Better Offline: CES 2026, Part Four (Wednesday)

Podcast: Better Offline (Cool Zone Media & iHeartPodcasts)
Date: January 8, 2026
Host: Ed Zitron
Guests/Panelists: Chloe Radcliffe, Adam Conover, Garrison Davis, Hayden Johnson, Ben Rudolph, Matt Binder

Episode Overview

This episode offers a sharp, often humorous deconstruction of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 in Las Vegas, focusing on the absurdities, failures, and sometimes real needs tackled by new tech—especially the surge of AI-based and "LLM wrapper" products. The panel discusses themes of tech’s failures to address real human needs, especially loneliness, gendered tech marketing, and the broader malaise in the tech industry. The hosts also examine the intersection of masculinity, emotional health, and technology.

Main Tone: Irreverent, critical, and highly conversational with humor and candid storytelling.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The (Literal) State of the Show Floor: Freebies, Gimmicks, and Gaffes

[02:07–08:10]

• The episode opens with stories about the "swag economy" of CES—a place where people angle for free gadgets, often to comic effect.
• Chloe Radcliffe recounts being offered pastel "power banks for girls," riffing on the remarkably retrograde gender marketing at play.
• The panel mocks how CES remains stuck in outdated gender binaries, e.g., “pink is for girls, black is for boys.”

  “I love that they're still like, it's like 1995. And, like, what if computer for woman.” — Ed Zitron (07:49)

• Adam Conover shares an anecdote about paternalistic car marketing, reinforcing the persistent, awkward genderization of tech products.

2. Tech’s Out-of-Touch "Solutions": AI Companions for the Elderly

[12:15–18:48]

• Hayden Johnson discusses the proliferation of "AI companions" for older adults, such as orbs that simulate conversation to alleviate loneliness.
• The group critiques how these solutions may actually be more alienating or aggravating than helpful:

  “We invented technology to harass your grandparents.” — Adam Conover (14:14)

• Adam describes the unsettling TomBot—an AI dog puppet booth, and debates whether such tech offers comfort or “just a bummer.”

3. Failure to Solve Real Problems: Cooking Tech & Home Automation

[20:17–27:53]

• The hosts lambast “AI agent” kitchen devices that claim to handle meal planning but ultimately require as much or more user effort.
• Radcliffe notes how wraparound chatbots for scheduling and home management actually add no true value:

  “Except you still have to look at your screen to read what the chatbot is telling you. So you could also just look at your screen to look at your Google Calendar…” — Chloe Radcliffe (25:44)

• Adam: “The iPhone was like 90% of all technological advancements. Yeah, that was possible when it was invented.” (55:58)

4. The Proliferation of LLM "Wrappers" & Market Bubble Concerns

[36:19–32:31]

• Discussion intensifies on the epidemic of companies at CES building “wrappers” around existing AI (like ChatGPT), offering virtually no original value.

  “No, it’s democratizing lazy fucking assholes building nothing.” — Ed Zitron (37:01)

• Concerns are raised about the sustainability of business models simply reselling OpenAI extensions.

5. Smart Glasses, Translation Gadgets, and the Realities of Wearable Tech

[46:30–54:52]

• Garrison Davis gives a tour of the many “smart glasses” and translation gadgets: most offer only slight improvements over standard phone apps, often with usability trade-offs like lag or dependence on connectivity.

  “Why do you want a heads up display if … maybe you need to play app with gesture controls?” — (52:39)

• Hosts agree that, despite the hype, translation and AR features work better on existing smartphones. The true needs have already been met—or surpassed—by existing tech.

6. The Rise of "Waifu Tubes": Sexist AI Companions & the Tech-Loneliness Grift

[59:29–88:45]

• The group dissects the “waifu in a tube” phenomenon: little desktop holograms or tubes offering AI girlfriends (or, rarely, boyfriends).

  “It is a really good band aid on a multitude of problems because—I maintain—you want to, you want to genuinely go talk to a priest. … Maybe you need some spirituality in your life. Maybe you need more than just how you look or how you feel and trapped in your own head.” — Ed Zitron (124:02)

• They discuss the deeper implications: how these products reinforce gender stereotypes, subjugation fantasies, and the link between male loneliness, validation, and the commodification of women.
• Chloe: “The sort of the, the broadest and most, most foundational symbology of a technology where it says, here's a little woman that lives in a box on your desk…really does symbolize somebody who doesn't see women as equals.” (86:39)
• The discussion broadens to the social roots of loneliness and the need for real introspection, not technological “solutions.”

  “Tech can't by definition fix that because tech is not a person.” — Matt Binder (95:07)

7. Gender, Emotional Health, and Male Loneliness: Toward Real Connection

[106:27–135:13]

• The panel shifts to a profound, earnest discussion about male loneliness, body dysmorphia, and the need for men to support each other emotionally.
• Ben Rudolph shares his experience with fitness as both physical and mental therapy.
• Ed emphasizes the transformative power of male friendships focused on genuine emotion, vulnerability, and mutual support.

  “If you really can't, email me… Signal me…if you really want to talk about your emotions and you’re too scared because your cowardly male friends are not in touch with their things, do it. I don't care. You cry. I…I cry when I fucking need to. I'm fucking sick. You solve this by facing the problem by doing stuff.” — Ed Zitron (110:19)

• Chloe advocates for small, actionable steps: “Ask your male friend a question. Any question.” (116:34)
• Adam acknowledges: “I do think that we underrate how much society—like, all of us together as a society—push men down the wrong path on this stuff.”

8. Broader Tech Industry Disillusionment

Throughout

• The repeated theme is the disappointment that CES and tech at large are increasingly full of trivial, commercially dubious, or even destructive ideas—especially when it comes to actually serving or improving human lives.
• The panelist’s collective tone is one of critical skepticism, balanced with humor and sporadic optimism for genuine, meaningful connections either human-to-human or through technology that truly aids, not replaces, relationships.

Notable Quotes & Moments

(All timestamps in MM:SS or H:MM:SS format)

• On Outmoded Gender Marketing:
  “My badge says ‘digital content creator.’ That's what you want, right? You want me to create digital content about your $4,000 TV. Right.” — Chloe Radcliffe [04:52]
• On AI Companions:
  “Grandma loves to commune with the orb.” — Adam Conover [13:13]
• On the AI "Solutions":
  “Every AI ad is a guy saying, what should I eat? And the AI says, sandwich. And the guy is like, whoa!” — Adam Conover (paraphrasing Hayden Johnson) [26:46]
• On Tech’s Masculinity Problem:
  “I want masculinity to be tied to analogness again. And I don't… right now, I think masculinity is tied to computer.” — Chloe Radcliffe [27:53]
• On LLM Bubble:
  “CES magnetizes the trends… the funding… it’s just fucking easier to build a company on top of it. Now people will frame this as, oh, it's democratizing building companies. No, it's democratizing lazy fucking assholes building nothing.” — Ed Zitron [37:01]
• On "Waifu Tubes":
  “Dance for me, tube woman.” — Ed Zitron [87:08]
• On Loneliness Tech:
  “It's, it's a technological fake solution to a real social problem that is like preying on both the customers and, and the women who are represented.” — Adam Conover [123:37]
• On Real Connection:
  “Talk to another fella, ask him how he’s feeling. …Don’t focus and say, ‘I need the wife tube.’” — Ed Zitron [109:51]
• On Societal Change:
  "We need to, like, create space for other men to do these things." — Adam Conover [134:08]
• On Empathy:
  “The only way that we make any progress is with empathy and kindness to the people in, to every player involved in this scenario.” — Chloe Radcliffe [136:14]

Key Timestamps

• 02:07 – Show begins; inside look at CES floor & gendered tech marketing
• 12:15 – Emergence of AI elders’ companions and critique of their effectiveness
• 20:17 – Disillusionment with "AI kitchen" gadgets and overhyped home automation
• 36:19 – The LLM wrapper bubble and its implication for CES/the industry
• 46:30 – Report on smart glasses, translation apps, and wearables
• 59:29–88:45 – Extended segment on “waifu tubes,” AI companions, and the psychological/social fallout
• 106:27 – Deep dive on masculinity, body image, and real emotional support between men
• 134:08 – Final reflections: need for cultural change toward empathy and honest connection

Final Notes

• The episode is refreshingly honest and often hilarious, but doubles as a serious critique of tech’s direction (or loss thereof), especially as it attempts (and fails) to supplant genuine human needs with superficial digital solutions.
• The panel provides both practical (though tongue-in-cheek) advice and heartfelt encouragement for listeners—especially men struggling with loneliness and emotional health: Talk to someone real, do the work, and beware the seductive but shallow tech "fixes" for human problems.

TL;DR / Episode “Vibe”

CES is full of gadgets pretending to solve the human condition with AI, but the dream—and the hustle—is emptier than ever. Human connection still needs humans, not tubes with waifus.