Welcome to Crashed, the podcast about how tech is at the centre of everything, whether that be economics, politics, philosophy, ethics, community, law, religion, education, or literally anything else. 

Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker take 10 predictions on what’s coming for tech in 2026. From trying to work out if anyone still uses LinkedIn, to whether podcasting might have its cancellation moment, there are a lot of things very likely to happen, and a lot of things not really that likely to.

Our contributors: 

Olly Mann:

The Week Unwrapped podcast: https://theweek.com/the-week-unwrapped-podcast

Everything else he does: https://www.ollymann.com/ 

Ellen C. Scott

Working on Purpose Substack: https://workingonpurposenewsletter.substack.com

And her book Working On Purpose: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/working-on-purpose-ellen-scott/7788609 

H Alan Scott:

Their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/halanscott/?hl=en 

Dr. Carolina Are:

Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloggeronpole/ 

Chris Hamilton:

Albie’s website https://www.albie.ai/ 

Chris’s LinkedIn https://uk.linkedin.com/in/chrishams 

Paulita Pappel:

Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulitapappel/?hl=en

Hardwerk’s Instagram (discretion advised): https://www.instagram.com/hardwerk_studio/?hl=en 

Rowan Ferguson:

Molly Rose Foundation homepage: https://mollyrosefoundation.org/

And on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollyrosefoundation/?hl=en 

Robert Forrest

Robert’s LinkedInwww.linkedin.com/in/rforrest1

Deep Design Systems www.deepdesignsystems.com   

Jo Eckersley

Jo’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeckersley/ 

Alex Voica - Synesthesia

Alex’s blog: https://www.synthesia.io/blog/authors/alexandru-voica

His Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandruvoica/ 

Follow us:

Instagram: 

Alex: https://www.instagram.com/alexhuds

Chris: https://www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker 

TikTok: 

Alex: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds

Chris: https://www.tiktok.com/@st0kel

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1zO7Ll6SY7W3qBrjhMCQXb?si=9d4dc1a7bcbd4f9b  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crashed/id1846834434  

RSS feed: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/68f22ac7ca0e7f7545c5ecea 

Keywords: technology, podcast, economics, AI, big tech, UK technology, democracy, social meda

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Crashed, the podcast about how tech is at the centre of everything, whether that be economics, politics, philosophy, ethics, community, law, religion, education, or literally anything else. 

Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker take a second over Christmas to thank everyone for listening across the first 10 episodes of a ridiculous experiment before fobbing listeners off by not recording an original episode for Christmas Day and instead looking back at the best bits of the pilot phase of the podcast.

We'll be back next week with a cracking episode of 2026 predictions.

Instagram: 

Alex: https://www.instagram.com/alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker 

TikTok: 

Alex: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.tiktok.com/@st0kel

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1zO7Ll6SY7W3qBrjhMCQXb?si=9d4dc1a7bcbd4f9b  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crashed/id1846834434  

RSS feed: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/68f22ac7ca0e7f7545c5ecea 

Keywords: technology, podcast, economics, AI, big tech, UK technology, democracy, social meda

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker discuss whether a MAGA whisperer will become US ambassador for the sake of a tech deal, our reflections on whether anything actually happened in 2025, and whether there are any politicians who aren’t working for an AI firm.

Follow us:

Instagram: 

Alex: https://www.instagram.com/alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker 

TikTok: 

Alex: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.tiktok.com/@st0kel

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1zO7Ll6SY7W3qBrjhMCQXb?si=9d4dc1a7bcbd4f9b  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crashed/id1846834434  

RSS feed: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/68f22ac7ca0e7f7545c5ecea 

Keywords: technology, podcast, economics, AI, big tech, UK technology, democracy, social meda, 2026 predictions

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker decide whether Australia banning social media for children under 16 is a good or bad thing, whether “fascion” right wing fashion means that fascism is inevitable, and if under 10% of the world’s population living in free democracies means that everything is doomed. 

Follow us:

Instagram: 

Alex: https://www.instagram.com/alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker 

TikTok: 

Alex: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.tiktok.com/@st0kel

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1zO7Ll6SY7W3qBrjhMCQXb?si=9d4dc1a7bcbd4f9b  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crashed/id1846834434  

RSS feed: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/68f22ac7ca0e7f7545c5ecea 

Keywords: technology, podcast, economics, AI, fascism, big tech, UK technology, fashion, democracy, social media

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when all music is automated? When all our currency is on the blockchain? When all the tech companies own everything? 

Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker unpack whether a single crypto bro can be responsible for the Bitcoin crash, if music really can be automated, and whetehr the overreporting of the reactions to the AI bubble could make the bubble popping more likely. 

Follow us:

Instagram: 

Alex: https://www.instagram.com/alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker 

TikTok: 

Alex: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.tiktok.com/@st0kel

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1zO7Ll6SY7W3qBrjhMCQXb?si=9d4dc1a7bcbd4f9b  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crashed/id1846834434  

RSS feed: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/68f22ac7ca0e7f7545c5ecea 

Keywords: technology, podcast, economics, AI, cryptocurrency, music production, big tech, UK pension funds, Bitcoin, ransomware

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves only mentioned AI once and didn’t mention quantum at all in the Budget. Why? Wasn’t quantum meant to be a shining light for British innovation? Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel Walker explain why. 

Also, we’re joined by Dr. Carolina Are and Maedb Joy to discuss what campaigners are calling “the digital erasure of queer communities” across Instagram, Facebook and even WhatsApp. What does that meant for creators and wider society? 

Finally, who wins the AI chip race? NVidia? Google? A company we haven’t heard of? All will become (slightly more) clear. 

Follow us:

Instagram: 

Alex: https://www.instagram.com/alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker 

TikTok: 

Alex: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.tiktok.com/@st0kel

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1zO7Ll6SY7W3qBrjhMCQXb?si=9d4dc1a7bcbd4f9b  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crashed/id1846834434  

RSS feed: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/68f22ac7ca0e7f7545c5ecea 

Keywords: algorithm overreach, Meta policies, creator challenges, censorship, communication, social media, content creation, algorithm learning, algo speak

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker try to work out whether Nvidia being bigger than the entire British economy is a good thing (spoiler: it isn't), if tech has any way to innovate its way away from monopoly powers (spoiler: it doesn't) and the EU has finally put a price on how annoying cookie banner pop-ups are (spoiler: it's billions)

Follow us:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1zO7Ll6SY7W3qBrjhMCQXb?si=9d4dc1a7bcbd4f9b  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crashed/id1846834434  

RSS feed: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/68f22ac7ca0e7f7545c5ecea

Instagram: 

Alex: https://www.instagram.com/alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker 

TikTok: 

Alex: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.tiktok.com/@st0kel

Crashed is an Everything Popular is Wrong production. Follow us on all your favourite podcast platforms. The title music is from Nuffer, check them out on all the streamers. We’re hosted by Acast, assisted by Riverside Studios and we are published every Thursday morning.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Crashed: the technology podcast about the ethics, the policy, the politics, the business of tech. 

In this episode, hosts Alex Hudson and Chris Stoker Walker uncover a Trump-like plot to bring the 900-page Conservative Christian Project 2025 doctrine to the UK. They also try to pick apart the tech that could influence the next General Election, the latest on the EU/US/China AI wars and how this all relates to the 1990s’ Saturday night TV national treasure Mr Blobby.

Follow us:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1zO7Ll6SY7W3qBrjhMCQXb?si=9d4dc1a7bcbd4f9b  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crashed/id1846834434  

RSS feed: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/68f22ac7ca0e7f7545c5ecea

Instagram: 

Alex: https://www.instagram.com/alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker 

TikTok: 

Alex: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.tiktok.com/@st0kel

Keywords: AI dominance, economic power, social control, political influence, advanced chips, AI infrastructure, global race

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All the unicorns keep moving to America, and the EU is willing to spend €300 billion to try to stop that from happening. Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker get to grips with whether it's too little too late, if a "think boring" strategy might be successful, and whether a green energy revolution might have already happened, despite what politicians might tell you.

Follow us:

Instagram: 

Alex: https://www.instagram.com/alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker 

TikTok: 

Alex: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.tiktok.com/@st0kel

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1zO7Ll6SY7W3qBrjhMCQXb?si=9d4dc1a7bcbd4f9b  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crashed/id1846834434  

RSS feed: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/68f22ac7ca0e7f7545c5ecea

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker try to work out what Microsoft taking a multi-billion-dollar cut in its OpenAI stake means in practice; whether that means general AI is closer (or further away) than ever; and how it all impacts the AI Cold War… which may not even be a war. 

Follow us on Instagram: 

Alex: https://www.instagram.com/alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.instagram.com/cstokelwalker 

And TikTok: 

Alex: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexhuds 

Chris: https://www.tiktok.com/@st0kel

Crashed delves into the complexities of technology and its implications on politics, business, and wider society. It’s smart, it’s nerdy, and it’s two journalists trying to make sense of a complex tech landscape in the UK.

Keywords: AI dominance, economic power, social control, political influence, advanced chips, AI infrastructure, global race

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this conversation, presenters Alex Hudson and Chris Stokel-Walker discuss the AI bubble, AI slop, and the supposed demise of human contact. Harvard PhD candidate Shae Omonijo joins the pair to discuss her thesis on the implications of AI-generated content and the importance of high-quality data.

You'll also get insight into what AWS outages mean, what attention spans are doing to algorithm and how this all ties in with The Last of the Summer Wine

keywords

AI, AI Slop, Data Quality, Human Creativity, AI Standards, AI Companies, Cultural Renaissance, AI Bubble, AWS Outages, Digital Infrastructure

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.