Police say an Uber driver and ChatGPT left the key evidence. How tech exposed a modern-day firestarter.
10 best true tech stories streaming
ChatGPT
You can keep the wizards and aliens. Give me a movie or series where something unbelievable actually happened.
Back by popular demand, I put together this list for you as proof that tech isn’t only lines of code and shiny gadgets. It’s ambition, hype, brilliance and, yeah, sometimes a total train wreck. You’re gonna want to see each one.
1. BlackBerry (AMC+ & Hulu)
Before iPhones took over, BlackBerry was the phone. This funny, fast-paced film shows how a couple of Canadian tech nerds built a global empire and how ego and chaos brought it crashing down.
2. Tetris (Apple TV+)
Yes, the block game is a Cold War thriller. A developer risks everything to secure the rights to Tetris from Soviet Russia. It’s fast, fun and surprisingly emotional.
3. The Playlist (Netflix)
Spotify took on the record industry and changed how we listen forever. This series shows how messy and brilliant that fight really was.
4. Super Pumped (Apple TV+)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Uber founder Travis Kalanick in this high-octane series. It’s all boardroom fights, power struggles and startup chaos on full blast.
5. WeCrashed (Apple TV+)
Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway go full startup cult as the couple behind WeWork. They convinced investors it was worth $47 billion until reality set in.
6. The Dropout (Hulu)
This is the Theranos saga you’ve heard about, the tiny blood test, the billion-dollar lies and the woman who sold it all with a black turtleneck and a stare. Unbelievable and true.
7. Jobs (Amazon Prime)
Ashton Kutcher plays Steve Jobs in this version focused more on the early days of Apple. Think garages, vision and obsession with detail and how it all almost fell apart.
8. The Billion Dollar Code (Netflix)
Two German developers built early Google Earth tech in the ’90s and then watched Google run away with it. A gripping series about innovation, betrayal and fighting for credit.
9. General Magic (Tubi & Pluto TV)
Long before the iPhone, a forgotten startup tried to invent the smartphone. They failed, but their team quietly shaped the entire modern tech industry.
10. Silicon Cowboys (Amazon Prime)
The story of Compaq, a tiny company that went toe-to-toe with IBM in the early days of personal computers. It’s classic underdog energy with plenty of 1980s swagger.
Robot cars, human-size problems
ChatGPT
Robotaxis are silently (and sometimes awkwardly) roaming around Phoenix, San Francisco, Austin and wherever else humans dare let cars do improv in traffic. Waymo, Tesla and soon Amazon want you to ghost your Uber driver and jump headfirst into a future with no one behind the wheel.
🚖 Waymo hits the gas: Live in San Diego, Las Vegas or Detroit? Congrats, you’re getting Waymos soon. They’re currently in the San Francisco Bay Area, LA, Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta. Waymo’s “rapidly scaling,” which sounds exciting until you remember these cars don’t blink. Oh, and it’s also adding new Zeekr RT vehicles (from China), pending the regulatory green light. Rough update for Uber drivers, great news for “please don’t talk to me” passengers.
$5 million
That’s how much this grandparent scam raked in from America’s elderly. Move over, Nigerian prince, there’s a new scam in town. A mix of emotional manipulation, phony grandchildren posing in urgent predicaments, and unwitting Uber drivers to collect cash has landed 13 dirtbags in jail. Good riddance.
🛹 A ride to remember: This is so great. After a bad skateboarding crash, Joey called an Uber instead of 911. His driver, Beni, not only took him to the hospital, but he stayed by Joey’s side all day. The two became lifelong friends. “That one act of kindness,” Joey said, “helped me see the good in the world again.” Let’s see a Waymo do that.
🔥 Suspect arrested: A 29-year-old Uber driver named Jonathan Rinderknecht has been arrested for allegedly starting the Palisades Fire that killed 12 and destroyed nearly 7,000 homes in LA. Feds say he started an open flame right after dropping off passengers and used ChatGPT to create images of a “dystopian painting” of a city being burned on one side while “hundreds of thousands of people in poverty are trying to get past a gigantic gate with a big dollar sign on it.” He faces 20 years.
Uber’s new Costco energy: You might want to check out using prepaid passes for routes you take often, so you save money up front. You can buy bundles of five, 10, 15 or 20 rides, and the bigger the bundle, the bigger the discount (5%‑20% off), which means no surge price surprise for your daily commute.
Arnold says, “Get to the choppah!” Uber’s about to add them to its app. Joby Aviation bought Blade’s urban air taxi biz for $125M and plans to swap the noisy helicopters for electric flying taxis once the FAA signs off. You’ll be able to book a chopper to JFK, Newark or even Saint-Tropez like it’s a pool ride, starting next year.
A chilling Uber stat you need to know
Sealed court docs reveal assault is reported in Uber rides every eight minutes. Here’s the scoop.
Scammers posing as Uber drivers
A new scam tricks riders into handing over account access. Here’s how to stay safe.
Psychiatrist falls for $500K pig butchering scam — July 26th, Hour 2
A doctor who lost half a million says greed got the best of him. Plus, an Uber driver drives off with a sleeping child, and my go-to tip to lock in the lowest hotel price.
Uber’s new girl mode rolling out: Women Uber riders in LA, SF and Detroit can request women-only drivers. The Women Preferences initiative is already live in 40+ countries (paywall link) and has logged 100M rides. Such a great idea.
Uber’s luxury clone army: It’s throwing hundreds of millions at Lucid and Nuro to deploy 20,000 self-driving Gravity SUVs by 2030. Lucid builds the luxe EVs, Nuro wires the robot brains, and Uber handles the rides. It’s their biggest AV deal ever. Roll out is in 2026, city TBD.
The 9-to-5 is dead
Microsoft says late-night meetings are up 16%. Burnout much? I also talk to an Uber driver almost tricked into trafficking stolen goods. Plus: Trump Org’s new phone biz, Bible stories on TikTok, and a smart way to check your internet speed.
Psychiatrist falls for $500K pig butchering scam
A doctor who lost half a million says greed got the best of him. Melinda Gates finally talks Bill, Epstein, and trust. Plus, an Uber driver drives off with a sleeping child, and my go-to tip to lock in the lowest hotel price.
The 9-to-5 is dead — June 21st, Hour 1
Microsoft says late-night meetings are up 16%. Burnout much? I also talk to an Uber driver almost tricked into trafficking stolen goods. Plus: Trump Org’s new phone biz, Bible stories on TikTok, and a smart way to check your internet speed.
🚘 Waymo’s not cheap: A study in San Francisco found it costs about $10 more than Lyft or Uber during peak hours. The twist? Some people actually prefer it. The quiet, driverless ride and having the car to yourself is enough to win them over. Introverts stay winning.
61%
That’s the share of parents who use DoorDash. More than half of families with kids are ordering delivery at least once a week. Because between soccer practice and homework meltdowns, no one’s got time to sauté. Basically, Uber Eats is the new family dinner.
🚐 Uber and Volkswagen are teaming up: They’re launching a robotaxi service in the U.S. with self-driving electric microbuses. First stop? Los Angeles, starting in late 2026. But don’t get too excited just yet. You’ll still see a human behind the wheel until at least 2027. Why? They’ve gotta wait for those permits to clear.