Thu. 02/13 – Do We Maybe Have A Roadmap For GPT-5?

I do my best to give you all the angles on the cold tech civil war concerning Web3 that has been bubbling under the surface for a while now but burst out in the open overnight. Interesting raises in the crypto space and interesting data on investment in the space. An interesting CEO departure and a CEO who maybe never really stepped down. And a look at satellite internet speeds. Sponsors: Schwab.com/plan Directtoconsumer.co Links: Jack Dorsey Stirs Uproar by Dismissing Web3 as a Venture Capitalists’ Plaything (Bloomberg) The New Get-Rich-Faster Job in Silicon Valley: Crypto Start-Ups (NYTimes) OnlyFans Names Marketing Chief Ami Gan as CEO; Founder Steps Down (Bloomberg) Zhang Yiming Still Oversees ByteDance, Despite Stepping Back (The Information) Starlink Expands but Q3 2021 Performance Flattens in Some Areas (SpeedTest.net) The article featuring Chris and I talking about the Twitter Spaces: How the Copycats Came for Clubhouse (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

21 Des 202119min

Could a new 5G system lead the FCC to ground flights around some major metropolitan areas? Chipmakers are busting a gut to try to build out capacity. To what degree is Siri holding back Apple? A longtime Metaverse startup you should maybe have your eyes on. And is Microsoft best positioned to realize the Metaverse? Sponsors: RadPowerBikes.com Coinbase.com/techmeme Links: Airlines Brace for Flight Restrictions in 5G Standoff (WSJ) Semi CapEx to Hit $152 Billion in 2021 (AnandTech) Apple Should Make a Giant iPad as Its Smart Home Portal (Bloomberg) Rec Room raises $145M at a $3.5B valuation for its user-generated, immersive gaming platform (TechCrunch) Why Xbox's Phil Spencer thinks Minecraft is a blueprint for the metaverse (Protocol) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Des 202118min

Apple really is going to try to make all its gadget components itself, isn’t it? The deeper reason why the Biden administration doesn’t want you investing in Chinese tech. More on the brewing war between the gamers and the NFTers. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: VPLS.com/goit Streak.com/techmeme Links: Apple Builds New Team in Southern California to Bring More Wireless Chips In-House (Bloomberg) Biden administration concerned about U.S. investments in Chinese tech companies with military or surveillance ties (Washington Post) FTC Slows Meta Platforms’ Metaverse Strategy By Extending Antitrust Probe of VR Deal (The Information) Players invest $54M in Molyneux’s NFT game Legacy in hopes of earning even more (ArsTechnica) S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will no longer have NFTs after fan outcry (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: THE METAVERSE IS ALREADY HERE — AND IT’S FULL OF POKEMON, SAYS NIANTIC CEO JOHN HANKE (The Verge) The ‘To the Moon’ Crash Is Coming (Motherboard) Strange, horny game ads are flooding social media. I accidentally became obsessed (The Guardian) MATTER’S PLAN TO SAVE THE SMART HOME (The Verge) Computers Revolutionized Chess. Magnus Carlsen Wins by Being Human (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

17 Des 202120min

Reddit finally files to go public. Is Apple once again the canary in the coal mine, this time for Omicron? HR Block sues Square cause Square is now Block. Get it? The biggest investing star of Web3 is starting her own fund. And a look at the battery technology breakthrough the could transform all our lives. Sponsors: HeyLaika.com/techmeme Dataiku.com Links: Reddit Files Confidentially for IPO (WSJ) Apple Scraps Office-Return Deadline Without Setting New Date (Bloomberg) H&R Block Sues Block, Formerly Square, for Trademark Infringement (WSJ) Adidas Originals launches NFTs and buys a plot in the Sandbox metaverse (VentureBeat) Scoop: Crypto investor Katie Haun leaving Andreessen Horowitz (Axios) Solid-State Batteries Are Here and They're Going to Change How We Live (Popular Mechanics) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

16 Des 202117min

Is Google the first Silicon Valley company to adopt a vaccine mandate? A new foldable phone from Oppo. Why the US might ban you from investing in DJI. Twitter gets auto captions. And a look at the up and coming Chinese ecommerce giant that you might have already heard of, but definitely need to be aware of going forward. Sponsors: Masterworks.io/ride Findyourfidelity.com Links: Google tells employees they’ll lose pay and will eventually be fired if they don’t follow vaccination rules (CNBC) Oppo’s Find N is an impressive first folding phone (The Verge) Twitter adds auto captions feature to make videos more accessible (TechCrunch) Apple and Google's mobile duopoly likely to face UK antitrust action (TechCrunch) US to blacklist eight more Chinese companies including dronemaker DJI (Financial Times) How Shein beat Amazon at its own game — and reinvented fast fashion (Rest of World) Submit top stories of the year to us! https://chrismessina.me/topstories Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Des 202118min

More fallout from what is now being called potentially the worst bug of all time. Apple helps Android users discover if they’re being tracked by AirTags. A new entrant into the AR and VR product category that I guess we’re going to be covering going forward. Amazon is coming for DoorDash and Instacart. And how much did Meta have to pay to become Meta? Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride FirstRepublic.com Links: CISA warns 'most serious' Log4j vulnerability likely to affect hundreds of millions of devices (CyberScoop) The numbers behind a cyber pandemic – detailed dive (Check Point) Apple launches AirTags and Find My detector app for Android, in effort to boost privacy (CNET) Oppo announces Air Glass ‘assisted reality’ device (The Verge) Amazon Ramps Up Plans for Instacart-Like Service in U.S., Europe (The Information) Nike acquires NFT collectibles studio RTFKT (TechCrunch) Facebook Owner Is Involved in $60M Deal Over Meta Trademark Assets (Coinspeaker) Send us your nomination for the top tech stories of the year: chrismessina.me/topstories Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

14 Des 202118min

A huge bug in Apache servers is causing chaos around the Internet. What to expect, and what we’re still waiting on from iOS 15.2. Why did Instagram steal the @metaverse handle from a woman in Australia, and the story of the fat finger fire sale of a Board Ape Yacht Club NFT. Sponsors: Grammarly.com/techmeme Tovala.com/ride Links: Zero-day in ubiquitous Log4j tool poses a grave threat to the Internet (ArsTechnica) The Internet’s biggest players are all affected by critical Log4Shell 0-day (ArsTechnica) PROFESSIONAL MAINTAINERS: A WAKE-UP CALL (Filippo.io) Apple Set to Release Nudity Detection in Texting, But Other Features Remain on Hold (Bloomberg) Her Instagram Handle Was ‘Metaverse.’ Last Month, It Vanished. (NYTimes) Bored Ape Yacht Club: Someone accidentally sold a $300,000 NFT for $3,000 (CNET) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

13 Des 202118min

The great Andrew Chen of a16z joins us to discuss his new book: The Cold Start Problem: How to Start and Scale Network Effects. This an indispensable guide to get that "rocket-ship" action going for whatever product or company you're working with. Sponsors: RadPowerBikes.com AltoIra.com/techmeme Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11 Des 202128min