A fork (still) in the road
Endless Thread3 Okt 2025

A fork (still) in the road

You've heard of the "Freshman 15"... how about the "DOGE 15"? This is how some federal employees have referred to the stress associated with the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency back in January and the "restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force" that came with it, as announced in an email sent to nearly all federal employees with the subject line, "Fork in the Road."

Federal workers have found community in the FedNews subreddit: "A vital, independent hub for U.S. federal employees to navigate the bureaucracy, protect our careers, and support one another." r/FedNews is our hub for this episode. Back in April, Amory and Ben spoke with three of its members: one of whom is still a federal employee, another who participated in the Deferred Resignation Program, and another who was laid off along with thousands of other probationary employees, only to be offered his job back.

We hear their stories as the country faces another fork in the road: a government shutdown that the White House has said could result in further reductions in force — specifically of federal jobs that are "not consistent with the president's priorities."

Show notes:

This content was originally created for audio. An auto-generated transcript is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Heads up that some elements (i.e. music, sound effects, tone) are harder to translate to text.

*** Survey alert: Tell us what you love about the show, what you want more of; what you could stand a little less of. And if you complete the survey, we'll send you an extra episode (what Ben's calling a "dashboard confessional") in January.

Take the survey here: wbur.org/endlessthreadsurvey

Thank you!

Episoder(434)

Announcing 'Hidden Levels': how the videogame world has changed the world beyond videogames

Announcing 'Hidden Levels': how the videogame world has changed the world beyond videogames

Have you ever jumped on something as you're moving through the real world, and heard that Mario bouncy sound in your head? Or maybe seen someone acting like an NPC when they're a real person? Maybe yo...

6 Okt 20255min

Bridezillas and Quiz Traps

Bridezillas and Quiz Traps

Ben and Amory share stories about potential pettiness from Reddit. Ben shares a post from r/weddinshaming post about a bride who changed her wedding to a weekday in another state. Amory counters with ...

26 Sep 202527min

Losing Our Marbles

Losing Our Marbles

In 2020, Jenna Marbles — one of the most popular YouTube creators of all time —posted her last video. Five years later, her devoted fanbase still wonders: where is she, and is she okay? We investigate...

19 Sep 202537min

Message In A Laptop

Message In A Laptop

What is your relationship with the trash heap of digital history? Can you still connect your old hard drives? Still sifting through your old photos in the cloud? Do you ever low key snoop in the old e...

12 Sep 202524min

Encore: The Internet's Most Hated Bird

Encore: The Internet's Most Hated Bird

As summer fades away, we bring you an encore episode about you shoreline companions and occasional bullies — gulls. Gulls are not beloved creatures. Consult social media, where they are deemed relent...

5 Sep 202539min

Introducing "Jaws Island"

Introducing "Jaws Island"

Dun dun... This week, on Endless Thread... dun dun... something new is here... dun dun dun dun... a podcast mini-series about the 50th anniversary of the cinematic classic... DUN dun dun dun DUN dun d...

29 Aug 202531min

AI and Relationships, Part 2: AI Therapists and Bot Boyfriends

AI and Relationships, Part 2: AI Therapists and Bot Boyfriends

What happens when we outsource aspects of our most personal moments to machines? In the second installment of our two-part series on AI and relationships, we hear from Rhiannon Williams, a reporter f...

22 Aug 202530min

Populært innen Teknologi

lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
romkapsel
rss-avskiltet
teknisk-sett
nasjonal-sikkerhetsmyndighet-nsm
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
rss-impressions-2
energi-og-klima
elektropodden
smart-forklart
shifter
hans-petter-og-co
fornybaren
teknologi-og-mennesker
pedagogisk-intelligens
rss-alt-vi-kan
rss-fjorsilkebris-podcast
rss-polypod
rss-tendencast-kunstig-intelligens-og-juss-2
rss-bouvet-bobler