Thinking of starting a new tech podcast? Forget it. This popular genre is oversaturated; even the niche pods are pretty shiny. It makes sense that an industry concerned with efficiency would be reflected by podcasters who can’t help but produce high-quality audio.
With that in mind, we’re sure they won’t mind us pointing out areas that could be improved: many of these tech podcasts are very similar. Not only are they tonally alike — most of the hosts commanding nearly indistinguishable accents — they are also ideologically aligned. With a couple of exceptions, these podcasts might challenge issues within tech but seldom question the larger aims of the industry.
For example, many tech podcasts are questioning the consequences of artificial intelligence, space exploration, and social media disinformation, but few challenge the language we use to describe technology, or its prominence in our economic model. Are the aforementioned technologies “progress”? Is this “progress” inherently good? If you’re wondering why tech has co-opted the vocabulary of social justice movements, you should listen to *Tech Won’t Save Us.*
That said, these shows take the matter of regulation seriously. Nobody could accuse them of being cavalier. That’s because all the best tech podcasts are created by people who care about technology; they have the knowledge and experience to justify their opinions.
There is a significant crossover between tech and business podcasts, so if you don’t see your next listen on this round-up, head over there for even more gems.
Kara Swisher’s recent memoir, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, opens with a simple line: “As it turned out, it was capitalism after all”. Swisher, one of the earliest journalists to clock the tech boom, has spent her career writing about Silicon Valley. She is often criticised for being as enthralled with the industry’s maverick billionaires as she is critical of them. But regardless of her judgement on the likes of Elon Musk, Swisher remains one of the leading voices in the space; her podcast, On with Kara Swisher, is a hugely popular show that platforms her interviews with some of the most influential people in tech, politics and media.
While we’re a huge fan of her other show, Pivot, her solo podcast allows Swisher to wield her great gift: interviewing. Always equipped with a curve ball, her interviews have depth and nuance without ever sacrificing respect for the subject.
For fans of: Kara without Scott’s bad jokes
Start here: On Creepy Fingers, Deep Fakes, and Fair Use with Getty Images CEO Craig Peters
After a recent analysis revealed that Generative AI requires around 33 times more energy than task-specific software, such as a conventional search engine, it might be hard to think of artificial intelligence as a net good for the world. Possible challenges that narrative. This award-winning podcast from venture capitalist Reid Hoffman and former CEO of Do Something Aria Finger examines how technology can bring about a brighter version of the future. This is a techno-optimist podcast that looks past the doomsday narrative around new technology and asks how we can leverage it for egalitarian purposes. Of course, this isn’t a socialist enterprise; money is at the heart of their objectives. When they talk about utilizing a “collective effort” to facilitate progress, we doubt they are also thinking of collective reward. It’s all very Tony Blair by way of Marc Andreessen. But any conversation on AI would be incomplete without discourse on the potential benefits to healthcare, transport and education that new technology could bring. If you want to add further nuance to this debate, we recommend our list of the best AI podcasts.
For fans of: typing 58008 into a calculator in 1973 and calling it “progress”
Start here: Devon Zuegel on the future of cities and community