Do you know the definition of a friend? This week in tech news, workplaces may not be getting a good return on their AI investments and a new wearable goes all in on advertisements, but they are getting defaced. Then, Italy has a new AI regulation law and there’s a buzzy new “actress” in Hollywood. On Chat and Me, how one listener is personalizing AI to help his students learn Spanish.

Also, we want to hear from you: 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: 
The hottest workplace policy at startups right now: No shoes | Fortune 
AI Generated Workslop is Destroying Productivity 
I went to an anti-tech rally, where Gen Z dressed as gnomes and smashed iPhones. Here's what I learned. 
AI Startup Friend Bets On Foes With $1M NYC Subway Campaign 
$55 Billion Deal for Electronic Arts Is Biggest Buyout Ever - The New York Times
Neon, the No. 2 social app on the Apple App Store, pays users to record their phone calls and sells data to AI firms | TechCrunch
Italy enacts AI law covering privacy, oversight and child access | Reuters
AI Actress Tilly Norwood Draws Backlash From Melissa Barrera, Lukas Gage and More Hollywood Names as Creator Defends Her as a ‘New Tool’ and ‘Not a Replacement for a Human Being’  

Do you know the definition of a friend? This week in tech news, workplaces may not be getting a good return on their AI investments and a new wearable goes all in on advertisements, but they are getting defaced. Then, Italy has a new AI regulation law and there&rsquo;s a buzzy new &ldquo;actress&rdquo; in Hollywood. On Chat and Me, how one listener is personalizing AI to help his students learn Spanish. Also, we want to hear from you: 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://fortune.com/2025/09/24/the-hottest-workplace-policy-at-startups-right-now-no-shoes/">The hottest workplace policy at startups right now: No shoes | Fortune</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://hbr.org/2025/09/ai-generated-workslop-is-destroying-productivity?ab=HP-hero-featured-1&amp;utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axioslogin&amp;stream=top">AI Generated Workslop is Destroying Productivity&nbsp;</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anti-tech-rally-apple-iphone-elon-musk-tesla-luddite-movement-2025-9">I went to an anti-tech rally, where Gen Z dressed as gnomes and smashed iPhones. Here's what I learned.</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/ai-startup-friend-bets-on-foes-with-1m-nyc-subway-campaign/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email">AI Startup Friend Bets On Foes With $1M NYC Subway Campaign</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/business/dealbook/electronic-arts-buyout-jared-kushner.html">$55 Billion Deal for Electronic Arts Is Biggest Buyout Ever - The New York Times</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/24/neon-the-no-2-social-app-on-the-apple-app-store-pays-users-to-record-their-phone-calls-and-sells-data-to-ai-firms/">Neon, the No. 2 social app on the Apple App Store, pays users to record their phone calls and sells data to AI firms | TechCrunch</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/italy-enacts-ai-law-covering-privacy-oversight-child-access-2025-09-17/">Italy enacts AI law covering privacy, oversight and child access | Reuters</a></li>
<li><a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/global/ai-actress-tilly-norwood-backlash-hollywood-1236533740/">AI Actress Tilly Norwood Draws Backlash From Melissa Barrera, Lukas Gage and More Hollywood Names as Creator Defends Her as a &lsquo;New Tool&rsquo; and &lsquo;Not a Replacement for a Human Being&rsquo;</a> &nbsp;</li>
</ul>

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;

Week in Tech: Does 'Workslop' Affect Your Workplace?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/35ff4fd6-716e-4835-8215-b36b006c21c8/transcript

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