
Oct 22, 2026 · 31 min
PHP flaws expose the internet’s fragile foundations
Cybersecurity’s Black Wednesday Puts 70% of Internet At Risk & ‘Glee’ Returns
The episode connects an urgent web-security patching effort with the governance, spending, and inequality pressures shaping Meta and other major companies.
- 1Critical PHP vulnerabilities triggered a global patching scramble, with AI helping uncover flaws that attackers could also exploit.
- 2Meta plans non-voting Class C shares to fund ambitious AI spending while preserving Mark Zuckerberg’s control.
- 3Tesla, Airbnb, and executive-tax debates reveal mounting pressure on companies to deliver growth while shifting less risk onto others.
Don't miss
The hosts explain how two critical PHP flaws, aided by AI discovery, prompted an urgent global race to patch systems underlying much of the web.
The brief
Neal and Toby open with Disney Plus and Hulu bringing back Glee, using the revival as a lighter entry point before turning to a much larger technology risk.
Two critical PHP vulnerabilities put a large share of the web at risk, while AI helped identify the flaws and defenders raced to patch systems worldwide.
Meta’s proposed non-voting Class C shares could finance its AI ambitions without weakening Mark Zuckerberg’s control, linking corporate governance to California’s proposed wealth tax.
The discussion tests whether Meta can monetize Muse quickly enough to justify heavy AI infrastructure spending, then contrasts executive wealth debates with Jensen Huang’s tax stance.
Tesla’s weaker automotive revenue and free cash flow, alongside Airbnb hosts’ anger over policy changes, extend the episode’s theme of companies pushing risk outward.
Weekly email
State of the Pod, every Monday
The week's most-discussed names and stories from podcasts, with the moments behind them. Free, five minutes, unsubscribe in one click.