This Week in Tech (TWiT) 1063: The Year's End - Top Stories of 2025

Date: December 22, 2025
Host: Leo Laporte
Guests: Steve Gibson (Security Now), Paris Martineau (Intelligent Machines), Micah Sargent (Tech News Weekly)

Episode Overview

The end-of-year special brings together TWiT regulars to reflect on 2025's biggest tech stories and ongoing trends. Leo Laporte, Steve Gibson, Paris Martineau, and Micah Sargent look back at a wild year, from blockbuster AI developments and major security breaches to political wrangling, new Internet laws, the evolution of privacy (or lack thereof), gaming, media, and a host of memorable, bizarre moments that shaped the tech landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Year in Review: Tech Dramas That Fizzled

• Many "big" stories lost significance:
  • Early 2025 dramas often led to little real change.
  • Example: TikTok's threatened ban sparked congressional outcry and influencer protests, only for the issue to resolve with little practical effect ([05:12]).
• Notable quote:

  "A lot of the things we cared a lot about at the beginning of the year made no difference at all. By the end, it's like... what was that?" – Leo Laporte (04:22)

2. Social Media & Political Power Plays

• TikTok Ban Saga:
  • U.S. law forced either sale or shutdown; TikTok briefly shut down, apps pulled from app stores ([07:25]).
  • Viral political mobilization by influencers impressed hosts—but also scared some policymakers.
  • Final deal: U.S.-based investors (including Trump allies) buy 80.1%; ByteDance remains minority shareholder with the algorithm intact.
  • Content moderation now in hands of Oracle and other U.S. players, raising “homegrown propaganda” fears ([12:23]).
• Notable quotes:

  "Will TikTok be a propaganda arm still? Yeah, but this time for our side, our propaganda." – Leo Laporte (13:11)
  "Homegrown American propaganda." – Paris Martineau (13:37)

3. National Security, Supply Chains, and China

• Security breaches and spying fears:
  • Major focus on Chinese hardware—found in U.S. infrastructure, renewable energy, even city bus fleets—with hidden components (cell radios, kill switches) ([15:35]).
  • DJI drones geofencing, ban potential, and privacy risks discussed ([17:08]).
  • IoT devices “from light bulbs to cameras” all likely phoning home ([19:51]).
  • Microsoft’s outsourcing of security patching to engineers in China led to faster leaks ([20:23]).
• Notable quotes:

  "They subcontracted... bugs went to Microsoft employees in China." – Steve Gibson (20:38)
  "We've filled American households with IoT devices all connected back to servers in China—what could they do?" – Steve Gibson (19:11)

4. The Decline of Online Privacy

• 2025: The year privacy died (again and again):
  • Mandatory age-verification and surveillance exploded—in the UK (including for porn), Australia, and some U.S. states ([30:36]).
  • Facial age estimation systems, like Yoti, widely deployed, but error-prone and prone to data leaks ([38:33], [41:37]).
  • U.S. privacy law still essentially non-existent.
  • ISPs increasingly spying/selling customer data ([29:07]).
• Notable quotes:

  "This was 2025, the year privacy died a second death, and a third death, and a fourth death." – Leo Laporte (30:09)
  "You can require this, but there’s no protection." – Leo Laporte on age verification leaks (36:45)
  "Cookies... Because people didn’t see what was going on, they weren't worried about it." – Steve Gibson (47:55)

5. AI: The Story of the Year

• AI as the central story:
  • Huge leaps: Chinese startup DeepSeek built state-of-the-art models on a shoestring ([59:58]).
  • AI user numbers: ChatGPT doubled to 800 million weekly users ([61:09]).
  • No major models profitable yet—business model uncertainty; possible future heavy reliance on ads ([61:36], [63:00]).
  • AI-generated content now almost indistinguishable from reality; mass confusion, “fake everything” is here ([70:02]).
  • Sex/parasocial relationship trends with AI chatbots; discussion over people mourning for old AI personalities ([67:44], [68:10]).
  • Robot obsession: surge in humanoid robot development, from practical to the uncanny (including “sex robot” jokes) ([65:01]).
• Notable quotes:

  "Now, you can no longer tell what’s generated by AI and what’s real—whether it’s a picture, a movie, or music." – Leo Laporte (70:13)
  "I believe that we can get a lot more [from AI], but not from LLMs alone… something new is coming." – Steve Gibson (82:55)

6. Gaming, Media & Changes in Consumption

• YouTube overtakes mobile for TV viewing; podcasts hit 700 million monthly TV hours ([133:30]).
• Nintendo Switch 2 launches with record-breaking sales, quirky stories (like the stapled console incident) ([132:28], [163:32]).
• Oscars to move to YouTube for 2029; debate over the relevance of awards among younger generations ([135:24]).

7. Bizarre & Memorable Moments

• **Palo Alto crosswalks "hacked" to play deepfaked messages from "Zuckerberg" and "Elon Musk" ([160:21]).
• The Coldplay Kiss Cam: accidental outing of an affair at a tech company, mass online fallout ([164:05]).
• Lego Theft Ring: police found thousands of beheaded minifigs ([167:02]).
• The "year of ragebait" and "parasocial" relationships, both named Words of the Year ([170:06]).

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• [04:22] Leo Laporte: "A lot of the things we cared a lot about at the beginning of the year made no difference at all... There seemed to be a lot of that going on in 2025."
• [13:11] Leo Laporte (on TikTok): "Will TikTok be a propaganda arm still? Yeah, but this time for our side, our propaganda. Right, it's our propaganda."
• [15:35] Steve Gibson: "In general, we're seeing a sort of across-the-board encroachment of Chinese technology and its consequences..."
• [19:11] Steve Gibson: "Anybody who's involved with security... has to take the 'what if' position... We've filled American households with IoT devices connected back to servers in China—what could they do?"
• [20:38] Steve Gibson: "They subcontracted. They had Microsoft employees in China patching the bugs."
• [30:09] Leo Laporte: "Privacy is, has been dead for a while, but this was 2025, was the year privacy died a second death and a third death and a fourth death."
• [41:37] Steve Gibson: "Of all the existing services, I would trust Apple [for age assurance proxy]..."
• [63:00] Paris Martineau: "Would be utterly ridiculous if the way that these AI companies make money is just advertising. Like every other big media business we've had."
• [70:13] Leo Laporte: "We're going to get to the point where you can no longer tell it was generated by AI... It is now... a major milestone where you cannot tell the difference between AI generated content and real content."
• [82:55] Steve Gibson: "I believe that we can get a lot more, but I don't think it's by pushing LLMs further. I think... something will grow out of this..."

Major Segments & Timestamps

• 00:00: Introductions, year-in-review, main panel intro
• 04:20–13:56: The TikTok ban, political spectacle, and what changed (or didn’t)
• 14:56–22:02: Security themes—Chinese tech, Microsoft breaches, supply chain worries
• 29:07–53:29: Privacy lost—age verification, regulation, failures to protect user data
• 58:03–86:00+: AI takes center stage—models, business, ethics, robots, sex, and weirdness
• 94:09: Chrome changes, Google monopoly court cases, and Internet story highlights
• 96:00: The RAM price surge, hardware shortages
• 133:02: YouTube as TV, new hardware launches, gaming moments
• 160:21–167:38: Wacky stories: hacked crosswalks, the Lego head heist, and viral oddities
• 171:00+: In Memoriam—farewell to tech influencer Lamar Wilson; mental health reminder
• 173:52–end: Reflections, hopes for 2026, friendship, and lighthearted farewells

Closing Thoughts

• Tech trends are faster and weirder than ever.
• The panel agrees: Even as privacy vanishes and new threats emerge, optimism, community, and adaptability remain vital.
• Notable exit quote:

  "The best parts of life are friends and people who I enjoy being with. And it's sad when you lose them, so all you have is memories. But even that... relationships are the key. It's up to us not to get desocialized by this increasingly mechanized environment. Have friends, reach out, don’t be isolated, stay connected and... have a good time because that's life."
  – Steve Gibson ([175:07])

Memorable Episode Moments:

• [13:11] The grim humor of American TikTok propaganda
• [38:33] Paris’s in-the-trenches analysis on age verification and facial recognition
• [67:44] “Horny mommy”—the rise of AI romantic companions and the wildness of chatbot emotional bonds
• [160:21] The hacked crosswalk deepfakes of techno-celebs
• [164:05] “Coldplay Kiss Cam” fallout
• [167:02] The discovery of thousands of Lego heads in a theft ring
• [171:16] A heartfelt tribute to late Twit contributor Lamar Wilson, and a reminder to reach out if you are struggling

Episode Tone

• Lively, sharp-witted, skeptical, but warm; a blend of veteran cynicism and new-generation wit
• A mixture of nostalgia for simpler tech times and amazement/disquiet at the speed and cultural impact of change
• Some bittersweetness at losses, but ultimately hopeful

For anyone who missed the episode, this summary provides a thorough snapshot of the topics, personalities, and energy of TWiT’s 2025 year-in-review.