This week, we’re all in. Oz chats with Kit Chellel, a Bloomberg writer who focuses on gambling, technology, and sports betting. He wrote an article about a secret Russian bot farm that infiltrated the world of online poker in the early 2000s.  We follow Kit from Siberia to Armenia, and get a peek into just how bots can make or break the future of online poker.

This week, we&rsquo;re all in. Oz chats with Kit Chellel, a Bloomberg writer who focuses on gambling, technology, and sports betting. He wrote an article about a secret Russian bot farm that infiltrated the world of online poker in the early 2000s.&nbsp; We follow Kit from Siberia to Armenia, and get a peek into just how bots can make or break the future of online poker.

TechStuff is getting a system update. Everything you love about Tech Stuff now twice the bandwidth with new hosts, Oz Woloshyn (Sleepwalkers) and Karah Preiss (Sleepwalkers). 

Oz and Karah bring humour and wit to the table as they break down what's happening in tech...and what it says about us. 

TechStuff is the podcast where technology meets culture. 

We speak to the folks building the future to understand what tomorrow will look like and how our technology is changing us: how we live, how we love, how we work and even how we die. With a healthy dose of drama, too, as tech titans clash over their interstellar ambitions. 

Get in touch here: techstuffpodcast@gmail.com

TechStuff is getting a system update. Everything you love about Tech Stuff now twice the bandwidth with new hosts, Oz Woloshyn (Sleepwalkers) and Karah Preiss (Sleepwalkers).&nbsp;
Oz and Karah bring humour and wit to the table as they break down what's happening in tech...and what it says about us.&nbsp;
TechStuff is the podcast where technology meets culture.&nbsp;
We speak to the folks building the future to understand what tomorrow will look like and how our technology is changing us: how we live, how we love, how we work and even how we die. With a healthy dose of drama, too, as tech titans clash over their interstellar ambitions.&nbsp;
Get in touch here:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:techstuffpodcast@gmail.com" data-stringify-link="mailto:techstuffpodcast@gmail.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-haspopup="menu">techstuffpodcast@gmail.com</a>

TechStuff

TechStuff is getting a system update. Everything you love about TechStuff now twice the bandwidth with new hosts, Oz Woloshyn (Sleepwalkers) and Karah Preiss (Sleepwalkers) 

Oz and Karah bring humour and wit to the table as they break down what's happening in tech...and what it says about us. 

TechStuff is the podcast where technology meets culture. 

We speak to the folks building the future to understand what tomorrow will look like and how our technology is changing us: how we live, how we love, how we work and even how we die. With a healthy dose of drama, too, as tech titans clash over their interstellar ambitions. 

 

TechStuff is getting a system update. Everything you love about TechStuff now twice the bandwidth with new hosts, Oz Woloshyn (Sleepwalkers) and Karah Preiss (Sleepwalkers)&nbsp;
Oz and Karah bring humour and wit to the table as they break down what's happening in tech...and what it says about us.&nbsp;
TechStuff is the podcast where technology meets culture.&nbsp;
We speak to the folks building the future to understand what tomorrow will look like and how our technology is changing us: how we live, how we love, how we work and even how we die. With a healthy dose of drama, too, as tech titans clash over their interstellar ambitions.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

The Story: Russian Bots vs American Gamblers

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/be7f7b35-56ac-474c-89a7-b353016c7f3d/transcript

Is unplugging from your phone the ultimate luxury? This week, Oz introduces us to the businesses that specialize in “dimming the sun” and Karah introduces us to “LinkedIn Face.” Polymarket’s bets lead to disinformation about Russia’s war with Ukraine. 23andMe reveals secret families — and secret inheritances. And Oz and Karah almost cry over the latest invention from Japan: a human washing machine. Finally, we celebrate ChatGPT’s 3rd birthday (and possible decline) with Axios technology reporter, Megan Morrone. 

If you’ve used a chatbot in an unusual or surprising way, send us a 1–2 minute voice note at techstuffpodcast@gmail.com.

Additional Reading: 
Being hot is now a job requirement - Business Insider 
Climate Geoengineering: Dimming the Sun Is a Terrifying New Industry COP30 - Bloomberg  
What Really Happened in the Storm Clouds Over Dubai? - Bloomberg 
How Unplugging Became Luxury’s Most Valuable Currency - Vogue Business
'Unauthorized' Edit to Ukraine's Frontline Maps Point to Polymarket's War Betting - 404 Media 
Japan Launches Human Washing Machine For Public Use After Expo Success -NDTV
They Found Relatives on 23andMe and Asked For A Cut of the Inheritance - WSJ

Is unplugging from your phone the ultimate luxury? This week, Oz introduces us to the businesses that specialize in &ldquo;dimming the sun&rdquo; and Karah introduces us to &ldquo;LinkedIn Face.&rdquo; Polymarket&rsquo;s bets lead to disinformation about Russia&rsquo;s war with Ukraine. 23andMe reveals secret families &mdash; and secret inheritances. And Oz and Karah almost cry over the latest invention from Japan: a human washing machine. Finally, we celebrate ChatGPT&rsquo;s 3rd birthday (and possible decline) with Axios technology reporter, Megan Morrone.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;ve used a chatbot in an unusual or surprising way, send us a 1&ndash;2 minute voice note at <a href="mailto:techstuffpodcast@gmail.com">techstuffpodcast@gmail.com</a>.
Additional Reading:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/getting-hot-job-requirement-ozempic-botox-looksmaxxing-2025-11">Being hot is now a job requirement - Business Insider</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-11-20/climate-geoengineering-dimming-the-sun-is-a-terrifying-new-industry-cop30">Climate Geoengineering: Dimming the Sun Is a Terrifying New Industry COP30 - Bloomberg</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2025-dubai-storm-floods-cloud-seeding-geoengineering/">What Really Happened in the Storm Clouds Over Dubai? - Bloomberg</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/how-unplugging-became-luxurys-most-valuable-currency?_sp=7eaa5855-aa4a-4c41-a149-4b1e2b869e27.1764617395808">How Unplugging Became Luxury&rsquo;s Most Valuable Currency - Vogue Business</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.404media.co/unauthorized-edit-to-ukraines-frontline-maps-point-to-polymarkets-war-betting/">'Unauthorized' Edit to Ukraine's Frontline Maps Point to Polymarket's War Betting - 404 Media</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/japan-launches-human-washing-machine-for-public-use-after-expo-success-9721446/amp/1?utm_source=join1440&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_placement=newsletter&amp;user_id=66c4c251600ae150758f3b88">Japan Launches Human Washing Machine For Public Use After Expo Success -NDTV</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/they-found-relatives-on-23andmeand-asked-for-a-cut-of-the-inheritance-251e5f4c?st=G62Ejw&amp;reflink=article_copyURL_share">They Found Relatives on 23andMe and Asked For A Cut of the Inheritance - WSJ</a></li>
</ul>

Week in Tech: Should Tech Bros Dim the Sun?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/cabd8f62-05c6-4d94-a62a-b3aa00356e8c/transcript

Can you run a billion dollar company with only one human employee? Journalist Evan Ratliff, along with technical advisor Maty Bohacek, join Oz to answer this question. Evan is host of the hit podcast Shell Game. In Season 1, he used AI agents to imitate his voice, which he sent out into the world to interact with customer service agents, scammers, and his own family and friends. This season, Evan co-founds a company… and employs five AI agents to keep it running. How effective are the agents at doing their jobs? And why do they love hiking so much?

Can you run a billion dollar company with only one human employee? Journalist Evan Ratliff, along with technical advisor Maty Bohacek, join Oz to answer this question. Evan is host of the hit podcast Shell Game. In Season 1, he used AI agents to imitate his voice, which he sent out into the world to interact with customer service agents, scammers, and his own family and friends. This season, Evan co-founds a company&hellip; and employs five AI agents to keep it running. How effective are the agents at doing their jobs? And why do they love hiking so much?

The Story: Will AI Agents Build a Unicorn? 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9d3789f6-3736-4504-a169-b3a80054f64d/transcript

This is the first episode of the second season of Shell Game. Journalist Evan Ratliff tells a story of entrepreneurship in the AI age; or, how he tried to build a real company, run by fake people.

Meet Kyle Law and Megan Flores, Evan’s AI agent cofounders, as he puts to the test the claims about an emerging future in which AI employees work alongside — or instead of — humans.

Over the course of the season, the three cofounders will grind it out in a sprint that would sound familiar to any start-up founder. They’ll churn out software code, hire interns, and even sit down with investors. But first, they need to come up with a name for their company. And make sure that Kyle and Megan can remember it.

This is the first episode of the second season of Shell Game. Journalist Evan Ratliff tells a story of entrepreneurship in the AI age; or, how he tried to build a real company, run by fake people.
Meet Kyle Law and Megan Flores, Evan&rsquo;s AI agent cofounders, as he puts to the test the claims about an emerging future in which AI employees work alongside &mdash; or instead of &mdash; humans.
Over the course of the season, the three cofounders will grind it out in a sprint that would sound familiar to any start-up founder. They&rsquo;ll churn out software code, hire interns, and even sit down with investors. But first, they need to come up with a name for their company. And make sure that Kyle and Megan can remember it.

Shell Game: Minimum Viable Company

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a0cda094-ef1c-4cfe-a0bc-b3a1006618cc/transcript

The Story: Russian Bots vs American Gamblers

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