A Court Order Shakes Up the App Store | EP 135

Video Description

This week, iPhone users started to feel the impact of a stern court order against Apple that requires the company to stop collecting a commission on some app sales. We break down what this means for apps like Kindle and Spotify and why the judge suggested that Apple and a top executive should be investigated for criminal contempt. Then, Karen Hao joins us to discuss her new book about OpenAI and explain why she believes the benefits of using the company’s tools do not outweigh the moral costs. And finally, Casey introduces Kevin to a strange new universe of A.I. slop that’s racking up millions of likes on TikTok. Guest: Karen Hao, Author of “Empire of AI” https://karendhao.com/ Additional Reading: Judge Rebukes Apple and Orders It to Loosen Grip on App Store https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/technology/apple-epic-app-store-ruling.html Brain Rot Comes for Italy https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/style/italian-brain-rot-ballerina-cappuccina.html Chapters: 00:00:00 - Coming up 00:00:56 - Podcasting at the Golden Globes 00:01:40 - This week on the show 00:02:04 - Apple's App Store Legal Saga 00:20:32 - Interview Karen Hao on "Empire of A.I." 00:56:43 - The Inexplicable Appeal of Italian Brainrot Hard Fork is a weekly look into the future that's already here. Hosts Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore stories from the bleeding edge of tech. Casey’s publication, Platformer: https://www.platformer.news/ FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hardfork Insta: Kevin Roose - https://www.instagram.com/kevinroose/ Casey Newton - https://www.instagram.com/crumbler/ Twitter (X): Kevin - https://x.com/kevinroose Casey - https://x.com/CaseyNewton Threads: Kevin - https://www.threads.net/@kevinroose Casey - https://www.threads.net/@crumbler Subscribe to the audio only podcast: Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hard-fork/id1528594034 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/44fllCS2FTFr2x2kjP9xeT?si=86ba626802b849cd Amazon - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7c7fe198-e6a8-41a8-b0fe-1d46b976dcd8/hard-fork YouTube Music - https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB9gMmtMLXxsa8C0PzHFL2tJFh7FrKrYD&si=Fwb9Uwon1ZneNsBp The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/column/hard-fork Credits “Hard Fork” is hosted by Kevin Roose and Casey Newton. Produced by Rachel Cohn and Whitney Jones. This episode was edited by Matt Collette. Engineering by Alyssa Moxley and original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Sophia Lanman and Rowan Niemisto. Our audience editor is Niko Gallogly. Fact-checking by Ena Alvarado. Our executive producer is Jen Poyant. Video production by Chris Schodt, Pat Gunther, and Sawyer Roque. Video QC by Isabella Anderson. Podcast Art Direction by Benjamin Wilkerson Tousley. Podcast Art & Animations by Julian Hespenheide. Additional Motion graphics by Phil Robibero. Thumbnails by Julia Moburg, Elizabeth Bristow, and Yvonne Stender. Special thanks to Paula Szuchman, Pui-Wing Tam, Nell Gallogly, Kate LoPresti and Jeffrey Miranda