David Webster is the head of UX at Google Labs, the company’s experimental AI division. When he stepped into the role in 2022, the tech world was scrambling to respond to the rise of ChatGPT — and Google Labs was no exception. Since then, the team has launched several high-profile projects, including the viral NotebookLM. Webster joins Oz to share his philosophy on human-centered design and how it shapes Google’s AI experiments.

David Webster is the head of UX at Google Labs, the company&rsquo;s experimental AI division. When he stepped into the role in 2022, the tech world was scrambling to respond to the rise of ChatGPT &mdash; and Google Labs was no exception. Since then, the team has launched several high-profile projects, including the viral NotebookLM. Webster joins Oz to share his philosophy on human-centered design and how it shapes Google&rsquo;s AI experiments.

Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley’s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once.

Each week, Oz Woloshyn and the brightest minds covering tech dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning.

Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone’s Googling: whether AI will replace us, how social media is affecting our kids, and what it all says about us.

Get in touch here: techstuffpodcast@gmail.com

Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley&rsquo;s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once.
Each week, Oz Woloshyn and the brightest minds covering tech dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning.
Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone&rsquo;s Googling: whether AI will replace us, how social media is affecting our kids, and what it all says about us.
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

Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley’s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once.

Each week, Oz Woloshyn and the brightest minds covering tech dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning.

Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone’s Googling: whether AI will replace us, how social media is affecting our kids, and what it all says about us.

Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley&rsquo;s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once.
Each week, Oz Woloshyn and the brightest minds covering tech dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning.
Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone&rsquo;s Googling: whether AI will replace us, how social media is affecting our kids, and what it all says about us.

The Story: User-Centered AI at Google w/ David Webster

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d84e8a3f-91dc-472c-9beb-b31c002e70d2/transcript

OpenAI dominated this week's headlines — and it wasn’t all flattering. Reed Albergotti (Semafor) breaks down the chaos: IPO drama and Ronan Farrow's probing New Yorker profile of Sam Altman paint a picture of a company under pressure, even as it remains the most talked-about name in AI. Taylor Lorenz (User Mag) tells us about the AI tools marketed to schools as safety solutions that end up tracking students in ways with real consequences for kids and adults alike. And Kyle Chayka (The New Yorker) reviews the new book, Techno-Negative, tracing the long, often misunderstood history of anti-technology movements. Spoiler: it goes way deeper than the Luddites.

Additional Reading: 
Leap of Faith | Semafor
Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted? | The New Yorker
OpenAI CEO and CFO Diverge on IPO Timing | The Information
They're Putting AI on School Buses | User Mag
The Age-Old Urge to Destroy Technology | The New Yorker 

Download SAILY in your app store and use our code techstuff  at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to https://saily.com/techstuff

OpenAI dominated this week's headlines &mdash; and it wasn&rsquo;t all flattering. Reed Albergotti (Semafor) breaks down the chaos: IPO drama and Ronan Farrow's probing New Yorker profile of Sam Altman paint a picture of a company under pressure, even as it remains the most talked-about name in AI. Taylor Lorenz (User Mag) tells us about the AI tools marketed to schools as safety solutions that end up tracking students in ways with real consequences for kids and adults alike. And Kyle Chayka (The New Yorker) reviews the new book, Techno-Negative, tracing the long, often misunderstood history of anti-technology movements. Spoiler: it goes way deeper than the Luddites.
Additional Reading:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.semafor.com/newsletter/04/08/2026/openai-goes-after-ari-emanuels-wme-in-musk-legal-drama?utm_source=newslettershare&amp;utm_medium=technology&amp;utm_campaign=FirstWord#b">Leap of Faith | Semafor</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/13/sam-altman-may-control-our-future-can-he-be-trusted">Sam Altman May Control Our Future&mdash;Can He Be Trusted? | The New Yorker</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/openai-ceo-cfo-diverge-ipo-timing">OpenAI CEO and CFO Diverge on IPO Timing | The Information</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoAvL1MoTIA">They're Putting AI on School Buses | User Mag</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/the-age-old-urge-to-destroy-technology">The Age-Old Urge to Destroy Technology | The New Yorker</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Download&nbsp;SAILY in your app store and use our code techstuff&nbsp; at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to<a href="https://saily.com/creator/?coupon=techstuff&amp;utm_source=12669&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=138&amp;aff_transaction_id=102e6208403cf45b12b357c4a30eb2&amp;aff_offer_id=138&amp;aff_id=12669"> https://saily.com/techstuff</a>

OpenAI's Sam Altman: Philosopher King Or Sociopath? - Week in Tech

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5988fee9-c0f9-4f63-b21a-b4280052d9de/transcript

TBPN started with a simple premise: what if the tech world got the ESPN treatment? Eighteen months later, it is a profitable independent media company — until last week, when OpenAI acquired it for hundreds of millions of dollars. 

Oz sits down with Emily Sundberg, author of the daily business newsletter Feed Me and frequent TBPN guest, to unpack what the deal actually means. They get into why OpenAI went shopping for a media company in the first place, what independence is really worth when a nine-figure offer lands in your inbox, and what this deal reveals about the strange new economy of attention. They also get into how Emily Sundberg built Feed Me into a thriving independent business — and why she's in no rush to follow TBPN out the door.

Additional Reading: 
You cannot compete with people who are having more fun than you. 
Processing my San Francisco trip. - by Emily Sundberg 

 

EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/techstuff Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee 

TBPN started with a simple premise: what if the tech world got the ESPN treatment? Eighteen months later, it is a profitable independent media company &mdash; until last week, when OpenAI acquired it for hundreds of millions of dollars.&nbsp;
Oz sits down with Emily Sundberg, author of the daily business newsletter Feed Me and frequent TBPN guest, to unpack what the deal actually means. They get into why OpenAI went shopping for a media company in the first place, what independence is really worth when a nine-figure offer lands in your inbox, and what this deal reveals about the strange new economy of attention. They also get into how Emily Sundberg built Feed Me into a thriving independent business &mdash; and why she's in no rush to follow TBPN out the door. Additional Reading:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.readfeedme.com/p/you-cannot-compete-with-people-who">You cannot compete with people who are having more fun than you.</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.readfeedme.com/p/processing-my-san-francisco-trip">Processing my San Francisco trip. - by Emily Sundberg</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
EXCLUSIVE&nbsp;NordVPN Deal ➼<a href="https://nordvpn.com/podcast/?coupon=techstuff&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content&amp;utm_source=aff141920&amp;utm_campaign=off1001"> https://nordvpn.com/techstuff</a> Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee&nbsp;

Sam Altman Bought A Media Company. Now What? w/ Emily Sundberg - The Story

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1ac9418f-f762-4e51-acc7-b426000628aa/transcript

This week: Iranian propaganda gets a Lego makeover — and it's going viral. Kyle Chayka (The New Yorker) tracked down the collective behind the AI-animated videos flooding your feed. Nitasha Tiku (The Washington Post) was in a documentary, The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, and the press tour feels like ChatGPT doomsday déjà vu. Reed Albergotti (Semafor) celebrates Apple’s 50th birthday, but wonders if the company is entering its Microsoft era. Plus: SpaceX files for IPO — it could be the largest in history. 

Additional Reading: 
The Team Behind a Pro-Iran, Lego-Themed Viral-Video Campaign | The New Yorker

This week: Iranian propaganda gets a Lego makeover &mdash; and it's going viral. Kyle Chayka (The New Yorker) tracked down the collective behind the AI-animated videos flooding your feed. Nitasha Tiku (The Washington Post) was in a documentary, The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, and the press tour feels like ChatGPT doomsday d&eacute;j&agrave; vu. Reed Albergotti (Semafor) celebrates Apple&rsquo;s 50th birthday, but wonders if the company is entering its Microsoft era. Plus: SpaceX files for IPO &mdash; it could be the largest in history.&nbsp;
Additional Reading:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/the-team-behind-a-pro-iran-lego-themed-viral-video-campaign">The Team Behind a Pro-Iran, Lego-Themed Viral-Video Campaign | The New Yorker</a></li>
</ul>

AI Propaganda Goes Viral - Week in Tech

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b1162b87-5a1a-4817-837d-b421002bc857/transcript

The Story: User-Centered AI at Google w/ David Webster

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