Chamath Is Back In The Arena
Masa Son is investing $2B into Intel, and the Uncle Sam might join in as well. Small AI models continue to have a moment. Chamath is reentering the arena with a new SPAC. The Texas AG is investigating AI chatbots. And does GPT-5 prove that we’ve hit an AI ceiling, even if only temporarily? Links: Intel is getting a $2 billion investment from SoftBank (CNBC) Nvidia releases a new small, open model Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 with toggle on/off reasoning (VentureBeat) ‘SPAC King’ Chamath Palihapitiya is back with a new one (Pitchbook) Texas attorney general accuses Meta, Character.AI of misleading kids with mental health claims (TechCrunch) Is AI hitting a wall? (FT) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
19 Aug 20min
Meta’s Smart Headware Push
Meta is readying smartglasses with a display, but also, a look at their theoretical and prototype roadmap for the future of headware hardware generally. Is all the money in the world not actually going to get Zuck what he wants in AI? And is the acquihire in all but name trend of recent months breaking Silicon Valley’s fundamental business model? Links: Apple’s Vision Pro Is Suffering From a Lack of Immersive Video (Bloomberg) Meta Tiramisu "Hyperrealistic VR" Hands-On: A Stunning Window Into Another World (UploadVR) Meta Boba 3 Prototype Hands-On: Ultra-Wide Field Of View Without Compromise (UploadVR) Startup down rounds are at a 10 year high, according to PitchBook data (Fortune) Meta Plans Fourth Restructuring of AI Efforts in Six Months (The Information) Zuckerberg Squandered His AI Talent. Now He’s Spending Billions To Replace It. (Forbes) Big Tech Is Eating Itself in Talent War (WSJ) Enough is enough—I dumped Google’s worsening search for Kagi (ArsTechnica) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
18 Aug 22min
AI Business Bigger Than The Smartphone Business?
Will the US government take a stake in Intel? Why was Meta letting spicy conversation happen with their AI bots? What does it mean if Foxconn’s AI business is now bigger than its gadget assembly business? And of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Trump Administration Said to Discuss Taking Stake in Intel (Bloomberg) Meta’s AI rules have let bots hold ‘sensual’ chats with kids, offer false medical info (Reuters) Forget Foxconn the iPhone factory. AI’s made it a server-slinger first and foremost (The Register) Apple returns blood oxygen monitoring to the latest Apple Watches (The Verge) Whoop Refuses to Pull Blood Pressure Tool After FDA Warning (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Big Tech’s A.I. Data Centers Are Driving Up Electricity Bills for Everyone (NYTimes) Behind Wall Street’s Abrupt Flip on Crypto (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
15 Aug 17min
Thu. 08/14 – An Apple Pixar Lamp?
New York is suing Zelle. Another IPO pop has me raising my eyebrows. Maybe Perplexity really was serious, at least about getting a browser. Does Apple want to make basically that Pixar lamp? And AI has so broken the hiring process that some companies are resorting again to in-person interviews. Links: New York sues Zelle, says security lapses led to $1 billion consumer fraud losses (Reuters) Crypto Firm Bullish Soars 84% in Debut After $1.1 Billion IPO (Bloomberg) Before Wild Chrome Bid, Perplexity Had Been Hunting for Browsers (The Information) Apple Plots Expansion Into AI Robots, Home Security and Smart Displays (Bloomberg) AI Is Forcing the Return of the In-Person Job Interview (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
14 Aug 16min
Wed. 08/13 – Perplexity Wants To Acquire Chrome
Perplexity offers to acquire Chrome, but how serious are they? Fine, says OpenAI, have your GPT-4o back. Are AI companions the next breakout AI business beyond coding help? And is GM getting back in the self-driving car business for real this time? Links: Perplexity Makes Longshot $34.5 Billion Offer for Chrome (WSJ) OpenAI brings GPT-4o back as a default for all paying ChatGPT users, Altman promises ‘plenty of notice’ if it leaves again (VentureBeat) OpenAI rolls out Gmail, Calendar, and Contacts integration in ChatGPT (BleepingComputer) UK porn site traffic plunges as age verification rules take effect (Financial Times) AI companion apps on track to pull in $120M in 2025 (TechCrunch) GM Plans Renewed Driverless-Car Push After Cruise Debacle (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
14 Aug 19min
Tue. 08/12 – Elon To Sue Apple To Get At Sam?
Elon says he might take legal action against Apple, but it’s probably his beef with Sam Altman rearing its head once again. A long piece looking at how Jenson won in China, though also, HAS he won WITH China… yet? And is the race to the bottom in AI pricing happening already? Links: Musk says xAI to take legal action against Apple over App Store rankings (Reuters) Tech giants Apple and Google lose landmark court case as federal judge rules they engaged in anti-competitive conduct (ABC) China Urges Firms to Avoid Nvidia H20 Chips After Trump Resumes Sales (Bloomberg) With Billions at Risk, Nvidia CEO Buys His Way Out of the Trade Battle (WSJ) Anthropic offers Claude chatbot to US lawmakers for $1 (FT) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
12 Aug 17min
Mon. 08/11 – Nvidia To Pay The Government To Sell In China
Nvidia and AMD are paying the US government 15% of revenue to sell AI chips to China. Remember how with GPT-5, they took away the old models? Well, the old models are back. Some critical analysis of the whole GPT-5 moment. And you know what is finally never coming back? AOL dialup internet. Links: Nvidia and AMD to pay 15% of China chip sale revenues to US government (FT) Trump Bid for Cut of Chip Revenue Risks ‘Dangerous World’ (Bloomberg) Intel CEO Singled Out by Trump to Visit White House on Monday (WSJ) OpenAI Faces Backlash for Retiring Older Models With GPT-5 Launch (PCMag) GPT-5: Overdue, overhyped and underwhelming. And that’s not the worst of it. (Gary Marcus) A BEST CASE SCENARIO FOR AI? (David Sacks) AOL discontinues its dial-up internet, and we're just surprised they even offered it in 2025 (PCGamer) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
11 Aug 19min
(BNS) Could AI Spending Blow Up The Economy? With Paul Kedrosky
I spoke with the great Paul Kedrosky to discuss the significant impact of AI capital expenditure (CapEx) on the economy, exploring how it contributes to GDP growth and the implications of this spending. Qw delve into the rapid growth of AI-related investments, the short lifespan of data centers, and the potential risks associated with this economic phenomenon. 00:00 The Impact of AI Capital Expenditure on the Economy 09:34 The Dynamics of Data Center Investments 19:39 Debt Financing and Its Implications 30:09 Potential Risks and Future Outlook for AI Investments Articles mentioned on this episode: Paul Kedrosky: Honey AI Capex Ate The Economy Chris Mims in the WSJ Noah Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
9 Aug 40min
