Leah Fieger: Substantial trillions that don't actually currently exist in that budget.
Katie Drummond: Absolutely. So thinking about that very dirty, very human business and having Elon Musk and Donald Trump making decisions about it in a room where you're not really seeing a lot of empathy, you guys. Too much subtle thinking and not seeing what people need. It is very stressful.
Leah Fieger: Absolutely. And on point X, a little bit of a devil's advocate is that it depends on what the goal was. If the goal was really to preserve If the goal was to get Trump elected and put himself in the seat of power, who cares about the money he lost?
Katie Drummond: Very good thing.
Leah Fieger: They won tenfold in the last week due to the lack of Tesla stock and perhaps some upcoming government contracts and regulations. I guess are you subsidizing your communications, your media platforms, to pay dividends later? I don't know, maybe a year from now we'll have a different conversation if Musk suddenly becomes in charge of every US defense contract.
Katie Drummond: sure we will. And that's a great thing. I mean, it's essentially deficit funding that has become and increasingly is a right-wing, conservative echo chamber that serves as a megaphone for the Trump administration and his acolytes, then job well done. goes.
Leah Fieger: Yes. On another note, Trump has vowed to deport millions of people, jail his enemies. And his administration will exploit America's digital surveillance machine to accomplish that agenda. We recently published a WIRED guide to protecting yourself from surveillance under Trump, with some steps you can take to avoid it all. Please see the link in our show notes. But besides reading that very useful guide, what else should individuals and institutions do or think about cybersecurity in the age of Trump? This is all very concerning to me.
Katie Drummond: Wow, that's a great question. And much of it is covered in this guide, which I'd also like to publish outside the WIRED paywall. This is important service journalism and we want to make sure as many people as possible have access to it. So please do go and check it out. I mean, I think this is a moment for individuals, no matter what you do for a living, if you don't work in a government agency, if you're not a journalist, it doesn't matter. I would not make any assumptions about your personal safety at this time because the truth is you will never know. You never know what situation you'll find yourself in, where you wish you were better about digital security, better about your online hygiene and your online communications. I think we've seen it play out in other parts of the world that aren't the United States that a single post on a website can land you in jail. So I think it's important for everyone to take a minute and think about what they have on the Internet, how they communicate with their favorite people, what's being shared on the cloud. The answer is everything on your phone. All your text messages, all your photos, your videos, everything you write in your Notes app, your most personal details, your search history. Everything is there and so this is a good moment to grapple with it. And even if it's not because of the incoming Trump administration, it's just good practice. And so if this serves as a wake-up call or reminder to someone who maybe has become a little bit complacent about how they conduct themselves in terms of digital security, it's a good moment to reevaluate that. Is. And I think for people and institutions, I think it's also an interesting moment to think about what your lines are. And for people, for families, for companies and institutions, I think this is a moment to really think about, again, whatever you do, whatever your institution does, whatever services you provide. , What lines will you cross and what will you not? And what risks are you willing to take to protect the red lines you have drawn? And it may have to do with providing access to reproductive health care for your employees. If you employ immigrants on visa it could be about immigration. Really thinking, OK, we need to spend some time with our lawyers and talk about worst-case scenarios. I think the best thing for everyone right now is to think about every worst-case scenario that could potentially happen to you, your family, the company you run, the company you work for. Be prepared for the worst and hope it doesn't happen, but know that you're prepared if it does. I think even internally at WIRED, it's something we've been talking about that obviously we intend to continue our journalism as we do, but we all need to be prepared for this administration. There is a need to be prepared for the possible worst case scenario. Regarding media? And what would we do about it if it showed up on the doorstep of our parent company?