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 Thursdays, WIRED’s Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond is joined by Lauren Goode and Michael Calore to break down a recent story or phenomena bubbling up in Silicon Valley and explain its influence on our daily lives. And on Fridays, WIRED’s Zoë Schiffer has an urgent conversation about this week in the news.
DOGE 2.0
After Elon Musk’s departure from D.C, the future of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency seemed uncertain. But DOGE’s work continues unabated — its influence spreading farther and deeper into federal…
You Asked, We Answered: All of Your AI Angst
This week, Lauren dives into the show’s inbox to answer listeners’ questions. With the help of WIRED’s Kate Knibbs and Paresh Dave, we look into a range of queries — from…
The 911 Calls Inside ICE Detention Centers
Leah Feiger speaks with WIRED’s Dhruv Mehrotra about an exclusive WIRED investigation into how serious medical incidents are increasing at some of the country’s largest immigration detention centers.
In Sam Altman We Trust? (rerun)
Sam Altman is the king of generative artificial intelligence. But is he the person we should trust to guide our explorations into AI? This week, we do a deep dive on…
A Former DOGE Staffer Speaks Out
Zoë Schiffer is joined by WIRED’s Vittoria Elliott to discuss her conversation with Sahil Lavingia. Lavingia worked at Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, within the Department of Veteran Affairs,…
Disney Just Threw a Punch in a Major AI Fight
Disney and Universal recently filed suit against Midjourney, an AI image generation startup, alleging the company has become a “bottomless pit of plagiarism,” and that it freely reproduces the studio's copyrighted…
Seriously, What Is 'Superintelligence'?
Meta just announced a major move in its AI efforts – investing in Scale AI and building a superintelligence AI research lab. While Meta has been trying to keep up with…
The Chatbot Disinfo Inflaming the L.A. Protests
In recent days, Los Angeles residents have taken to the streets to protest the Trump administration’s immigration policies and the increasingly frequent ICE raids. WIRED’s Senior Politics Editor Leah Feiger joins…
Unpacking AI Agents
In the past six months, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and others have released web-browsing agents that are designed to complete tasks independently, with only minimal input from humans. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman…
One, Big, Beautiful Breakup
WIRED's Senior Politics Editor Leah Feiger joins Zoë Schiffer, WIRED's Director of Business & Industry to discuss the ongoing fallout between President Trump and Elon Musk, and the future of DOGE.
Why Silicon Valley Needs Immigration
Expanded deportations, a virtually shutdown asylum process, increased scrutiny of H1-B visa applicants—immigration policy has been overhauled under the latest Trump administration. And, just last week the Trump administration said it…
Let's Talk About ChatGPT and Cheating In The Classroom
What constitutes cheating at school in today’s world of AI?
Why 3D Printing an Untraceable ‘Ghost Gun’ is Easier Than Ever
WIRED’s Senior Writer, Andy Greenberg, has been reporting on ghost guns for years. He first used a 3D printer to assemble a gun more than a decade ago, and says that…
Is Elon Musk Really Stepping Back from DOGE?
What Has Elon Musk actually done during his time in DOGE?
The Hottest Topic At This Year's Pornhub Awards? Censorship
Pornhub is currently not available in more than a third of US States, due to new age verification laws. And just last week, two Republican senators introduced a bill which could…
Trump, Cryptocurrency, and the Real Winners and Losers
Is Trump Selling Access To the Administration In Exchange for Cryptocoins?
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…
The Dangerous Decline in Vaccination Rates
Measles Are On the Rise—And It's Terrifying
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…
Protecting Your Phone—and Your Privacy—at the US Border
How To Prepare for Travel to and from the United States
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…
How Americans Are Surveilled During Protests
What you need to know about surveillance technology and protests
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,…
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…
Why the Market Is Going Crazy This Week
WIRED’s Louise Matsakis joins Zoë Schiffer, WIRED’s Director of Business & Industry, to talk about this week’s market madness and why the US probably won’t have armies of people screwing in…
Is Silicon Valley Actually Libertarian? (Re-Run)
It's long been believed that Silicon Valley is a hotbed for libertarian ideals, but where did that idea come from? Aside from some high-profile tech founders and investors who either identify…
Good Quests, Christianity & Caviar Bumps
Will Religion Save Silicon Valley?
Who's Elon Musk’s Biggest Fan? His Mom
What You Need to Know About Maye Musk
DOGE is Doing the Opposite of Government Auditing
WIRED’s Vittoria Elliot joins Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond to discuss what real government auditors think of DOGE’s work, and what happened during DOGE’s first six weeks.
What's Lost When the Human Drivers Are Gone?
A Future Where Driverless Cars Are Mainstream
Why Elon Musk Has Wanted the Government Shutdown
WIRED Senior Editor Leah Feiger joins Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond to discuss some breaking news about why Elon Musk would want a government shutdown. Plus, WIRED’s Emily Mullin joins for…
