Tue. 08/22 – Is Elon Tanking Things On Purpose?
Microsoft tries to appease His Majesty’s Regulators. The Arm IPO is a go. Why Nvidia continues to be huge even in China. A new AI translation model from Meta. I continue to wonder if Elon is tanking things on purpose. And a new social media platform built on top of X? Links: Microsoft to sell off Activision cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft in bid for UK approval (The Verge) Arm files for Nasdaq listing, as SoftBank aims to sell shares in chip designer it bought for $32 billion (CNBC) Why China remains hungry for AI chips despite US restrictions (FT) Meta releases an AI model that can transcribe and translate close to 100 languages (TechCrunch) X is planning to hide headlines from news links for ‘improved aesthetics’ (TechCrunch) Social Platform Friend.tech Gains 100K Users in Days Even in Depths of a Bear Market (CoinDesk) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 Aug 202316min
Mon. 08/21 – Twit Pics Disappear
More X shenanigans over the weekend. Some solid evidence that some major LLMs have in fact been trained on copyrighted material. A ton of it, in fact. As Arm prepares to IPO, who might join them, depending on how things go? Bad news for Adyen is probably bad news for Stripe. And the rise of high tech sailing ships. Sponsors: Collective.com/ride TryNom.com/ride Links: Twitter Deletes All User Photos And Links From 2011-2014 (Forbes) REVEALED: THE AUTHORS WHOSE PIRATED BOOKS ARE POWERING GENERATIVE AI (The Atlantic) Silicon Valley start-ups revive listing plans as Arm reignites IPO market (Financial Times) Europe’s Stripe rival Adyen saw $20 billion wiped off its value in a single day. Here’s what’s going on (CNBC) UK to spend £100m in global race to produce AI chips (The Guardian) A cargo ship that harnesses wind power has set sail on its maiden journey (Quartz) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
21 Aug 202316min
Fri. 08/18 – Werner Herzog Is The AI Voice We Deserve
More drips and drabs Threads feature releases. Meta is readying a “Code Llama.” Throwback Friday with Uber and Lyft threatening to leave a major municipality. Our first fall hardware event is on the calendar. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Nutrafol.com/men code ridehome Links: Threads gets retweets — sorry, reposts — in the reverse-chronological feed (The Verge) Meta’s Next AI Attack on OpenAI: Free Code-Generating Software (The Information) Lyft and Uber say they will leave Minneapolis if the mayor signs a minimum wage bill for drivers (CNN) Microsoft to hold ‘special event’ in New York City on September 21st (The Verge) Spotify Looked to Ban White Noise Podcasts to Become More Profitable (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: A Rare Look Into the Finances of Elon Musk’s Secretive SpaceX (WSJ) How the iMac saved Apple (The Verge) A Living History of The Humble Paper Airplane (Popular Mechanics) A New Role for Werner Herzog: The Voice of A.I. Poetry (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
18 Aug 202317min
Thu. 08/17 – Sometimes Startup Acquires You
OpenAI makes its first acquisition. Has AI really done anything for Bing marketshare? A really cool looking new gaming handheld. The most recent tally of tech industry layoff numbers. And Eric Schmidt says he wants to pull a Sam Altman. Sponsors: Zbiotics.com/ride code ride Links: OpenAI acquires AI design studio Global Illumination (TechCrunch) Microsoft Struggles to Gain on Google Despite Its Head Start in AI Search (WSJ) Exclusive Images: This is the Lenovo Legion Go Gaming Handheld (WindowsReport) Cyber security researchers become target of criminal hackers (FT) Tech Firms Are Slowing Layoffs But Still Not Yet Resuming Hiring (Bloomberg) Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt to launch AI-science moonshot (Semafor) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
17 Aug 202315min
Wed. 08/16 – And Now I’m A Blue Subscriber
By the time you hear these words, I guess I’ll be a blue subscriber cause I’m locked out of Tweetdeck otherwise. Coinbase gets regulatory approval from one agency, while another is suing them. Generative AI in Google search, while Google DeepMind is contemplating doing it for everything. And I guess we’ve entered the true first self-driving car test phase. Hold on to your hats. Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Mindbloom.com/techmeme code techmeme Links: TweetDeck is officially becoming a paid service (The Verge) Elon Musk’s X is throttling traffic to websites he dislikes (The Washington Post) Coinbase obtains regulatory approval to offer crypto futures trading to eligible clients (The Block) Google’s AI search experience adds AI-powered summaries, definitions and coding improvements (TechCrunch) Google Tests an A.I. Assistant That Offers Life Advice (NYTimes) Robotaxis are driving on thin ice (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
16 Aug 202315min
Tue. 08/15 – iPhone “Maximum Capacity” Concerns
Very interesting executive departure at Amazon. A popular Mac service is gonna launch an alternative iOS app store. Now nation states are trying to stockpile Nvidia chips, not just tech companies. And what is the maximum capacity of your iPhone’s battery, and should you check on it? Links: Amazon’s Leader on Alexa, Echo and Other Devices Plans to Leave (WSJ) Scoop: X shuts down $100M promoted accounts ad business (Axios) Setapp plans to launch EU-only alternative iOS App Store (Apple Insider) Saudi Arabia and UAE race to buy Nvidia chips to power AI ambitions (FT) Linear TV Falls Below 50 Percent of Viewing for First Time (The Hollywood Reporter) iPhone 14 Pro users complain of major drops in battery health and capacity after less than a year (9to5Mac) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
15 Aug 202317min
Mon. 08/14 – An Apple Watch X?
Apple is planning a huge revamp for the Apple Watch in honor of it’s 10th birthday. Amazon is using generative AI to summarize product reviews. It’s finally official. Paying for all the big streaming services is now more expensive than just paying for cable. And if that self driving car is rocking, maybe don’t go a-knocking. Sponsors: Hillsdale.edu/ride Links: Apple Plans Major ‘Watch X’ Overhaul for Device’s 10-Year Anniversary (Bloomberg) Amazon taps generative AI to enhance product reviews (TechCrunch) Google-backed Anthropic raises $100 mln from South Korea's SK Telecom (Reuters) Hollywood calls time on golden era of cheap streaming (FT) Could a True Streaming Bundle Be Upon Us? (Vulture) San Franciscans Are Having Sex in Robotaxis, and Nobody Is Talking About It (The San Francisco Standard) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
14 Aug 202317min
Fri. 08/11 – Unleash The Robotaxis!
A major regulatory breakthrough is going to open the floodgates for self-driving taxis in California. Two different stories about dealing with the China restrictions, including one US company that is directly benefiting, and Meta’s AR ambitions, which are not. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Robotaxis score a huge victory in California with approval to operate 24/7 (The Verge) Skydio closing consumer drone business (TechCrunch) Behind Meta’s ‘Made in USA’ AR Glasses: a Military-Grade Material (The Information) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Where have all the fitness bands gone? (The Verge) 4 Actual Use Cases for Blockchain and AI That Are More Than Just Hype (CoinDesk) The Looming Catalog Crisis (Vulture) Paul F. Tompkins Is Getting Back Into It (Vulture) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
11 Aug 202319min
