Tech in 2025: The EU vs Big Tech

Tech in 2025: The EU vs Big Tech

Author: Financial Times February 4, 2025 Duration: 33:48

The past two years have seen the EU bring in landmark legislation to curb the power of big tech companies such as Apple, Google and Meta, threatening to break up the companies that do not play by its rules on privacy and competition. But not everyone agrees with its approach. Murad Ahmed speaks to Aura Salla, former lobbyist for Meta and now an MEP in Brussels, who says EU rules will work to rein in Big Tech, and may even harm the development of Europe’s own tech industry.


Free to read:

EU reassesses tech probes into Apple, Google and Meta

Europe’s rushed attempt to set the rules for AI

What impact is the Digital Markets Act having?


This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed, and produced by Persis Love. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


From the Financial Times, FT Tech Tonic steps beyond the breathless headlines and gadget launches to explore how technology is fundamentally reshaping our lives, economies, and social structures. This isn't just a series about the latest app; it's a deep, considered examination of the forces driving the digital age and their often unintended consequences. Each episode grapples with the complex interplay between innovation and its real-world impact, drawing on the FT's global reporting expertise to provide clarity and context. You'll hear conversations that dissect the power dynamics in Silicon Valley, investigate the ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence, and explore how entrepreneurship is being redefined across different cultures. The podcast digs into the substance behind the hype, asking whether emerging technologies truly deliver on their promise to improve society or if they introduce new perils we are only beginning to understand. By weaving together threads from technology, business, and culture, the discussions offer a nuanced perspective that challenges simplistic narratives. Tune in for thoughtful analysis that connects the dots between boardroom strategies, algorithmic biases, and the everyday experiences that define our increasingly connected world.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

FT Tech Tonic
Podcast Episodes
Tech in 2025: All hail the AI revolution [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:00
Murad Ahmed interviews Reid Hoffman - billionaire founder of LinkedIn, venture capitalist, self-proclaimed AI optimist and generally speaking a big name in Silicon Valley. Hoffman discusses the enthusiasm for artificial…
Tech in 2025: Trump and the tech bros [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:08
Incoming president Donald Trump has shown he’s ready to act decisively on tech, giving a stay of execution to TikTok after the US Supreme Court upheld a ban on the social media platform. But how will he deal with the res…
Tech in 2025: Hi, I’m your AI-powered assistant [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:45
Since the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, generative AI tools have been helping us answer questions, write essays and create AI images and videos. But now, tech companies are promising AI tools that actually complete everyd…
Coming soon: How will technology shape the world in 2025? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:44
In a new season of Tech Tonic, the FT’s technology editor Murad Ahmed asks some of the big questions likely to shape the tech world in 2025, with the help of big names from the tech industry and the FT’s expert reporters…
The geopolitics of chips: Nvidia and the AI boom [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:30
Amid the artificial intelligence boom, demand for AI chips has exploded. But this push for chips also creates new challenges for countries and companies. How will countries cope with the huge amounts of energy these chip…
The geopolitics of chips: Taiwan’s ‘Silicon Shield’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:45
The global tech industry depends on Taiwan’s semiconductor chips and many believe the sector plays a key role in the island’s national security, helping stave off an invasion from mainland China. But as relations between…
The geopolitics of chips: A manufacturing miracle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:10
Semiconductors are one of the most complex and technically difficult pieces of hardware to make in the world – which is why they’ve become a flashpoint for tensions between the US and China. For years, semiconductor tech…
The geopolitics of chips: Chips in the USA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:08
The next superpower will be a tech superpower, and to be that superpower you need to have some control over the semiconductor industry which is driving the AI revolution. But almost all advanced semiconductors are made i…
Coming soon: The fight for the future of chips [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04
There's a battle going on for control of the global semiconductor industry – the chips that are in virtually every piece of electronics we use from our phones to our cars to the latest AI software. For the past half cent…
The Telegram case: Privacy vs security [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:50
What are the limits of privacy when it comes to our online lives? If authorities are investigating a crime, should they be able to access private messages sent between two individuals? In this episode of Tech Tonic, John…