The Unicorn Roast podcast features sparkling conversation between journalists Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini about technology, culture and our fast-changing world. SUBSCRIBE to Unicorn Roast on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podcast Republic, Podcast Addict or wherever you get your podcasts!
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In this episode, Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini discuss the evolution of their podcast's name, the essence of podcasting, personal preferences in content, the current state of journalism, the importance of disagreement and diverse perspectives, the craft of writing, and monetization in podcasting (they're against it). Emily and Mike then talk about Apple's recent AI features (they suck) and their impact on user experience (it's bad). They explore the fate of iPhones in a future of emerging technologies like brain implants.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unicornroast.com
Grok Goes Rogue
Friday, May 16, 2025 • Duration 41:26
In this episode, Mike and Emily explore strange goings on in the worlds of robotics and AI, including Amazon's touchy-feely robot and Grok's sudden interest in South African racial politics. Your favorite podcast hosts then turn to Perplexity's recent transformation into an assistant from the future, and Apple's recent interest in implanting an iChip in your iBrain. All this and so much more!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
A Deep Dive on DeepSeek
Sunday, February 2, 2025 • Duration 57:26
Mike and Emily go deep on DeepSeek, and compare it with ChatGPT, explore the emergence of political bias in AI chatbots, and talk about a future where ideological biases shape everyone’s view of the world. They also have a smart conversation about smart glasses, and slam Meta’s narrow focus on VR and AI-generated artificial people. Plus, they give an update and exploration on the latest developments in electric vehicles, based on Emily’s interview with the CEO of Lucid Motors.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Bozo Billionaires
Tuesday, January 28, 2025 • Duration 43:23
In the first official episode, Mike and Emily discuss the directionless $500B Stargate announcement, GeoSpy pulling public access, Meta’s distorted AI dreams, Apple cranking out fake news, and wait, Bill Gates is autistic?
Takeaways
Trump's AI initiative raises questions about government involvement.
Concerns about the selection of companies for AI funding.
GeoSpy's decision to limit access highlights surveillance issues.
Meta's AI ads are misleading and not truly open to all.
Bill Gates' self-diagnosis of autism sparks debate.
The implications of AI in social media are concerning.
Google's reCAPTCHA 2.0 is outdated and ineffective.
AI technology is evolving faster than regulations can keep up.
Public access to powerful surveillance tools is being restricted.
The conversation around autism and tech leaders is complex.
Chapters
00:00 Trump's AI Announcement: Smoke and Mirrors?
02:45 The Role of Government in AI Development
05:33 Surveillance Technology: GeoSpy and Privacy Concerns
11:44 AI Ads: Meta's Strategy and Public Perception
21:55 The Impact of AI on Perception
23:55 Challenges of Misinformation and AI Summarization
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Roasting Tech Unicorns
Thursday, January 23, 2025 • Duration 45:30
This is episode zero where Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini discuss their journey to starting a podcast together. They emphasize the importance of authentic dialogue in the tech industry and explore the challenges of media consumption, the evolution of podcasting, and the significance of context in tech discussions. The duo also brainstorms potential names for their podcast, ultimately settling on 'Unicorn Roast,' and outlines their plans for audience engagement and future episodes.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unicornroast.com
Robotaxi Joy Ride
Friday, April 25, 2025 • Duration 01:00:25
In this conversation, Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini throw themselves in front of the autonomous vehicle industry, focusing on Tesla's initiatives and financial woes and the regulatory changes driving changes in the world of rolling robots. Then, your illustrious hosts politely explore the implications of proper etiquette when interacting with AI. They look at the environmental costs of AI interactions, and the necessity of good prompt engineering for effective outcomes. The conversation also touches on the future of AI in education.
27:40 Understanding the Value of Established Systems
28:08 Politeness in AI Interactions
29:02 The Role of AI in Social Networking
31:03 The Cost of Politeness to AI
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So you want to be a slime-ball?
Saturday, April 19, 2025 • Duration 49:35
On this episode of the Unicorn Roast podcast, hosts Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini obsess over Apple CEO Tim Cook’s obsession with smart glasses, Meta’s race to launch their Hypernova specs. The also talk about Google’s smart glasses plans, a conversation which devolves into a brutal takedown of Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Emily shares tales from the New York Auto Show, where electric vehicles are somehow thriving despite industry panic, and Mike recounts a Norwegian road trip in a Polestar, confirming that Norway is basically the EV promised land. Tesla, on the other hand, is having a rough year—sales are down, the Cybertruck ages about as well as an unrefrigerated fish, and Elon Musk seems more interested in AI and controversial tweets than making cars. The conversation veers into drones, with Mike explaining how Ukraine is booby-trapping them to slow Russian hackers, and why the best anti-drone tech might still be a shotgun. They wrap up with Blue Origin’s all-female space flight, which leads to more conspiracy theories than scientific breakthroughs.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Unruly Teenage Chatbots
Friday, April 4, 2025 • Duration 49:16
Join Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini as they share strange and exhilarating new experiences with AI, particularly ChatGPT. They explore the reliability of AI responses, the evolution of AI tools, and the importance of prompt engineering in enhancing user experience. Mike and Emily then turn to the implications of AI on open access websites, and the challenges faced by platforms like Wikipedia resulting from AI spiders that raise the cost of being stolen from by AI companies, which often ignore restrictions on access. They then explore the environmental costs of AI, the limitations of OpenAI's computing power, and the need for better engineering practices in the industry.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Tesla Vandalism Throws Trump Into Ludicrous Mode
Saturday, March 22, 2025 • Duration 51:44
In this week's thrilling episode of Unicorn Roast, hosts Mike Elgan and Emily Forlini delve into the evolving landscape of language translation technology (coming soon to an ear canal near you). The conversation then shifts to the turmoil surrounding Tesla and Elon Musk's leadership, exploring the challenges the company faces and the potential consequences of Musk's actions on the brand's future, plus Trump's reaction to Tesla vandalism (which is ludicrous). Plus, they look at the companies teaching chatbots to stop lying, and ponder the future of Apple smart glasses and Siri.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
AI companies: PhDs are $20K, Podcasters $0
Episode 6
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 • Duration 55:40
Your favorite podcast hosts explore OpenAI's $20,000 PhD-level AIs, Russia's "LLM grooming" disinformation network, the doomed Microsoft Office products, and why it's weird to buy a house nowadays. And more!
