Episodes
David, Joanna and Christopher each bring their favorite new thing from this year's Mobile World Congress, the annual showcase of all things smartphone. Then WSJ reporter Sam Schechner comes on to discuss his investigation into apps that share sensitive data-everything from your diet to your pregnancy status-with Facebook, and what those companies do with all that data. Later, Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon talks about the 5G future, and what all this new and confusing technical jargon...
Published 03/01/19
David, Joanna and Christopher ponder the wisdom of a folding Samsung smartphone following its debut. Reporter Bob McMillan joins the crew to explain how Pinterest has shut off search for one of its most controversial topics. And, as Oscar night approaches, David interviews Black List creator Franklin Leonard and our own Ben Fritz about Hollywood's recent upheaval.
Published 02/22/19
David, Joanna and Christopher talk about the Journal's scoop on Apple News' subscription plans, and whether "Netflix for news" can work. Reporter Greg Bensinger shows up to explain why Silicon Valley suddenly can't get enough of food delivery. Then, WSJ's Rolfe Winkler and 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki debate the merits of in-home DNA tests-and what you can do with all that personal data-in an excerpt from last week's WSJ Health Tech Conference.
Published 02/15/19
First, Joanna tells David and Christopher about her experiment with an "ethical hacker" who got into as many of her webcams as he could-and the key insights she learned from him about staying safer online. Then reporter Betsy Morris joins the gang to explain how being more like Fortnite (and less like Facebook) has made Houseparty so popular with teens and young adults. Afterwards, Impossible Foods CEO Pat Brown tells David about how technology makes healthier, more ethical-yet still...
Published 02/08/19
David and Christopher talk through the brewing privacy battle between Apple and Facebook, and figure out how a developer certificate became a weapon. Then reporter Tripp Mickle comes on to talk through Apple's latest earnings, including what it means for the smartphone business and which hints the company dropped about its content plans. Last, Jason Gay, sports columnist and noted Super Bowl goer, comes on to talk about all the ways the sports- and TV-watching experience is changing. He has...
Published 02/01/19
David, Joanna and Christopher discuss WSJ's investigation into companies inflating their Glassdoor ratings. Next, reporter Rob Copeland joins them on the mic to describe how he reported his story on the decline of Silicon Valley's legendary fundraising. After a quick tip-how to move multiple apps quickly on your phone-David interviews Chris Sheldrick, CEO of startup What3words, about why street addresses are stupid in the digital age.
Published 01/25/19
David, Joanna and Christopher ponder the flip phone's future after WSJ broke news of Motorola's upcoming Razr reboot. Then they call up reporter Stu Woo in London to explain why we keep hearing about Huawei in the news, and what it means to customers. Then the gang shares tips on breaking the reliance on Facebook's birthday reminders. Finally, David interviews the creator of the new National Geographic series "Valley of the Boom," about the early days of the web.
Published 01/18/19
David hits the CES tech show in Vegas, then reports back to Joanna and Christopher, who decided to avoid the crowds this year. His favorites: Hyundai's walking car and Samsung's modular MicroLED TV, which could be plastered across an entire wall. But first, they have an obligatory catch up on Apple woes, namely iPhone XR, aka the not-so-little iPhone that couldn't. After Christopher shares some helpful email pointers, David interviews Segway-Ninebot's Tony Ho about why electric scooters are,...
Published 01/11/19
David, Joanna and Christopher ring in the New Year with their tech resolutions, but first they wring their hands over Apple's latest drama (China dragging down the iPhone King?) and Tesla's new headache (How can supply AND demand be down?). For the latter, they seek the wisdom of reporter Tim Higgins (Does Elon Musk have soft hands?). Finally, David interviews Renee James, a longtime Intel exec and founder of chipmaker Ampere, about the role processors play in Netflix binge-watching and...
Published 01/04/19
David, Joanna and Christopher dive into the hidden world you didn't know was lurking behind the reviews you see on Amazon. Then reporter Deepa Seetharaman comes in to explain the latest in a long line of Facebook scandals, and debate what might happen next. Since it's that time of year, the three hosts offer last-minute gift ideas, then David interviews director Gary Hustwit about his new film "Rams." They talk about the film's subject, the famed designer Dieter Rams-and why he says if he...
Published 12/21/18
David and Christopher discuss Google CEO Sundar Pichai's visit to Washington. Will technologists and politicians ever speak the same language? Then they grab reporter Eliot Brown to recount the electric scooter craze that's swept the country in 2018. After a quick rundown of the best headphones to buy, David interviews composer and Man Made Music founder Joel Beckerman, father of many sounds that are familiar to your ears.
Published 12/14/18
David, Joanna and Christopher explore the question, Will robots take our jobs or be our work buddies? (Answer: Both, kinda.) Then they bring in Katie Bindley to talk about the complicated privacy situation for users of the popular Venmo payment app. Next, Joanna recommends the best mesh Wi-Fi router to buy. And finally, David braves the self-driving traffic to talk with Waymo CEO John Krafcik about the future of transportation.
Published 12/07/18
David, Joanna and Christopher attempt to explain "5G"-amazing future tech or vague marketing term? Then they grab reporter Sarah Needleman to shed light on something even more confounding: the open office. Phone-booth pointers and personal-hygiene anecdotes ensue. After a quick chat about boring gifts that people will totally love, David interviews Twitch CEO Emmett Shear and asks: Why do millions of people like watching other people play video games?
Published 11/30/18
On the heels of WSJ's D.Live 2018 tech conference in Laguna Beach, Calif., Personal Tech columnist David Pierce highlights a few of the most interesting moments, from Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop startup secrets to the director of Google's threat analysis group discussing countries using the internet as a battleground. Plus, tech columnist Christopher Mims talks with Rodin Lyasoff, CEO of the Airbus research group A3, about the future of flying cars.
Published 11/21/18
After the WSJ Tech D.Live conference, David, Joanna and Christopher discuss a question that loomed large over the event-and 2018: What responsibilities do companies have to their users? They also touch on smart dust and cheap Apple Watch bands. Bonus: Editor-at-large Gerard Baker interviews Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi about the IPO and more.
Published 11/16/18
Our Amazon beat reporter, Laura Stevens, joins David, Joanna and Christopher to talk about the retail giant's future-headquarters reality show, but not before the gang explains the difference between a MacBook Air and an iPad Pro. Finally, GoPro CEO Nick Woodman stops by to talk about corporate challenges, smartphone cameras and parenting.
Published 11/09/18
David, Joanna and Christopher confess their bad device habits, and share their homespun remedies. Then reporter Deepa Seetharaman joins in to explain the turmoil at Facebook Inc. on the eve of the midterms. Finally, David gazes into our future with the Google executives who run the internet giant's augmented and virtual reality program.
Published 11/02/18
In our first episode, David, Joanna and Christopher debate the best iPhones (and Android options) then pull in a special guest to talk about food-delivery drones. To wrap up the show, David catches up with James Dyson to find out why he's refocusing his vacuum empire to address environmental concerns. "I'm not a petrol head," he says.
Published 10/26/18
Coming this fall: The Wall Street Journal is offering a fresh way to look at technology. Join columnists David Pierce, Joanna Stern and Christopher Mims each week as they debate what you really need to know.
Published 09/20/18