The Big Tech Show

What is it about a downturn that makes it attractive to build a Start-Up? This week Adrian is joined by Eamon Leonard from Broadstone VC to discuss how a crisis can spur on innovation, Eamon’s interesting career so far and what a good start-up investment looks like. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When ChatGPT launched last year, the hype around the new AI chatbot has grown and grown. It can write poems, screenplays, articles and even do children’s homework. Not only does it have teachers worried, but companies like Google have increased investment in generative AI, so they can keep up. Adrian Weckler takes a look at the chatbot and what all the hype is about. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Are you thinking of getting an electric car in 2023? This week on the Big Tech Show we have a beginner's guide on all you need to know about going electric. From the best models, to charging them and a million other questions in between. Host: Adrian Weckler. Guest: Derek Reilly. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last year was a turbulent one for the tech industry. Could 2023 be as dramatic? This week on the Big Tech Show, Adrian looks at what we can expect from tech this year, including the possibility of more layoffs, what we can expect from cryptocurrency and if this year is the year the Metaverse will catch on. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Formerly RTÉ's political correspondent, Martina Fitzgerald made the move into the tech industry when she took the job of CEO in Scale Ireland in 2020. A not-for-profit organisation, she now represents start-ups and growing businesses. This week Martina joins Adrian to discuss her time as a journalist, her decision to move into tech and how the industry is treated both by politicians and the media....

It's been a busy week for Elon Musk, with his Twitter poll calling for him to step down as CEO of the social network. But this month the tech billionaire revealed what his other company Neuralink has been working on. Adrian Weckler is joined by journalist Antonio Regalado to discuss the possibility of brain chip implants being made available by the company.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

This week marks the 5th Anniversary of the Big Tech Show. Joining us for this extended episode is our first-ever guest, broadcaster and founder of Storyful and Kinzen, Mark Little. Mark joins Adrian to chat about Twitter and Elon Musk, the future of journalism and his new role in Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now that we're in the final weeks of 2022, Adrian takes a look back at the best tech of the year, including smartwatches, home appliances and headphones. Is Bitcoin doomed? Or are we in the midst of a crypto winter, the trough of another cycle, with canny investors waiting it out? Adrian is also joined by the Managing Director of Bitpanda Alex Batlin to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

This week on the Big Tech Show, as part of our new Ask Adrian segment, we ask if our phones are really listening to us, how we can stop scam calls and discuss some of the tech news stories of the week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How concerned are you about your messages to friends or family staying private? On this week’s Big Tech Show, Adrian Weckler is joined by CEO of messaging app Signal, Meredith Whittaker to talk about absolute privacy – is it always a good thing, would people abandon WhatsApp or iMessage in favour of it and can it sometimes help criminals? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s Big Tech Show With Adrian Weckler, we talk to the global CEO of the taxi company Free Now about cities banning cars and the likelihood of autonomous vehicles soon. Thomas Zimmerman also answers questions about taxi shortages and whether the name ‘Free Now’ is often used in frustration by customers left waiting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adrian sits down with the billionaire tech CEO of Dropbox, Drew Houston, to talk about his new revamped office in Dublin, the future of work, what’s going with the tech industry’s wave of job layoffs and whether Ireland is vulnerable. The two also talk about Dublin’s cost of living, where Dropbox now sits compared to Microsoft, the pros and cons of airing political views as a tech CEO, and what he...

This week, The Big Tech Show is at the Web Summit in Lisbon. Adrian chats to Revolut CEO Nikolay Storonsky about the future of the banking app in Ireland, and if Irish customers will be able to get mortgages from the digital bank. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Big Tech Show, Adrian Weckler speaks to Paul Daugherty, Group Chief Executive of Technology and Chief Technology Officer at Accenture to talk about why he thinks we need to reframe how we think about the Metaverse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ethereum, one of the largest cryptocurrencies completed the highly anticipated “Merge”, a software update that cut the currency's energy usage by 99%. How successful was The Merge and will it influence other cryptocurrencies to become more energy efficient? Adrian Weckler is joined by James Nagle, co-founder of Bitcove to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when you have to battle social media companies for access to a loved one’s online information when they pass away? That’s what Irishwoman Donna Ahern has been facing for the last year, since her twin sister suddenly died. In this week’s podcast, Donna talks about the hoops she has had to jump through to comply with the processes put in her way by Facebook and Google. Adrian also looks...

With the Elon Musk and Twitter saga raging on, we ask if Musk is finally about to buy Twitter and what that could mean for the platform? With new EU rules saying most gadgets must use the same charging cable from 2024, we discuss if this is officially the end of the drawer full of cables. Host: Adrian Weckler. Guest: Damien Mulley. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Irish Shoppers who head to Britain will be able to save hundreds of euro on luxury goods under a new regime that offers overseas visitors tax-free perks. Adrian Weckler is joined by Jon Ihle, Deputy Business Editor of the Irish Independent to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Big Tech Show with Adrian Weckler, we talk to Charlotte Morgan, whose story went viral around the world when thieves used her phone to get at her bank card’s pin number, leaving her thousands of pounds out of pocket. Charlotte tells us how to stop the same thing happening to you. Adrian also looks at Apple’s new Watch Series 8 and gives his verdict on whether it’s worth getting or...

This week on the Big Tech Show with Adrian Weckler, we are discussing whether TikTok should be banned. Reports found that TikTok can log keystrokes on iPhones and that Bytedance staff in China have ultimate access to any and all TikTok user data they want. Adrian is joined by finance correspondent of the Currency, Sean Keyes to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Apple launched the iPhone 14 at its headquarters in Cupertino, California. Adrian tells us how the launch went and whether it’s worth upgrading to the latest iPhone. Host: Adrian Weckler. Guests: Stuart Miles, Britta O’Boyle and Robert Leedham. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the cost of living and energy crisis dominating the news right now, data centres are coming under greater scrutiny. This week on the Big Tech Show we ask are data centres to blame for Ireland's energy woes? If blackouts do happen, we explore what kind of tech can help get your through an energy outage. And we talk to the two young tech entrepreneurs who have quit Dublin for Spain because the...

What’s the best laptop, monitor, power-bank or noise-cancelling headphones for a college student? Or rather, what’s the best you can get at a reasonable price in a cost-of-living crisis? Adrian Weckler is joined by technology journalist and recent college graduate Andy O’Donoghue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jack Williams is co-founder and CEO of the Belfast-based ecommerce fulfilment firm Selazar. While the company made headlines recently for getting £20m in funding, the highest amount of venture capital in Northern Irish history, this week it was also in the news for less flattering reasons, having lost an employment tribunal case in London over claims of ageism. Adrian Weckler sat down with Jack th...

Is the tech party over for Ireland? Google has announced a temporary recruitment freeze, Microsoft is eliminating open jobs, while both Meta and Apple are reportedly planning to hire fewer people. In other words, some of Ireland’s biggest tech employers are scaling back their plans. The tech sector here has been on the biggest bull run in Irish industrial history. But is it finally facing a slowdo...