Reporters' Roundtable (MP3)
By CNET.com
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Podcast Description
Each week, Rafe Needleman rounds up a group of CNET News and Reviews editors to discuss in detail the biggest tech issues of the week, and predict the outcomes of ongoing technology market battles.
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Reporters' Roundtable: What's Facebook going to do with that money? | Facebook filed to go public this week and the entire tech world turned its attention to the filing document, the S-1. It revealed some impressive numbers: 845 million monthly users on Facebook, about half of them on mobile devices. It also showed that Zynga accounted for 12 percent of Facebook's revenue. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in a letter embedded in the S-1, also took pains to tell potential investors that Facebook would try to maintain its "hacker culture," as well as its focus on connecting people to each other, as opposed to connecting shareholders just to revenue. There's a lot to unpack in the Facebook filing, and we have two great guests to help us walk through it: Josh Constine, a writer at TechCrunch and fomerly the lead writer of Inside Facebook, and... Shervin Pishevar, a venture capitalist in Menlo Ventures and an entrepreneur Bonus: Shervin was an early investor in Klout, so I asked him some questions on that product, after the main show. The video is embedded at the end of this post. Subscribe to the Roundtable: iTunes: MP3 | 320x180 | 640x360 Podcast RSS: MP3 | 320x180 | 640x360 Discussion points: Was the IPO filing what we expected? Why is Facebook going public? Will there be a brain drain? Related reading Facebook files to go public, plans to raise $5B Facebook's IPO filing: Top 10 surprises Does Facebook have a mobile problem? Facebook working on mobile ads after all? Facebook's IPO by the numbers (5:30) The Facebook culture: What is it? Is it for real? Can it be maintained? (9:10) Inside the S-1 registration statement. What's Facebook going to do with the money? (13:00) Revenues per user are low. Should, or can, Facebook raise them? (14:00) How advertising changes because of Facebook (18:00) Facebook vs. Google (19:00) Mobile: How does Facebook play here? (24:00) Where Facebook's downfall could come from (25:00) Zynga (28:00) Developer relationships and Spotify (31:30) Google and Google+, again, and "the identity layer." (34:30) Vs. the mobile operating system companies (36:00) Twitter Bonus: After Shervin, Josh, and I finished talking about Facebook, I left the recorder on so we could talk briefly about the social-influence-measuring company Klout, which Shervin invested in. See the extra video right here. | 2/3/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Reporters' Roundtable: Apple's China problem | Apple is the most valuable U.S. company there is, and the most powerful and influential consumer electronics company by far. It is obscenely profitable. This amazing success is built on the backs of hundreds of thousands of factory workers, almost all of them in China, who assemble iPhones, and other products from other vendors, in giant, science-fiction-scale plants that never stop. These plants take their toll. On workers in China. And on jobs here in the United states. Two recent pieces of outstanding journalism highlight the issues. First, there's a series developing in The New York Times, co-authored by Charles Duhigg, that kicked off in the Sunday edition: "How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work." A follow-on piece, "In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad," ran Wednesday. Second, a "This American Life" episode, "Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory," has reignited interest in monologuist Mike Daisey's report of his trip to visit the birthplace of his iPhone, the Foxconn plant in China. Today we have both Charles Duhigg and Mike Daisey on the Roundtable, and we're going to talk about Apple's muscle, how it works with Chinese manufacturing companies, if there's any chance that manufacturing could return to the U.S. And if it would be a good thing if it did. Apple CEO Tim Cook has responded to the emerging reports on working conditions at Apple's device manufacturers. I discussed this response with Duhigg in a separate interview, which is at the end of this Roundtable (at the 24-minute mark, if you want to go straight there). Subscribe: iTunes: MP3 | 320x180 | 640x360 Podcast RSS: MP3 | 320x180 | 640x360 Discussion points: Why are iPhones and iPads (and Android phones and HP laptops...etc.) manufactured in China? Products are global. Why are we talking about where they are manufactured? What's more important: Where things are made, or how workers are treated? Related reading Apple-Foxconn tale goes well beyond Apple, and tech Tim Cook: Apple cares about 'every worker' in its supply chain A kinder, gentler Apple? Don't bet on it. Roundup: Apple catches flak in China supply chain saga Let's talk about the factories that make these devices. Have working conditions improved since stories about them started to appear, more than a year ago? What are Apple's policies? Can you compare to other companies? Can Apple innovate in this areas? How would the plants be different if they were in the U.S.? More automated? Don't we have supply chain expertise here? If Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and BMW can bring manufacturing to the U.S., why can't Apple? Do consumers care? What would they pay for "exploitation-free" gadgets? Discussion with Charles Duhigg about the new Tim Cook memo on working conditions. More from our guests: Charles Duhigg has a new book coming out in a month called "The Power of Habit." It's available for preorder on Amazon. Mike Daisey is re-opening "The Agony and the Ecstacy of Steve Jobs," with updates based on the New York Times series. It will be at the Public Theater in New York for five more weeks, starting January 31. | 1/27/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Reporters' Roundtable: What SOPA hath wrought | What a week. The SOPA/PIPA story got even bigger, as MegaUpload was shut down and Anonymous launched a successful attack against government sites. The battle between the content industry and the open Internet may be going nuclear. We discuss with three great guests, all experts at CNET: Declan McCullagh Elinor Mills Greg Sandoval Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) iTunes (320x180) iTunes (640x360) Podcast RSS (MP3) Podcast RSS (320x180) Podcast RSS (640x360) Discussion points: Related reading Republican presidential candidates slam SOPA, Protect IP SOPA halted in House Payback: Did SOPA cost Obama Hollywood donors? Megaupload assembles worldwide criminal defense DOJ, FBI, entertainment industry sites attacked after piracy arrests Anonymous goes nuclear; everybody loses? First, let's run down the news: SOPA/PIPA; MegaUpload; Anonymous attacks. What does this mean for the future of content-protection bills? Why is MegaUpload being treated as criminal? The YouTube copyright cases were civil. Will the "nuclear" Anonymous attacks on government sites prompt a nuclear response? What's the White House doing? What Senator Dodd's "concession" letter approrpiate, or tone-deaf? Who's licking their wounds, who's doing victory laps, and what's on tap for next week? For these issues and more, in depth, listen to the show! | 1/20/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Reporters' Roundtable: SOPA blacks out the Web | Hope you're not trying to do homework today. Or buy a motorcycle. Both Wikipedia and Craigslist blocked themselves to protest the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act), two bills getting close to votes in Congress. Other sites showed protests of their own, including Google, which put a black "censored" bar over the logo on its search page. What impact will these protests have on these laws, and on the Web itself? Will we soon be seeing more sites take themselves offline to draw attention to other causes? We have two great guests to discuss the protests today: Our own Declan McCullagh, who's been covering these issues for CNET News; and Trevor Timm, who actually has the title of "Activist" at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) iTunes (320x180) iTunes (640x360) Podcast RSS (MP3) Podcast RSS (320x180) Podcast RSS (640x360) Discussion points: Some background: How many sites are down? What are the big ones? Related Links Blackout! SOPA protests hit the Web (images) FAQ: How SOPA would affect you Complete coverage: SOPA copyright bill draws fire What impact is this having? On users? On politicians? Who's opposed to the protests, and why? Help us understand the wildly different spin we're getting from the supporters and opponents of these bills. What's next for PIPA and SOPA? Will we see more protests like these? Watch the show to learn more. | 1/18/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Reporters' Roundtable: CES, where new technology fights for deals | CES is a gadget show on the surface only. Really, it's a convention of deal-makers. It's where tech manufacturers show off to distributors, who decide what to buy for stores--which means they decide what you buy. People come to CES to get deals. Small companies come to get their products embedded in the lines of bigger companies. That's what we're talking about in this Roundtable, which we recorded at CES 2012. With CNET Executive Editor Paul Sloan and Draper Fisher Jurvetson venture capitalist Josh Stein, we discuss the interesting new and emerging technologies from up-and-coming companies, and how they'll appear in future products. Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) iTunes (320x180) iTunes (640x360) Podcast RSS (MP3) Podcast RSS (320x180) Podcast RSS (640x360) Discussion points: How does the entrepreneurial economy and the large CE economy merge at CES? Where are the startups? Why should VCs go to CES? Are there a lot of investors here? What are they doing? Josh, what are you looking for? Takeaways from this year, in key categories? (Mobile, media, the role of Microsoft vs. Google, etc.) How should an entrepreneur tackle this show? And more! | 1/14/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Reporters' Roundtable: Debating the CNET 100 | Ok, kids, it's the last Roundtable of the year, so let's wrap things up by talking about CNET Reviews' big year-end extravaganza, the CNET 100. It's a great feature with 10 great lists, like "10 disappointments," and "10 forgettables," among the usual stuff like, "The winners," and "The beautiful ones." The big question: Why, oh why, is Apple represented so heavily in all the lists, including the bad ones? Our roundtablers today are CNET Reviews' new editor-in-chief Lindsey Turrentine, and CNET Reviews executive editor John Falcone. Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) iTunes (320x180) iTunes (640x360) Podcast RSS (MP3) Podcast RSS (320x180) Podcast RSS (640x360) Discussion points: How'd the consumer tech industry do this year? Required reading The CNET 100 The lists worth arguing about... The Top 10 Winners Why so many Apple products? And Google, too? The wonderful new stuff, from Roku and Nest. The Let-downs Apple and Googe, again? Electric cars? 3D TV (yay!) The Beautiful Ones The Hidden Gems In particular that Monoprice 5.1 speaker system Favorite products of 2011? What are we looking forward to in 2012? | 12/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Reporters' Roundtable: The car as app platform | The most interesting mobile platform today? The car. On this Roundtable, we discuss what's going into cars and how it's getting there. Will your next car have an app store? Who is building the best in-car technology? Or are manufacturers just going to lean on smartphones for all the cool new tech? My guests today are CNET Car Tech co-host Brian Cooley, and Ford product Manager Julius Marchwicki. Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) iTunes (320x180) iTunes (640x360) Podcast RSS (MP3) Podcast RSS (320x180) Podcast RSS (640x360) Discussion points: Why can't cars just be cars? When did they become concierges and nannies? Related stories Ford & Toyota co-developing auto plaform Ford envisions car as "the largest piece of CE in your life" Renault opens app store for its cars Car or Internet: For many young Americans, it's a toss up J.D. Power finds frustration with in-car interfaces BMW and MOG do first in-car on-demand streaming radio together AT&T says embedded 3G/4G in cars is growing fast toward universal availability What are the challenges or bringing new consumer tech into cars? Who is working on this? Are there standards or consortiums? Are we going to see app stores for cars? Talk about integrating smartphones with cars. The importance of voice recognition and Siri. Apple vs. Google in the car. Discuss the upgrade and development cycle of mechanical technology vs. consumer software and services. Car as hot spot: What's it mean? We have to talk about safety... Discuss Tesla and the touch-screen giant LCD interface. What's the best car for geeks? | 12/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Reporters' Roundtable: Holiday tech buying update | We are in the middle of the holiday buying season right now, between the first rush of gift-buying that happened on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and the "Oh, crap, I need to start buying presents!" feeling that happens in about a week. This is the most important month for the consumer tech economy, but this December will be different from all the ones that came before it. Why? Mobile devices, online shopping, social networking, improved analytics, changing tax laws, and changing behaviors among both buyers and sellers, among other reasons. Today we are talking about how the gadget economy is evolving. My guests are: Claire Cain Miller, a reporter at The New York Times who's been writing about this topic, and a returning guest to the Roundtable; and Mike Fridgen, CEO of one of my favorite tech startups, Decide.com. This company runs a service that can tell you if the price of a tech item you're looking at is good today and if it will be going up or down in the near future. Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) iTunes (320x180) iTunes (640x360) Podcast RSS (MP3) Podcast RSS (320x180) Podcast RSS (640x360) Discussion points: First, the numbers: How'd the gadget industry do at the opening of this season? How has gadget shopping and buying changed in the last five years? Related stories Cyber Monday Sales Give Retailers a Holiday Shopping Boost (NY Times) A Look at Apple's Spot-the-Shopper Technology (NY Times) Decide.com: For gadget buyers, timing is everything BlackLocus levels online prices Is the store as we know it dying? Are stores becoming just showcases for people with smartphones? Will online and offline pricing models merge? WalMart may be known as a heartland company, but Walmart.com is here in Silicon Valley. Why? Why are Best Buy prices so ridiculously high? Who's most aggressive in dynamic pricing? How can smaller retailers compete, online? Impact of deals and coupons, or of social networks? Apple stores: Why do they work? Why don't other companies do this right? (Sony tried...) Impact of sales tax changes. Advice: Best mobile tools for smart shoppers? Best sites? | 12/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Reporters' Roundtable: The rise of the connected consumer | We're in the middle of a revolution in consumer commerce. The connected consumer (all of us) no longer relies on catalogs for prices or salespeople in stores for advice. Now we use our social networks to get advice from friends and friends of friends, and we have access to scanners and price comparison engines on our smartphones that are turning retail stores into showrooms, not necessarily places you go to buy. There's a smart guy who's been tracking these trends for years, and he's my guest today. Brian Solis is author of The End of Business as Usual: Rewire the Way You Work to Succeed in the Consumer Revolution. Brian was on the Roundtable about a year and a half ago discussing social media. Currently, Brian is principal at Altimeter Group, a research-based advisory firm. Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) iTunes (320x180) iTunes (640x360) Podcast RSS (MP3) Podcast RSS (320x180) Podcast RSS (640x360) Discussion points: Your thesis is that the connected consumer is changing the way commerce is done. Give us an intro to that idea. We're heading into the holiday buying season. How is it going to be different this year? Effect of overall down economy. How do you hire employees to deal with this new consumer? Are social streams replacing search? What is the "audience w/in the audience?" Let's say I've got a product. I made it. You say that brands are no longer created, they're co-created. How does a control freak CEO deal with this? Is the customer always right? Or just always loud? Let's talk about check-ins, and what they mean. What do you think of Klout and other social-network scoring systems? What's the most important social network? Facebook? Twitter? Examples of brands that are successfully navigating new consumer space. | 11/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 9 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
The Quality Commentary You Expect
Though CNet are "technically" competitors, I never start a day without CNet tech podcasts. Rafe and team not only deliver the quality commentary and analysis you'd expect from the CNet podcast team, they also deliver Trust in reporting. This combination is essential for all content creators, but is exceptionally necessary for digital content creators. These guys work hard at their jobs, and at creating a health environment for all digital content creators. You should subscribe to this podcast. - DHP
Fills a hole in the CNET Lineup
I'm very impressed with this podcast so far. CNET has lots of discussion of tech events as they happen, and lots of summary of events of the week, but they didn't have anything like this. It feels like the Washington Weekly of the tech world. I'm definitely looking forward to this podcast continuing.
A great compliment to your general purpose tech news.
This show takes one topic and has a smart discussion about it. Rafe picks people who know their subject and the discussion is almost always worthwhile and educational. Listen to TNT, Buzz Out Loud, and TWIT for your overview, then listen to this for your in-depth analysis and opinion.
