(Bonus) David Marcus And Lightspark
David Marcus comes on the pod to discuss what he's been working on since leaving Meta. Specificially: Lightspark, and efforts to expand the Lighting Network and bitcoin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
8 Apr 202419min
Fri. 04/05 – Apple Layoffs!
Apple joins the tech layoff club. Microsoft warns China is planning to disrupt elections using AI. Disney+ is joining Netflix in cracking down on password sharing. How much is the going rate to buy pictures or videos to train AI models on? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads suggestions. Links: Apple Cut at Least 600 Workers When Car, Screen Projects Stopped (Bloomberg) China will use AI to disrupt elections in the US, South Korea and India, Microsoft warns (The Guardian) Disney+ will crack down on password sharing in June (CNN) Inside Big Tech's underground race to buy AI training data (Reuters) YouTube Says OpenAI Training Sora With Its Videos Would Break Rules (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: How One Tech Skeptic Decided A.I. Might Benefit the Middle Class (NYTimes) How WhatsApp became the world’s default communication app (Engadget) The 18 most interesting startups from YC’s Demo Day show we’re in an AI bubble (TechCrunch) YC’s latest Demo Day shows fascinating wagers on healthcare, chip design, AI and more (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
5 Apr 202417min
Thu. 04/04 – How About A TRUE iRobot?
Is Apple pivoting to home robotics now that the Apple Car project is dead? Is Google about to pivot to subscription based search? Why is X handing back blue checkmarks whether people want them or not? Why Amazon merchants are upset over return scams. And why the band Kiss might live forever. Sponsors: Kolide.com/ride Links: Apple Explores Home Robotics as Potential ‘Next Big Thing’ After Car Fizzles (Bloomberg) Google considers charging for AI-powered search in big change to business model (FT) X’s ‘complimentary’ Premium push gives people blue checks they didn’t ask for (The Verge) Washington state judge blocks use of AI-enhanced video as evidence in possible first-of-its-kind ruling (NBCNews) Amazon Sellers Plagued by Surge in Scam Returns (WSJ) Business Schools Are Going All In on AI (WSJ) Rock band Kiss sells rights for $300mn to firm behind Abba hologram show (FT) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 Apr 202416min
Wed. 04/03 – Quantum Computing Breakthrough?
Have we just had a major breakthrough in Quantum Computing? The earthquake in Taiwan might lead to some chip issues. We don’t quite know yet. Amazon is retooling it’s Just Walk Out technology. Venture capitalists are having a hard time raising money. And in the last segment of the show, I actually break some news about Coinbase. Links: Microsoft and Quantinuum say they’ve ushered in the next era of quantum computing (TechCrunch) AI-generated songs are getting longer, not necessarily better (The Verge) Top musicians among hundreds warning against replacing human artists with AI (Axios) TSMC Facilities to Resume Production Overnight After Quake (Bloomberg) Amazon’s Grocery Stores to Drop Just Walk Out Checkout Tech (The Information) Venture capital reckons with the end of ‘megafund’ era (Financial Times) YouTube Of Our Interview With David Marcus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
3 Apr 202418min
Tue. 04/02 – Amazon To Enter The AI Group Chat
Big trove of AT&T customer data dumped online. Microsoft is unbundling Teams. Amazon is readying its own big LLM. We should probably assume Section 230 does not cover AI. And what do you name an AI supercomputer? Stargate, apparently. Links: AT&T resets account passcodes after millions of customer records leak online (TechCrunch) Exclusive: Microsoft to separate Teams and Office globally amid antitrust scrutiny (Reuters) Amazon scrambles for its place in the AI race (The Verge) Gen-AI Search Engine Perplexity Has a Plan to Sell Ads (Adweek) The AI Industry Is Steaming Toward A Legal Iceberg (WSJ) Microsoft and OpenAI Plot $100 Billion Stargate AI Supercomputer (The Information) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2 Apr 202415min
(Bonus) Nat Friedman Interview
What prolific AI investor Nat Friedman expects from GPT-5, Microsoft's general strategy in AI, how he invests in startups, and his background an philosophy when it comes to investing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 Apr 202441min
Fri. 03/29 – SBF To The Hoosegow
SBF gets 25 years. X is maybe about to NSFW. Apple’s new OLED iPads should be coming in May. I can’t cram another acronym in here to tell you about Apple suing an employee for leaking. And, of course, the WLS… Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years for multi-billion dollar FTX fraud (Reuters) Elon Musk’s X Is Testing ‘Adult Content’ Groups for Users (Bloomberg) Apple Sues Former Employee for Leaking iPhone's Journal App and More (MacRumors) Apple Plans New iPad Pro for May as Production Ramps Up Overseas (Bloomberg) Reddit shares plunge almost 25% in two days, finish the week below first day close (CNBC) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: How We’ll Reach a 1 Trillion Transistor GPU (IEEE Spectrum) How Jesse Plemons Came to Star in, Well, Pretty Much Everything (Texas Monthly) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
29 Mar 202416min
Thu. 03/28 – Claude 3 Opus Surpasses GPT-4 For The First Time
There’s a new king of the AI hill as Anthropic bests OpenAI for the first time. Amazon invests more in Anthropic and is investing a TON more in datacenters. Is that GPT sort of App Store not exactly catching fire? A big acquisition in gaming. And the tiny Caribbean island nation that is one of the biggest winners of the AI moment so far. Links: “The king is dead”—Claude 3 surpasses GPT-4 on Chatbot Arena for the first time (ArsTechnica) Amazon spends $2.75 billion on AI startup Anthropic in its largest venture investment yet (CNBC) Amazon Bets $150 Billion on Data Centers Required for AI Boom (Bloomberg) OpenAI’s app store draws investors and students seeking artificial aids (FT) Oregon’s governor signs right-to-repair law that bans ‘parts pairing’ (The Verge) Take-Two Buys Gearbox From Embracer, Confirms Development on New Borderlands Game (IGN) The A.I. Boom Makes Millions for an Unlikely Industry Player: Anguilla (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 Mar 202416min
