677: What’s in the Bag?!

In this episode, Jason DeFillippo and Brian Schulmeister dig into the Hawk Tuah meme coin disaster and where influencer-driven crypto schemes go off the rails, leaving chaos in their wake. They unpack WP Engine’s big win against Automattic in a high-stakes WordPress legal battle and take a closer look at Waymo’s rapid rise to match Lyft’s market share in San Francisco.

The discussion heats up with GM’s decision to shut down its troubled Cruise robotaxi brand, Amazon’s bold move into the car-selling business with Hyundai, and reports of mysterious car-sized drones over New Jersey raising more questions than answers. They also dive into Google’s new quantum chip, Willow, which promises to rewrite the rules of computing and science.

On the legal and policy front, the guys covers Apple’s billion-dollar lawsuit over abandoned child safety tools, updates to the Kids Online Safety Act, and Google’s push to break Microsoft’s grip on OpenAI’s cloud hosting. Meanwhile, LG’s exit from the Blu-ray market marks the end of an era, and MasterClass’s new AI-powered mentorship platform points to the future of learning.

In Media Candy they spotlight upcoming releases like The Wheel of Time season three, Reacher season three, and the new documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. They also revisit music nostalgia with an acoustic set from the Descendents and a deep dive into the origins of pop-punk.

Finally, they tackle a troubling lawsuit involving a chatbot allegedly influencing a teen’s behavior and the emotional fallout from a failed robotic companion for kids. This episode is packed with tech updates, big moves, and a glimpse into the evolving digital landscape. Don’t miss it!

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Show notes at https://gog.show/677

FOLLOW UP

Exposing the hawk tuah scam

Howie Mandel’s Son-In-Law Behind Disastrous 'Hawk Tuah Girl' Meme Coin Launch

The Hawk Tuah Memecoin Rug Pull Is The Apotheosis Of Bag Culture

WP Engine wins preliminary injunction in WordPress legal battle

Waymo's market share is now equal to Lyft within SF.

IN THE NEWS

GM ends support for Cruise robotaxis

Amazon Is a Car Dealership Now

Mystery "Car-Sized" Drones Reach the Skies of New York

Pentagon says mystery drones over New Jersey are 'not US military,' not likely foreign

What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?

White House: Drones are manned aircraft; NJ lawmakers say that's not what they were told

Meet Willow, our state-of-the-art quantum chip

Apple sued for failing to implement tools that would detect CSAM in iCloud

X helped senators update the Kids Online Safety Act so it can't be ‘used to stifle expression’

Google Asks Feds to Kill Microsoft’s Cloud Hosting Deal With OpenAI

AI Firm’s ‘Stop Hiring Humans’ Billboard Campaign Sparks Outrage

Bogus AI-Generated Bug Reports Are Driving Open Source Developers Nuts

How Cryptocurrency Turns to Cash in Russian Banks

Cloudflare 2024 Year in Review

MEDIA CANDY

The Wheel of Time Spins Back Up Again in March 2025

Day of the Jackal

Lioness

Silo

Dune Prophecy

Shrinking

Lower Decks

Reacher Season 3

Afraid

Inside Out: Dream Productions

Music by John Williams

Beatles ‘64

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Apple Music expands its live radio offerings with three new stations

Descendents go Acoustic! | Taylor Guitars Soundcheck

WHO INVENTED POP-PUNK??

Before Dookie 1: How Punk Became Pop (1976-87)

Before Dookie 2: How Punk Became Pop (1988-94)

LG stops making Blu-ray players, marking the end of an era — limited units remain while inventory lasts

APPS & DOODADS

Apple Watch just gained a helpful new feature for inspiring you to stay active

WSKEN for Apple Watch Ultra 2/Ultra Screen Protector 49mm,9H Tempered Glass + Titanium Alloy Frame, [Keep Original] [Touch Sensitive] Lightweight Protective Film iwatch 2 Pack,Original

Google Wallet can now hold your US passport

MasterClass On Call gives you on-demand access to AI facsimiles of its experts

Mom sues after AI told autistic son to kill parents for restricting screen time

Startup will brick $800 emotional support robot for kids without refunds

Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 in E Minor

Dashaun Wesley - Labels! Out Now!

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