TechLinked – Lease a PS5, Ring x Flock Partnership Cancelled, China Space Race + More!

Episode Date: February 14, 2026
Host: Linus Media Group (likely Linus Sebastian)
Podcast: TechLinked

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the latest developments in tech and gaming culture, highlighting major stories such as the new PlayStation 5 leasing program in the UK, the abrupt end of Ring’s controversial partnership with Flock Safety, China’s rapid advances in its space program (and ensuing Twitter drama between Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk), and a slew of quirky quick hits including AI at Spotify, Meta’s smart glasses, iOS-to-Android transfers, and a $10,000 laundry-folding robot. The tone is witty, critical, and engaging, with snarky asides and memorable quips throughout.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. PlayStation 5 Leasing Program in the UK

[00:28 – 03:30]

• UK consumers can now lease a PS5 for as little as £10/month through PlayStation Flex, a partnership advertised via PlayStation Direct and managed by tech leasing company Reylo.

  • "Owning things is a quaint little tradition our ancestors enjoyed. This is much better."
    — Host [00:37]

• The scheme offers no official path to buy the console outright or transition to ownership, separating it from previous rent-to-own models like Microsoft’s Xbox All Access (now shelved).

  • "There’s no clear buyout path. You either keep paying or eventually hand the console back [...] No rent to own or financing options [...]."
    — Host [00:54]

• Broader hardware leasing trend: Reylo also leases Switch, Meta Quest, Xbox, Lenovo Legion Go.

• MS’s old program saved users money overall; today’s trend moves away from consumer-friendly options.

  • "Society has progressed to a new, advanced stage where companies take hardware [...] and make it a subscription, like HP’s laptop program [...] The problem is hardware keeps getting more expensive, so cheaper payment plans look okay by comparison. But these companies don’t even have the decency to let you buy out the device at the end."
    — Host [01:30]

• Satirical pitch: Host jokes about Sony paying him £10/mo for better Spider-Man ideas.

  • "Hey, I’ll tell you what Sony, I’ll charge you £10 a month for me to give you some better ideas for what to do with those IP rights to Spider-Man, that you somehow still have. You know what? Let’s talk Morbius sequels. Morbius 2 Morbius."
    — Host [02:23]

2. Ring x Flock Safety Partnership Cancelled

[03:31 – 05:30]

• Ring, owned by Amazon, ends partnership with Flock Safety following privacy and competence concerns regarding Flock’s license plate reader network and a recent data leak.

  • "Ring announced yesterday that it has canceled its partnership with Flock Safety, the incompetent mass surveillance company that’s recently been under fire for potential misuses [...] and the leaking of 2.3 million license plate searches from its database."
    — Host [03:31]

• Context: After a Super Bowl ad hyped Ring’s “search party” AI feature, critics (like Senator Ed Markey) called out the surveillance implications, especially with Flock integration.

  • "Kind of clearly a mass surveillance program, prompting people to take a more critical look at what it might mean for Flock to be able to access Ring’s camera network at will. And what they found was – was not reassuring."
    — Host [04:08]

• The now-cancelled Flock integration would have allowed police to request Ring footage directly through Flock—a step up in networked neighborhood surveillance.

  • Combined with Ring’s Familiar Faces (facial recognition) and lost pet-tracking, the sense is of a grass-roots surveillance state developing.

• Official reason is “significantly more time and resources” needed, which the host mocks.

  • "And the breakup was totally mutual. Flock was one of two companies approved for the community requests feature. The other is Axon, the world’s largest manufacturer of Tasers and body cameras. So the only remaining approved handler for your Ring doorbell footage is the Taser guys. If that makes you feel safe, I’ve got a very nice bridge to sell ya."
    — Host [05:16]

3. The China–US Space Race & Tech Company Drama

[05:31 – 07:40]

• China successfully tests the Mengzhou crew capsule with a Long March 10 rocket, achieving a propulsive landing. Their goal: a manned moon landing by 2030.

• Jeff Bezos responds with a cryptic turtle tweet (referencing Blue Origin's coat of arms), trolling Elon Musk.

  • "Hours after the test, Bezos, with the energy of the weird kid who ate glue in elementary school, tweeted a black and white photo of a turtle. I like turtles. What can I say?"
    — Host [05:55]
  • "Bold move when you already look like the turtle club guy from Dana Carvey's 2002 film Master of Disguise."
    — Host [06:02]

• The rivalry between Bezos and Musk is likened to a “decade long pissing contest over who gets to colonize space first.”

  • "Feels like they drowned the world in piss before either of them won."
    — Host [06:26]

• In response to Blue Origin’s moon plans, Elon Musk claims SpaceX is shifting towards building a “self-growing city on the Moon” within ten years, despite previously calling the Moon a distraction.

  • "Now this is the same Elon Musk who in January 2025 tweeted that the moon is a distraction and called NASA’s Artemis moon mission a jobs program."
    — Host [06:53]

• NLRB story: SpaceX tries to skirt US labor laws by arguing it's an “airline or railroad” (common carrier) rather than a rocket company, which would exempt it from the National Labor Relations Act.

  • "When you’re a train, they let you do it."
    — Host [07:24]
  • "All aboard the space train. You get no benefits and you’d have to work in Elon Musk’s Moon colony. Just so you know me, I’d rather check out our sponsor, Squarespace."
    — Host [07:41]

4. Quick Bits – Lightning News Round

[08:57 – 13:27]

Cash App Payment Links

• Cash App introduces payment links for quick DM transactions, targeting Gen Z’s affinity for casual peer payments.
  • "Cash App now lets you generate payment links to drop straight into DMs with the goal of making peer to peer payments feel less formal... What could possibly go wrong?"
    — Host [09:02]

Spotify’s AI Coding Leap & Record Profits

• Spotify co-CEO Gustav Söderström boasts that top devs “have not written a single line of code since December,” due to in-house AI “Honk,” which shipped 50+ features in a year—raising questions about code security.
  • "We feel it is our responsibility to tell people to not try and hack Spotify right now, no matter how trivially easy it might be. Especially given that they just hit record profits of 2.2 billion euros for 2025, nearly double the year before, driven largely by subscription price hikes."
    — Host [10:00]

Meta Smart Glasses Facial Recognition

• Meta toying with live facial recognition in smart glasses again, emboldened by “dynamic political environment” reducing activist backlash.
  • "In other words, mods are asleep — post AI slob. Anyway, if someone wearing smart glasses whispers your name before you introduce yourself, just assume the pre-crime division is hiring."
    — Host [10:39]

iOS Transfer to Android Tool

• iOS 26.3 finally makes switching from iPhone to Android seamless, with full app/photo/number moves, plus EU-mandated smartwatch notification forwarding.
  • "Circles are cool too and so are interoperability rules. Thanks EU. Thanks so much."
    — Host [11:34]

Weave Robotics Isaac Zero Laundry Folding Robot

• For $10,000 upfront or $450/month, Isaac Zero folds laundry with a mix of autonomy and remote human intervention.
  • Host jokes: "I cannot unsee that this is just Nintendo's Rob with a glow up. Maybe we should have treated Rob better. He did help us beat Gyromite after all."
    — Host [12:25]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Owning things is a quaint little tradition our ancestors enjoyed. This is much better."
  — Host [00:37]
• "Society has progressed to a new, advanced stage where companies take hardware that people used to be able to purchase and make it a subscription."
  — Host [01:30]
• "Kind of clearly a mass surveillance program … and what they found was — was not reassuring."
  — Host [04:08]
• "So the only remaining approved handler for your Ring doorbell footage is the Taser guys. If that makes you feel safe, I’ve got a very nice bridge to sell ya."
  — Host [05:16]
• "Hours after the test, Bezos, with the energy of the weird kid who ate glue in elementary school, tweeted a black and white photo of a turtle. I like turtles." — Host [05:55]
• "All aboard the space train. You get no benefits and you’d have to work in Elon Musk’s Moon colony."
  — Host [07:40]
• "Cash App ... What could possibly go wrong? It'll probably work. You guys do it. It's fine."
  — Host [09:11]
• "If someone wearing smart glasses whispers your name before you introduce yourself, just assume the pre-crime division is hiring."
  — Host [10:41]
• "I cannot unsee that this is just Nintendo’s Rob with a glow up. Maybe we should have treated Rob better. He did help us beat Gyromite after all."
  — Host [12:25]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• PlayStation 5 Leasing News: [00:28 – 03:30]
• Ring x Flock Safety Cancellation: [03:31 – 05:30]
• China Space Race, Bezos vs. Musk, SpaceX Labor Dispute: [05:31 – 07:40]
• Quick Bits (Cash App, Spotify, Meta, Apple, Laundry Robot, etc.): [08:57 – 13:27]

Tone & Style

The episode is presented in an irreverent, satirical, and critical style. The host delivers quick-witted commentary, jokes, and cultural references mixed with serious insight on privacy, consumer rights, and corporate trends in the tech world. This makes even dense or concerning stories entertaining and accessible for listeners.

For those who missed this episode:
This summary covers all the big updates — from the rise of subscription hardware, surveillance tech backlashes, and international moon race hijinks, to AI-powered playlisting, cross-platform app moves, and the possible dawn of robotic laundry-day relief — with all the pithy humor and pointed critique that TechLinked is known for.