The Big Tech Show

Now that we're in the final weeks of 2022, Adrian takes a look back at the best tech of the year, including smartwatches, home appliances and headphones. Is Bitcoin doomed? Or are we in the midst of a crypto winter, the trough of another cycle, with canny investors waiting it out? Adrian is also joined by the Managing Director of Bitpanda Alex Batlin to discuss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Big Tech Show, as part of our new Ask Adrian segment, we ask if our phones are really listening to us, how we can stop scam calls and discuss some of the tech news stories of the week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How concerned are you about your messages to friends or family staying private? On this week’s Big Tech Show, Adrian Weckler is joined by CEO of messaging app Signal, Meredith Whittaker to talk about absolute privacy – is it always a good thing, would people abandon WhatsApp or iMessage in favour of it and can it sometimes help criminals? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s Big Tech Show With Adrian Weckler, we talk to the global CEO of the taxi company Free Now about cities banning cars and the likelihood of autonomous vehicles soon. Thomas Zimmerman also answers questions about taxi shortages and whether the name ‘Free Now’ is often used in frustration by customers left waiting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adrian sits down with the billionaire tech CEO of Dropbox, Drew Houston, to talk about his new revamped office in Dublin, the future of work, what’s going with the tech industry’s wave of job layoffs and whether Ireland is vulnerable. The two also talk about Dublin’s cost of living, where Dropbox now sits compared to Microsoft, the pros and cons of airing political views as a tech CEO, and what he said to Steve Jobs when the late Apple CEO tried to buy Dropbox. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, The Big Tech Show is at the Web Summit in Lisbon. Adrian chats to Revolut CEO Nikolay Storonsky about the future of the banking app in Ireland, and if Irish customers will be able to get mortgages from the digital bank. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Big Tech Show, Adrian Weckler speaks to Paul Daugherty, Group Chief Executive of Technology and Chief Technology Officer at Accenture to talk about why he thinks we need to reframe how we think about the Metaverse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ethereum, one of the largest cryptocurrencies completed the highly anticipated “Merge”, a software update that cut the currency's energy usage by 99%. How successful was The Merge and will it influence other cryptocurrencies to become more energy efficient? Adrian Weckler is joined by James Nagle, co-founder of Bitcove to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when you have to battle social media companies for access to a loved one’s online information when they pass away? That’s what Irishwoman Donna Ahern has been facing for the last year, since her twin sister suddenly died. In this week’s podcast, Donna talks about the hoops she has had to jump through to comply with the processes put in her way by Facebook and Google. Adrian also looks at some of the best Amazon Prime Day bargains and reviews Google’s new Pixel phones and Pixel Watch.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the Elon Musk and Twitter saga raging on, we ask if Musk is finally about to buy Twitter and what that could mean for the platform? With new EU rules saying most gadgets must use the same charging cable from 2024, we discuss if this is officially the end of the drawer full of cables. Host: Adrian Weckler. Guest: Damien Mulley. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Irish Shoppers who head to Britain will be able to save hundreds of euro on luxury goods under a new regime that offers overseas visitors tax-free perks. Adrian Weckler is joined by Jon Ihle, Deputy Business Editor of the Irish Independent to discuss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Big Tech Show with Adrian Weckler, we talk to Charlotte Morgan, whose story went viral around the world when thieves used her phone to get at her bank card’s pin number, leaving her thousands of pounds out of pocket. Charlotte tells us how to stop the same thing happening to you. Adrian also looks at Apple’s new Watch Series 8 and gives his verdict on whether it’s worth getting or notSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Big Tech Show with Adrian Weckler, we are discussing whether TikTok should be banned. Reports found that TikTok can log keystrokes on iPhones and that Bytedance staff in China have ultimate access to any and all TikTok user data they want. Adrian is joined by finance correspondent of the Currency, Sean Keyes to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Apple launched the iPhone 14 at its headquarters in Cupertino, California. Adrian tells us how the launch went and whether it’s worth upgrading to the latest iPhone. Host: Adrian Weckler. Guests: Stuart Miles, Britta O’Boyle and Robert Leedham.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the cost of living and energy crisis dominating the news right now, data centres are coming under greater scrutiny. This week on the Big Tech Show we ask are data centres to blame for Ireland's energy woes? If blackouts do happen, we explore what kind of tech can help get your through an energy outage. And we talk to the two young tech entrepreneurs who have quit Dublin for Spain because the rent is too high here. Guests: Cian McNally, Evan McgloughlinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the best laptop, monitor, power-bank or noise-cancelling headphones for a college student? Or rather, what’s the best you can get at a reasonable price in a cost-of-living crisis? Adrian Weckler is joined by technology journalist and recent college graduate Andy O’Donoghue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jack Williams is co-founder and CEO of the Belfast-based ecommerce fulfilment firm Selazar. While the company made headlines recently for getting £20m in funding, the highest amount of venture capital in Northern Irish history, this week it was also in the news for less flattering reasons, having lost an employment tribunal case in London over claims of ageism. Adrian Weckler sat down with Jack this week to talk about ecommerce, retailing, being a young CEO, and also about what happened in the tribunal case.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the tech party over for Ireland? Google has announced a temporary recruitment freeze, Microsoft is eliminating open jobs, while both Meta and Apple are reportedly planning to hire fewer people. In other words, some of Ireland’s biggest tech employers are scaling back their plans. The tech sector here has been on the biggest bull run in Irish industrial history. But is it finally facing a slowdown? And is our indigenous tech sector any more resilient? Joining Adrian Weckler to discuss the issue are Sarah-Jane Larkin, director general of the Irish Venture Capital Association, and Gareth Fleming, director of tech recruitment at Brightwater Recruitment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Technology editor Adrian Weckler reports on the results and concerns he had after taking a DNA test with online service 23&Me. He is joined by Stacy Detweiler, a genetics counsellor working for the company's medical team.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you were a billionaire, would you give most of it away? That’s what Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says he’s doing. He’s the world's fourth richest man, worth €115bn. But he says he has an "obligation" to return his resources to society. He says he wants to drop out of the world’s rich lists. And he’s not alone in the tech elite. Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook, among others, also say they’ll give away almost all of their wealth. Does this make them decent stewards of capitalism? Or is sort of another type of ego-trip? Joining Adrian to discuss it is the Irish Independent’s deputy business editor, Jon Ihle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the new M2 too expensive? Is the older M1 MacBook Air a better deal? Or might you be better off getting the new MacBook Pro M2, which is almost the same price? Adrian Weckler is joined by fellow reviewer, PocketLint.com’s deputy editor Britta O’Boyle, to discuss the pros and cons of Apple’s latest MacBook Air M2.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it possible for a brand new phone from a brand new company to capture your Apple or Samsung-bound cash? The Nothing Phone (1) is the brainchild of OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei. This week, tech editor Adrian Weckler flew to the London launch to see what all the hype is about. He gives his verdict on the phone, as well as the views of some other experts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can you watch your Netflix series in a foreign Airbnb? Is it possible to avoid getting gouged when using your smartphone abroad? Adrian is joined by Colin Baker, gadget expert and managing director of Back From The Future to discuss 10 useful devices and services to enhance a summer holiday, either abroad or in Ireland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2007, Steve Jobs took to the stage to introduce what he called a “revolutionary new product”. This week 15 years ago, the first iPhone went on sale. Is it still an all-conquering device? What might September's iPhone 14 bring? And can the iconic smartphone stay at the heart of Apple’s world, or will smart glasses and cars become the company's new focus? Joining technology editor Adrian Weckler to discuss all of this is someone who was at the original launch – Stuart Miles, the founder and CEO of Pocket-lint.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 years ago, John Touhy set up the logistics and delivery company Nightline, which also spawned Parcel Motel. Having sold it to UPS for €30m in 2017, he's back with another offering in the field -- OOHPod. This is a smart locker service that is supposed to make it easy to pick up and return parcels in your own time. The company aims to place “out of home” lockers in 1,000 locations across the island of Ireland by 2025. John Touhy talked to Adrian about his past, present and why some entities in Ireland seem intent on blocking progress in the parcel delivery field.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s it like being the CIO of one of the most iconic pandemic-era tech companies in the world? No-one knows better than Harry Moseley, Zoom’s chief information officer . The man from Rathfarhnam has been close to the helm of a company whose very name has become a verb in the English language. But what’s coming next? Is the drive for remote working stalling? And can Zoom pull back from a steep decline in its own share price recently? Harry spoke to tech editor Adrian Weckler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple, Google and Microsoft are joining forces to kill off passwords. They say that they will try to replace passwords by using smartphones as two-factor authentication via things like a PIN number or a fingerprint, and using that for verification on an operating system or website. But will this work? And what should you be doing to protect yourself with the passwords you already use? Joining technology editor Adrian Weckler to discuss this is Conor Flynn, managing director at Waystone Compliance Solutions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In recent weeks, Google and Apple have begun pulling all their Irish workers back into the office. Other big companies are starting to do the same, and it’s not just the tech giants here, such as Amazon, Intel and Salesforce. A glance at Indeed.com, the biggest recruitment site, shows that of 58,000 jobs currently advertised, just 4,000 — or around 7% — allow you to be remote. So here’s a question — what happened to all of the talk about our work lives changing forever? About having more choice in working outside the office? Was it all just BS? Or maybe just a beautiful dream? To discuss the issue, technology editor Adrian Weckler is joined by Tracy Keogh, co-founder of Grow Remote.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alan Holland had a steady, comfortable life as a lecturer in artificial intelligence in University College Cork. But in 2012, he left it all to try and build a startup specialising in procurement automation. 10 years on, that company, Keelvar, has just picked up its latest funding round of $24m, with plans to increase headcount at the firm to over 100. Alan joins technology editor Adrian Weckler to discuss what it was like to leave the security of a college academic life for a startup. He also explains what's going to happen next in the supply chain crisis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does Elon Musk, conqueror of low orbit space, pioneer of the electric car, the nearest thing we have to a real life Iron Man, actually intend to buy Twitter or not? Is he really being put off about spam bots, the defeat of which was one of the reasons he said he wanted to buy the platform? Is he trying to back out because of the tech stock crash? Having already signed a contract, legally, *can* he back out? Or does he still want the company, but is just trying to lower the price? Tech editor Adrian Weckler has a basic explainer about what’s going on and what to expect next.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the last week, tech stocks have crashed. The likes of Apple, Google, Microsoft, Tesla and Amazon lost between €120bn and €200bn each in their market value. Some others, like Zoom and Netflix, are even worse, down between two thirds and three quarters in value. What the hell is going on? Are we all suddenly reassessing what we think the value of these tech companies is? Or is something else causing these valuations to slide? Could it affect your pension? Or, if you work for a tech firm, your pay? And what on earth is happening to sections of the crypto market? To discuss the issue, tech editor Adrian Weckler is joined by Jon Ihle, deputy business editor of the Irish Independent.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk is a genius and an inspiration to millions. But he's also acting like an asshole in his drive to buy Twitter.So do you have to be a bit of a bully to succeed in tech? Do you have to mete out abuse like Steve Jobs… to achieve things like Steve Jobs? Or can you be a nice guy like a Collison and still get all the way to top? To discuss this, Adrian is joined by Conor Neill, the founder of six companies, best known of which is Taxijet. He also holds a psychology degree and is professor at one of the world’s top business colleges, the graduate business school of the University of Navarra, IESE. He is also president of Vistage in Spain, which describes itself as the world’s leading CEO organisation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are the tech companies, with their high salaries and expanding campuses, making it unaffordable for everyone else?And does this make Dublin a blander, less interesting city?Joining technology editor Adrian Weckler to discuss the issue is Leonard Hobbs, director of Trinity College Dublin’s Research and Innovation; artist Claire McCluskey, whose inner city Richmond Road Studios workplace recently recover an eviction notice; and Mark Cullen, director and curator at Pallas Projects studios in Dublin 8.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What everyday tech quirks really get on your nerves?Banking? Online players? Services not letting you cancel online? Adrian Weckler discusses some of the worst offenders with journalist Jonathan Keane and broadcaster Andy O’Donoghue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever wondered about raising cash for a startup? Unsure where to start or how to go about it? About grants? Or venture capital firms? Or investment ‘angels’? Or even asking family and friends?This week, Adrian Weckler gets answers to these beginners’ questions from Jack Cantillon, CEO and co-founder of the new Dublin-based startup Herd, which has just raised €600,000 with commitments for another €400,000.Donal ‘DC’ Cahalane, the experienced startup consultant now working with Dogpatch, also joins the podcast to offer his advice on what to do when you’re starting off.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Electric cars are hot. But it’s really hard to get one. And there are still lots of basic questions that many people have, which often aren’t answered by dealers or pundits. Does the promised range fall drastically on a motorway? What’s the actual availability of public chargers? And what’s the likely resale value compared to petrol or diesel cars in a few years?For some plain-speaking questions and answers on the topic, Adrian is joined by motoring journalist Geraldine Herbert.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should Apple and Facebook be forced to allow you to send texts from Whatsapp to iMessage?That’s one of the possible ramifications from a new EU law that big tech firms are up in arms about.Will it break encryption? Could it cause spam? Or is it consumer progress?And what’s going on with the new data transatlantic treaty?To discuss these issues, Adrian is joined by Mark Scott,Chief Technology Correspondent at Politico.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fuel and electricity prices are going through the roof. There is one thing you can do, and help the planet while you’re at it — put in solar panels.But how easy or hard is that to do? How expensive is it? And how much of a dent might it really make in a country known for cloudy, rainy days and dark winters?Joining Adrian on this week’s episode is someone’s who done it – Castlebridge founder (and Wexford householder) Daragh O’Brien. A longstanding expert in domestic solar installation, Tim Cooper, also gives Adrian an A-Z of practical questions that someone considering solar might have.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Electricity bills. Fuel costs. Diesel hikes. Streaming prices rises. Most of us are currently drowning under inflationary pressure that is ramping up our cost of living. Can tech help? Sort of. Adrian Weckler and consumer journalist Siobhan Maguire discuss ways that tech can help to cut your bills.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some mock them, others worship them. But non fungible tokens – NFTs – look here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. If you’ve a passing interest, how might you get started? How might you separate the real thing from the scams? And why are so many damn celebrities trying to sell you one?To explain all of this, Adrian is joined by Lory Kehoe, the newly-appointed director of NFT Success at Coinbase, and who is also the founder of Blockchain Ireland as well as being an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ireland has had relatively thin layers of protection against cyber attacks and IT threats. But after a catastrophic attack on the HSE, the state beefed up Ireland’s National Cyber Security Centre, doubling its staff and increasing its remit. Will it be enough? Or does Ireland remain dangerously exposed? What are the threats now from a Ukraine-centred cyber war?Joining Adrian Weckler to discuss this is the newly-appointed director of the National Cyber Security Centre, Richard Browne.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who watches over the biggest tech firms in the world? Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner. This week, we talk to Helen Dixon about the challenges her office faces, criticism she has received and some of the biggest issues on how big tech intersects with our lives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does your bank rate when it comes to keeping your everyday transactions safe and reliable? What are the larger cybersecurity challenges we’re now facing? Our guest on the show today is Paul Swift, Bank of Ireland’s Head of Technology, Media and Telecoms Sector.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to authorities here, ‘romance scams’ cost victims an average of €18,000 each. How do they happen? Who are the perpetrators and the victims? If you’re on a dating app, what should you avoid?Adrian is joined by the cyber-psychology researcher and lecturer, Dr Nicola Fox Hamilton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last month, Stripe co-founder John Collison told me something I hadn’t paid a lot of attention to.“A starting salary in some software engineering jobs is more than €100,000,” he said.“I don't think this has leaked its way out into the popular consciousness here… There’s a career conservatism in Ireland.”Indeed. This week, the Big Tech Show decided to tease this out. Are software and tech graduates the new mega rich class? If so, what wider effects on society are we starting to see from this? Will conservative, middle-class parents now say things like ‘help! My daughter, the software engineer, is drowning?’And what are the effects on things like rents and house prices? If the premium rental residential areas in Dublin start filling up mostly with engineers and other tech graduates, do we risk creating the type of bland, homogenised cultural atmosphere that has made cities such as San Francisco into the boring, vanilla-flavored metropolitan areas?Joining me, Adrian Weckler, to discuss all of this is Stephen Kinsella, the newly-tenured professor of economics at the University of Limerick and that institution’s director of Immersive Software Engineering.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re all going to die.The question is: what happens to our social media accounts when we do?Who gets the photos in them? The documents? The DMs?Is it different for Facebook and, say, iCloud?Can your Whatsapp account be claimed by someone as an inheritance?And what about other important online accounts you have, like Microsoft’s OneDrive or Google Drive?Is there anything you can do in advance to prepare?Or if you’re a family member of someone recently deceased, how do you go about trying to get access to a social media account that might have an important piece of information or document needed to settle an ongoing probate or legal issue?Joining Adrian to talk about the answers to these questions are Susan Murphy, a solicitor with makemywill.ie and Damien Mulley of Mulley Communications.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adrian Weckler recently learned how hard it can be to quit a gambling app. He signed up to one, LivescoreBet, just to watch a football game. But it wouldn’t let him delete his account. Six times he asked, six times he was refused. He then signed up to other betting apps to see whether they were any better. Most allowed him to bet using his credit card through apps such as Apple Pay or Revolut, even though betting apps aren’t supposed to allow credit card betting. What, he asks, must it be like for those with gambling addiction? Adrian discusses the scant regulation in Ireland and other elements of the issue with former gambling addict (now a counsellor) Tony O’Reilly and Prof John O’Brennan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few years ago, an ambitious young entrepreneur made a big claim: she was developing technology that could diagnose illnesses from a drop of blood.Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos dazzled investors with her pitch, dressing up like Steve Jobs and talking a perfect game.As we now know, there was no ground-breaking technology. Holmes, who was faking it rather than making it, has now been convicted on several counts of fraud.The episode, which captured the imagination of the world, has shone the spotlight on a darker side of startup ethics – how far can you stretch your startup’s claims of potential when looking for money? Is it still okay to fake it until you make it?Joining Adrian to compare stories and discuss the issue is seasoned startup advisor Donal Cahalane.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will 2022 be all about NFTs and Apple's AR glasses?Joining Adrian to go through his predictions for what will and won't happen this year is tech journalist Andy O'Donoghue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2021 saw a number of winners and losers in the world of technology. From NFTs, a venture capital boom and 5G expansion to cybersecurity woes and folding phones, it was an eventful year both here in Ireland and internationally. But what soared and what stank? Adrian and Vizlegal CEO Gavin Sheridan pick the winners and losers in the tech year that was.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.