As part of China’s tightened restrictions on internet access, Apple is pulling out a bunch of its virtual private network (VPN) services from its App Store in China, and one of those includes VypyrVPN. The president of the VPN’s maker, Golden Frog, joined us to talk about Apple’s decision, which he says suggests they value “profits over human rights.” Afterwards, we’ll discuss two Facebook bots that developed their own method of communication — one that even their own builders didn’t understand. 

The U.S. presidential election wasn’t the only race that may have faced Russian interference. Reports say that Russia may have also attempted to sway the recent French presidential election toward far-right nationalist candidate Marine Le Pen. We’ll chat with Joseph Menn, an investigative reporter with Reuters, about Facebook’s role in all of this, and what these recent events say about Russia’s political operations. Afterwards, we’ll look at the business model behind the launch of CBS’ new Star Trek series, “Discovery.”   

We’re capping off today’s show by playing Silicon Tally, the game where we try to stump each other with numbers from the week’s news. Rose Eveleth, the producer for ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcasts, faces off against host Ben Johnson. Afterwards, we’ll discuss Softbank and Didi Chuxing’s $2 billion investment in Grab, Uber’s biggest rival in Asia.

The practice of getting a virus onto someone’s machine or network, locking up the data, and demanding a payment for the key has become popular and lucrative in a short period of time. The result: $25 million in paid ransom over two years. On today’s show, we’ll look at the “business model” behind this form of malicious hacking. Afterwards, we say our parting words to Adobe Flash amid news that the company is going to stop producing new versions. 

The company Three Square Market provides software that runs vending machines, self-checkout kiosks and, soon, microchips that can be implanted into its employees’ hands. Vice President of International Development, Tony Danna, joins us to share what exactly these chips are capable of. Afterwards, we’ll chat with Anatrope founder Tiffany Rad about two of the biggest hacking gatherings in the U.S.

With many cities trying to become the next Silicon Valley or tech hubs in their own right, the job site Indeed decided to take a look at where job growth is actually happening. Turns out the same places (think San Francisco) still have a money monopoly on the market. But there are some promising areas. Indeed’s chief economist Jed Kolko stops by to break down the site’s findings with us. Next, we’ll look at Windows’ decision to phase out its Paint program, which will be replaced by a 3-D version. The BBC’s Zoe Kleinman explains its appeal, and how even professional artists sometimes use it to create illustrations.

Advanced artificial intelligence requires small, yet very important components: chips. Google happens to be one of the latest tech companies that’s starting to get into the AI chip game. And on today’s show, we’ll chat with Urs Holzle, senior vice president for technical structure at Google, about why the tech giant is starting to invest in this area. Afterwards, we’ll look at a new social media service for musicians that may help create the next Sonny and Cher. 

We’re starting off our show today by playing Silicon Tally, the game where we try to stump each other with numbers from the week’s news. Our guest for this episode: Marketplace reporter Ryan Kailath. Afterwards, we’ll examine an unexpected threat to the computer vision systems in autonomous vehicles: kangaroos.  

They may not be the most anticipated items in the world, but transparency reports are important because they reveal how companies disclose information about the way they deal with the U.S. government. On today’s show, we’ll talk with Michee Smith, a product manager at Google, about the changes the company is making to its report. Afterwards, we’ll look at the model behind Up & Go, a service that connects those in New York City who need cleaning services with small business owners.