SHOW DIRECTORY
Hard Fork
Journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest developments in the rapidly changing world of technology.
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Why Roomba Died + Tech Predictions for 2026 + A Hard Forkin’ Xmas Song
Kevin RooseCasey NewtonColin Angle
iRobot’s Chapter 11 exposes how subsidized Chinese fast followers, a missed mopping use case, and the failed $1.7 billion Amazon acquisition eroded a category leader.Ownership passing to competing design manufacturer Piscea Robotics turns Roomba into a warning for physical AI, while 2026 bets point to uneven disruption across frontier labs, neoclouds, and SaaS.
Intel’s New Deal + Waymo C.E.O. Tekedra Mawakana on Scaling Driverless Cars + Trumps in Tech
The US exchanged $8.9 billion of conditional CHIPS funding for 10% of Intel, potentially securing domestic chip capacity but risking politicized demand for an execution-challenged incumbent.Waymo targets around a million weekly rides by the end of next year, supported by safety data and expanding markets, while tariffs, regulation, labor opposition and fleet economics remain unresolved.