FT Tech Tonic

During the US president’s first term in office, Tim Cook appeared to be the ultimate Trump whisperer, winning tariff exemptions despite Apple’s heavy reliance on Chinese manufacturing. Now, the iPhone-maker-in-chief has found himself under the toughest pressure yet from Trump, who has threatened smartphone tariffs as high as 25%. Does Tim Cook still have a way out, or is Apple out of options? And what does Cook's relationship with Trump tell us about the future of the trade war?FT tech editor Murad Ahmed speaks to Patrick McGee, author of Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company; Doug Guthrie, a former negotiator for Apple in Beijing; and FT tech correspondent Michael Acton about the complicated relationship between Cook and Trump.Free to read:Donald Trump threatens Apple and Samsung with 25% tariff on devices Apple set to expand India supply chain through $1.5bn Foxconn plant Apple delays iPhone AI features as it stumbles in race with rivals This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music, Manuela Saragosa and Topher Forhecz are the FT’s acting heads of audio.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Can Tim Cook save Apple from the trade war? Has Mark Zuckerberg really been a fan of Donald Trump all along? And is the bromance between Elon Musk and the president really over? In a new season of Tech Tonic, Murad Ahmed explores the relationships between Trump and some of the titans of the tech world. What is really driving those relationships, and what might they mean for the future of technology in the US and beyond?Free to read:‘He is power’: billionaires line up for Donald Trump’s inaugurationDonald Trump lashes out at Apple over plan to ship US iPhones from IndiaHow Jeff Bezos made peace with Donald TrumpWhat has Elon Musk’s Doge actually achieved?How Joel Kaplan became Mark Zuckerberg’s most trusted political fixerHow Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley funded the sudden rise of JD VanceThis season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music, Manuela Saragosa and Topher Forhecz are the FT’s acting co-heads of audio.

How is defence tech reshaping geopolitics? And what does the battlefield of the future look like? In the final episode of our series on the technological weapons of war, the FT’s innovation editor John Thornhill sits down with the FT’s industry correspondent Sylvia Pfeifer, deputy Beijing bureau chief Ryan McMorrow and US-China correspondent Demetri Sevastopulo. Clips: MCA/Universal Pictures, CCTV, NBC  Free to read:China gains dexterous upper hand in humanoid robot tussle with US Buyout groups and VCs ready to play role in Europe’s rearmament US ability to defeat China in Taiwan threatened, top Indo-Pacific commander warns Tech Tonic is produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon and Persis Love. Edwin Lane is senior producer. Flo Phillips is the executive producer. Manuela Saragosa is the FT’s acting co-head of audio. Original music is by Metaphor Music. Samantha Giovinco and Breen Turner were the sound engineers for this season. This episode is dedicated to our engineer Joseph Salcedo, who tragically passed away last month.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

For European leaders, the war in Ukraine has strained relations with the US and prompted major questions about how the continent will defend itself in the future. Governments are boosting defence spending and defence tech companies' valuations have risen, particularly after the emergence of drone warfare in Ukraine. So what should a European strategy for security look like? John Thornhill sits down with Gundbert Scherf, co-founder of Helsing - Europe’s most valuable defence tech start-up - to discuss the future of European defence and what role technology needs to play.Free to read:‘We have to be prepared’: Torsten Reil of defence tech company HelsingVC funding in European defence and security tech surges to record $5.2bnCan Europe’s defence groups step up if Donald Trump pulls back?Tech Tonic is produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon and Persis Love. Edwin Lane is the senior producer. The executive producers are Manuela Saragosa, Flo Phillips and Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Israel has long been a leader in hi-tech warfare. In this episode, the Financial Times innovation editor John Thornhill explores the Israel Defense Forces’ use of artificial intelligence targeting aids as part of its arsenal in the war against Hamas. Can AI reduce civilian casualties and prevent breaches of international humanitarian law or has the technology served only to accelerate the loss of life? And what can Israel's defence tech ecosystem tell us about the future of warfare?We hear from Nadim Nashif, executive director of the Palestinian digital rights group 7amleh, Tal Mimran, an Adjunct Lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hamutal Meridor, co-founder of Israeli defence tech start-up Kela, and Elke Schwarz, professor at Queen Mary University of London.Free to read from FT.com:‘This is what victory looks like’: inside Israel’s aggressive new security planDeepMind UK staff seek to unionise and challenge defence deals and Israel linksIsrael pledges to protect tech start-ups from effects of Hamas warTech Tonic is presented by John Thornhill. The producers are Josh Gabert-Doyon and Persis Love. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producers are Manuela Saragosa and Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Defence tech is booming in the US. Start-ups building drones, missiles and AI systems are competing with established companies for a piece of the US defence budget. Are these new participants the future of the defence industry? John Thornhill hears from investors and founders, and we visit the neighbourhood of El Segundo in Los Angeles, dubbed the Silicon Valley of defence tech.Free to read: The age of drone warfare is disrupting the defence industryUS defence industry braced for tech shake-up under TrumpThe appetite for US defence tech is growingThis episode of Tech Tonic is produced by Persis Love. Edwin Lane is the senior producer. The executive producers are Manuela Saragosa and Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, and Joseph Salcedo. Original music by Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

The conflict in Ukraine has turned into the world’s first fully fledged drone war. The remote-controlled flying machines are now used by both sides for transporting supplies, surveilling the enemy and carrying out attacks. John Thornhill visits Kyiv to learn more about how the war has sparked a boom in Ukrainian defence tech that has changed the battlefield. He sees first-hand how these drones are made, and unpacks what the rest of the world can learn from Ukraine about future wars.   Free to read:Ukraine is winning the drone start-up warUkraine weighs lifting arms export ban to scale up drone industryUkraine’s battle against Russia in maps and chartsThis episode of Tech Tonic is produced by Persis Love, Edwin Lane and Kateryna Malofieieva, with special thanks to Christopher Miller. The executive producers are Manuela Saragosa and Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, and Joseph Salcedo. Original music by Metaphor Music. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

New technologies such as drones, robots and AI systems are finding their way into conflict zones around the world. In this season of Tech Tonic, John Thornhill looks at how this new type of warfare is transforming conflicts in places such as Ukraine and Gaza. He also explores how start-ups in the US and Europe are challenging the established defence industry with their cutting-edge weaponry. Free to read from FT.com:The age of drone warfare is disrupting the defence industryUkraine is winning the drone start-up warPalantir and Anduril join forces with tech groups to bid for Pentagon contractsTech Tonic is presented by John Thornhill. The producers are Josh Gabert-Doyon and Persis Love. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producers are Manuela Saragosa and Topher Forhecz. Sound design by Breen Turner, Samantha Giovinco and Joe Salcedo. Original music by Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.

The biggest companies in tech are fighting to be the leader in generative AI - even as the path to profitability for the technology remains unclear. So what’s the long game for companies such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta? And what does the rise of Chinese start-up DeepSeek mean for AI companies with massive valuations?In the second episode in our series on the business of AI, the FT’s AI editor Madhumita Murgia speaks with FT technology reporter Cristina Criddle as well as Vahap Can, an instructor on a prompt engineering course at Capital City College, Anton Korinek, a professor in the department of economics at the University of Virginia, and Alex Chalmers, a writer, researcher formerly of Air Street Capital.Free to read:DeepSeek’s ‘aha moment’ creates new way to build powerful AI with less moneyLiang Wenfeng, the DeepSeek founder panicking the tech worldOpenAI targets 1bn users in next phase of growthMeta sticks with big bet on AI even after DeepSeek shook marketsThis season of Tech Tonic is presented by Madhumita Murgia, and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. Edwin Lane is the senior producer and Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Sound design by Breen Turner, Samantha Giovinco and Joe Salcedo, with original music from Metaphor Music. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com