Tue. 02/26 - Might the FTC Undo Some Tech Mergers?

We get our first look at how Google is integrating AI into search. You heard me warn you, but the most concrete example yet that Crypto VCs might be turning their attention to AI. WhatsApp is probably moving to usernames. The Weekend Longreads Suggestions. And, for this long weekend, Brian’s Book Recommendations. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Bloomberg.com/careers Links: Google starts rolling out Search Generative Experience (SGE) in preview (9to5Google) Paradigm broadening crypto-only focus to areas including AI (The Block) WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.11.15: what’s new? (WABetaInfo) The FDA will apparently let Elon Musk put a computer in a human’s brain (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Meta's ‘Efficiency’ Layoffs Take a Toll on Employee Productivity (Bloomberg) Sergey Brin Has a Secret Plan to Put Airships Back in the Skies (BusinessWeek) Some Neural Networks Learn Language Like Humans (QuantaMagazine) A husband hid $500,000 in bitcoin during a divorce — and got busted by a crypto hunter (CNBC) Going for a walk with Shift’s Moonwalker electric shoe-skates (TechCrunch) Brian's Summer Book Recommendations: The Making of the Atomic Bomb: 25th Anniversary Edition Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 Americana: A 400-Year History of American Capitalism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

26 Touko 202318min

The whole Twitter Space presidential announce did not go well. Microsoft says Chinese hackers have burrowed into critical US infrastructure. Sony has a handheld gaming device, but a true descendent of the PlayStation Vita it is not. Quite. Has AI allowed a paralyzed man to walk again? And the world’s newest unicorn is maybe the most delightful interesting raise of the year. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Links: Twitter glitches plague Ron DeSantis’ much-hyped presidential announcement with Elon Musk (CNBC) Microsoft warns that China hackers attacked U.S. infrastructure (CNBC) Chinese Malware Hits Systems on Guam. Is Taiwan the Real Target? (NYTimes) OpenAI warns over split with Europe as regulation advances (Financial Times) Sony’s new Q handheld is official: 8-inch screen, streams PS5 games (The Verge) Apple Plans to Turn Locked iPhones Into Smart Displays With iOS 17 (Bloomberg) A Paralyzed Man Can Walk Naturally Again With Brain and Spine Implants (NYTimes) Indonesian agritech firm eFishery hits unicorn status with $108m series D (TechInAsia) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25 Touko 202318min

All the headlines from yesterday’s Build conference. The big Netflix password crackdown has begun. Did Elon buy Twitter to dethrone Fox News? Is an Uber/Waymo partnership the start of a beautiful relationship? And is Final Cut Pro on the iPad actually what everyone wanted? Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast OregonState.edu Links: Microsoft’s Azure AI Studio lets developers build their own AI ‘copilots’ (TechCrunch) Microsoft’s Copilot and Bing AI plug-ins will be interoperable with ChatGPT (The Verge) Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown is here — and it costs $7.99 per month (The Verge) Elon Musk’s right-wing media venture scores another big win (WashingtonPost) Uber teams up with Waymo to add robotaxis to its app (The Verge) PSVR2’s early sales beat the original, Sony claims (VideoGamesChronicle) That podcast ad you're listening to may soon be AI. Spotify is reportedly developing bots to mimic your favorite hosts. (Insider) Final Cut Pro for the iPad is slick but limited (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

24 Touko 202316min

Apple continues to play nice with Broadcom despite hoping to drop them someday. The thing people warned about with these bluechecks happened yesterday. HBOMax isn’t cool. You know what is cool, according to David Zaslov? Max. And how Shareit became the world’s favorite file sharing app. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast ZocDoc.com/techmeme Links: Apple expands US investment with new multibillion-dollar Broadcom deal for 5G tech (9to5Mac) Verified Twitter Accounts Spread AI-Generated Hoax of Pentagon Explosion (Motherboard) Following UK antitrust order, Meta sells Giphy to Shutterstock for $53M after buying it for $400M (TechCrunch) Max will stream over 1,000 movies and TV episodes in 4K at launch (The Verge) Meta’s new AI models can recognize and produce speech for more than 1,000 languages (MIT Technology Review) Adobe is adding AI image generator Firefly to Photoshop (The Verge) Anthropic raises $450M to build next-gen AI assistants (TechCrunch) How China’s ShareIt became the world’s go-to file-transfer app (Rest of World) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

23 Touko 202316min

Meta got hit by the biggest ever GDPR fine in Europe. A crypto project got taken over by hackers who voted themselves into power. The startup that wanted to dethrone Google is shutting down. The E-sports bubble seems to be popping. And what is it actually like to try to use Google’s new AI tools? Sponsors: Nutrafol.com/men promocode ride Miro.com/podcast Links: Meta Fined $1.3 Billion Over Data Transfers to U.S. (WSJ) Sanctioned Crypto Mixer Tornado Cash Hijacked by Hackers (Bloomberg) Neeva, the would-be Google competitor, is shutting down its search engine (The Verge) The E-Sports World Is Starting to Teeter (NYTimes) Facebook parent in talks with Magic Leap over augmented reality deal (Financial Times) We Put Google’s New AI Writing Assistant to the Test (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 Touko 202317min

Re-releasing this one, hopefully with improved sound quality! The earliest days of Amazon with its earliest hire: Shel Kaphan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 Touko 20231h 1min

I didn't know the whole story of Sam Bankman-Fried. This book will do that for you. From our very good friend of the show Brady Dale: SBF: How the FTX Bankruptcy Unwound Crypto's Very Bad Good Guy  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Touko 20231h 9min

OpenAI has launched an official ChatGPT app for iPhones and iPads. Android coming soon. The Supreme Court actually propped up Section 230, allowing it to live another day. Apple as an example of why companies are looking to keep the AI in house. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Mimecast.com TryNom.com/ride Links: AI in your pocket: ChatGPT officially comes to iPhone with new app (ArsTechnica) Link to the official ChatGPT App in the App Store Supreme Court shields Twitter from liability for terror-related content and leaves Section 230 untouched (CNN) Supreme Court Leaves 230 Alone For Now, But Justice Thomas Gives A Pretty Good Explanation For Why It Exists In The First Place (TechDirt) Apple Restricts Employee Use of ChatGPT, Joining Other Companies Wary of Leaks (WSJ) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: In Battle Over A.I., Meta Decides to Give Away Its Crown Jewels (NYTimes) This Is Catfishing on an Industrial Scale (Wired) Cheesier, Saucier, and Drowning in Caviar; How TikTok took over the menu. (GrubStreet) Japan’s sleepy tech scene is ready for a comeback (Rest of World) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

19 Touko 202317min