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! šŸŽ™ļø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/ā€˜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 ā€˜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
733: Predator Friendly Hunting Ground [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:14
The tech world is currently a "nuclear war" over trademarks and alien catapult rants while AI safety researchers flee their posts; Meta and Discord are locked in a cycle of predator-friendly lawsuits and government ID br…
732: We’re Not In the Files! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:06
In this week’s FOLLOW UP, Bitcoin is down 15%, miners are unplugging rigs because paying eighty-seven grand to mine a sixty-grand coin finally failed the vibes check, and Grok is still digitally undressing men—suggesting…
731: I Want My 13 Trillion Dollars! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:24
EU vs. Grok, Tesla kills the S/X, mass tech layoffs, Waymo in trouble, South Korea’s AI mess, and record labels suing for $13T. Then: Super Bowl 60, Ted Lasso, Highlander, AirTag 2, new Muppets but no Animal Crackers. Bu…
730: Ethical Broads [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:31
California tells Grok to stop making deepfake minors, Musk’s Memphis methane datacenter gets busted, the FTC keeps trying to break up Meta & every government on Earth demands your ID before you’re allowed to have fun onl…
729: Alright Alright Alrightā„¢ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:25
Grok gets blocked by world governments as the US Senate tries to stop the deepfake deluge; Meta abandons the Metaverse for AI hardware and high-powered political hires while Bandcamp bans AI slop; Apple and Tesla move mo…
728: No Face to Shoot [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:06
A year after the LA fires, we spiral into AI surveillance & protest safety to Meta ads, Disney spying, Grok’s legal black hole, robotaxis at dusk & Tim Cook’s $74M payday. Toss in MTV nostalgia, holiday gadgets & tech su…
727: Merry Slopmas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:17
Hallucinating AI recaps, Tesla’s Autopilot under legal fire, TikTok’s shell game, Reddit fights age bans, iRobot sucks up Chpater 11 and ā€œslopā€ crowned Word of the Year. Add orbital junk, fake books & Gen-X sideeye - it’…
726: Sycophantic and Delusional [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:31
Job Hugging is here, OpenAI’s in damage control mode, the AI bubble is overheating the grid, Instagram pricing games, Waymo gives birth and Uber is selling your data. Also: Disney’s AI dreams, EU smackdowns, and Jason wi…
725: The Mistake Machine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:02
Spotify Wrapped thinks we’re 82, Palantir thinks war crimes are bad for business, and Google’s AI is wiping hard drives. Netflix buys Batman, Fallout S2, ROMCON, Knives Out, scientists invent the blackest fabric ever and…
724: Sam Altman’s Boutique [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:57
The DOGE is dead, Apple and HP are blaming AI for layoffs, teens are lonely (talking to bots!), greedy tech bros are pouring millions into fighting state AI regulations. Welcome to the tech industry, where nothing is a s…