Fri. 10/13 – The Activision Acquisition Goes Through
Microsoft wins its big prize. The EU officially opens and X investigation. VC investment activity has reached its lowest level in years. Netflix dips its toe into the IRL experience business. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard for Xbox has been fully APPROVED by the UK regulator (Windows Central) EU opens probe into Elon Musk’s X over Israel-Hamas war misinformation (Financial Times) U.S. VC funding hit lowest level in 6 years in Q3 | A story told in charts (VentureBeat) Netflix to Open Stores Where Fans Can Play, Shop and Eat in 2025 (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Adobe Is Focused on AI Rather Than Figma With Acquisition in Limbo (Bloomberg) Can EA’s FIFA-Free Soccer Game Win Fans? (Bloomberg) Has Bob Iger Lost the Magic? (Bloomberg) Why Dizziness Is Still a Mystery (The New Yorker) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
13 Okt 202316min
Thu. 10/12 – The IRS Wants A Word With Microsoft
That thing where the IRS says you’ve underpaid your taxes to the tune of almost $30 billion dollars. Adam Mosseri says Threads is NOT coming for the breaking news crown. Those kids today, they love YouTube and they REALLY love iPhones. And forget social chat with your friends. How about social chat with your friends, and your AI bot, and their AI bots? Sponsors: DrinkTrade.com/ride Links: IRS says Microsoft owes an additional $29 billion in back taxes (CNBC) Linda Yaccarino responds to EU: 700 Community Notes, 5K+ images shared on Israel-Hamas war, ‘thousands’ of pieces of content removed (TechCrunch) Instagram head says Threads is ‘not going to amplify news on the platform’ (TechCrunch) Google pays Apple $18B to $20B a year to keep its search in iPhone (The Register) PlayStation 5 cloud streaming launches this month (VGC) YouTube passes Netflix as top video source for teens (CNBC) iPhone Continues to Be Most Popular Smartphone Among Teens, Apple Watch Ownership Growing (MacRumors) Character.AI introduces group chats where people and multiple AIs can talk to each other (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
12 Okt 202318min
Wed. 10/11 – The Greatest DDoS Attack By Far
The EU is warning Elon Musk over X content related to the Israel-Hamas war. The biggest DDoS attack of all time, by, like, 8x. New image models from Adobe. New PS5s from Sony. New rules from the FTC to help you avoid hidden fees. And checking in with the Sam Bankman Fried trial. Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Links: EU warns Elon Musk of ‘penalties’ for disinformation circulating on X amid Israel-Hamas war (CNN) New technique leads to largest DDoS attacks ever, Google and Amazon say (The Record) Adobe Firefly can now generate more realistic images (TechCrunch) Sony’s new PS5 with a removable disc drive launches in November (The Verge) The End of Junk Fees? FTC Proposes New Rule (The Hollywood Reporter) Caroline Ellison, Adviser to Sam Bankman-Fried, Says He ‘Directed’ Her to Commit Crimes (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
11 Okt 202316min
Tue. 10/10 – The Veil Between Online And IRL Is Thin
That whole bungled pricing thing has cost the Unity CEO his job. The big 23andMe breach is a different kind of hack. And it turns out if you fall victim to a scam, it’s probably because you were online. Can you charge enough to cover the costs of AI products? And is the Pixel brand finally having a moment. Sponsors: ipn.ibotta.com/ride TryFum.com code ride Links: John Riccitiello steps down as CEO of Unity after pricing battle (GamesBeat) 23andMe says private user data is up for sale after being scraped (ArsTechnica) Social media scams are costing Americans more than ever (TechRadar) Big Tech Struggles to Turn AI Hype Into Profits (WSJ) Google has shipped almost 40 million Pixel phones since 2016, 10 million last year (9to5Google) Elon Musk’s X Cut Disinformation-Fighting Tool Ahead of Israel-Hamas Conflict (The Information) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
10 Okt 202318min
Listener Meetup Emergency Message!
Holy crap! Anyone coming to the listener meetup tonight, I hope you see this! Turns out Johnny Foley's is closed on Mondays! We will instead try to meet at the Kan Pai lounge in the Hotel Nikko! It's on the 2nd floor. Go up the escalators! Sorry for my error and this late notice! 222 Mason St. Right across the st! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
10 Okt 202352s
(Portfolio Profile) Mimoto
Find out more at Mimoto.ai Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
8 Okt 202334min
Fri. 10/06 – Microsoft Looks To Close
Looks like Microsoft is inches away from getting the Activision acquisition over the line. Hardware ambitions are one thing, but OpenAI might also design its own silicon. Microsoft’s new version of Teams is finally not the most resource hungry piece of software on your computer. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Microsoft eyes closing its giant Activision Blizzard deal next week (The Verge) Exclusive: ChatGPT-owner OpenAI is exploring making its own AI chips (Reuters) Microsoft’s faster and redesigned Teams app now available for Windows and Mac (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: How Will A.I. Learn Next? (The New Yorker) How Bandcamp makes more money than Spotify (Fast Company) Long gone, DEC is still powering the world of computing (ArsTechnica) The Genius Behind Hollywood’s Most Indelible Sets (NYTimes Magazine) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
6 Okt 202316min
Thu. 10/05 – Now The Regulators Are Coming For The Cloud Providers
A new front in the regulation battle is opening up for major cloud platforms. What is the point of removing article headlines in X posts? Amazon’s Project Kuiper is launching… literally. And is the new camera on the iPhone 15 Max the biggest smartphone camera upgrade ever? Sponsors: Netsuite.com/ride Links: Microsoft and Amazon face UK regulator investigation over cloud services (The Verge) Elon Musk Starts Stripping Headlines From Links Shared to X (The Wrap) Galaxy SmartTag 2 launches next week for $30, still only works with Samsung devices (9to5Google) Android 14 is now available for Pixel phones (The Verge) Amazon Prepares to Challenge SpaceX’s Starlink With Maiden Satellite Launch (Gizmodo) Apple Considered, Rejected Switch to DuckDuckGo From Google (Bloomberg) iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera Review: Depth and Reach (Lux) Vera wants to use AI to cull generative models’ worst behaviors (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
5 Okt 202316min
