Tue. 01/21 – TikTok Lives?
Alright, I’ll sum up everything that happened this weekend with TikTik, but also get to all of the changes the new Trump administration has made, which is relating to tech, in just the past 24 hours. How folks are trying to eat TikTok’s lunch. Should Apple buy Sonos? And the IMDB loses its founder after 25 years. Sponsors: IQBar text TECHMEME to 64000 1Password.com/ride Links: Trump signs order refusing to enforce TikTok ban for 75 days (The Verge) Trump signs executive order to halt TikTok ban, risking legal showdown (Washington Post) President Trump signs exec order to make Musk’s DOGE commission more official (TechCrunch) Meta announces a new CapCut rival called Edits (TechCrunch) Bluesky adds TikTok mode while Elon mulls reviving Vine in the latest banning drama (Windows Central) Apple Is Unlikely to Buy Sonos, But Amazon or Spotify Might Consider It (Bloomberg) IMDb Founder Col Needham Steps Aside as CEO, COO Nikki Santoro Promoted to Chief Exec (Variety) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
21 Jan 15min
(BNS) Senator Ron Wyden On TikTok, AI, Regulation And His New Book
I speak to Senator Ron Wyden about the TikTok ban, AI and regulation, tech regulation in general, and his new book: It Takes Chutzpah: How to Fight Fearlessly for Progressive Change Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
18 Jan 21min
Fri. 01/17 – TikTok Loses In The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court rules against TikTok, but at this point, I think this is all kabuki theater. Somehow TikTok is going to survive. Bumble’s founder returns to the company. Is Apple Intelligence really working for anyone? Does anyone care that the Chinese have allegedly hacked everything at this point? And, of course, The Weekend Longreads suggestions. Sponsors: MackWeldon.com promocode BRIAN Links: Supreme Court Upholds Law That Threatens US TikTok Ban (Bloomberg) Bumble Founder Whitney Wolfe Herd to Return as CEO in March (Bloomberg) iOS 18.3 temporarily disables Apple Intelligence notification summaries for select apps, more (9to5Mac) General Motors Is Banned From Selling Driving Behavior Data for 5 Years (NYTimes) FBI Warned Agents It Believes Phone Logs Hacked Last Year (Bloomberg) Chinese Hackers Accessed Yellen's Computer in US Treasury Breach (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Charlwin Mao, the Chinese tech founder welcoming ‘TikTok refugees’ (Financial Times) Kids Turn to a Mental-Health Chatbot to Share Their Anxieties (WSJ) To release Animal Crossing in the West, Nintendo ‘had to change everything’ (Polygon) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
17 Jan 16min
Thu. 01/16 – Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo finally takes the wraps off the Switch 2. Everybody seems to want to give TikTok more time, but can they find a way to do it? A big new AI research lab. A check in with Nothing. The company, I mean. And the weird story of when Walgreens tries to replace refrigerator doors with smartscreens. Sponsors: TryJoyMode.com and code RIDE at checkout Links: Here’s the Nintendo Switch 2 (The Verge) Trump considers executive order hoping to ‘save TikTok’ from ban or sale in U.S. law (Washington Post) Biden administration looks for ways to keep TikTok available in the U.S. (NBCNews) AI researcher François Chollet founds a new AI lab focused on AGI (TechCrunch) Phone Startup Nothing Raises Funding, Crosses $1 Billion in Lifetime Sales (Bloomberg) Walgreens Replaced Fridge Doors With Smart Screens. It’s Now a $200 Million Fiasco (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
16 Jan 15min
Wed. 01/15 – SEC Sues Elon Musk
The SEC is suing Elon Musk. Big AI insertions in Microsoft Copilot, Google Workspace and even LinkedIn. How TikTok plans to handle the immediate aftermath of a shutdown. Another new Instagram alternative. And have your AirPods been misbehaving? Here’s what Apple did without telling anyone. Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Links: Musk Accused by SEC of Cheating Twitter Investors Out of Millions (Bloomberg) Microsoft relaunches Copilot for business with free AI chat and pay-as-you-go agents (The Verge) Google Workspace business users getting full Gemini experience, price increasing (9to5Google) LinkedIn adds free AI tools for job hunters and recruiters (TechCrunch) TikTok Prepares for Immediate Shut-Off in the U.S. on Sunday (The Information) Decentralized Instagram alternative Pixelfed launches mobile apps (TechCrunch) Apple starts pushing AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 owners into Transparency or Noise Cancellation modes repeatedly, without an easy opt out (Key Discussions) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
15 Jan 16min
Tue. 01/14 – Could Elon Buy TikTok?
Break out your 2025 headline bingo cards. Did you have Elon Musk maybe buying TikTok on there? You’re a better bingo player than I am. Is the EU going to back off Tech in the Trump era? More layoffs come to Meta. The big streaming sports play that isn’t gonna happen now. And why is Barcelona a hub for spyware companies? Sponsors: LinkedIn.com/ride Links: China Weighs Sale of TikTok US to Musk as a Possible Option (Bloomberg) EU reassesses tech probes into Apple, Google and Meta (Financial Times) Meta to Cut Roughly 5% of Staff, Targeting Lowest Performers (Bloomberg) Databricks Inks $5 Billion of Private Credit, Bank Funding (Bloomberg) Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox Pull the Plug on Venu Sports Streaming Venture (THR) Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery call off plans to launch Venu sports streaming service (CNBC) How Barcelona became an unlikely hub for spyware startups (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
14 Jan 16min
Mon. 01/13 – Nvidia Isn’t Happy With New Chip Rules
The Biden administration unveils its long planned new chip export rules, and Nvidia isn’t happy. That whole botched Sonos app debacle has cost the CEO his job. Why we might not see blockbuster tech IPOs this year. Why some of Nvidia’s customers are returning Blackwell chips. And say hello to China’s answer to Instagram. Sponsors: Robinhood.com/gold Links: US imposes export controls on chips for AI to counter China (FT) Sonos CEO Leaving After Botched App Revamp Led to Customer Revolt (Bloomberg) Sonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after disastrous app launch (The Verge) Silicon Valley’s largest start-ups to shun IPOs in 2025 (Financial Times) Nvidia’s Top Customers Face Delays From Glitchy AI Chip Racks (The Information) Xiaohongshu, China’s answer to Instagram, hits no. 1 on the App Store as TikTok faces US shutdown (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
13 Jan 15min
(BNS) Simon Willison And SWYX Tell Us Where AI Is In 2025
The great Simon Willison joins SWYX and I to talk about everything we learned about LLMs in 2024, and what the state of AI is generally, as we go into 2025. Here is Simon's blog post we keep referring to: https://simonwillison.net/2024/Dec/31... 00:00 The State of AI in 2025 10:05 The Evolution of AI Models 19:54 Challenges in AI Agents 30:07 The Future of AI in Creative Industries 38:29 The Rise of AI Influencers 40:54 Credibility in the Age of AI 43:15 The Future of User Interfaces for LLMs 51:17 Local LLMs and Desktop AI Applications 55:17 AI Tools and Applications for Everyday Use 01:01:26 The Future of OpenAI and AI Regulation 01:08:08 The Need for Better Criticism of LLMs 01:10:41 The Future of Wearables and AI Integration Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
11 Jan 1h 16min
