Tales of Silicon Valley

Michael and Xochi Birch launched Bebo, one of the first social networks. They sold it at the height of the market for $850 million to AOL Time Warner. Two years later, AOL sold it again - for $1. In a two-part podcast, we tell the Bebo story: its extraordinary rise, the fall, and how the Birches made away with the GDP of a small nation.In this new eight-part series, the Sunday Times' technology correspondent Danny Fortson tells the story of the valley through portraits of key players through its short history. DIVE DEEPERlongform interviews on Danny's sister podcast, Danny In The Valleyread Danny's longform commentary on the series at thetimes.co.ukProduced by Cheeka Eyers at Rethink Audio for Wireless Studios and The Sunday Times. Matt Hall is the executive producer for Wireless Studios.

Michael and Xochi Birch launch Bebo, one of the first social networks, and ride it to extraordinary heights before it all comes crashing down. In the conclusion to this two-part story, we tell of the rise and collapse of Bebo, and how the Birches become billionaires anyway. In this new eight-part series, the Sunday Times' technology correspondent Danny Fortson tells the story of the valley through portraits of key players through its short history. DIVE DEEPERlongform interviews on Danny's sister podcast, Danny In The Valleyread Danny's longform commentary on the series at thetimes.co.ukProduced by Cheeka Eyers at Rethink Audio for Wireless Studios and The Sunday Times. Matt Hall is the executive producer for Wireless Studios.

The city by the bay is ground zero of the tech revolution, but it has taken a dystopic turn. We dive inside San Francisco, where there are more billionaires per square foot than anywhere on the planet, but also more injection drug user than high school students. Families are fleeing; homelessness is soaring. We examine what the city can tell us about our techno-centric present - and the future.  In this new eight-part series, the Sunday Times' technology correspondent Danny Fortson tells the story of the valley through portraits of key players through its short history. DIVE DEEPERLongform interviews on Danny's sister podcast, Danny In The ValleyRead Danny's longform commentary on the series at thetimes.co.ukProduced by Cheeka Eyers at Rethink Audio for Wireless Studios and The Sunday Times. Matt Hall is the executive producer for Wireless Studios.

Fifty years on from Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk, we investigate how billionaires are racing to become the first to settle on the moon. They are convinced that humans will soon be a multi-planetary species, with a permanent settlement in outer space within five years. Is this the ultimate ego trip? Is it realistic? We find out all the answers.In this new eight-part series, the Sunday Times' technology correspondent Danny Fortson tells the story of the valley through portraits of key players through its short history. DIVE DEEPERLongform interviews on Danny's sister podcast, Danny In The ValleyRead Danny's longform commentary on the series at thetimes.co.ukProduced by Cheeka Eyers at Rethink Audio for Wireless Studios and The Sunday Times. Matt Hall is the executive producer for Wireless Studios.

A race has broken out in Silicon Valley to create a breakthrough "brain-computer interface". Such a device would herald a new era of telepathy, and eventually merge with artificial intelligence. It also brings with it a hornet’s nest of challenges. Who will control it? Will our thoughts be policed? Billions of dollars are being poured into the technology that remains wrapped in secrecy. We talk to people on the front lines to figure out what is really going on.In this new eight-part series, The Sunday Times' technology correspondent Danny Fortson tells the story of the valley through surprising narratives and portraits of key players. DIVE DEEPERlongform interviews on Danny's sister podcast, Danny In The Valleyread Danny's longform commentary on the series at thetimes.co.ukProduced by Jim Carey at Rethink Audio for Wireless Studios and The Sunday Times. Matt Hall is the executive producer for Wireless Studios.

Scott Kriens helped build the internet. Now he’s helping undo the havoc it has unleashed with a mountain retreat centre he’s built on the doorstep of Silicon Valley. We journey to 1440 Multiversity in the Santa Cruz mountains to commune with nature, go device-free and explore how the tech industry is trying to find its soul.In this new eight-part series, the Sunday Times' technology correspondent Danny Fortson tells the story of the valley through portraits of key players through its short history. DIVE DEEPERLongform interviews on Danny's sister podcast, Danny In The ValleyRead Danny's longform commentary on the series at thetimes.co.ukProduced by Cheeka Eyers at Rethink Audio for Wireless Studios and The Sunday Times. Matt Hall is the executive producer for Wireless Studios.