The current status of determinations of V_us from exclusive
and inclusive hadronic $\tau$ decay data is reviewed. In the case of the inclusive determinations, we describe
(i) recent progress on the implementation of the conventional flavor-breaking sum rule approach and (ii) a new dispersive approach in which lattice data, rather than the OPE, is used as theory input and only the inclusive strange experimental distribution is required. The former provides a resolution of the long-standing puzzle of >3 sigma low values of V_us obtained from previous implementations of the flavor-breaking
sum rule approach, while the latter is shown to make possible a significant reduction in the impact of the region of larger experimental errors above s~2 GeV^2. Advantages of, and near-term prospects for, this new approach are also discussed.