The Big Tech Show

Is the gig economy a dystopian modern sweatshop or a new flexible way of working that gives people more control over their lives?This week, Adrian discusses the issue with John Ryan, the founder of Gigable. Gigable connects restaurants to freelance delivery drivers — it has over 2,000 drivers on its books.John Ryan says that the gig economy has unfairly earned a bad rap; done right, he says, it can be the answer to what a lot people need. Adrian puts it to him that there is a danger the gig economy is a creeping casualisation of work, stripping rights such as sick pay, parental leave and holiday pay. Ryan says that it needn’t be like that, pointing out that Gigable is introducing some benefits, such as access to online GPs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian discusses the origins and the potential fixes of Ireland’s catastrophic HSE ransomware episode with experienced cyber security practitioner, Paul C Dwyer.Dwyer pulls no punches in saying that Ireland’s IT security infrastructure isn’t up to scratch. The two look at factors contributing to this, including an historical and cultural distaste in Ireland for investing significantly in defence-related activities.Dwyer offers some suggestions on what steps we might take to rebuild Ireland’s cyber security infrastructure in a more robust format.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian looks at why some weather apps on our phones are so unreliable.He talks to meteorologist Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather.The two go through the best apps to use and why some are more accurate than others.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For most, it’s a breath of fresh air. The latest iOS 14.5 update will start showing you pop-ups when you open an app. It will ask you this question: “allow [app] to track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites?”This will be accompanied by a short pitch from the app concerned as to why it needs you to do this. (Although it can’t link your answer to functionality — Apple’s new rules forbid tracking to be a requirement for the app’s features to work.)If you say no, that app can’t track you across the web for the purposes of ads. (If it’s found to be doing so, it’s booted out of the App Store.)If you say yes, it’s business as usual.There are already some indications that most people will opt out of being tracked.Is it this universally a good thing or are there underreported disadvantages for small businesses trying to reach their audiences?Adrian is joined by David Campbell, head of e-Commerce at Humm and a director of Digital Business Ireland, and Daragh O’Brien, CEO of privacy firm Castlebridge.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than 7,000 people have signed up for a mass action lawsuit in Irish courts against Facebook. The case, organised by Digital Rights Ireland, is over a global data leak that exposed the mobile phone numbers of 530 million people.People are really upset about this, not least because Facebook doesn’t appear to be taking it seriously. There are at least 1.3m Irish numbers alone, matched perfectly against full names and, in many cases, occupation or location.The least that we can expect is a new wave of scam texts or Whatsapps. But for a few thousand people, it could be a lot more serious. The names and numbers of gardai, sitting judges, prison officers and others in sensitive positions are among the numbers leaked.As are roles such as management positions in womens’ refuges and other places that could be prone to harassing or predatory contact. All are easily searchable.In this week’s podcast, Adrian talks to the director of Digital Rights Ireland, Antoin O’Lachtnain, about the leak and the case.Digital Rights Ireland is taking the Irish court action under European GDPR rules and says that an award of between €300 and €12,000 in damages is “comparable” to what might occur in its Facebook case.Former Facebook worker Carey Lening, who now works on privacy and security issues with Castlebridge, also joins the podcast to talk about her experience and where we go from here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you liven up your texts with a crying-laughing emoji? Do you try to make a point more forceful by using the hand-clapping symbol in between words? Do you intersperse the two-eyed ‘look’ pixel in every second or third Whatsapp message?You’re literally showing your age. According to experts, large swathes of emoji are now only used by middle-aged and older people.This week, Adrian talks to Keith Broni, the deputy emoji officer (yes, that’s a real job) for Emojipedia about the politics and generational angst of emoji.He’s also joined by the Irish Independent’s newest columnist, Tanya Sweeney, and Irish Independent reporter Gabija Gataveckaite, to talk about the wider cultural effects that emoji are having among different generations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian looks at whether buying digital art through NFTs (‘non-fungible tokens’) is for suckers or savvy collectors. He’s joined by Lory Kehoe, adjunct associate professor at Trinity Business School and director of digital assets at BNY Mellon.The discussion looks at the recent $69m auction sale at Christie’s for an NFT-linked digital canvas, as well as the $2.9m sale of Jack Dorsey’s first tweet via NFT and the growing prominence of Ireland’s own Kevin Abosch, who has sold over €1m in NFT digital art in the last month.What exactly do you own when you buy a piece of art via NFT? What’s to stop someone simply copying it at the click of a button? And where does it all fit in to the growth of crypto-currencies and blockchain?The two also look at the IPO of Coinbase and ask whether it’s worth the extraordinary valuation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“10 years ago, we were sitting around drinking coffee and talking about Facebook and Twitter. Then we just decided to start doing things. Last month, one of our local startups IPO’d at $4bn.”This week, Adrian sits down to chat with Clark Dever, one of the senior ecosystem heads at Techstars, the international startup accelerator organisation.Clark tells Adrian about the experience of Buffalo, a rust-belt city in a high-tax state (New York).The two discuss everything from incentives to tax rates and what startups should really do to get some funding and connections in place.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian talks to Markham Nolan, the WWE’s VP of Media Operations.The Dubliner is responsible for managing a social media footprint of over 1bn followers as well as being influential in the WWE’s overall media strategy.The two talk about how Markham’s past in Irish journalism and Storyful. They also go through how and what the WWE prioritises in its online and media operations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian looks at the best webcams, cameras, lights and microphones for video-conferencing and Zoom calls from home.He’s joined by two experts — well known YouTuber and content creator Clare Cullen (@Clisare) and a director of Conns Cameras, Bob Conn.The panel also talks about how to set up so as to look professional.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian welcomes back Paul Campbell, founder of the ticket-selling company Ti.to and the online event platform Vi.to.Fresh from raising over €1m, Paul talks politics, ethics and how to sell software.He also discusses the best camera, microphone and lighting setups for conferencing from home.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian sits down with the veteran Irish tech marketer, Kieran Hannon, who has just taken a CMO job with the clean air firm WellAir.Hannon is a 35-year survivor of Silicon Valley’s tech industry, with some big roles to show for it. He was chief marketer for Radioshack before moving on to a similar role in Belkin. A stint in Openpath preceded his appointment as marketing chief in the Bill McCabe-backed WellAir.The two talk about survivability, tech marketing, retail, identities and a host of other topics.The Big Tech Show is in association with Sky Broadband.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian chats to Damien Burns, Europe’s top person with Amazon-owned Twitch, the giant live streaming platform.While it dominates online streams of video games, Damian says that it’s now aiming farther afield, to lifestyle stuff.Adrian asks about the market for watching sleeping videos and how much money you can make when sharing your Fortnite or Grand Theft Auto sessions live.The two also talk about player bans, competing with TV stations and why US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) sometimes uses the platform to communicate.For more visit the Big Tech Show page:www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-big-tech-show/The Big Tech Show is in association with Sky Broadband.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s guest is Helen Dixon, Europe’s most powerful tech regulator. She and Adrian talk about Facebook, Whatsapp, fines, Brexit, data rights and a whole host of other things.Among the revelations are that Whatsapp will not be sharing more data with Facebook in the EU anytime soon.Helen Dixon says that there has “been no progress” between Facebook and the Irish regulator on seeking allowance for Facebook to integrate Whatsapp with Facebook in a closer way, as it is poised to do in the US.The tech giant has been trying for years to find a way to make more money out of its subsidiary, which has tighter privacy controls than the tech giant’s main social platform.But Ms Dixon’s office has steadfastly refused to allow cross-sharing of data across the EU, citing a lack of satisfactory explanation from Facebook around the legal basis of the data sharing.“I don't doubt that Facebook hasn't given up on the idea of the data sharing,” she said. “But nonetheless, there has been no progress in terms of WhatsApp convincing the DPC that as the controller of the data of users of WhatsApp, it should share it with Facebook. And they've made no substantive approach to us. So it really hasn't progressed. There's no sharing of EU user data between the controllers.”Last month, Whatsapp saw 20m users leave for rival messaging apps when it informed users outside the EU that they needed to agree to Whatsapp sharing more account information with Facebook for the ultimate purpose of cross-service advertising.Helen Dixon is talking to Adrian on the same day that her office published its annual report, outlining several investigations and data breach statistics.For more visit the Big Tech Show page:https://www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-big-tech-show/The Big Tech Show is in association with Sky Broadband.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian sits down with Carolan Lennon to talk through some of the major issues failing Eir.It’s been a tricky few months for the company, which has attracted white hot criticism over its customer service levels during the pandemic.It’s also been a successful period in other ways, with its GoMo budget service hoovering up an unusual number of customers (250,000) in just a year, forcing the hand of rivals Three (48) and Vodafone (Clear Mobile).Adrian goes through the topics, including a personal hobby horse: why operators here persist with the term “unlimited data” when fair use limits still apply.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Escooter rental firms are lining up to launch here: atleast five firms have declared their intention to do so.This week, Adrian sits down with Lawrence Leuschner, the founder and CEO of Europe’s biggest firm — Tier. It operates in 90 European cities and wants to launch here.Adrian asks the questions that many will have: where will they be parked? How much will they cost to hire? And will we see ads urging us to ‘ride’?Tier joins others in looking at a launch in Ireland after Communications Minister Ryan said he plans to remove the requirement for tax, insurance and a driver’s licence. Instead of motorbikes, escooters are to be reclassified as ‘powered personal transporters’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian chats with LetsGetChecked founder and CEO, Peter Foley.The €100m Dun Laoghaire startup tests for dozens of different conditions and illnesses, from cancer to sexual health issues.Adrian and Peter discuss testing airline passengers, a new lab in Dublin and being snubbed by the Irish government. But they also talk about Peter's plan to test DNA profiles as its next service. The company is considering a saliva swab test that would contribute to a ‘Book Of You’ concept. The aim would be to get a better idea about what kind of illnesses you might be more susceptible to. The company could then set up a schedule of screening tests that you’d receive automatically, almost like service notifications.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bitcoin’s price has been rallying in recent weeks, but can it stay at this level? Or will it crash as it has so many times before?Adrian talks to cryptocurrency veteran Lory Kehoe, now in a new position as director of digital assets and blockchain with BNY Mellon, the huge international bank.Kehoe explains what’s behind Bitcoin’s current rise and makes an argument that it is institutional movement on cryptocurrency — rather than a mob on Reddit — that is driving crypto’s long term rise in value.For these reasons, he believes that it will continue to rise in value.The two also discuss the mentality of ‘hodlers’, who hold on to their cryptocurrency no matter what.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month, a small group of employees in Google's US headquarters joined a union. Even though it was a relatively tiny number - just 400 out of 125,000 employed worldwide - it caused a stir.A union in a high-tech company? Weren't unions supposed to be on the decline? Aren't tech firms supposed to be enlightened, high-paying workplaces where there isn't any need for unions?In Ireland, unions are rare in tech companies. But they're not unknown.Apple, for example, has a number of Siptu members in Cork, linked to its original industrial activity of manufacturing computers there. HP, Ericsson and IBM have historically had some union membership.This week, Adrian talks to the assistant secretary general of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Owen Reidy, about whether unions are a realistic prospect for big tech firms in Ireland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

holds Adrian’s guest this week is Conor Pierce, Samsung’s Irish-born corporate vice president for the UK and Ireland. The two discuss the launch of the Galaxy S21 as well as what we might see in the coming years. Samsung has its own ideas about this, having just released a new 110-inch television and a home help robot.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When is the last time you paid for something in cash? Have you, like us, had the same €20 in your pocket for four months?The pandemic has made Ireland -- and every other country -- into largely cashless societies. From Apple Pay on your watch to Revolut on your phone, cash has faded away in daily life.So why aren’t we talking about the obvious next step: ditching bits of paper and scraggly coins altogether?This is what Adrian discusses with this week’s guest, Stephen Kinsella, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Limerick's Kemmy Business School and a columnist with The Currency.Which are the better arguments? That it could mean less violent crime, less tax evasion and quicker queues? Or that it could lead to a further erosion of privacy and may unfairly disadvantage vulnerable groups in society?The two go into the topic in depth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Year, new tech world? Adrian makes a few predictions about what we’ll see in 2021, alongside guests Jon Ihle (deputy business editor, Irish Independent) and Dr Katherine O’Keeffe (director of training, Castlebridge).The predictions include trends for Brexit-related online shopping on services like Amazon, more pricing hikes for streaming giants Netflix and Disney Plus, a bedding in for remote working, the demise of cinemas, the first $100bn ‘Irish made’ tech company and a lot more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian is joined by a couple of small Irish tech business owners, News Over Audio’s Gareth Hickey and Thinscale’s Brendan Kiely.The three talk about a variety of issues, including whether big tech companies are getting too much love and support compared to small ones, the case for more flexibility in hiring (and moving) abroad, how remote working will pan out and the future for subscription media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What were the best gadgets of 2020? What were the best laptops, phones, smartwatches, headphones and speakers? Adrian tested over 100 tech products during the year. Joined by digital editor of Buzz.ie, Mark Kavanagh, he gives his picks and discusses why they topped their categories.Adrian also discusses his early impressions of a gadget that landed on his desk this week: Apple’s AirPods Max.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Slack and Salesforce announced an acquisition agreement worth $27.7bn (€22.9bn). It’s the biggest tech deal of the year and one of the biggest of all time. This week, Slack co-founder Cal Henderson spoke exclusively to technology editor Adrian Weckler about keeping a separate identity, the tech industry, remote working, Ireland’s place in the world and other things.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Europe is bringing in a raft of new laws to try to tighten things like advertising and runaway algorithms.This week, Adrian invites Politico’s chief technology correspondent, Mark Scott, on the podcast to talk through the issues.He also asks Mark about Ireland’s reputation at the moment in the EU on a myriad of issues, from data protection to tax.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With weeks to go before the first rural homes are connected under the NBP, here’s an in-depth discussion with Peter Hendrick (CEO of National Broadband Ireland).It covers the basics, the finer details, the controversies and the future.What exactly is the criteria for inclusion in the NBP? Does it cover all rural future-builds?Why was so much of the contract redacted? What happens if the project is flipped by its owners?Is Elon Musk’s Starlink any kind of credible alternative?And lots, lots more. It’s a frank, expansive discussion with a lot of detail and some blunt questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it now unpatriotic or selfish to buy from Amazon? Are you aiding a billionaire cartoon villain rather than helping a struggling Irish trader during the pandemic?In recent weeks, this has gained traction as a popular theme in Ireland. Zeal for supporting Irish is transmogrifying into judgementalism for not spending your money with local traders.If you buy online from abroad, you’re selfish and feckless. You’re not doing your bit.But this side-steps a problem that many of its comfortably-off advocates don’t acknowledge: lots of people can’t afford to ignore cheaper goods or delivery and more convenient services, from megacorp entities.€5 on a small item -- or the 90 minutes it takes to go and get it -- can make a big difference. €50 on a large item can be a deal-breaker.Joining Adrian to talk about this is Duncan Graham, head of Retail Excellence Ireland and Samantha McCaughren, business editor of the Sunday Independent.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian talks to Senator Marie Sherlock, whose Labour Party is introducing a bill that would give people the legal right to disconnect from work mails, DMs, Slack, Teams, Zoom and other platforms at certain times.But is this actually possible in a 2020 workplace?What is ‘work’ these days, anyway? Haven’t our lockdown lives become a blur of screens, one way or another?Joining Adrian and Marie to tease out the issues is Fearghal O’Connor, the Sunday Independent’s deputy business editor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s Zoom podcast, Adrian welcomes Amarach Research’s Gerard O’Neill and the Irish Independent’s deputy business editor, Jon Ihle, on to talk about two topics — whether 5G is needed and not returning to offices.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian talks to David Cawley, an acoustic designers who has created the audio brand OneSonic.The company’s first products are a pair of noise-cancelling headphones (€75) and wireless Bluetooth earbuds (€60).Adrian asks him about the aspiration to take on the giants of hifi audio and how he thinks he might succeed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian delves into the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models, comparing the two phones against each other and against other leading smartphones. One big question emerges: has Apple made the iPhone 12 too powerful? Is there enough in the iPhone 12 Pro to justify the extra stretch?If you’re thinking about upgrading your phone soon, you won’t want to miss this episode.Adrian is joined by Mark Kavanagh, digital editor of Buzz.ie and assistant editor of the Star.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian tackles the potential deaths of cinemas. He’s joined by the RTÉ arts broadcaster Rick O’Shea and Andrew Lowe, the part-owner of the Lighthouse and Palas (Galway) cinemas and a co-founder of the film production company Element Pictures.Adrian puts it to them that Disney’s decision to prioritise streaming from now on could be a signal of what’s to come, with more and more movie budgets going into platforms like Disney+, Netflix, Amazon and Apple TV+. This, in turn, could lead to long term cinema closures as people start cutting back on the number of times they want to go into multiplexes compared to the 65-inch 4K telly in their own front room.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The CTO of the world’s most fought-over company is this week’s guest.Paul Scanlan talks to Adrian about geopolitics, telecoms and the possibility of a split in the internet as the US and China engage in low-level industrial warfare.Adrian asks whether Huawei is facing retreat in Europe and what Scanlan expects to see in five to ten years’ time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Three switched on its 5G network in Ireland. Adrian has been out testing the network, finding some great speeds but also some gaps in the map.Here, he interviews Three’s chief technology officer, David Hennessy. He asks about what 5G might be useful for, what (if any) danger still exists from anti-5G conspiracy theorists and about Three’s general future plans.For an accompanying explainer on the general rollout of 5G mobile services in Ireland, as well as a snapshot of Adrian’s testing of Three’s network, see Independent.ie.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s finally coming to a head. After years of hedging and fudging and hiding behind controversial ‘standard contractual clauses’, reality is staring us in the face. Facebook, Google and the rest may soon be run out of Europe as the internet splits into three core silos: the US, Europe and China.There are now a few big questions.First, is there a way for big tech companies to carry on with existing services without breaking EU privacy law? Facebook says it can’t see how. But one of today’s guests, Castlebridge founder Daragh O’Brien, says there is a way.But even if they can do it, is all of this really the opening salvo in a wider trend to see big US tech companies, as they currently operate, watered down in Europe? Moreover, would we miss them if they left? INM’s Steve Dempsey looks at that issue, alongside Adrian.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After launching two new iPads, two new Watches and a Fitness+ subscription service this week, Apple is the main subject of today’s podcast.Adrian and Buzz.ie digital editor Mark Kavanagh talk about why Apple has stayed on top, why iPads blow away Android rivals and what might come next with the iPhone 12.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The bad news is that the iPhone 12 is delayed. The good news is that we have a good idea of its strong and weak points. So if you were considering an upgrade, or are just curious about Apple’s next model (there will actually be four of them), Adrian and his guests (Sunday Independent deputy business editor Fearghal O’Connor and Daily Telegraph Technology Correspondent Michael Cogley) offer a rundown of the likely new features. It shouldn’t be missed that Apple makes around €1bn in profit per week on the back of this machine, so even if you’ve no interest in the gadget itself, your pension fund manager probably does.The three also take a look at what to expect from the new iPad and Apple Watch to be unveiled next Tuesday, and then discuss whether Google’s lease pullback in Dublin means that office life as we know it has peaked.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra the best Android smartphone right now? What about earphones? And tablets? And laptops?And what doesn’t quite make the grade?Surrounded by dozens of the latest gadget releases, Adrian is joined by Buzz.ie’s Mark Kavanagh to talk through what shines and what fizzles.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever wonder what Gerry McGovern did next?Those who’ve been around the Irish technology scene for a couple of decades will remember a time when Nua was one of the beacons of the industry. With a mission to create a ‘Local Ireland’ platform, it culminated in a multi-million euro stake from (what was then known as) Telecom Eireann. And then the dot bomb crash happened.So where has Gerry McGovern been? What does he now think of that time?This week, Adrian catches up with the Longford man on the publication of his eighth book, ‘World Wide Waste’.McGovern has lost none of his passion, which is now directed at cutting out physical and digital waste. He gets heated about a few things during the podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian talks to one of the thorns in the side of big tech companies. Dr Johnny Ryan recently joined the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, having spent much of the last two years taking action against Google and the Interactive Advertising Bureau in his role with the privacy browser, Brave.His main point is that the system still tolerates big tech and online ad companies brushing over our data privacy rights on issues like consent and what happens to the sharing of our personal profiles once we click on a website.Adrian asks him what his idea of an internet with stricter enforcement of European rules might look like and whether he thinks this is likely.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After Bank Of Ireland’s volte-face on refunding customers who were conned in an SMS phishing campaign, this week’s podcast looks at the ‘smishing’ issue in some detail. How does smishing actually work? Is it the fault of SMS gateways that lots of companies use?Joining Adrian is Dr Jessica Barker, co-founder if Cygenta and a cyber security expert who’s particularly good at explaining cyber issues. She points out that sometimes the dodgy grammar used by phishing fraudsters is deliberate, to make easier marques more clearly identifiable to them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian talks to Alan Holland, founder and CEO of Cork-based Keelvar, a procurement AI technology firm that recently raised €16m in a funding round.Adrian asks Alan about the growing trend among Irish tech founders to go abroad for venture funding instead of relying on investment sources here.The two also discuss the transition from being an academic in a university to a startup entrepreneur and the change of pace required.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian and Sunday Independent business editor, Samantha McCaughren, discuss the rise of paywalls across major newspaper brands. Adrian argues that while they sometimes attract narky comments from online readers, paywalls have simplified the news consumption process and set a more solid path for future business models.They discuss whether it’s ethical to put critical news, such as Covid-19 updates, behind a subscription paywall. They also look at how related business models, such as reader contributions and online advertising, are faring for those who depend on them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“March 12, 2020 was the day that the Dow Jones Industrial Average had its largest drop since 1987, the year I was born. That was the day I decided to take the next step and start fundraising for our Series A.”But how on earth did Corkman Robert Fenton, founder of life science data management firm Qualio, do it?This week, he gives Adrian the story of how he went from zero to $11m, from multiple VC firms, in 90 days. He also talks about the temptation that some companies now have to leave San Francisco, where he now lives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian tackles the two giant breaking news stories of the week: Apple’s €13bn tax win against the European Commission and what the Schrems data privacy ruling means for ordinary Facebook and web users here.On the first topic, he’s joined by tax expert Brian Keegan, who attended the court case last year.On the privacy ruling, Adrian grills data protection expert Katherine O’Keeffe (from Castlebridge) about where the ECJ decision leaves ordinary people who are now wondering whether their use of cloud services might soon fall foul of European law.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian talks to John Goulding and Joe Lennon, co-founders of the workplace communications software firm Workvivo. The two just raised almost €15m in venture funding, having decided not to shilly-shally around with Irish VCs. Instead, they followed the bigger money trail stateside and landed it.The chat involves raising money, growing a company from Cork and a host of other things.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian has a lively chat with one of Ireland’s most interesting serial entrepreneurs, Norman Crowley.Crowley built and sold three companies for $750m by the age of 40.But he came tantalisingly close to selling one of them for $1bn. He explains how that episode hit him hard for a year. But he also now says that it was “the best thing that ever happened” to him.Crowley has gone on to mix his love for the environment with new successful companies, including Crowley Carbon (which raised $31m earlier this year) and Electrifi, which reconditions classic sports cars into all-electric vehicles.He also challenged Adrian to walk on hot coals, a dare that the host is currently considering.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian is joined by the CEO of the country’s biggest online-only media publisher, Journal Media, and the CEO and co-founder of Silicon Republic, one of Ireland’s longest-running and most successful online publishers.Adrian Acosta and Ann O’Dea dive deep into commercial and business challenges that media companies now face in Ireland.Is online advertising for media firms doomed? That’s a big question that the panel discusses in some depth.Alternate funding methods are also discussed, such as reader appeals and membership clubs. Acosta reveals that The Journal has attracted over 5,000 financial contributions since launching its reader contribution scheme two months ago.O’Dea describes the factors around creating other businesses adjacent to media, such as conferencing.And the panel looks at the prospects for different Irish media organisations from any new or re-organised ‘media fund’ that might be put together by the Irish government.On the health of media, the panel also analyses some of the issues around trust, or lack of it, in press and media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Adrian dives into the amazing story of Ireland’s most fantastically controversial startup of the last 20 years: Steorn. The company raised €20m on the premise of having invented a perpetual motion machine using magnets. The startup claimed to have uncovered an “anomaly” in the laws of physics that would allow for never-ending power.From a full page ad in the Economist boasting of their breakthrough to a dramatic demonstration fiasco in London, the story of Steorn is a mixture of ambition, delusion and hubris.To explain the ins and outs of the story to Adrian is Barry Whyte, chief feature writer for the Business Post. Barry’s newly-published book, ‘The Impossible Dream’, recounts in great detail the entire Steorn story, painting a brilliant picture of the characters involved, the key moments and the ultimate outcomes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.