Wed. 03/22 – Google Bard Joins The Fray

Julie Samuels shares her journey from a journalism major to a prominent figure in the tech advocacy space, detailing her experiences at NCSA, her work with EFF, and her role in founding Tech NYC. She discusses the evolution of the internet, the cultural differences between Silicon Valley and New York City, and the importance of community engagement in shaping the future of technology. Julie emphasizes the need for tech companies to be involved in civic issues and how Tech NYC aims to support and represent the tech industry in New York. 00:00 Introduction and Early Internet Experiences 02:11 Career Beginnings at NCSA 05:08 Transitioning to Journalism and Early Online News 08:00 The Shift in Journalism and the Dot Com Bubble 10:53 The Evolving New York Tech Scene 13:54 Joining EFF and First Amendment Advocacy 16:55 Mainstreaming of Internet Issues 19:53 Reflections on the Impact of Technology 21:05 The Optimism of the Tech Boom 24:19 Contrasting Silicon Valley and New York Tech 32:25 The Birth of Tech NYC 42:34 Tech NYC's Role in Today's Landscape Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Sep 56min

From the, this wasn’t on my bingo card file, OpenAI has launched a sort of job board? Why Broadcom might become Nvidia’s big rival. Is AI image generation about to have its Napster moment? And in the Longread Suggestions, a deep-dive state of the job market in tech. 00:00 Intro 00:33 OpenAI Job Search 04:22 Broadcom Competes With Nvidia? 07:41 AI Image Napster Moment? 11:30 Nividia's "Self Dealing"? 15:35 Longreads Links: OpenAI Plans Jobs Platform, Certification Program for AI Roles (Bloomberg) OpenAI set to start mass production of its own AI chips with Broadcom (FT) Warner Bros. Discovery Sues AI Giant Midjourney for Copyright Infringement In Major Legal Battle (The Hollywood Reporter) Nvidia to Pay $1.5 Billion to Rent Back Its Own Chips From Cloud Startup (The Information) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: State of the software engineering job market in 2025 (The Pragmatic Engineer) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Sep 22min

Mark Gurman lays out how Apple intends to jump into AI search as soon as this Spring. You’ll never guess who’s one of the biggest players in quantum computing. The Browser Company gets a soft landing, and after a decade and a half of waiting, we finally have the iPad app for Instagram you say you always wanted. Links: Apple Plans AI-Powered Web Search Tool for Siri to Rival OpenAI, Perplexity (Bloomberg) Nvidia’s Venture Arm Invests in Honeywell’s Quantinuum (Bloomberg) Atlassian agrees to acquire The Browser Co. for $610 million (CNBC) Roblox expands use of age-estimation tech and introduces standardized ratings (TechCrunch) New AI model turns photos into explorable 3D worlds, with caveats (ArsTechnica) Instagram is coming to iPad, 15 years later (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 Sep 19min

Google whistles past the graveyard with the remedy ruling on its antitrust case. OpenAI makes a big acquisition. Anthropic has a big new raise and a huge new valuation to boot. And why are AI companies finding it so hard to engineer safe interactions with Chatbots? Links: Google stock jumps 8% after search giant avoids worst-case penalties in antitrust case (CNBC) Google, Apple, and Mozilla Win in the Antitrust Case Google Lost (Spyglass) Google’s Big Win Is Even Bigger for Apple (WSJ) OpenAI starts building out its app team (The Verge) Anthropic’s $13bn Series F raise sees it triple in value to $183bn (SiliconRepublic) Acer Veriton GN100 is a mini AI workstation (VideoCardz) The problem of AI chatbots discussing suicide with teenagers (Financial Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Sep 22min

The Trump family’s big new crypto coin makes its debut. OpenAI outlines new safety guardrails. Dolby announces its biggest new TV tech in years. Say hello to Dolby Vision 2. Fintech seems to be back. And as the price per token for AI models has fallen, why are costs for developers rising? Links: Trump family’s World Liberty Financial token falls in trading debut (FT) Parental controls are coming to ChatGPT ‘within the next month,’ OpenAI says (CNNBusiness) Dolby Vision 2 goes beyond HDR with more AI and ‘authentic motion’ smoothing (The Verge) UK fintechs explore buying US banks to speed up push for licences (FT) Cutting-Edge AI Was Supposed to Get Cheaper. It’s More Expensive Than Ever. (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Sep 19min

In this conversation, Bradley Tusk discusses his unique career at the intersection of politics and technology. He shares insights from his early experiences in New York City politics, his time working with Senator Schumer, and his role as Deputy Governor of Illinois. Tusk reflects on the Bloomberg campaign during the financial crisis and how he merged political strategies with business through Tusk Strategies. He highlights the regulatory challenges faced by Uber and the importance of understanding the political landscape for startups. Tusk also addresses the future of AI and the necessity of regulation to protect society while fostering innovation. 00:00 The Intersection of Tech and Politics 05:58 The Rise of Tech in New York City 12:08 Governance and the Role of a Deputy Governor 18:03 Tusk Strategies: Merging Politics with Tech 23:55 Navigating Regulatory Challenges in Startups 33:52 The Need for AI Regulation 40:06 Addressing the Challenges of Gambling Regulations Bradley Tusk identifies as a political junkie rather than a tech junkie. His early career choices were influenced by his experiences in politics and writing. Working under Henry Stern provided Tusk with a deep understanding of municipal politics. Tusk learned the importance of media and messaging while working for Senator Schumer. His role as Deputy Governor of Illinois involved managing a significant budget deficit. The Bloomberg campaign was marked by innovative use of technology and media. Tusk's strategies for Uber involved mobilizing customers to advocate for the service. He emphasizes the need for startups to recognize regulatory challenges early on. Tusk believes in the necessity of regulating AI to prevent societal harm. He advocates for a taxation structure to redistribute wealth generated by AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Sep 51min

China continues to show signs that it might not need American AI chips much longer. A weird story about that big recent Tesla trial ruling. Look, AI being too much of a sycophant is clearly becoming a big problem. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Alibaba Creates AI Chip to Help China Fill Nvidia Void (WSJ) Tesla said it didn’t have key data in a fatal crash. Then a hacker found it. (Washington Post) Intel gets $5.7 billion from Trump deal as White House says details are ‘being ironed out’ (CNBC) Zuckerberg’s AI hires disrupt Meta with swift exits and threats to leave (Financial Times) A Troubled Man, His Chatbot and a Murder-Suicide in Old Greenwich (WSJ) Weekend Longreads Suggestions AI Is Eliminating Jobs for Younger Workers (Wired) This Visiting Interstellar Comet Just Keeps Getting Weirder (Gizmodo) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Aug 21min

Nvidia’s earnings are ok, but maybe showing signs of normalizing. Copilot for your TV. A blockchain for your cloud. I catch you up on that whole Nano Banana image AI craze sweeping the internet. And a summary of the Pixel phone reviews. Links: Nvidia beats on top and bottom lines as company expects breakneck AI spend to continue (CNBC) Microsoft expands Xbox Cloud Gaming to Game Pass Core and Standard subscribers (The Verge) Microsoft’s Copilot AI is now inside Samsung TVs and monitors (The Verge) Google Cloud is developing its own blockchain for payments, currently in private testnet (The Block) Google Gemini’s AI image model gets a ‘bananas’ upgrade (TechCrunch) Nothing busted using professional photos as Phone 3 samples (The Verge) Google Pixel 10 Pro review: the best AI phone on the market (The Shortcut) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

28 Aug 20min