Pacific Standard Time

About Pacific Standard Time

Pacific Standard Time is The Standard’s weekly news podcast exploring tech, culture, and power in San Francisco. Hosted by Emily Dreyfuss. New episodes Fridays.

Publisher

The San Francisco Standard

Category

news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

12 Nov 2025

Latest episode

22 May 2026

Latest episodes

2 of 26 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   22 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Inside Stanford’s quest to build the next ruling class

   Student journalist Theo Baker interviews host [Host Name] about his book, revealing how Stanford cultivates a secretive elite of future tech billionaires.

2. 

   15 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Are tech layoffs different this time? A Meta source speaks out

   Tech layoffs are back — and this time, AI is reshaping the rules. Meta is expected to lay off another 8,000 employees next week, roughly 10% of its remaining staff, after first announcing the cuts last month. Those impacted will join the more than 100,000 tech workers who've received layoff notices since January from companies like Oracle, Coinbase, and Snap. Some tech leaders blame the rise and cost of AI; others are simply continuing a pattern of reducing headcount wherever possible. We hear from The Standard's tech editor, Heather Kelly, on what makes this moment different and how it's throwing once-secure workers for a loop. Then we speak with author and grief therapist Claire Bidwell Smith about processing the complicated emotions tied to job loss — and what it means to grieve the life you thought you'd lead. Plus, an anonymous Meta source speaks about the May 20th layoffs. For more information, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: ⁠https://sfstandard.com/subscriber

3. 

   8 May 2026

   SF says more public trash cans wouldn’t solve its trash problem. Why?

   San Francisco is a trashy city. We're not talking about the vibes – we’re talking about the state of our sidewalks. Anyone who lives here knows the feeling of walking down the street with something to throw away… and absolutely nowhere to put it. Because SF has shockingly few public trash cans. How has one of the wealthiest cities in the world ended up so short on such a basic need? And what would it take to fix SF’s dirtiest problem? Turns out, there’s a lot more to the story behind SF’s trash problems than you might think. For more information and episode transcripts, visit: https://sfstandard.com/pacific-standard-time/ Support this podcast from The San Francisco Standard by becoming a subscriber: ⁠https://sfstandard.com/subscriber

Inside a recent episode

Inside Stanford’s quest to build the next ruling class

Published 22 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] What was your impression of that initial conversation? So How to Rule the World is this secret sort of class that exists at Stanford. It's not officially sanctioned. What it is is more like a skull and bones for the aspiring tech elite, even knowing that it exists as a status symbol among the most insider of the insider kids, because it is this hyper secret, hyper exclusive 12 person a year seminar where you have to be tapped on the shoulder by someone already in the class to be worthy of an interview with this sort of cloak and dagger admissions process with the Silicon Valley CEO who has styled himself as a professor teaching kids how to rule the world, it really captures a lot of what I'm trying to talk about in this book. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

56 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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