739: The Thin Black Line

739: The Thin Black Line

Author: Jason DeFillippo & Brian Schulmeister with Dave Bittner March 28, 2026 Duration: 59:02
Meta fined $375M for child safety failures. Musk lost 3 lawsuits in a week. Sam Altman compared to a Nazi. Netflix raised prices again. The Pentagon can't quit Claude. Reddit wants your face scan. Star Trek's streaming era is over. But the thin black line holds! 🎙️Sponsors:DeleteMe - Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use promo code GOG at checkout.SquareSpace - go to squarespace.com/GRUMPY for a free trial. And when you’re ready to launch, use code GRUMPY to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/739Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hdhHiOaclu0FOLLOW UPPolymarket is cracking down on insider trading with updated ruleshttps://www.engadget.com/big-tech/polymarket-is-cracking-down-on-insider-trading-with-updated-rules-163928655.htmlJudge temporarily blocks Pentagon's 'supply chain risk' designation for Anthropichttps://abcnews.com/Technology/judge-temporarily-blocks-pentagons-supply-chain-risk-designation/story?id=131453267IN THE NEWSJury rules against Meta, orders $375 million fine in major child safety trialhttps://www.engadget.com/social-media/jury-rules-against-meta-orders-375-million-fine-in-major-child-safety-trial-224215209.htmlJury rules against Meta and YouTube in social media addiction casehttps://www.engadget.com/social-media/jury-rules-against-meta-and-youtube-in-social-media-addiction-case-181344860.htmlElon Musk loses big in court; X boycott perfectly legalhttps://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/elon-musk-loses-big-in-court-x-boycott-perfectly-legal/Elon Musk misled investors during his Twitter takeover, jury findshttps://www.engadget.com/social-media/elon-musk-misled-investors-during-his-twitter-takeover-jury-finds-232033028.htmlElon Musk Will Have to Face the Music in Lawsuit Over DOGE's Government Overreachhttps://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-will-have-to-face-the-music-in-lawsuit-over-doges-government-overreach-2000737413OpenAI reportedly plans to double its workforce to 8,000 employeeshttps://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-reportedly-plans-to-double-its-workforce-to-8000-employees-161028377.htmlSam Altman Thanks Programmers for Their Effort, Says Their Time Is Overhttps://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/sam-altman-thanks-programmers-overSam Altman Confronted At Oscars Party Over Pentagon Dealhttps://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/sam-altman-confronted-oscar-pentagon-dealR.I.P. Sora (2024-2026)https://gizmodo.com/r-i-p-sora-2024-2026-2000737664Disney's Sora Disaster Shows AI Will Not Revolutionize Hollywoodhttps://www.404media.co/disneys-openai-sora-disaster-shows-ai-will-not-save-hollywood/The Tech Bubble Might Finally Be Poppinghttps://slate.com/technology/2026/03/ai-openai-sam-altman-disney-sora-shutdown.htmlElon Musk announces Terafab project he claims will be the 'largest chip manufacturing facility ever'https://www.engadget.com/science/elon-musk-announces-terafab-project-he-claims-will-be-the-largest-chip-manufacturing-facility-ever-171718545.htmlTrump Rewards Big Tech's Biggest Bootlickers With Seats on AI Policy Boardhttps://gizmodo.com/trump-rewards-big-techs-biggest-bootlickers-with-seats-on-ai-policy-board-2000738006Pinterest CEO says teens under 16 should be banned from social media (but not Pinterest)https://www.engadget.com/social-media/pinterest-ceo-says-teens-under-16-should-be-banned-from-social-media-but-not-pinterest-211630443.htmlReddit is weighing identity verification methods to combat its bot problemhttps://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-is-weighing-identity-verification-methods-to-combat-its-bot-problem-195814671.htmlAPPS & DOODADSBambu Lab A1https://bambulab.com/en-ca/a1Twitter turned 20 and I feel nothinghttps://www.engadget.com/social-media/twitter-turned-20-and-i-feel-nothing-140000602.htmlFCC Bans All New Routers Not Made in Americahttps://gizmodo.com/fcc-bans-all-new-routers-not-made-in-america-2000737176MEDIA CANDYStar Trek: Starfleet Academyhttps://www.paramountplus.com/shows/star-trek-starfleet-academy/‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ to End With Season 2 (EXCLUSIVE)https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/star-trek-starfleet-academy-canceled-season-2-1236696816/'Starfleet Academy' Deserved Better Than Thishttps://gizmodo.com/star-trek-starfleet-academy-cancelation-paramount-2000737569Shrek Forever Afterhttps://www.netflix.com/title/70117295Daredevil: Born Again S2https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-85e7a914-c8e6-41db-95df-c740dc2cf1b7Shrinkinghttps://tv.apple.com/ca/show/shrinking/umc.cmc.apzybj6eqf6pzccd97kev7bsThe Pitthttps://www.hbomax.com/shows/pitt-2024/e6e7bad9-d48d-4434-b334-7c651ffc4bdfHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Official Teaser | HBO Maxhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIu4sFKGi6EStephen Colbert to write next ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie after leaving late nighthttps://www.cnn.com/2026/03/25/entertainment/colbert-lord-of-the-rings-hnkSupreme Court rejects Sony's attempt to kick music pirates off the Internethttps://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/03/supreme-court-rejects-sonys-attempt-to-kick-music-pirates-off-the-internet/Netflix raises prices for every subscription tier by up to 12.5 percenthttps://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/netflix-increases-prices-for-all-plans-by-up-to-2-per-month/AT THE LIBRARYBreath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestorhttps://amzn.to/4bvyNjNCLOSING SHOUT-OUTSA celebration of Karl Wallinger’s Life & Musichttps://www.worldparty.net/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There’s a certain flavor of chaos that defines the technology industry each week, and Grumpy Old Geeks serves as your brutally honest guide through the wreckage. Hosted by Jason DeFillippo, Brian Schulmeister, and Dave Bittner, this isn't a polite roundtable discussion. Instead, it feels like grabbing a drink with friends who have seen it all and have absolutely no patience left for corporate spin or broken promises. They pick apart the biggest tech news stories with a seasoned, cynical eye, always asking the messy questions about what actually went wrong and who should be held accountable. Listening to this podcast is like getting the unfiltered post-mortem from veterans who remember when the internet felt different. The tone is sharp, often funny, and deliberately irreverent-picture a conversation that’s equal parts informed critique and cathartic venting about the state of digital life. You’ll hear them dissect the moves of figures like Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg not as distant celebrities, but as players in a ongoing saga of power and missteps. It’s a weekly ritual for anyone who loves technology but is deeply frustrated by the direction it often takes, offering analysis that’s as informed as it is impatient. If you’re tired of sanitized tech commentary and want a take that pulls no punches, this is the place.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Grumpy Old Geeks
Podcast Episodes
754: Frankly Asinine Questions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:56
AI keeps getting weirder, Meta keeps getting creepier, Waymos keep getting stuck, and somehow Gen X turned out to be America's critical infrastructure. It's another week in tech dystopia, and the Grumpy Old Geeks have th…
753: No-Talent AI Clowns [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:04
The AI revolution keeps delivering exactly the future nobody asked for. AI-powered hackers, Ford rehiring the engineers it tried to replace, Tesla settling another FSD lawsuit, robot strikes, satellite overload, Oracle w…
752: Grandma Got Run Over By a Tesla [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:18
AI companies are learning that rented platforms, runaway costs, and public backlash have consequences; Meta keeps proving surveillance is a product strategy; self-driving vehicles remain aggressively self-driving; billio…
751: Brewster’s Trillions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:26
AI keeps embarrassing its biggest boosters; CEOs are learning to hide their automation fantasies; platform dependency remains a terrible business strategy; governments and corporations continue finding new ways to concen…
750: Douchebag Ping Pong [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:36
OpenAI wants Wall Street money; Anthropic wants everyone to slow down; Elon wants AI servers in space; crypto grifters want pardons; Meta wants your face; Apple accidentally made a good app; and somehow the lawyers were…
749: Surge Bananas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:10
AI companies get sued, tracked, hacked, funded, and IPO'd; governments keep trying to ban kids from screens; Tesla rewrites history while BYD bets money on the future; and somehow the safest place this week is watching s…
748: Space Bone [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:52
Self-driving cars drown themselves; AI keeps getting dumber while executives keep firing humans anyway; surveillance capitalism mutates into full sci-fi horror; Jony Ive redesigns Ferrari into an Apple Store accessory; a…
747: Why We Sigh [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:52
Social media panic; AI backlash; Musk chaos; robotaxi disasters; crypto collapse; fake-content infestations; Star Wars exhaustion; surveillance capitalism and Gen-Xers desperately trying to back up their hard drives befo…
746: Reality is Frequently Inaccurate [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:40
Merch plugs; billionaire AI stupidity; methane-powered robot futures; scammy crypto ghosts; flood-seeking robotaxis; AI morality fanfic; poop surveillance capitalism; Wordle becoming network television; Spotify tracking…
745: Unwanted Senior Discount [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:24
Amnesty warns people about visiting America for the World Cup; AI continues speedrunning societal collapse through podcasts, surveillance, fake therapists, layoffs, and murder-planning chatbots; GameStop tries to buy eBa…