Uncanny Valley | WIRED

WIRED
Uncanny Valley | WIRED

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, WIRED’s Zoë Schiffer has an urgent conversation about this week in the news. And on Thursdays, WIRED’s Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond is joined by Lauren Goode, Michael Calore, to break down a recent story or phenomena bubbling up in Silicon Valley and explain its influence on our daily lives.

  1. 23 HR AGO

    Why Is The Trump Administration Having So Much Trouble Keeping Their Comms Private?

    When former national security advisor Mike Waltz had a picture taken of him last week, he didn’t expect for the whole world to see that he was using TeleMessage, a messaging app similar to Signal. Now the app has been hacked, with portions of data linked to government entities like Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and companies like Coinbase. Today on the show, we’re joined by WIRED senior writer Lily Hay Newman to discuss what this incident tells us about the growing vulnerabilities in government communications. Articles mentioned in this episode: Mike Waltz Has Somehow Gotten Even Worse at Using Signal The Signal Clone the Trump Admin Uses Was Hacked   The Signal Clone Mike Waltz Was Caught Using Has Direct Access to User Chats You can follow Zoë Schiffer on Bluesky @zoeschiffer, and Lily Hay Newman @lhn.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

    17 min

  2. 5 DAYS AGO

    The Dangerous Decline in Vaccination Rates

    In the year 2000, measles were declared eliminated from the United States. But thanks to declining vaccination rates, Americans may have to contend with a much scarier future for the deadly disease. Today on the show, we talk about the state of measles, and we explain the role Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of  Health and Human Services, has played in the shifting culture around vaccines in America. You can follow our hosts on Bluesky—Michael Calore is @snackfight, Lauren Goode is @laurengoode, and Katie Drummond is @katie-drummond. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

    35 min

  3. 29 APR

    A Tariff Standoff with China, Power Outages and the End of Christmas

    President Trump’s tariff standoff with China has caused chaos, confusion and major delays for companies of all shapes and sizes. As everyone waits to see what happens next, some businesses that depend on international trade are already feeling major impacts, saying that they might not meet their production deadlines. And one of those deadlines is pretty important: Christmas. Today on the show, we're joined by WIRED's Senior Business Editor Louise Matsakis to talk through the latest on tariffs. Articles mentioned in this episode  Donald Trump Is Already Ruining Christmas OpenAI Adds Shopping to ChatGPT in a Challenge to Google The Agonizing Task of Turning Europe’s Power Back On You can follow Zoë Schiffer on Bluesky @zoeschiffer.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

    16 min

  4. 24 APR

    Protecting Your Phone—and Your Privacy—at the US Border

    Under the new Trump administration, more and more visa holders and foreign visitors are being detained or denied entry at the border. It’s also becoming more common for people to be questioned or detained because of content on their phones, laptops and cameras. In today’s episode, we’ll tell you what you need to know about your carrying devices across the US border, and how to stay safe. Plus, we share some pretty spectacular recommendations for your downtime.You can follow our hosts on Bluesky—Michael Calore is @snackfight, Lauren Goode is @laurengoode, and Katie Drummond is @katie-drummond. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

    39 min

  5. 22 APR

    Is Telsa on the Outs in China?

    China has long been a really important market for Tesla and for Elon Musk, but after the rising US tariffs and rising competition in the electric vehicle market – Tesla may be on the outs in China. Today on the show, we’re joined by Zeyi Yang, senior writer at WIRED, to talk about what it all means for Elon Musk’s company. Articles mentioned in this episode  DOGE Is Building a Master Database to Surveil and Track Immigrants Stumbling and Overheating, Most Humanoid Robots Fail to Finish Half-Marathon in Beijing You can follow Zoë Schiffer on Bluesky @zoeschiffer.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

    17 min

  6. 17 APR

    How Americans Are Surveilled During Protests

    There have been a number of protests in the past few months pushing back against President Trump’s most recent policy changes, and we're likely to see more. Today on the show, WIRED’s Senior Editor of Security and Investigations, Andrew Couts, talks us through the technology being used by law enforcement to surveil protests, how surveillance tech has evolved over the years, and what it means for anyone taking to the streets or posting to social media to voice their concerns. Plus, we share WIRED tips on how to stay safe, should you choose to protest. You can follow our hosts on Bluesky— Michael Calore is @snackfight, Lauren Goode is @laurengoode, and Katie Drummond is @katie-drummond. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

    30 min

  7. 15 APR

    Will Meta Really Have to Sell Instagram and WhatsApp?

    The trial between the US Federal Trade Commission and Meta began this week—and the future of the company is at stake. The FTC wants Meta to sell off two prized assets, Instagram and WhatsApp, arguing that it acquired them illegally to suppress competition. Today on the show, Senior Writer Paresh Dave joins host Zoë Schiffer to talk about what we know right now about the government’s case—and what we learned when Mark Zuckerberg took the stand Monday.  Articles mentioned in this episode  FTC v Meta Trial: The future of Instagram and Whatsapp is at stake  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

    18 min

  8. 10 APR

    What The Actual Tariff

    It’s been total chaos since President Trump announced tariffs last week. Despite the endless reporting on this story, none of it really makes any sense yet. So today, we attempt to make sense of how the tariffs could revamp the entire tech industry and what you can do to deal with this new normal.  You can follow our hosts on Bluesky— Michael Calore is @snackfight, Lauren Goode is @laurengoode, and Katie Drummond is @katie-drummond. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

    43 min
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Hosts & Guests

Ratings & Reviews

3.5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

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, WIRED’s Zoë Schiffer has an urgent conversation about this week in the news. And on Thursdays, WIRED’s Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond is joined by Lauren Goode, Michael Calore, to break down a recent story or phenomena bubbling up in Silicon Valley and explain its influence on our daily lives.

Information

  • Channel
    WIRED
  • Creator
    WIRED
  • Years Active
    2007 - 2025
  • Episodes
    329
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Condé Nast. All rights reserved. 783607
  • Show Website
    Uncanny Valley | WIRED

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