Your Phone Is Spying on You 24/7 – Data CEO Reveals Big Tech's Dark Secrets
Dropping Bombs
Brad Lea
4.8 • 2.3K Ratings
🗓️ 18 November 2025
⏱️ 89 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode sponsored by Skydeo
LightSpeed VT: https://www.lightspeedvt.com/
Dropping Bombs Podcast: https://www.droppingbombs.com/
In this revealing Dropping Bombs episode, Mike Ford, CEO of Skydeo, breaks down the massive data industry that powers modern advertising. From his garage startup with a Super Bowl commercial to building one of the largest data companies in America, Mike explains exactly how "free" apps actually make billions—by turning your everyday habits into precision advertising gold.
Think your phone is just listening? It's worse—it's predicting what you'll do next. Mike reveals the real business model behind your smartphone: how apps legally collect data, why companies pay millions for insights, and how this enables eerily accurate ads. From a near-death experience to a mushroom trip launching Skydeo, this is an entrepreneurial journey of turning data into empire. Learn why data is the new oil, how targeting actually works, and what every business owner needs to know about the internet's hidden economy.
🔗 Resources
🌐 Skydeo — https://skydeo.com/
🌐 App Building Tool — https://www.builder.io/
Guest Socials:
📲 Mike Ford Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/mike_timespace/
🎵 Mike Ford TikTok — https://www.tiktok.com/@mike.ford
👤 Mike Ford LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeford/
Watch the full-length video version of any Dropping Bombs episode here on YouTube.
Brad Lea is a self-made entrepreneur who turned small-town grit into a multi-million-dollar empire. With over 25 years dominating sales and leadership, he's mentored thousands to outsmart, outwork, and out win their competition. His top-rated podcast, Dropping Bombs, brings raw, game-changing insights from the biggest names in business.
LightSpeed VT is Brad's brainchild—the world's leading interactive training platform. It's built to make your team sharper, faster, and more effective, without wasting time or money. Whether you're a startup or a Fortune 500, LightSpeed VT is how you scale success and dominate your industry. Curious? Check it out:
https://www.lightspeedvt.com/
Brad's also behind Closer School, the go-to program for mastering sales and closing deals like a pro. Want to 10x your income? This is where you start. His book, The Hard Way, lays out the brutal, honest lessons he learned building his empire—your blueprint to winning the game. Get it here: https://bradlea.com/product/the-hard-way/
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We have over like 6,000 advertisers a month who use our data. |
| 0:03.6 | Facebook, TikTok, Trade Desk, Google. |
| 0:05.9 | Do you believe there's three-letter agencies listening to us and monitoring data like yours for surveillance purposes? |
| 0:14.4 | Yeah, they use the location data of your phones. |
| 0:16.7 | They've got cameras in every corner and they've got cell phone data where they can narrow down 2,000 people that were in this block where the crime occurred. |
| 0:25.1 | You think with AI eventually we're going to have a minority report, they're predicting who's going to be the crook? |
| 0:31.9 | Skydeo collects and analyzes literally trillions of pieces of data. |
| 0:36.6 | Has like NSA or the CIA ever approached you to like say, give me some of that? |
| 0:43.0 | Yeah. |
| 0:44.0 | Why does the government claim that TikTok is a national security risk? |
| 0:49.0 | The politicians realize what a tool it is in swaying an election. |
| 0:52.4 | So they have all the logins to all of our databases. Is there any reason people should fear data collection? I think it's... |
| 0:59.8 | What it is, Bradley, back again with another episode of dropping bombs today in the studio, |
| 1:07.6 | folks, I got a real treat for you, especially if you're into marketing, |
| 1:12.2 | driving opportunities to do business and growing your business. My man, Mike Ford's in the house. |
| 1:19.1 | What's up, Mike? |
| 1:19.8 | Hey, Brad. Thanks for having me. |
| 1:21.2 | If you guys don't know Mike, you can find him on Instagram, Mike underscore timespace, |
| 1:27.0 | TikTok's at Mike.org, and LinkedIn, Mike underscore timespace, TikToks at Mike. |
| 1:28.7 | Dot, and LinkedIn, Mike Ford, just like it sounds. |
| 1:33.0 | You related to the Ford's, perhaps? |
| 1:35.5 | No. |
... |
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