Lately – Details, episodes & analysis

Shein and Temu have completely disrupted Amazon’s global domination plans by selling clothes and home goods for ultra-cheap prices, if not ultra-fast delivery – but at what cost?

Our guest, journalist Louise Matsakis, has covered technology, the internet and China for The Atlantic, Wired, The Guardian and NBC News. She also writes a newsletter about e-commerce in China called You May Also Like. She dives into the secretive world of made-in-China e-commerce, the stakes for competitors, and the ethical concerns for consumers who want to shop responsibly without breaking the bank. 

Also, Vass tells Katrina that she can’t figure out her Shein shopping cart. 

This is an encore presentation of an episode from our first season. We’ll be back with brand new episodes in the fall.

This is Lately. Every week, we take a deep dive into the big, defining trends in business and tech that are reshaping our every day.

Our executive producer is Katrina Onstad. The show is produced by Andrea Varsany. Our sound designer is Cameron McIver.

Subscribe to the Lately newsletter, where we unpack more of the latest in business and technology.

Find the transcript of today’s episode here.

We’d love to hear from you. Send your comments, questions or ideas to [email protected].

Location-sharing apps are growing in popularity, not just among families and Gen Z friend groups but with investors, too. (The tracking app Life360 made its Nasdaq debut earlier this month.) If we're already passively sharing this information with companies almost all the time, why not share it with our loved ones?

Our guest, Dr Katina Michael, who was on the cutting edge of building location-based services in its earliest days, says that the trust and connection we desire when signing up for these apps is exactly what’s being lost by using them.

Michael is a professor at the school for the Future of Innovation in Society and the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence at Arizona State University. She researches emerging technologies and their corresponding social implications, and she’s published six books.

Also, Vass and Katrina discuss how boring it is to track Vass’ husband.

This is an encore presentation of an episode from our first season. We’ll be back with brand new episodes in the fall.

This is Lately. Every week, we take a deep dive into the big, defining trends in business and tech that are reshaping our every day.

Our executive producer is Katrina Onstad. The show is produced by Andrea Varsany. Our sound designer is Cameron McIver.

Subscribe to the Lately newsletter, where we unpack more of the latest in business and technology.

Find the transcript of today’s episode here.

We’d love to hear from you. Send your comments, questions or ideas to [email protected].

Everyone loves an AI fail, like a few extra fingers on a generated image. But what happens when the flaws of this nascent technology are much more serious? For the LGBTQ+ community, the stakes are high: Machine-learning models and AI-based tech like facial recognition can promote outdated stereotypes and public discrimination. 

Our guest, Dr. Sabine Weber, is a computer scientist and an organizer with Queer in AI, a global group of LGBTQ+ researchers and scientists whose mission is to raise awareness of queer issues in artificial intelligence. Weber explains how we got here, how AI is only as good as the data it gobbles up, and the real-world consequences of misrepresentation.

Also, Vass and Katrina discuss how AI tech bros are making the switch from DEI to MEI – and what that might mean for equity in Silicon Valley. 

Check out The Zizi Show, a deepfake drag cabaret act created by drag queens when the COVID lockdowns prevented them from performing live. Recommended by Dr. Sabine Weber!

This is Lately. Every week, we take a deep dive into the big, defining trends in business and tech that are reshaping our every day.

Our executive producer is Katrina Onstad. The show is produced by Andrea Varsany. Our sound designer is Cameron McIver.

Subscribe to the Lately newsletter, where we unpack more of the latest in business and technology.

Find the transcript of today’s episode here.

We’d love to hear from you. Send your comments, questions or ideas to [email protected].

A bonus episode for Lately listeners, from the team at The Decibel! 

Millennial women are feeling burnt out. The responsibilities and pressures of family, work and caregiving are piling up, amidst the lingering fallout of the pandemic and the economic crisis. But what makes this generation’s burnout unique?

In conversation with host Menaka Raman-Wilms, The Globe and Mail’s demographics reporter, Ann Hui, explains her own experience with burnout, the reasons why millennial women are feeling it more and what to do about it.

The Decibel is The Globe and Mail’s daily news podcast, exploring the stories that shape our world. 

Lately will be back in the feed next, and every, Friday. 

Questions? Comments? Ideas? E-mail [email protected]

Location-sharing apps are growing in popularity, not just among families and Gen Z friend groups but with investors, too. (The tracking app Life360 made its Nasdaq debut earlier this month.) 

If we're already passively sharing this information with companies almost all the time, why not share it with our loved ones?

Our guest, Dr Katina Michael, who was on the cutting edge of building location-based services in its earliest days, says that the trust and connection we desire when signing up for these apps is exactly what’s being lost by using them.

Michael is a professor at the school for the Future of Innovation in Society and the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence at Arizona State University. She researches emerging technologies and their corresponding social implications, and she’s published six books.

Also, Vass and Katrina discuss how boring it is to track Vass’ husband.

This is Lately. Every week, we take a deep dive into the big, defining trends in business and tech that are reshaping our every day.

Our executive producer is Katrina Onstad. The show is produced by Andrea Varsany. Our sound designer is Cameron McIver.

Subscribe to the Lately newsletter, where we unpack more of the latest in business and technology.

Find the transcript of today’s episode here.

We’d love to hear from you. Send your comments, questions or ideas to [email protected].

It’s summer concert season, and you may be paying a fortune to see your favourite artists at home, travelling abroad for cheaper tickets, or forgoing the pricey concert experience altogether. 

For most musicians, the financial picture is dire. Our guest, author and Polaris Award-winning artist and producer Cadence Weapon – the tech skeptic behind the new album Rollercoaster – breaks down the depressing economics of an industry governed by Ticketmaster trauma, streaming algorithms and an AI invasion. 

Also, Vass and Katrina discuss getting cooler friends.

This is Lately. Every week, we take a deep dive into the big, defining trends in business and tech that are reshaping our every day.

Our executive producer is Katrina Onstad. The show is produced by Andrea Varsany. Our sound designer is Cameron McIver.

Subscribe to the Lately newsletter, where we unpack more of the latest in business and technology.

Find the transcript of today’s episode here.

We’d love to hear from you. Send your comments, questions or ideas to [email protected].

Was all this inflation really necessary? Our guest, economist Isabella Weber says no. In fact, she’s been saying no since the Omicron variant was a thing. In 2021, at age 33, Weber wrote an article for The Guardian that tied inflation to corporate greed – calling out “an explosion of profits” as a central force in driving up prices. She was vilified online, and the establishment turned her into “the most hated woman in economics.”

But history has proved Isabella Weber right, and the world’s caught up to her thinking. Weber travelled to Toronto recently to receive the Broadbent Institute’s 2024 Ellen Meiksins Wood Prize. She joined us at The Globe to talk about the tumultuous ride of the past four years, the historical impact of price controls, and the bittersweet taste of vindication. 

Also, Vass and Katrina lament the rising cost of deodorant.

This is Lately. Every week, we take a deep dive into the big, defining trends in business and tech that are reshaping our every day.

Our executive producer is Katrina Onstad. The show is produced by Andrea Varsany. Our sound designer is Cameron McIver.

Subscribe to the Lately newsletter, where we unpack more of the latest in business and technology.

Find the transcript of today’s episode here.

We’d love to hear from you. Send your comments, questions or ideas to [email protected].

Climate anxiety is keeping us all up at night, but you’d never know it from watching a Hollywood blockbuster. Our guest, Anna Jane Joyner, is the founder and CEO of Good Energy, a non-profit that advises filmmakers and showrunners on how to weave in climate narratives – without killing the vibe. She talks about growing up with a climate-denying dad, how rarely climate change shows up in entertainment and how a simple climate reality check – a new kind of Bechdel test – can help.

Also, Vass and Katrina consider buying the Batmobile now that it’s electric.

This is Lately. Every week, we take a deep dive into the big, defining trends in business and tech that are reshaping our every day.

Our executive producer is Katrina Onstad.

The show is produced by Andrea Varsany.

Our sound designer is Cameron McIver.

Subscribe to the Lately newsletter, where we unpack more of the latest in business and technology.

Find the transcript of today’s episode here.

Survey alert! We want to know about you and what you’d like to hear on Lately. Please go to latelysurvey.ca to fill out a brief survey (less than five minutes, we promise) and we’ll enter your name to win one of three $50 gift cards you can use to shop online.

We’d love to hear from you. Send your comments, questions or ideas to [email protected].

Everyone knows someone who is on Adderall: ADHD diagnoses are at an all-time high and trending on TikTok. Our guest, Daniel Kolitz, author of The History of Adderall for Pioneer Works, tells us about the rise of the medication, how it’s changed the way we work, and his own experience on and off the drug.

Also, Vass and Katrina self-diagnose via some questionable online quizzes.

This is Lately. Every week, we take a deep dive into the big, defining trends in business and tech that are reshaping our every day.

Lately is a Globe and Mail podcast.

Our executive producer is Katrina Onstad. 

The show is produced by Andrea Varsany. 

Our sound designer is Cameron McIver.

Subscribe to the Lately newsletter, where we unpack more of the latest in business and technology.

Find the transcript of today’s episode here.

Survey alert! We want to know about you and what you’d like to hear on Lately. Please go to latelysurvey.ca to fill out a brief survey (less than five minutes, we promise) and we’ll enter your name to win one of three $50 gift cards you can use to shop online. We’d love to hear from you. 

Send your comments, questions or ideas to [email protected].

Pop culture loves to fetishize the world of high finance, but are the perks and the profile really worth the pain? Our guest, Carrie Sun, author of the new memoir Private Equity, describes her disillusioning journey working at a billion-dollar Wall Street hedge fund.

Also, Vass and Katrina talk about what happens when your job doesn’t love you back.

This is Lately. Every week, we take a deep dive into the big, defining trends in business and tech that are reshaping our every day. 

Lately is a Globe and Mail podcast.

Our executive producer is Katrina Onstad.

The show is hosted by Vass Bednar and produced by Andrea Varsany. 

Our sound designer is Cameron McIver.

Subscribe to the Lately newsletter, where we unpack more of the latest in business and technology.

Find the transcript of today’s episode here. 

Survey alert! We want to know about you and what you’d like to hear on Lately. Please go to latelysurvey.ca to fill out a brief survey (less than five minutes, we promise!) and we’ll enter your name to win one of three gift cards you can use to shop online. We’d love to hear from you.

Send your comments, questions, or ideas to [email protected].