WSJ Tech News Briefing

Boeing’s Starliner is set to take NASA astronauts to the International Space Station this week. It’s the spacecraft’s first crewed mission, and a major test for Boeing’s much-delayed project. WSJ reporter Micah Maidenberg tells host Alex Ossola what it took to get here. Plus, in an effort to increase her ability to focus, WSJ tech reporter Katherine Bindley gave up apps like Instagram and dating apps, and even TV. She talks about how these habits affected her.  Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter [https://www.wsj.com/newsletters/technology?mod=WSJ_TNBPOD]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

In October 2021, Facebook announced it was changing its name to Meta. For a company that had built its business on social media, it was a gamble to seemingly pivot to a future version of the internet that didn’t yet exist and wasn’t well understood. On this first episode of our special series on the metaverse, host Alex Ossola takes you back to the vision that CEO Mark Zuckerberg laid out for the metaverse, what was going on at the company at the time of the name change and how people reacted both inside and outside the company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Plus: Apple stock rallies the day after the company reported earnings. And shares of Coinbase fall. Alex Ossola hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

EV maker Tesla announced this week that it was laying off [https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/tesla-is-pulling-back-from-ev-charging-and-people-are-freaking-out-ee8e490c?st=7slwbu2jc3tgf0y&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink] much of the team responsible for the company’s Supercharger network, the largest and most successful EV charging network in the U.S. The move caught employees, and others in the industry, by surprise. WSJ reporter Ryan Felton tells host Alex Ossola what a Tesla pullback in charging could mean for the broader U.S. EV market. Plus, how did an iPhone survive a fall [https://www.wsj.com/tech/personal-tech/why-an-iphone-can-survive-a-drop-from-a-plane-but-not-from-your-kitchen-counter-57453ca9?st=suipp4y3whig7uv&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink] out of an airplane, but others crack when they get tipped off the kitchen counter? WSJ senior personal technology columnist Joanna Stern took on an experiment to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Plus: Universal Music and TikTok reach a new agreement. And Microsoft plans to invest over $2 billion in Malaysia. Alex Ossola hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]