The AI IPO Race Gets Weird; Elon Musk Sued By DOGE Whistleblower; Instagram's Hacking Incident
Uncanny Valley | WIRED
WIRED
4.1 • 572 Ratings
🗓️ 4 June 2026
⏱️ 28 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
This week, the team discusses why the race among the top AI companies to go public has just gotten started but it is already creating bizarre repercussions — including numerous San Francisco real estate listings preferring Anthropic’s stock instead of cash. They also get into why Trump’s new executive order on AI safety is underwhelming, and how hackers were able to use Instagram’s AI chatbot to access high profile accounts, like President Obama’s. Plus, Leah reports on how a DOGE whistleblower is suing Elon Musk for defamation after the billionaire publicly called him a liar, and the next thing he knew — his life was in danger. Â
Articles mentioned in this episode:
- What’s Worth More Than Cash in San Francisco Real Estate? Anthropic Stock | WIRED
- This Is How Trump Finally Signed the AI Executive Order | WIRED
- He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut | WIREDÂ
Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from the newest ventures to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, this is Brian. Before we start, two quick things. If you've been enjoying listening to the show, |
| 0:06.4 | we would appreciate it if you took a second to rate it in your podcast app of choice. It really |
| 0:10.6 | helps us reach more people. And second, if you have any questions related to tech, privacy, or |
| 0:15.7 | politics that you would like me, Zoe, and Leah to take on, now is the time to submit them to |
| 0:20.0 | Uncanny Valley at Wired.com. It doesn't matter how big or how small, and Leah to take on. Now is the time to submit them to Uncanny Valley at Wired.com. |
| 0:56.1 | It doesn't matter how big or how small, we want to hear from you and get your answers. Okay, on to the show. Hi, guys. Hi, everybody. We are far flung today. I know. You're not even supposed to be here, but you're here. Couldn't miss it. I am out this week, technically. I'm at the beach with my parents and my family, and we're playing a lot of mini golf. That's basically it. That's pretty good stuff, though. Who's winning? Grandma. Grandma crushing it. Wow. Good. A terror on the links. Welcome to Wired's Uncanny Valley. I'm Zoe Schiffer, director of business and industry. |
| 0:58.0 | I'm Brian Barrett, executive editor. |
| 1:01.0 | And I'm Leah Feiger, director of politics and science. |
| 1:07.5 | Today on the show, we're diving into the IPO bonanza that the top AI companies are embarking on. |
| 1:11.7 | To the point where some real estate listings in San Francisco are looking for not just regular old cash, but something that is considered even more valuable right now. |
| 1:17.2 | Stock in Anthropic and Open AI. The madness is honestly just beginning. |
| 1:23.0 | And this week, the Trump administration announced an executive order asking AI companies to give |
| 1:28.6 | the federal government access to their most advanced artificial intelligence models 30 days |
| 1:33.6 | before their public release. |
| 1:35.8 | This decision did not come that smoothly. |
| 1:38.2 | We're going to discuss all the inside fighting that has been going on inside the administration |
| 1:41.8 | when it comes to AI regulation and whether this executive order actually makes any difference. |
| 1:47.7 | We'll also get into how hackers tricked Instagram's AI chatbot |
| 1:51.1 | to access some high-profile accounts, |
| 1:53.0 | including President Obama's former White House account. |
| 1:56.0 | And we'll talk about a doge whistleblower |
| 1:57.7 | who says someone cut the brakes of his car |
... |
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