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/1password Show notes at https://gog.show/739 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hdhHiOaclu0 FOLLOW UP Polymarket is cracking down on insider trading with updated rules https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/polymarket-is-cracking-down-on-insider-trading-with-updated-rules-163928655.html Judge temporarily blocks Pentagon's 'supply chain risk' designation for Anthropic https://abcnews.com/Technology/judge-temporarily-blocks-pentagons-supply-chain-risk-designation/story?id=131453267 IN THE NEWS Jury rules against Meta, orders $375 million fine in major child safety trial https://www.engadget.com/social-media/jury-rules-against-meta-orders-375-million-fine-in-major-child-safety-trial-224215209.html Jury rules against Meta and YouTube in social media addiction case https://www.engadget.com/social-media/jury-rules-against-meta-and-youtube-in-social-media-addiction-case-181344860.html Elon Musk loses big in court; X boycott perfectly legal https://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 finds https://www.engadget.com/social-media/elon-musk-misled-investors-during-his-twitter-takeover-jury-finds-232033028.html Elon Musk Will Have to Face the Music in Lawsuit Over DOGE's Government Overreach https://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-will-have-to-face-the-music-in-lawsuit-over-doges-government-overreach-2000737413 OpenAI reportedly plans to double its workforce to 8,000 employees https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-reportedly-plans-to-double-its-workforce-to-8000-employees-161028377.html Sam Altman Thanks Programmers for Their Effort, Says Their Time Is Over https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/sam-altman-thanks-programmers-over Sam Altman Confronted At Oscars Party Over Pentagon Deal https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/sam-altman-confronted-oscar-pentagon-deal R.I.P. Sora (2024-2026) https://gizmodo.com/r-i-p-sora-2024-2026-2000737664 Disney's Sora Disaster Shows AI Will Not Revolutionize Hollywood https://www.404media.co/disneys-openai-sora-disaster-shows-ai-will-not-save-hollywood/ The Tech Bubble Might Finally Be Popping https://slate.com/technology/2026/03/ai-openai-sam-altman-disney-sora-shutdown.html Elon 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.html Trump Rewards Big Tech's Biggest Bootlickers With Seats on AI Policy Board https://gizmodo.com/trump-rewards-big-techs-biggest-bootlickers-with-seats-on-ai-policy-board-2000738006 Pinterest 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.html Reddit is weighing identity verification methods to combat its bot problem https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-is-weighing-identity-verification-methods-to-combat-its-bot-problem-195814671.html APPS & DOODADS Bambu Lab A1 https://bambulab.com/en-ca/a1 Twitter turned 20 and I feel nothing https://www.engadget.com/social-media/twitter-turned-20-and-i-feel-nothing-140000602.html FCC Bans All New Routers Not Made in America https://gizmodo.com/fcc-bans-all-new-routers-not-made-in-america-2000737176 MEDIA CANDY Star Trek: Starfleet Academy https://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 This https://gizmodo.com/star-trek-starfleet-academy-cancelation-paramount-2000737569 Shrek Forever After https://www.netflix.com/title/70117295 Daredevil: Born Again S2 https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-85e7a914-c8e6-41db-95df-c740dc2cf1b7 Shrinking https://tv.apple.com/ca/show/shrinking/umc.cmc.apzybj6eqf6pzccd97kev7bs The Pitt https://www.hbomax.com/shows/pitt-2024/e6e7bad9-d48d-4434-b334-7c651ffc4bdf Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Official Teaser | HBO Max https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIu4sFKGi6E Stephen Colbert to write next ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie after leaving late night https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/25/entertainment/colbert-lord-of-the-rings-hnk Supreme Court rejects Sony's attempt to kick music pirates off the Internet https://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 percent https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/03/netflix-increases-prices-for-all-plans-by-up-to-2-per-month/ AT THE LIBRARY Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor https://amzn.to/4bvyNjN CLOSING SHOUT-OUTS A celebration of Karl Wallinger’s Life & Music https://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: 100

Grumpy Old Geeks
Podcast Episodes
722: Does a Podcaster Shit in the Woods? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:42
Seriously, after sports betting and social media finally ruined everything, we discuss why AI is still a total fraud and the easiest way to cure all disease is just to stop watching the Victoria Beckham documentary; we a…
721: Pixel Predators [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:29
The tech world is eating its own as mass layoffs hit and the "Big Short" guy bets against the AI bubble; billionaires are busy with illegal schools and trillion-dollar paydays while Meta is earning a fortune on fraudulen…
720: Sad Max Mode [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:15
Amazon fires 14,000 to “embrace AI”; Meta torches billions; Elon recalls Cybertrucks and builds Grokipedia; Microsoft wins OpenAI’s trillion-dollar lottery; Spotify’s still fascist; Grammarly rebrands, Affinity sells out…
719: Uniquely Devoid of Feeling [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:02
Corporate overlords are ushering in an "infrastructure of meaningless" with AI, automation, and tech that enables scams and creepiness; thankfully, there's still great TV (Gen V, Slow Horses, The Diplomat) to help us cop…
718: Net Unhelpful [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:06
As California tries to regulate AI companion chatbots, the inventor of "Vibe Coding" admits the practice is "net unhelpful"; Elon Musk's companies demonstrate continued disregard for rules while a crypto kingpin meets a…
717: Quantum of Nope [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:52
The Grumpy Old Geeks delve into government hypocrisy and corporate incompetence as Open AI/Nvidia/AMD are just one massive bubble of floating money; an app to track ICE agents was pulled, only for ICE to make its own sur…
716: Release the CrackerBot! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:02
The world is collapsing under the weight of AI, fake outrage, and inevitable lawsuits; all movies now have "old movie pacing"; please send money so we can keep complaining.
715: Our Wizard Lies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:42
TikTok diplomacy drags on; Amazon pays up; Palantir sells butt shorts; AI is both savior and Antichrist; YouTube flirts with misinformation rehab; Disney jacks up prices; furries ride the Metro.
714: Crossfade This [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:31
The internet continues its chaotic march with a TikTok deal looming and LimeWire buying Fyre Fest; layoffs are hitting AI companies across the board, including Google and Elon's xAI, while new age verification laws threa…
713: Ourovibeos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:37
This week on Grumpy Old Geeks, we dissect the digital dystopia where Tesla's market share tanks and Elon loses his richest-man crown; AI copyright lawsuits abound, from Anthropic's rejected settlement to Apple's alleged…