TechLinked – Episode Summary

Episode: W11's Snapdragon X2-exclusive update, Meta/Google addiction trial start + more!
Date: February 12, 2026
Host: Linus Media Group

Overview

This TechLinked episode dives into fresh controversies and developments in tech and gaming:

• A major update to Windows 11 that's exclusive to Snapdragon X2 ARM laptops
• Landmark trial against Meta and Google around app addiction
• Discord's contentious age verification changes
• New data removal tools from Google
• Meta's algorithm customization on Threads
• A stalkerware hack exposing customer data
• MrBeast’s expansion into youth finance apps
  The tone is signature TechLinked—irreverent, witty, and loaded with asides.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Windows 11’s 26H1 Update: ARM Exclusive

[00:29]

• Microsoft’s new 26H1 Windows 11 update:
  • Only for devices with the upcoming ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 processors, not for all Windows 11 PCs.
  • Might also be intended for Nvidia’s N1 ARM laptop chips (which have been delayed).
• Host’s take:
  • Lighthearted jab at Microsoft and Nvidia’s delays:
    • “Nvidia keeps forgetting to work on them while it's swimming in its giant pool of gold like Scrooge McDuck.”
  • Explains that differing Windows Cores mean updates for ARM vs existing x86 PCs will diverge, with “Never the twain shall meet.”
• Security updates:
  • New secure boot certificates are coming for most current Windows 10/11 PCs enrolled in Extended Security Updates.
  • Fortnite tournaments will require secure boot:
    • “You don't want your system booting insecurely and letting hackers steal all your vape juice or something. Fortnite things—potions. The Implication is that I don't know what Fortnite is.”
  • Skeptically asserts no one should be too sad about missing “another” Windows update this year.

2. Meta & Google Face Addiction Trial Over App Design

[01:55]

• Landmark case begins in California:
  • Meta (Facebook) and YouTube accused of “pushing highly addictive apps on children.”
  • Case could set major legal precedent.
• Plaintiff attorney Marc Lanier’s performance:
  • Uses children’s toy blocks for a visual ABC (“A for addicting, B for brains, C for children”)
  • Emphasizes that it’s about app design (algorithm + infinite scroll), not content (protected by Section 230).
  • Quote: “These companies don't only build apps, they build traps.” (02:41)
• Defense arguments:
  • Meta’s lawyer—deflects blame to plaintiff’s “tragic” home life, not app design.
  • YouTube’s lawyer claims YouTube is more “like Netflix, not social media”—shows NFL and Ariana Grande clips to make the point.
    • Posits that features like infinite scroll help users discover content, not hurt them.
  • Host’s dig: “Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you were trying to help us slowly simmer our brains sous vide style in a broth of dopamine. Thank you so much.” (04:52)
• Memorable quote from YouTube attorney:
  • “Infinite scroll is not infinite.”
  • Host retorts:
    • “I stupidly assumed that an infinite scroll would be infinite, because it's called infinite. And also, it never ends.”

3. Discord’s Controversial Age Verification Rollout

[06:24]

• Backlash details:
  • Discord’s new “teen by default” age verification sparked threats of user departures, Nitro cancellations, and a 10,000% spike in searches for Discord alternatives.
  • Discord claims “vast majority” won’t need verification unless accessing age-restricted servers, and only if Discord’s age-prediction model can’t confirm someone is an adult.
• Host’s sarcasm:
  • “Nice try, Discord. I for one will never give Discord a picture of my face. The only shady corporations who are getting a picture of this pistachioed kisser is Facebook, Instagram, TikTok US, TikTok, Uber, YouTube, Google every airline ever, and X the Everything app, which is also now Grok and Starlink…” (07:11)
  • Points out the irony of already having facial data scattered everywhere.

4. Google Launches Easier Data Removal Tools

[08:05]

• Users can now:
  • Click the three dots on an image in Google Search to flag non-consensual explicit images for removal.
  • Flag search results including their Social Security, driver’s license, or passport numbers.
• Host’s take on data security:
  • Skeptical about trusting Google with sensitive info:
    • “All you gotta do is give Google that sensitive info first. Only Google gets it. But it’s okay, they're using rigorous security protocols and advanced encryption, so your data is absolutely safe with them.”
  • Connects back to the theme of tech companies “simmering our brains” with infinite scroll while promising security.

5. Meta’s ‘Dear Algo’ Feed Customization for Threads

[09:00]

• New feature:
  • Users can officially request more/less of certain topics, inspired by the “Dear Algo” meme.
  • Requests can be reposted or deleted; requests only stick for 3 days before the algorithm reverts priorities.
• Host’s commentary:
  • Notes how easily the feed returns you to “the slop factory.”
  • Jokes about Android users’ newfound scrolling addiction.

6. Hacktivist Exposes Stalkerware Customer Data

[09:30]

• What happened:
  • Hacktivist “WCAD” leaked over 536k payment records from Ukrainian stalkerware vendor Structura.
  • Data included emails and partial credit cards of people spying illegally on others.
  • Structura’s marketing overtly targeted people wanting to spy on spouses.
• Host’s take:
  • “Let he who is without secrets install the first piece of malware,” satirically referencing the justified irony of stalkerware breaches.

7. MrBeast’s Company Acquires Step, the Gen Z Banking App

[10:28]

• Beast Industries, run by YouTuber MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson):
  • Acquiring Step, a financial app for teens and young adults (7M users).
  • App offers credit, saving, and investing tools, no monthly fees.
• Motivation:
  • MrBeast says he wants to "give millions of young people the financial foundation he never had."
• Host riff:
  • Mocks the logic (“Jimmy is evidence of that foundation being entirely unnecessary”)—points to his vast success.
  • Predicts “challenge videos about who can stay in a circle longest while also collecting 3% compound interest.” (10:51)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [00:47] “Nvidia keeps forgetting to work on them while it's swimming in its giant pool of gold like Scrooge McDuck.”
• [02:41] “These companies don't only build apps, they build traps.” – Marc Lanier, Plaintiff Attorney
• [04:52] “Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you were trying to help us slowly simmer our brains sous vide style in a broth of dopamine. Thank you so much.”
• [05:14] “Infinite scroll is not infinite.” – Louis Lee, YouTube Lawyer
  Response: “I stupidly assumed that an infinite scroll would be infinite, because it's called infinite. And also, it never ends.”
• [07:11] “Nice try, Discord. I for one will never give Discord a picture of my face. The only shady corporations who are getting a picture of this pistachioed kisser is Facebook, Instagram, TikTok US, TikTok, Uber, YouTube, Google every airline ever, and X the Everything app, which is also now Grok and Starlink…”
• [09:46] “Let he who is without secrets install the first piece of malware.”

Noteworthy Timestamps

• [00:29] — Windows 11 26H1 update details and ARM exclusivity
• [01:55] — Meta & Google addiction lawsuit trial coverage
• [06:24] — Discord’s age verification backlash
• [08:05] — Google’s new removal tools for explicit images and sensitive data
• [09:00] — Meta Threads’ ‘Dear Algo’ feature and limitations
• [09:30] — Stalkerware hack and its ironic justice
• [10:28] — MrBeast’s finance app move and comedic projections

Conclusion

This episode delivers a whirlwind tour through the week’s most controversial tech news, balancing absurdities (infinite scroll isn’t infinite, Zuckerberg as a “human fish hybrid”) with real-world impact—from software updates and legal battles to evolving definitions of online safety and privacy. With its playful jabs and skeptical humor, the show makes the world of tech feel both approachable and suspect, all at once.