Trends with Benefits is back again to talk about the week’s tech topics.
Streaming television is continuing to grow in 2016, and every network seems to be contemplating its own standalone service. Netflix is still king, but the company’s profits aren’t as great as you would think. There are other services vying for the crown as well, from The CW and CBS to Sling and HBO. And Apple and ESPN are frustrated with each other. We discuss whether any of these other services have the content and infrastructure to challenge Netflix. Long live the king?
Switching gears, a report has come out from the U.S. Census Bureau stating that robots are expected to replace 5 million human jobs by 2020. In addition, the World Economic Forum predicts that we are entering a “Fourth Industrial Revolution,” with advancements in everything from genetics and AI to 3D printing and biotechnology. Is anyone on our roundtable in danger of losing his job to a robot?
Finally, it appears that an Armageddon/Deep Impact-like crew of people tasked with saving the Earth from a devastating asteroid impact … is actually in place. NASA has announced the creation of a sub-agency called the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) to track asteroids and comets. Whether it will actually save us from anything is hard to say, but it’s very cool that it even exists.
Today’s episode features Ryan Waniata, Rick Stella, Drew Prindle, and Greg Nibler.
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