This Week in Tech #1078: The Great British Marmalade Scandal
Date: April 6, 2026
Host: Leo Laporte
Panelists: Ian Thompson, Abrar Al Heedi, Patrick Beja
Episode Overview
This lively episode features Leo Laporte and panelists Ian Thompson, Abrar Al Heedi, and Patrick Beja dissecting the week's biggest tech stories—from NASA’s Artemis mission and Microsoft’s pervasive Copilot branding, to contentious debates on social media’s role in mental health lawsuits, fresh developments in AI, tech geopolitics, and, of course, the titular Great British marmalade scandal. Expect sharp commentary, personal anecdotes, and memorable comic relief.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
Artemis 2 Launch: Tech in Space
[02:28]
- The Artemis 2 Integrity capsule is en route to the moon, marking renewed lunar ambitions.
- NASA used consumer-grade tech: iPhones for photos and Surface tablets for communication.
- Outlook crashed in space; NASA remotely reinstalled it.
- Ian Thompson: “It's the mound of regolith that I will die on. It's the far side, not the dark side. It gets the same amount of sunshine as any other part of the moon.” [03:16]
- Panel marvels at the orbital mechanics, camera-ready NASA spokespeople, and the corporate politicking behind tech decisions (each state/company gets a piece).
Outlook (and Tablets) in Space
[05:40]
- NASA astronauts faced Outlook issues on Microsoft Surface tablets.
- Judd Freeling (Flight Director): "This is not uncommon. We have this on station all the time...We just had to reload his files on Outlook to get it working." [06:27]
- Panel jibes at Microsoft’s reliability and the ubiquity of iPhones for photography.
- Patrick Beja: “It continues the image of Microsoft and Outlook … simultaneously a fantastic ad for Apple.” [07:00]
The Value and Inspiration of Lunar Missions
[09:03]
- Discussion on whether lunar programs are necessary versus their intangible value (inspiration, spin-off tech).
- Patrick Beja: “There is value to that (inspiration)...the kind of research you need to do trickles down to technologies we're using every day.” [09:50]
- Ian Thompson relays a meme: “We're going to the effing moon.” [11:06]
- Nostalgic recollections of the Apollo era as a global event.
Tech Branding Mess—Microsoft Copilot & Google Gemini
[12:54]
- Microsoft now has 80 Copilot-branded offerings; panel mocks the branding confusion.
- Leo Laporte: “How many products does Microsoft have named Copilot?...It's like, I guess all the good names are taken.” [12:54]
- Google’s “Gemini everywhere” move is critiqued for being equally heavy-handed and at times, intrusive.
- Patrick Beja: “It does feel like it’s being crammed in places you don’t need it...I have no idea what to use it for.” [15:12]
- Panel also finds small but practical AI/Gemini use cases (e.g., audio/video time transcript extraction).
OpenAI & Google: AI Model Openness
[16:28]
- Google released Gemma, a compact, Apache-licensed AI model praised for openness and wide usability.
- Leo Laporte: “I believe in the long run, we don’t want to be forced to use these corporate models….I will give Google some credit for doing that.” [16:28]
- Speculation on the future of “egalitarian” personal AI.
Social Media and Mental Health Lawsuits: “The Big Tobacco Moment”
[26:18]
Main Debate Segment
Lawsuits & Section 230
- Recent court cases in LA and New Mexico found Meta (and others) liable for design defects resulting in user addiction and mental health issues.
- Leo Laporte: “It was really a product defect case...the jury said, we wanted them to fix it.” [25:56]
- Patrick Beja’s strong rebuttal of Section 230 overreach:
- “I strongly disagree with that interpretation [that Section 230 protects everything] because this is not just moderation…these products were designed a certain way...If we can't find that it's a problem the way it’s designed, then they have no incentive to design it differently.” [28:03–29:06]
- Advocates for product design accountability, not just platform moderation rights.
Regulation Risks and Libertarian Arguments
- Panel splits on efficacy and dangers of social media bans, especially for youth.
- Leo Laporte: “I'm not a libertarian, but...there should be some responsibility on the user.” [33:49]
- Abrar Al Heedi: “It's tricky to implement...children can be very affected, but so can adults. I set limits for myself and break them all the time.” [32:43]
- Patrick Beja: “There’s a change in perception happening...Society is putting emphasis that maybe you shouldn’t abuse [social media].” [34:55]
“Tech Panic” & Nuanced View
- Parallels drawn to previous panics (video games, tobacco, sugar).
- Leo cautions against overreach without scientific consensus:
- “There isn’t any real science saying that any more than there was about video games.” [38:38]
- Patrick: “I’m not saying we do all of this now...I’m objecting to the idea that it’s impossible and that we shouldn’t.” [39:04]
- Agreement: Real value in platforms like YouTube ("bridge too far" to remove access completely).
AI News: Claude Code Leaks and Usage Shifts
[54:00]
- Anthropic (Claude) restricts API usage due to overconsumption/abuse by third-party tools.
- Leo Laporte: “We’ve been kind of...much as the Internet in the early days...What was free is not.” [56:25]
- Reveal that Claude’s code contains features for “infinite memory,” raising "AI memory" metaphors and challenges.
- Patrick Beja: “If you can summarize everything you’ve ever told the assistant into something that fits into the context window, then it can remember everything. But...you can’t compress it anymore.” [60:00]
OpenAI Buys a Podcast
[62:17]
- OpenAI buys the TBPN podcast for “hundreds of millions.”
- Leo Laporte: “It's podcasting as the last bastion of independent, non-corporate news.” [64:19]
- Panel puzzles over the logic; worries about corporatization of the medium.
Tech Geopolitics and Infrastructure Fears
[85:00]
- U.S. military spends billions on (still unfinished) GPS, uses Xbox/PlayStation controllers for weaponry.
- Discussion of U.S.-China tech decoupling: new bans on Chinese (and foreign) routers, debates on feasibility of U.S. manufacturing.
- Leo Laporte: “The only router that I know of that’s made in America is Elon Musk’s Starlink.” [94:22]
- Ian Thompson: “If China started shutting down power networks...would Americans really care about Taiwan? That’s what China is banking on.” [98:21]
- Panel weighs historical manufacturing trends and national security vs. global cooperation.
Right to Repair—Corporations Push Back
[122:16]
- Colorado tries to exempt "critical infrastructure" (routers, servers) from right to repair laws at behest of Cisco, IBM.
- Ian Thompson: “[Big tech] is saying any router is national security...it’s blatant lobbying against a very good bill.” [122:55]
- Abrar Al Heedi: “It also runs counter to their sustainability messages.” [123:53]
Lighter Moments, Tech Life, & The Marmalade Scandal
Tech in Everyday Life
- Panel shares opinions on “blurring backgrounds” in video calls, human nosiness, and TV/tech in home décor. [19:25]
- Discussion of RayBans’ new prescription smart glasses—accessibility, privacy, and form-factor for future AI agents. [64:44–71:54]
- Patrick and Ian reminisce about French minitel terminals and the quirks of European banking, keyboards, and national tech policies. [107:05; 109:07]
Baseball & Monitors for Fairness
- U.S. baseball introduces limited automated strike/ball video replay system.
- Patrick: "Drama is part of the experience." [118:48]
- Comparisons to soccer/football’s video officiating.
School Tech Backlash
- Kansas school scales back Chromebook use: “Children take notes by hand.” [137:58]
- Panel muses on handwriting for memory and evolving digital skills.
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
Leo Laporte, on Microsoft’s Copilot branding:
“How many products does Microsoft have named Copilot?... It’s like, I guess all the good names are taken.” [12:54] -
Ian Thompson, on the lunar ‘dark side’:
“It's the mound of regolith that I will die on. ...I used the dark side of the moon phrase. And [a NASA engineer] said, look, before we go any further, it's far side.” [03:16] -
Patrick Beja, on Section 230 and social media lawsuits:
“If you say, well, fine, whatever, but Section 230, so you can’t change the product... this goes not one, but two or three steps beyond just moderating... If we can't find that it's a problem the way it’s designed, then they have no incentive to design it differently.” [28:03–29:06] -
Abrar Al Heedi, on blurring backgrounds:
“Oh, yeah, that’s first. I would never think to do that on any show.” [19:31] -
Leo Laporte, on router bans and home tech DIY:
“For us geeks, building our own router sounds like a good project. ... You can turn practically any computer into a router... It’s not hard. You can do it.” [102:20] -
Ian Thompson, lamenting online panics:
“Sometimes Tim Berners-Lee must have wanted to cut his fingers off watching some of this stuff.” [148:23]
The Great British Marmalade Scandal [147:06]
- The show’s namesake story: Reports claimed UK would need to re-label marmalade “Citrus Marmalade” post-Brexit, sparking outrage.
- Ian: “It turned out to be complete bogbollocks… outrage is thing that sells.”
- Paddington Bear invoked as the cultural casualty.
Episode Timeline (Timestamps)
- 02:28 — Artemis 2 launch, NASA tech & Outlook crash
- 12:54 — Microsoft Copilot & Google Gemini AI brand blunders
- 16:28 — Google releases compact AI, openness in AI
- 25:56–39:52 — Social media mental health lawsuits, Section 230 discussion
- 54:00 — Anthropic Claude code leaks, API usage clampdown, podcast acquisition
- 85:00 — GPS failures, military tech/IoT, router bans, supply chain risks
- 122:16 — Right to Repair, big tech pushback
- 137:58 — Chromebooks in schools, handwriting, memory
- 147:06 — The Great British Marmalade Scandal (title story)
Tone and Style
Informal, sharp, teasing yet insightful—Leo and his panel trade banter, nerdy nostalgia, cautious optimism, serious warnings, and plenty of self-mockery. The show transitions smoothly between hard news and playful tech-life asides, ensuring engagement for both tech insiders and curious layfolk.
Concluding Sentiment
In a jam-packed episode, the TWiT team demonstrates why communal tech debate—be it over the ethics of infinite scroll or the naming of British preserves—is as vital, lively, and unpredictable as ever.