# 744: Goblin Mode

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/grumpy-old-geeks-168050/744-goblin-mode
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/grumpy-old-geeks-168050/744-goblin-mode.md
Podcast: [Grumpy Old Geeks](https://stenobird.com/podcast/grumpy-old-geeks-168050)
Published: 2026-05-01T22:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://gog.show/744
Audio file: https://op3.dev/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/802/rss.art19.com/episodes/59607910-8986-4310-b5fb-6bf912d7e40c.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/grumpy-old-geeks-168050/episodes/744-goblin-mode
Duration seconds: 5008

## Resource

Episode 744 kicks off with new merch in the wild and the ongoing expansion of the “protect the children from the internet” playbook. Manitoba is floating a ban on social media and AI chatbots for kids with details still TBD, while the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee somehow managed unanimous approval on chatbot age-verification legislation. Utah, not to be outdone, passed SB 73 — a law that tries to pin age verification on VPN users and even bans sites from explaining what a VPN is, a move that will mostly degrade the internet without solving the problem it claims to address. Meanwhile, John Oliver finally unloaded on the AI industry, echoing long-standing criticisms: rushed products, acknowledged risks, and outsourced consequences. In the news, a U.S. Army Special Forces master sergeant was arrested for allegedly turning classified intel about the Maduro capture into a $400K Polymarket win, then attempting to cover it up in ways that suggest poor operational planning. Meta cut more than 1,100 Kenyan content moderators after reports surfaced that they were exposed to explicit footage from smart glasses users, raising serious questions about labor practices in AI pipelines. Google signed a Pentagon AI deal despite internal backlash while posting massive revenue gains, underscoring where incentives actually land. OpenAI, meanwhile, is juggling missed targets, a shift away from Microsoft exclusivity, and continued reputational hits around Sam Altman — including a widely criticized apology tied to a mass shooting and a fabricated Bruno Mars tie-in for his World project. Add in a failed retrial bid from Sam Bankman-Fried, rising volumes of AI-generated web content, and political interference with the National Science Board, and the signal is clear: incentives are misaligned…

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