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S4:E1 - Platforms as Utilities, Archiving Yahoo Answers, and Companies Rescinding Accepted Offers Apr 15, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we talk about companies rescinding job offers after they have been accepted. Then we speak with Nikolas Guggenberger, executive director of the Yale Information Society Project, about Justice Clarence Thomas arguing for categorizing some digital platforms as utilities and why this is a huge deal for the tech world. Finally, we chat with Jason Scott, co-founder of Archive Team, about their efforts to archive Yahoo Answers which is shutting down after 16 years.

Show Notes

DevDiscuss (sponsor)
CodeNewbie (sponsor)
Avalanche (sponsor)
Blind: Rescind
Justice Clarence Thomas' Argument For Regulating Some Digital Platforms As Utilities
Yahoo Answers to shut down May 4, 2021
Archive Team
ArchiveTeam Warrior

Nikolas Guggenberger

Nikolas Guggenberger is the executive director of the Yale Information Society Project and a Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School. His research focuses on the intersection of law and technology, specifically platform regulation, antitrust, and privacy.

Jason Scott

Jason Scott is the co-founder of Archive Team who speaks passionately on the never-ending and critical saving of online history. He has been a video game art director, unix administrator, documentary filmmaker and public raconteur.

S3:E8 - Microsoft Mesh, Accusations of Sexism and Racism at Mailchimp, France’s ‘Repairability Index,’ and Framework’s Modular Laptop Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we talk about Microsoft Mesh, France’s ‘repairability index,’ and Framework’s 13.5 inch modular laptop and are then joined by Kerry Sheehan, US Policy Lead at iFixit, and Kevin Purdy, technology journalist at iFixit, the gadget teardown and repair guide site, whose CEO was consulted by the French government about the repairability index. Then we talk about a damning report from The Verge about rampant sexism and racism at Mailchimp, and are then joined by Jaime-Alexis Fowler, founder and executive director of Empower Work, a non-profit that connects you to professionals to help you handle workplace challenges.

Show Notes

Kerry Sheehan

Kerry Maeve Sheehan is the U.S. Policy Lead at iFixit, where she advocates for Right to Repair at the state and federal levels. She’s a graduate of Boston University School of Law and comes to iFixit from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Public Knowledge, where she worked extensively on issues in intellectual property law and technology policy. She’s written on legal issues in technology for EFF’s Deeplinks blog, Slate, and The Hill.

Kevin Purdy

Kevin Purdy is a writer for iFixit. He previously wrote for Wirecutter, a New York Times publication, Lifehacker, and other sites.

Jaime-Alexis Fowler

Jaime-Alexis Fowler is the founder and executive director of Empower Work, a national nonprofit on a mission to build healthy, equitable workplaces. Empower Work provides the first free, confidential crisis text line for work issues. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, NPR, TechCrunch, Slate, Fast Company, and Forbes.

S3:E7 - Google’s Termination of Dr. Mitchell, Clubhouse Security, Australia’s News Publisher Law, and Low-Code Tools Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we talk about the termination of Dr. Margaret Mitchell, founder and lead of the Google Ethical AI team, Australia’s law requiring Google and Facebook to pay news publishers, and concerns over Clubhouse security. Then we are joined by Rahat Chowdhury, co-founder of Whimser, to chat about the large funding rounds low-code platforms have been receiving, what this means for developers, and where these tools might fit in our own development.

Show Notes

Rahat Chowdhury

Rahat is a second career developer who comes from a background in customer support management. He is a mental health advocate, entrepreneur, and teacher who enjoys spending his free time mentoring new developers.

S3:E6 - CD Projekt Red Hack, a Florida Water Supply Hack, and a Major ‘Dependency Confusion’ Hack Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we talk about engineers unionizing with other workers at Medium, Epic’s MetaHuman Creator, a hacker who broke into a water system in Florida, and a security researcher who breached over 35 big tech companies leveraging something called dependency confusion. Then we are joined by Pierre Leclerc, co-founder of 6 Eyes Studio, and game developer of the tactical RPG, Fell Seal, to chat about the recent hack of the game studio CD Projekt Red, and what one can realistically do with stolen video game source code.

Show Notes

Pierre Leclerc

Pierre Leclerc is co-founder of 6 Eyes Studio, and game developer of the tactical RPG, Fell Seal.

S3:E5 - Developers' Place Within Clubhouse, Margaret Mitchell’s letter to Google, Apple’s App Tracking Transparency, and Tracking Capitol Rioters Feb 11, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we talk about Google AI Researcher Margaret Mitchell’s letter to the company about the firing of former AI Researcher, Timnit Gebru, Apple’s App Tracking Transparency, and smartphone data that was given to The New York Times that was used to track Capitol rioters. Then we chat with Casey Lau, co-host of RISE, one of the Web Summit conferences, and host of the RISE Offstage podcast, to talk about how Clubhouse will impact the future of tech conferences, and what developers' place is within the Clubhouse ecosystem.

Show Notes

DevDiscuss (sponsor)
CodeNewbie (sponsor)
Avalanche (sponsor)
On the Firing of Dr. Timnit Gebru
They Stormed the Capitol. Their Apps Tracked Them.
AppTrackingTransparency requirement update
How will Clubhouse impact the future of tech conferences?
RISE

Casey Lau

Casey Lau is co-host of RISE, one of the Web Summit conferences, and host of the RISE Offstage podcast.

S3:E4 - Jeff Bezos Stepping Down, Independent COVID Vaccine Systems, Ford’s Android Integration, and Tech Pricing Models Feb 04, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we talk about Jeff Bezos transitioning from CEO of Amazon to executive chair of the Amazon board, Ford’s future Android integration, and what kinds of pricing models work for different tech products. Then we chat with Cameron Yick, software engineer at Datadog, and one of the creators of the NYC Vaccine List, a website with the aim of helping people find a COVID-19 vaccine in and around NYC.

Show Notes

Cameron Yick

Cameron is an engineer at Datadog and co-organizer of the NYC Data Visualization Meetup. He is also one of the creators of the NYC Vaccine List He writes and speaks about making public data useful, visual tools for thought, and creating conditions for Serendipity.

S3:E3 - Elasticsearch License Change, Alpha Global Union, A Cookie-tracking Alternative, and White House Website Accessibility Features Jan 28, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we talk about International Google workers unionizing, a potentially more privacy-friendly alternative to Cookie tracking, and new web accessibility features on the White House website. Then we chat with Jacob Rogers, Senior Legal Manager at the Wikimedia Foundation, about what we need to know about upcoming licensing changes to Elasticsearch and Kibana.

Show Notes

Jacob Rogers

Jacob Rogers is senior legal counsel at the Wikimedia Foundation.

S3:E2 - GitHub’s Firing Backlash, Alphabet Workers Union, Mobile Data Security, and WebExtensions API Jan 21, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we talk about Apple’s WebExtensions API, and GitHub’s firing of a Jewish worker for using the word Nazi in reference to some of the rioters who attacked the US Capitol building on January 6th. Then we chat with Alex Gorowara, senior software engineer at Google, and spokesperson for the Alphabet Workers Union, to talk about the hundreds of Alphabet workers who have chosen to unionize and their mission. Finally, we speak with Max Zinkus and Tushar Jois, Doctoral Students in Applied Cryptography and Security at Johns Hopkins University, whose recent research found major weaknesses in both iOS and Android security mechanisms.

Show Notes

Alex Gorowara

Alex Gorowara is a Senior Software Engineer who has worked in Google Travel Engineering Productivity since finishing undergrad at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2015. In non-pandemic times, he enjoys LARP and choir singing.

Max Zinkus

Max Zinkus is a doctoral student in Computer Science under Matt Green at Johns Hopkins University. Max’s research explores novel ways to use cryptography to improve the privacy and security of computer systems we rely on every day.

Tushar Jois

Tushar Jois is a doctoral student studying computer science under his advisor, Avi Rubin, at Johns Hopkins. Tushar's research focuses on security and privacy for personal devices: protecting users and their everyday data from prying eyes.

S3:E1 - Trump De-platformed, Parler Dropped, an ANTIFA Conspiracy, and Virtual CES Jan 13, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we talk about the mass indefinite ban of Trump on social media platforms, and AWS and the Google and Apple App Stores dropping Parler in the aftermath of the US Capitol’s siege by Trump supporters. Then we chat with Dave Gershgorn, senior writer at OneZero at Medium, who covers AI and its effects on society, about the conspiracy theory that antifa were embedded in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol building. Finally, we speak with Monica Chin, writer at the Verge, about this year’s virtual Consumer Electronics Show.

Show Notes

Dave Gershgorn

Dave Gershgorn is a senior writer for OneZero, a technology publication from Medium. He covers artificial intelligence and surveillance.

Monica Chin

Monica Chin is a writer for The Verge covering computers. Previously, she has covered consumer tech for Mashable, Tom's Guide, and Business Insider.

S2:E8 - Major Governmental Hack, Ruby 3.0, Oblivious DNS, and Facebook Antitrust Lawsuits Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, we about federal and state antitrust lawsuits against Facebook, and a new DNS technique backed by Apple, Cloudflare, and Fastly called Oblivious DNS. Then we speak with Hector Monsegur, security researcher and former blackhat hacker, about a major hack against multiple government agencies. Then we chat with Penelope Phippen, tech lead at Stripe, and a Director at Ruby Central, about the release of Ruby 3.0.

Show Notes

Hector X. Monsegur

Hector X. Monsegur is director of research at Alacrinet and a former black hat hacker.

Penelope Phippen

Penelope Phippen (she/her) is a multifaceted Rubyist who works as a Director at Ruby Central, is the creator of Rubyfmt, and was formerly a lead maintainer of the RSpec project. She frequently writes and speaks about about complex aspects of the Ruby grammar, and issues of social justice for trans people in computer science. She's sad that she can't hug every cat.

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Show Notes

Nikolas Guggenberger

Jason Scott

Show Notes

Kerry Sheehan

Kevin Purdy

Jaime-Alexis Fowler

Show Notes

Rahat Chowdhury

Show Notes

Pierre Leclerc

Show Notes

Casey Lau

Show Notes

Cameron Yick

Show Notes

Jacob Rogers

Show Notes

Alex Gorowara

Max Zinkus

Tushar Jois

Show Notes

Dave Gershgorn

Monica Chin

Show Notes

Hector X. Monsegur

Penelope Phippen

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