Uncanny Valley | WIRED cover art
Podcast · 135 episodes

Uncanny Valley | WIRED, page 2

by WIRED · English

Welcome to Uncanny Valley—an insider look at the people, power, and influence of Silicon Valley—where each week, WIRED’s writers and editors bring you original reporting and analysis about some of the biggest stories in tech. On Tuesdays, The Big Interview with WIRED’s Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond in conversation with influential figures in culture, politics, business, science, and beyond for a discussion captured through the WIRED lens. On Thursdays, WIRED writers and editors Zoë Schiffer, Brian Barrett and Leah Feiger add you to the Slack group thread to let you into what they’re hearing from sources in Silicon Valley and D.C, read you into what trends you should be watching for and how WIRED is thinking about it all.

All episodes, page 2

Why Amazon Dropped Its OpenAI Movie; Data Center Workers Are Fighting BackThe episode covers AI’s growing entanglement with Hollywood and the backlash around the infrastructure powering AI.25 Jun 2026 · 34 min · 13 chapters
Until Trump Fires Her, Anna Gomez Will Fight for Press FreedomAnna Gomez, an FCC commissioner, discusses the Trump administration’s approach to regulating media and press freedom, focusing on FCC actions against broadcasters (especially Disney/ABC), her First…23 Jun 2026 · 40 min · 16 chapters
Meta's AI Workers Are Revolting; Peter Thiel's Secret Society; Will Trump Free SBF?The episode of Wired’s Uncanny Valley covers three tech/politics stories: Meta’s AI reorg turmoil, Peter Thiel’s secretive Dialogue society leak, and whether Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) could get a Trump…18 Jun 2026 · 33 min · 11 chapters
Tim Heidecker Thinks Twitter Should Be a World Heritage SiteTim Heidecker (of Tim and Eric) discusses parodying Alex Jones/InfoWars, why satire matters, and his vision for a nonprofit, “World Heritage Site” style Twitter.17 Jun 2026 · 41 min · 12 chapters
Why Anthropic Shut Down Its Best AI (Special News Update)A Wired Uncanny Valley emergency update on Trump administration export controls that shut off Anthropic’s frontier AI models Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for foreign nationals, after a reported jailbreak…15 Jun 2026 · 22 min · 7 chapters
Why You Might Already Own SpaceX Shares; Inside the Knicks' Owner's Surveillance MachineWWDC and Apple’s “Siri AI” rebuild; SpaceX IPO and who benefits; Meta smart-glasses face-recognition code; Madison Square Garden’s surveillance system.11 Jun 2026 · 42 min · 13 chapters
Trump Foe Mounts Competitive Senate Bid in FloridaWIRED’s The Big Interview profiles Alex Vindman, a Democrat running for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat, formerly held by Marco Rubio, currently by Ashley Moody.9 Jun 2026 · 42 min · 13 chapters
The AI IPO Race Gets Weird; Elon Musk Sued By DOGE Whistleblower; Instagram's Hacking IncidentThe episode covers three tech/politics stories. First, the “AI IPO race” is heating up: Anthropic filed for an IPO confidentially and is valued around $965B; OpenAI is rumored to file soon; SpaceX…4 Jun 2026 · 29 min · 9 chapters
The Tech Behind McLaren Racing’s F1 DominanceZach Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, explains how McLaren’s recent F1 resurgence was built—through leadership changes, commercial growth, technology, and fan engagement—while discussing F1’s U.S.2 Jun 2026 · 40 min · 14 chapters
How Crypto Scam Compounds Use Romance to Make BillionsHow “pig butchering” crypto romance scams work, and how a trapped whistleblower in Laos helped document them, including the human-trafficking “scam compound” system behind the fraud.28 May 2026 · 19 min · 9 chapters
How the Internet Could Help the Iranian PeopleThe episode discusses the fragile U.S.-Israel ceasefire with Iran, the likelihood of further conflict, and why the U.S. should prioritize keeping Iranians connected to the internet during blackouts.26 May 2026 · 44 min · 20 chapters
Why Is Meta In Crisis?; Google Search Is Over; AI Gets Booed by GraduatesWired’s Uncanny Valley discusses Meta’s crisis (mass layoffs plus intrusive AI monitoring), Google Search’s shift toward conversational and agentic search, public backlash to AI from graduates, and…21 May 2026 · 40 min · 13 chapters
Tom Steyer Makes His Case for BillionairesTom Steyer’s case for his California governor run, linking climate action, “shared prosperity,” AI safeguards, sanctuary-state policy, and critiques of fossil-fuel and LNG expansion.19 May 2026 · 35 min · 9 chapters
Trump’s Tech Posse in China; Who’s Winning in Musk v. Altman?; Hantavirus Conspiracy TheoriesFinal week of the Musk v. Altman trial; Trump’s China trip with Silicon Valley CEOs; misinformation around a Hantavirus outbreak and how testing is being developed.14 May 2026 · 29 min · 13 chapters
The Creators of Hacks Really, Really, Really Hate AIThe creators of HBO’s Hacks discuss the show’s final season and its themes: sexism in comedy, media censorship and content removal, contract non-competes, media consolidation, and a strongly anti-AI…12 May 2026 · 43 min · 17 chapters
Trump Pivots On AI Regulation; What Is Hantavirus?; Worker Ousted by DOGE Runs for OfficeThe episode covers (1) reports that the Trump administration may consider an executive order creating federal oversight for new AI models, including possible pre-release review; (2) the aftermath of…7 May 2026 · 27 min · 12 chapters
What’s the ‘Chicken Shop Date’ Creator’s Secret? Creative ControlAmelia de Moldenberg (Dim’s Inc.) explains how “Chicken Shop Date” achieves creative control and viral, entertaining interviews—especially her prep process, on-camera persona, and ruthless…5 May 2026 · 40 min · 19 chapters
Musk v. Altman; Is the AI Job Apocalypse Overhyped?; DOJ Dismantles Voting Rights UnitWired’s Uncanny Valley covers (1) the Elon Musk v. Sam Altman/OpenAI trial and what it could force OpenAI to change, (2) whether AI layoffs/job loss are overhyped, using Meta/Microsoft cuts and…30 Apr 2026 · 33 min · 15 chapters
‘Stop Trying to Unmask Satoshi Nakamoto’ Says Actor Ben McKenzieBen McKenzie argues cryptocurrency is a cult-like speculative Ponzi scheme and a tool for crime, not a real currency.28 Apr 2026 · 34 min · 13 chapters
Apple’s Next Chapter; SpaceX and Cursor Strike A Deal; Palantir’s Controversial ManifestoTim Cook stepping down as Apple CEO (Sept 1 transition), what John Ternus’s leadership signals for Apple’s AI strategy; SpaceX and Cursor’s reported $60B deal; Palantir’s 22-point “Technological…23 Apr 2026 · 36 min · 18 chapters
LegalEagle, the Internet’s Favorite Lawyer, Makes Sense of ‘Multiple Watergates per Week’WIRED’s Big Interview with LegalEagle (Devin Stone) about how his legal YouTube channel evolved from pop-culture explainers to rapid “Watergate-level” legal breakdowns during Trump’s second term,…21 Apr 2026 · 36 min · 13 chapters
Artemis II Astronaut Reflects Upon ReturnVictor Glover, Artemis II pilot, reflects on returning from NASA’s first moon mission in over 50 years, describing moments of communication loss behind the far side of the moon, crew work during…17 Apr 2026 · 6 min · 4 chapters
Kara Swisher Is Trying To Live ForeverKara Swisher and Wired’s Katie Drummond discuss Silicon Valley’s obsession with longevity—“living forever”—and how billionaires’ health investments, AI fantasies, and body-hacking claims compare with…16 Apr 2026 · 32 min · 23 chapters
Silicon Valley Is Spending Millions to Stop One of Its OwnThe episode is an interview with New York Assemblyman Alex Boras about his congressional campaign in NY’s 12th district, focusing on AI regulation and safety (his RAISE Act), his past work at…14 Apr 2026 · 41 min · 27 chapters