the CEO of Bluesky Reimagines Social Media 50:28

10d ago50:28

50:28

When Donald Trump returned to office, tech companies donated millions of dollars to his inaugural committee. On this week’s On the Media, the rightwing roots of Silicon Valley. Plus, the CEO of the burgeoning social media platform, Bluesky, on how to billionaire-proof the internet. [01:00] Micah Loewinger speaks with Becca Lewis, a postdoctoral res…

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

11d 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
From MCP Risks to AI Jailbreaks with Marco Figueroa 41:30

11d ago41:30

41:30

When AI agents move faster than security teams, the game changes, and the risks multiply. Ron welcomes back Marco “Mystic Marc” Figueroa, Program Manager at Mozilla’s 0DIN Program, to continue the conversation and update on 2025’s most pressing AI and cybersecurity shifts. From the explosive rise of AI agents and OpenAI’s rumored browser to the hid…

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

11d 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

12d 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

12d 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
The Famous Black Preacher Who Feuded With MLK 15:41

13d ago15:41

15:41

For these final weeks of summer we wanted to transport you away from the doom and gloom of the daily news with a trio of stories produced by our friends at the public radio documentary-maker, Radio Diaries. The series is called “Making Waves” and it profiles three people who pushed the boundaries of radio: one to warn, one to rile, one to preach. T…

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

13d 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

13d 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

14d 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

14d 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
Trump's Fact Eradication Program. Plus, How Jubilee is Transforming Political Debate 50:20

17d ago50:20

50:20

President Trump fired the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics following a weak jobs report. On this week’s On the Media, how the Trump administration is threatening government data. Plus, a viral YouTube channel raises questions about the meaning of political debate. [01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone situates President Trump’s recent firing …

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

17d 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…

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Google denies AI search features are killing website traffic 6:20

17d ago6:20

6:20

Google denies AI is impacting search across the web, saying only "some" sites have suffered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy TechCrunch

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Some people are defending Perplexity after Cloudflare ‘named and shamed’ it 6:07

18d ago6:07

6:07

In a debate likely to get louder as AI agent usage grows, some people say Perplexity crawling blocked websites isn't a simple matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy TechCrunch

1
Debt vs. Risk: What the SharePoint Breach Taught Us with Ron Eddings 16:00

18d ago16:00

16:00

The riskiest move in cybersecurity? Playing it too safe. In this solo episode, Ron Eddings redefines the way we think about technical debt, risk, and missed opportunities, in security and in life. Ron reframes the debt vs. risk paradigm through the lens of the SharePoint breach, personal milestones, and co-founding Hacker Valley. With sharp insight…

1
OpenAI launches two ‘open’ AI reasoning models 7:28

18d ago7:28

7:28

For the first time in more than five years, OpenAI is launching a new open language model that appears to be state-of-the-art. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy TechCrunch

1
Joby Aviation to buy Blade Air Mobility’s ride-share business, also Mastercard denies pressuring game platforms 5:27

19d ago5:27

5:27

Joby is buying the Blade brand and the company's passenger business, which includes operations in the United States and Europe, for as much as $125 million. In other news, Mastercard seemingly denied playing a role in a recent marketplace crackdown on games with adult content, while Valve says the pressure was indirect. Learn more about your ad cho…