Hard Fork

This week, President Trump’s family business announced that it was introducing a mobile phone and a cellular network. We tick through the many potential conflicts of interest this new business venture raises. Then, the co-founders of the startup Mechanize defend their efforts to automate away all jobs — starting with software engineering. And finally, we take a trip to the movie theater. “M3GAN 2.0” is out next week, so its star, Allison Williams, joins us to discuss the film, and A.I.’s impact on her career and parenting. Guests: * Matthew Barnett and Ege Erdil, co-founders of Mechanize [https://www.mechanize.work/]. * Allison Williams, actor. Additional Reading: * Trump Mobile Phone Company Announced by President’s Family, but Details Are Murky [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/us/trump-mobile-phone.html] * The President Is Selling a Phone [https://www.platformer.news/trump-mobile-phone-t1-conflicts/] * This A.I. Company Wants to Take Your Job [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/technology/ai-mechanize-jobs.html]   We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com [hardfork@nytimes.com]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/hardfork] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@hardfork]. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This week, Meta hits the reset button on A.I. But will a new research lab and a multibillion-dollar investment in Scale AI bring the company any closer to its stated goal of “superintelligence”? Then we break down Apple’s big developer conference, WWDC: What was announced, what was noticeably absent, and why Apple seems a little stuck in the past. Finally, a couple of weeks ago we asked if your job is being automated away — it’s time to open up the listener mail bag and hear what you said. Additional Reading: * Meta looks for an A.I. reset [https://www.platformer.news/meta-scale-investment-zuckerberg-wang/] * Apple Executives Defend Apple Intelligence, Siri and A.I. Strategy [https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/apple-intelligence-ai-strategy-siri-627ce650] * This A.I. Company Wants to Take Your Job [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/technology/ai-mechanize-jobs.html] We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com [hardfork@nytimes.com]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/hardfork] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@hardfork]. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This week, Kevin and Casey discuss the sudden breakdown between President Trump and Elon Musk, whose disagreements over the policy bill before Congress quickly erupted into an all-out feud. Then, an ex-DOGE coder explains what it was really like to work inside the Trump administration’s cost-cutting arm. And finally, the former New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells explains why some chefs are turning to A.I. for inspiration.   Guests: * Sahil Lavingia, C.E.O. of Gumroad, who spent 55 days working for DOGE [https://sahillavingia.com/doge] * Pete Wells [https://www.nytimes.com/by/pete-wells], New York Times restaurant critic from 2012 through 2024   Additional Reading: * If Elon Musk and President Trump Divorce, Who Gets Silicon Valley? [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/06/technology/elon-musk-trump-silicon-valley-tech.html] * This Year’s Hot New Tool for Chefs? ChatGPT. [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/dining/ai-chefs-restaurants.html]   We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com [hardfork@nytimes.com]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/hardfork] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@hardfork]. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This week, we dive into Kevin’s recent column about how A.I. is affecting the job market for new graduates, and debate whether the job apocalypse is already here for entry-level work. Then Mike Krieger joins us to discuss the new Claude 4 model, the future of work and the online chatter over whether an A.I. system could blackmail you. And finally, it’s time to open up the case files for another round of Hard Fork Crimes Division. Guest: * Mike Krieger, chief product officer at Anthropic Additional Reading: * For Some Recent Graduates, the A.I. Job Apocalypse May Already Be Here [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/technology/ai-jobs-college-graduates.html] * Another Suspect Is Charged in Bitcoin Kidnapping and Torture Case [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/nyregion/crypto-investor-torture-arrest.html] * Elizabeth Holmes’s Partner Has a New Blood-Testing Start-Up [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/business/elizabeth-holmes-partner-blood-testing-startup.html] We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com [hardfork@nytimes.com]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/hardfork] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@hardfork]. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This week, we take a field trip to Google and report back about everything the company announced at its biggest show of the year, Google I/O. Then, we sit down with Google DeepMind’s chief executive and co-founder, Demis Hassabis, to discuss what his A.I. lab is building, the future of education, and what life could look like in 2030. Guest: * Demis Hassabis, co-founder and chief executive of Google DeepMind Additional Reading: * At Google I/O, everything is changing and normal and scary and chill [https://www.platformer.news/google-io-2025-ai-everything-everywhere/] * Google Unveils A.I. Chatbot, Signaling a New Era for Search [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/technology/personaltech/google-ai-mode-search.html] * Google DeepMind C.E.O. Demis Hassabis on the Path From Chatbots to A.G.I. [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/podcasts/google-deepmind-demis-hassabis.html] We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com [hardfork@nytimes.com]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/hardfork] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@hardfork]. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts [http://nytimes.com/podcasts] or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.