Intel is entering the self-driving game by purchasing chipmaker Mobileye for $15 billion. Johana Bhuiyan of Recode explains why big companies are acquiring other businesses, instead of creating their own products. Next, we’ll talk about Uber’s court loss in London over a requirement that all drivers have to take an English-language test. And finally, we’ll look at why the nonprofit 314 Action wants to helping scientists run for office.  

Y Combinator’s Sam Altman oversees an accelerator that launches promising startups into the world, but now he’s turned part of his attention to politics. He joined us to talk about his experience interacting with Trump supporters across the country. Afterwards, we’ll chat with Annalee Newitz of Ars Technica about why there’s been an increase in Google searches of World War II-related terms like “Reichstag fire.” 

Earlier this week, we looked at Wikileaks’ decision to release documents about the CIA’s alleged hacking practices. As experts still comb through the details, we’ll discuss what U.S. consumers should be thinking about their devices right now. Then to cap off today’s show, we’ll play this week’s Silicon Tally with Lemu Coker, a member of the open innovation team at Verizon. 

Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, allow investors to put money into a lot of companies at once. Now the Securities and Exchange Commission is deciding whether to approve a new Bitcoin-back ETF, which could help legitimize the digital currency. Georgetown University’s James Angel dropped by to discuss whether he thinks investing in the fund would be a worthwhile investment. Afterwards, we’ll talk about the connection between smart devices and first amendment rights, and then look at a chatbot that can help asylum seekers in the U.S. 

New documents from Wikileaks appear to reveal the number of ways that the CIA may be using previously unknown tech vulnerabilities to do things like spy on citizens. Security expert Tiffany Rad, founder and CEO of Anatrope, discusses how the security industry is reacting to this news. Next, we’ll look at why a German court sided with Facebook in a defamation case brought forth by a Syrian refugee. 

We’ll look at a Samsung scandal involving one of the company’s top executives, who’s about to go on trial as part of a larger corruption investigation involving the South Korean government. Afterwards, we’ll chat with Slate’s Will Oremus about how Twitter’s algorithm affects the way we consume news.

South by Southwest Edu, a conference where educators will get together to reimagine the future of the classroom, kicks off today. Devorah Heitner, author of “Screenwise,” joined us to discuss the role of tech in education and how parents can teach their children in the digital age. Also in the world of learning: we’ll chat with computing science professor Michael Bowling about why we use games to test artificial intelligence’s abilities. 

2017 hasn’t been Uber’s year. There have been accusations about sexual harassment from former employees, a lawsuit over intellectual property, and questions about the CEO’s temperament. The ridesharing company might need some crisis management. Andy Gilman, the CEO of CommCore Consulting Group, shares how his company helps other companies respond to crises. Afterwards, we’ll play this week’s Silicon Tally with Simon Ogus, COO of the website sporttechie.com. 

Snapchat is going public today. On today’s show, we’ll talk about why its IPO will take place on the NYSE instead of tech-friendly Nasdaq, and whether its stock is overvalued or undervalued. We’ll also look at the most interesting news coming from wireless providers at this year’s Mobile World Congress.