Apple Blocks ICEBlock
Apple removes an app after the DOJ asked them to. People are using AI, but which AI are they actually paying for? Sora is now the number one app in all the land. And in the Longreads, now is it time to blame ChatGPT for breaking up marriages? Apple takes down ICE tracking apps after pressure from Bondi DOJ (Fox Business) A new a16z report looks at which AI companies startups are actually paying for (TechCrunch) AI is not killing jobs, US study finds (Financial Times) OpenAI wraps $6.6 billion share sale at $500 billion valuation (CNBC) OpenAI’s invite-only video generation app Sora tops Apple’s App Store (CNBC) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Egon Durban’s $55bn buyout bet raises stakes for Silver Lake (Financial Times) Silver Lake Cements Power Broker Status With $55 Billion EA Deal (Bloomberg) ChatGPT Is Blowing Up Marriages as Spouses Use AI to Attack Their Partners (Futurism) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
3 Loka 21min
Apple To Bench The Vision Pro?
More fallout from the Sora explosion, including my take on using it. OpenAI is now officially the biggest startup in the galaxy. We now know what Mira Murati’s new startup is building. The Brave browser is hitting some impressive user milestones. And why are young people flocking back to… checks notes… AOL? OpenAI’s Sora 2 Copyright Infringement Machine Features Nazi SpongeBobs and Criminal Pikachus (404Media) OpenAI Valuation Reaches $500 Billion, Topping Musk’s SpaceX (Bloomberg) Apple Shelves Vision Headset Revamp to Prioritize Meta-Like AI Glasses (Bloomberg) Mira Murati’s Stealth AI Lab Launches Its First Product (Wired) Google Translate Rival DeepL Explores US IPO (Bloomberg) Brave Now Has Over 100 Million Users (Thurott) Exclusive: Yahoo nears deal to sell AOL to Italy's Bending Spoons for $1.4 billion, sources say (Reuters) https://sora.chatgpt.com/profile/brianmccul Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2 Loka 20min
Sora, Sora, Sora
Why Sora is all anyone can talk about, both the new social network and the new AI model. Satya Nadella is still Microsoft’s CEO but he’s taken some things off his plate. Oura gets colorful, and a hardware company that we’ve not spoken about in years is back, with AI onboard. OpenAI's Sora app lets friends swap AI video cameos (Axios) OpenAI made a TikTok for deepfakes, and it’s getting hard to tell what’s real (The Verge) Satya Nadella appoints a new CEO to run Microsoft’s biggest businesses (The Verge) Oura adds colorful ceramic rings and charging case to lineup (The Verge) I got sweaty with Peloton's new Bike and Tread — but Peloton IQ is just as impressive (Tom's Guide) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 Loka 20min
Amazon’s Hardware Event
All the headline’s from Amazon’s fall hardware event. Daniel Ek is stepping back from Spotify. A new Claude model. ChatGPT gets into the shopping biz. And OpenAI is likely launching it’s own TikTok clone soon to feature AI videos. And new buzzword alert! Microsoft wants you to start “vibe working.” Amazon announces new Kindle Scribes, including one with a color screen (The Verge) Amazon Revamps Echo Speakers, Displays in Hardware Reboot (Bloomberg) Spotify Founder Daniel Ek Leaving CEO Job (WSJ) Anthropic launches Claude Sonnet 4.5, its best AI model for coding (TechCrunch) Etsy pops 16% as OpenAI announces ChatGPT Instant Checkout for the shopping site (CNBC) OpenAI Is Preparing to Launch a Social App for AI-Generated Videos (Wired) Microsoft launches ‘vibe working’ in Excel and Word (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
30 Syys 20min
EA Taken Private
The biggest sign yet of the state of the gaming industry, EA is being taken private. DeepSeek’s new model might start a new AI price war. OpenAI announces their parental controls for teen users. And, the Wall Street Journal says debt financing is now playing an increasing role in AI CAPEX buildout. Electronic Arts Goes Private for $52.5 Billion in Largest LBO Ever (WSJ) EA Agrees to $55 Billion Sale in Largest Leveraged Buyout on Record (Bloomberg) EA Buyout Talk Highlights Gaming Struggles as Growth Slows (Bloomberg) DeepSeek Debuts ‘Sparse Attention’ Method in Next-Gen AI Model (Bloomberg) Jaguar Land Rover Gets Government Loan Guarantee to Support Supply Chain; Restarts Production (WSJ) OpenAI Adds Parental Safety Controls for Teen ChatGPT Users. Here’s What to Expect (Wired) Debt Is Fueling the Next Wave of the AI Boom (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
29 Syys 20min
(BNS) You're Not Killing It. Nobody Is Killing It. VC Legend Jerry Colonna
One of the very first VCs of the Internet Era, and especially the NYC tech ecosystem, Jerry Colonna reflects on his journey from growing up in New York to becoming a successful journalist and venture capitalist. Jerry discusses his transition to venture capital, the founding of Flatiron with Fred Wilson, and the challenges faced during the dot-com bubble and 9/11. He emphasizes the importance of curiosity and the human experience in his coaching practice, aiming to alleviate suffering and transform lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
27 Syys 1h 14min
Is TikTok US Only Worth $14B?
Maybe… the TikTok thing has finally reached a resolution. Again. Maybe Amazon owes us all some money. Maybe that Neon app from yesterday was a bad idea. OpenAI and Meta make some super interesting strategic AI moves. And, of course, The Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Trump signs executive order supporting proposed deal to put TikTok under US ownership (AP) TikTok Being Sold for a Song (Spyglass) Amazon agrees largest ever civil penalty in $2.5bn settlement with US regulators (Financial Times) Viral call-recording app Neon goes dark after exposing users’ phone numbers, call recordings, and transcripts (TechCrunch) OpenAI really, really wants you to start your day with ChatGPT Pulse (The Verge) Meta launches ‘Vibes,’ a short-form video feed of AI slop (TechCrunch) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: AI isn't replacing radiologists (Works In Progress) HSBC claims quantum trading breakthrough (FT) Jerry Colonna Interview On YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
26 Syys 23min
Get Paid To Train AI On Your Phone Calls?
Another lawsuit against OpenAI, this time from xAI. Intel approached Apple about bailing them out. What if crypto was reversable so you could recover fraud. Drama in open source land. And would you like to get paid to train AI on your phone calls? You’re in luck! Musk's xAI accuses rival OpenAI of stealing trade secrets (Reuters) Intel Is Seeking an Investment From Apple as Part of Its Comeback Bid (Bloomberg) Spotify to label AI music, filter spam and more in AI policy change (TechCrunch) Stablecoin issuer Circle examines ‘reversible’ transactions in departure for crypto (Financial Times) Microsoft embraces OpenAI rival Anthropic to improve Microsoft 365 apps (The Verge) Shopify, pulling strings at Ruby Central, forces Bundler and RubyGems takeover (Joel Drapper) Neon, the No. 2 social app on the Apple App Store, pays users to record their phone calls and sells data to AI firms (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
25 Syys 20min
