Clubhouse’s Elon Moment
Uncanny Valley | WIRED5 Helmi 2021

Clubhouse’s Elon Moment

Elon Musk made headlines again this week. As usual, it was something involving Mars, memes, Tesla, and ... monkey brain implants? These topics, among others, were the subject of a conversation Musk had on Clubhouse, the voice chat app that's big with Silicon Valley VC types. But Musk's appearance may have been a turning point for the app that moves it into the mainstream. After Musk's talk, Clubhouse's user base nearly doubled, going from 3 to 5 million almost overnight. It's a powerful, popular format, and one that other social media companies are eager to get muscle their way into.

This week on Gadget Lab, former cohost of the show and WIRED senior writer Arielle Pardes joins us to dish about Elon, Clubhouse, and where this kind of social platform goes from here.

Show Notes:

Read more about Elon Musk’s visit to Clubhouse. Coverage of GameStop and Robinhood is here. You can also listen to audio of Musk’s Clubhouse appearance.

Recommendations:

Arielle recommends the wine delivery service from Eater Wine Club. Lauren recommends the show Your Honor on Showtime. Mike recommends the autobiography Being Ram Dass by, well, Ram Dass.

Arielle Pardes can be found on Twitter @pardesoteric. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.

If you have feedback about the show, or just want to enter to win a $50 gift card, take our brief listener survey here.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Jaksot(426)

BIG INTV: Joe Weisenthal Has Predictions About How the AI Bubble Will Burst

BIG INTV: Joe Weisenthal Has Predictions About How the AI Bubble Will Burst

Right now much of the US economy rests on AI’s future. In fact, Odd Lots cohost Joe Weisenthal says the rest of the economy that isn't tech or AI related is creaking along. He breaks down for Katie wh...

18 Marras 202541min

WIRED Roundup: AI Romantic Affairs; Google Sues Text Scammers; DHS’s Privacy Breach

WIRED Roundup: AI Romantic Affairs; Google Sues Text Scammers; DHS’s Privacy Breach

In today’s episode, Zoë is joined by WIRED’s Brian Barrett to discuss five stories you need to know about this week — from how AI affairs can now be grounds for divorce, to why Google is suing one of ...

14 Marras 202523min

In Alex Karp’s World, Palantir Is the Underdog

In Alex Karp’s World, Palantir Is the Underdog

Recently, WIRED’s editor at large Steven Levy sat down for an interview with Palantir’s CEO Alex Karp. Karp defended his company’s contracts with clients like ICE and the Israeli government, which hav...

13 Marras 202529min

BIG INTV: Open AI’s Former Safety Lead Calls Out Erotica Claims

BIG INTV: Open AI’s Former Safety Lead Calls Out Erotica Claims

Steven Adler used to lead product safety at OpenAI. When Katie read his recent op-ed asking OpenAI to prove that they have and continue to address safety issues, she knew she wanted to talk to him. Th...

11 Marras 202539min

WIRED Roundup: Zuckerberg’s Illegal School, Nepal’s Discord Revolution, Fandom in Politics

WIRED Roundup: Zuckerberg’s Illegal School, Nepal’s Discord Revolution, Fandom in Politics

In today’s episode, Zoë is joined by WIRED’s Leah Feiger to discuss the top stories you need to know about this week — from Zuckerberg’s illegal school to the repercussions behind the recent pardoning...

7 Marras 202521min

The Four Criteria for a Tech Bubble

The Four Criteria for a Tech Bubble

Chatter about an AI bubble has been everywhere lately, and top tech companies like Google, Meta, and Microsoft have doubled down on their AI investments for 2026. But how have analysts in the past acc...

6 Marras 202539min

BIG INTV: Kara Swisher Says Silicon Valley's Biggest Lie is That They Care About People

BIG INTV: Kara Swisher Says Silicon Valley's Biggest Lie is That They Care About People

Katie catches up with fellow journalist and podcast host, Kara Swisher to talk about interviewing arrogant pricks, the power of negging and who would play her in a movie.  And she tells Katie if she h...

4 Marras 202547min

WIRED Roundup: Grokipedia, Real Estate AI Videos, Alpha School

WIRED Roundup: Grokipedia, Real Estate AI Videos, Alpha School

In today’s episode, WIRED’s Brian Barrett is joined by Leah Feiger to run through five stories that you need to know about this week — from the release of Grokipedia to real estate entering its AI slo...

31 Loka 202523min