The Big Tech Show

Manna Air Delivery founder Bobby Healy reveals his ambition to build the world's biggest drone delivery business, and why Ireland is no longer the place to scale it.
From testing chip deliveries in his back garden to taking on Amazon and Google in the US, Healy discusses capital, regulation and his ambition to make Manna a global giant.
‘Can It Scale?’ explores the people, ideas and businesses shaping Ireland’s startup scene.
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Should the state be allowed to break encrypted messages in the name of fighting crime? Ireland and the EU are wrestling with a difficult trade-off between privacy and security, as proposals to monitor digital communications put services like WhatsApp, iMessage and Signal under pressure. Adrian speaks to Barry Ward, Fine Gael TD for Dún Laoghaire, about whether law enforcement should have greater access to private messages, the risks of weakening encryption and the limits of state surveillance. Where should the line be drawn between protecting the public and defending everyone’s right to privacy? Why you can trust the Irish IndependentSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flipdish co-founder Conor McCarthy reveals how a simple idea to make ordering food easier grew into a billion-dollar Irish tech business.
From a cash crunch that threatened payroll to unicorn status and a new push into AI, McCarthy explains how Flipdish evolved, why it is doubling down on restaurant technology and what it takes to build a business for the long term.
‘Can It Scale?’ is a new podcast exploring the people, ideas and businesses shaping Ireland’s startup scene.
Through candid conversations with founders and industry insiders, we uncover the breakthroughs, setbacks and big decisions behind building a successful company.
Why you can trust the Irish Independent
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AI could soon make cyber-attacks on public services far more frequent, with Ireland potentially facing serious disruption to everything from healthcare to banking and transport.
Adrian speaks to Peter Tanham, analyst at TheState.ie, former founder, political strategist and recently departed Meta global data policy executive, about why AI is changing the hacking game, how exposed our computer systems really are and why the HSE cyber-attack of 2021 could offer a warning of what lies ahead.
Is it time to stop hoping for the best and start preparing for the worst?
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StoryToys chief executive Emmet O’Neill reveals how the Dublin company came within a thread of collapse before an unexpected email from Lego changed its fortunes.
From cutting staff and negotiating million-euro debts to working with Lego, Disney and Netflix, O’Neill explains the decisions that kept the business alive and helped it grow into one of the world’s biggest producers of children’s apps.
Why you can trust the Irish Independent
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