That UL safety logo is a lot more complicated than it looks

About this episode

Jennifer Scanlon, CEO of UL Solutions, discusses the complexities of safety standards in technology and the evolving role of UL in the AI-powered era.

Jennifer Scanlon is CEO of UL Solutions, one of those hidden-in-plain-sight companies we like to poke at here on Decoder. UL's been around for more than 100 years; it started as a way for insurance companies to standardize fire and safety testing as electricity was the new technology spreading into homes. But now it's everywhere, and "safety" in tech doesn't just mean the hardware. UL is adapting quickly to the connected, AI-powered era... but do the companies making and distributing tech even care about standards anymore? Links: How fake UL certifications led to Chinese ebike suit | Electrek FCC IoT program loses UL after China probe | Cybersecurity Dive FCC’s Carr probes IoT program lab over “ties to China” | PC Mag The US router ban, explained | The Verge More than 500,000 hoverboards recalled (2016) | The Verge Brendan Carr is a dummy | The Vergecast Subscribe to The Verge to access the ad-free version of Decoder! Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Decoder is produced by Kate Cox and Nick Statt. This episode was edited by Kabir Chopra. Our editorial director is Kevin McShane. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder…

People in this episode

Host: Nilay Patel

Guest: Jennifer Scanlon

Topics covered

• safety standards
• technology
• UL Solutions
• AI
• fire testing
• connected devices

Keywords

• UL Solutions
• safety standards
• technology
• AI
• fire testing
• connected devices
• Jennifer Scanlon
• insurance
• certifications
• hoverboards

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UL Solutions, The Verge, Electrek, Cybersecurity Dive, PC Mag, The Vergecast, Vox Media Podcast Network

Books & works: Decoder

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