Today. Elon Musk unveils a robot, another step toward his IronMan efforts. Yet at the same time, Musks emails reveal a shocking billionaire bro culture. It’s kinda gross. Then, out of London, a UK Coroner lists Instagram algorithm as contributing cause of UK teen’s death - whose father accuses Instagram of Monetizing Misery. It’s hard to disagree. And, is TikTok’s charm offensive working in Washington? Maybe yes. That’s what’s in store for today's Future Forward. I’m Steven Rosenbaum, along with my partner in Podcast Crime Bob Garfield.

CHAPTER 1- Is Elon Musk planning to transform into Iron Man?

Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveils prototype humanoid Optimus robothttps://www.theverge.com/2022/9/30/23374729/tesla-bot-ai-day-robot-elon-musk-prototype-optimus-humanoid

Elon Musk’s Texts Shatter the Myth of the Tech Geniushttps://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/09/elon-musk-texts-twitter-trial-jack-dorsey/671619/

(For visuals) iRobot - youtu.be/rL6RRIOZyCM

CHAPTER 2- Monetizing Misery

Social media firms ‘monetising misery’, says Molly Russell’s father after inquesthttps://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/30/molly-russell-died-while-suffering-negative-effects-of-online-content-rules-coroner

Coroner lists Instagram algorithm as contributing cause of UK teen’s deathhttps://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/09/coroner-lists-instagram-algorithm-as-contributing-cause-of-uk-teens-death/

Molly Russell: how families are helping shift narrative on online safetyhttps://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/sep/30/molly-russell-family-helping-shift-online-safety-regulation

CHAPTER 3 - TikTok-ing

TikTok Steers Its Charm Offensive Around Loudest Critics in DChttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-27/tiktok-ghosts-republican-lawmakers-on-china-data-issues#xj4y7vzkg

TikTok Seen Moving Toward U.S. Security Deal, but Hurdles Remainhttps://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/26/technology/tiktok-national-security-china.html