Thu. 02/13 – Do We Maybe Have A Roadmap For GPT-5?
We maybe have a roadmap for GPT-5, but also, is it not really GPT-5 just a renaming of what they already have in the pipeline? It’s kind of weird. Elon gives his conditions for dropping his takeover bid. Utility companies say the AI hype is real, but what if, in the end, the end users don’t actually show up? Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Links: OpenAI postpones its o3 AI model in favor of a ‘unified’ next-gen release (TechCrunch) Elon Musk will withdraw bid for OpenAI’s nonprofit if its board agrees to terms (TechCrunch) Musk, Altman Spar Over $97.4 Billion OpenAI Bid in Court Filings (Bloomberg) The Apple TV app is now available on Android: watch Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass (9to5Mac) Meta Opens Facebook Marketplace to Rivals in EU Antitrust Clash (Bloomberg) Data Center Power Demand Almost Doubled in Virginia, Utility Says (Bloomberg) AI Agents Are Everywhere…and Nowhere (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
13 Feb 17min
Wed. 02/12 – The First Big AI Legal Ruling
The first big AI legal ruling has come down, and it might not be good news for AI startups. Apple launches its biggest health study yet. This one weird trick that tech companies are using to make their AI spending seem not so expensive. And Matt Levine on the whole Elon buying OpenAI thing. Sponsors: Kinsta.com/brian FactorMeals.com/ride50off Links: Thomson Reuters Wins First Major AI Copyright Case in the US (Wired) Apple Plans to Learn More About Your Holistic Health With Its New Apple Health Study. You Can Enroll Now (CNET) Meta In Talks To Buy Korean AI Chip Startup Founded By Samsung Engineer (Forbes) Meta Accounting Move on AI Servers to Boost Profit This Year (Bloomberg) Sam Altman Dismisses Elon Musk’s Bid to Buy OpenAI in Letter to Staff (Wired) Sure Elon Musk Might Buy OpenAI (Matt Levine/Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
12 Feb 16min
Tue. 02/11 – Elon Wants To Buy OpenAI
Elon makes an unsolicited bid to buy OpenAI, or at least the non-profit that controls it, and maybe he doesn’t really want to own it, it’s complicated. I’ll explain. YouTube continues to be the biggest thing in media. Forget smartwatches, get ready for smart earbuds. And the crazy cheap Chinese EVs can now do crazy cheap self-driving too! Sponsors: 1Password.com/ride Links: Elon Musk-Led Group Makes $97.4 Billion Bid for Control of OpenAI (WSJ) Exclusive: OpenAI is not for sale, CEO Sam Altman says (Axios) Musk’s $97.4 Billion OpenAI Bid Piles Pressure on Sam Altman (WSJ) YouTube Surprise: CEO Says TV Overtakes Mobile as “Primary Device” for Viewing (THR) Google Calendar removed events like Pride and BHM because its holiday list wasn’t ‘sustainable’ (The Verge) Powerbeats Pro 2 Debut With Heart Rate Monitoring, H2 Chip, Active Noise Cancellation, and More (MacRumors) Chinese EV leader BYD to offer ‘God’s Eye’ self-driving system on all models (FT) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
11 Feb 16min
Mon. 02/10 – How Sam Altman Outflanked Elon Musk?
According to the Super Bowl ad I saw last night, anyone can use Starlink on their phone soon, not just T-Mobile users. Was this the Super Bowl of crypto-betting? Are we seeing the first signs that AI is stealing jobs from tech workers? And a behind the scenes tale of how Sam Altman outflanked Elon Musk. Sponsors: Timeline.com/ride Links: T-Mobile to Charge $15 Per Month for Starlink Satellite Texting Feature (Bloomberg) Polymarket Bettors Punt $1.1B on Superbowl Results, Despite Regulatory Overhang (CoinDesk) Exclusive: OpenAI set to finalize first custom chip design this year (Reuters) IT Unemployment Rises to 5.7% as AI Hits Tech Jobs (WSJ) Exclusive: Anthropic's "index" tracks AI economy (Axios) Christie’s announces AI art auction, and not everyone is pleased (TechCrunch) How Sam Altman Sidestepped Elon Musk to Win Over Donald Trump (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
10 Feb 15min
(Omnibus) Week Of 02/03/2025
(Omnibus) Week Of 02/03/2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
8 Feb 1h 18min
Fri. 02/07 – UK Backdoor Into iPhones?
Is the UK government about to force Apple to put backdoors into all of our iPhones? Tallying up the Tech Earnings week of CAPEX announcements. We might get a new iPhone next week. The Weekend Longreads suggestions. And listen to the end of the show cause I’m running an experiment. Sponsors: IQBar. Text TECHMEME to 64000 Links: U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts (Washington Post) Amazon plans to spend $100 billion this year to capture ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ in AI (CNBC) Tech Giants Double Down on Their Massive AI Spending (WSJ) Apple’s Long-Awaited Overhaul of iPhone SE Nears Release (Bloomberg) Softbank set to invest $40 billion in OpenAI at $260 billion valuation, sources say (CNBC) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: How is Fortnite's Attempt to Become the YouTube of Gaming Going? (Posting Nexus) The Sims Turned Players Into Gods. And Farmers. And Vampires. And Landlords. (NYTimes) Signup to the Premium Feed at tech.supercast.tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
7 Feb 19min
Thu. 02/06 – A $50 (!!) AI Model?
Now researchers say they have trained a cutting edge AI model for… checks notes… $50. Not $50 million dollars. $50. Dollars. Get ready for the superbowl of AI ads. Amazon has scheduled an Alexa AI event. And also, why does Amazon fail so hard when it comes to physical retail? Sponsors: Oracle.com/techmeme Links: Researchers created an open rival to OpenAI’s o1 ‘reasoning’ model for under $50 (TechCrunch) Google Kills Diversity Hiring Targets (WSJ) Google Unwinds Employee Diversity Goals, Citing Trump’s D.E.I. Orders (NYTimes) OpenAI Set to Make Super Bowl Ad Debut (WSJ) OpenAI to Air Its First Super Bowl Ad (AdWeek) Amazon's AI revamp of Alexa assistant nears unveiling (Reuters) Bill banning social media for youngsters advances (Politico) Trump's de minimis cancellation is bad news for Temu, but worse for Shein (Reuters) Amazon, King of Online Retail, Can’t Seem to Make Its Physical Stores Work (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
6 Feb 16min
Wed. 02/05 – Shein And Temu In Deep Trouble
Temu And Shein got a reprieve from the USPS, but they are still in deep, deep trouble. I’ll explain why. Alphabet earnings disappoint their investors but cheer investors of Nvidia. Google and Meta going in different directions when it comes to AI. And why are people increasingly refusing to pay ransomware? Sponsors: Acorns.com/ride Links: USPS Resumes Accepting Packages From China After Unexpected Suspension (Wired) Google expects to spend $75 billion this year on the AI race (The Verge) Google drops pledge not to use AI for weapons or surveillance (The Washington Post) Meta says it may stop development of AI systems it deems too risky (TechCrunch) After a bruising year, Sonos readies its next big thing: a streaming box (The Verge) 35% Year-over-Year Decrease in Ransomware Payments, Less than Half of Recorded Incidents Resulted in Victim Payments (Chainalysis) Apple Launches New 'Invites' App (MacRumors) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
5 Feb 15min
