
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

Fri. 01/10 – The Controversies Continue
All the controversies continue. I’ll update you on the Meta moderation controversy. The latest twist in the WordPress brouhaha. The TikTok thing is coming to a head right now as we speak, in the form of Supreme Court arguments. Asking again if the business model of Triple A gaming development is broken. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Qualialife.com/ride and code ride Links: Mark Zuckerberg gave Meta’s Llama team the OK to train on copyrighted works, filing claims (TechCrunch) Automattic says it will reduce its contribution to WordPress core project to match WP Engine (TechCrunch) Billionaire Frank McCourt's Project Liberty proposes bid for TikTok's US assets (Reuters) Candy Crush, Tinder, MyFitnessPal: See the Thousands of Apps Hijacked to Spy on Your Location (Wired) Call of Duty's massive development budgets revealed: $700 million for Black Ops Cold War (Game File) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The New $30,000 Side Hustle: Making Job Referrals for Strangers (Bloomberg) The smart glasses era is here — I got a first look (The Verge) The Anti-Social Century (The Atlantic) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
10 Jan 17min

Thu. 01/09 – The Wildfire App Everyone In LA Has Been Using
Big new zero day to tell you about. Apple says Siri is safe, honest. Google rolls out an AI Daily Listen audio feature. Looking at the next wave of wearable AI. And let me tell you about WatchDuty, the app everyone in LA was using overnight. Sponsors: Timeline.com/ride33 Links: Hackers are exploiting a new Ivanti VPN security bug to hack into company networks (TechCrunch) Apple says Siri isn’t sending your conversations to advertisers (The Verge) Google’s ‘Daily Listen’ lab is a personalized podcast based on your Discover feed (9to5Google) SoftBank’s Chip Designer Arm Considers Acquiring Ampere Computing (Bloomberg) Your Next AI Wearable Will Listen to Everything All the Time (Wired) With L.A. on alert, wildfire app Watch Duty adds 600,000 users overnight (Los Angeles Times) LA residents find a lifeline in this free wildfire-tracking app (The Verge) ‘It’s not just alerts, it’s a state of mind’: How a wildfire monitoring app became essential in the US west (The Guardian) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
9 Jan 15min

Wed. 01/08 – Fallout From Meta’s Content Moderation Changes
Tons and tons of controversy and fallout from Meta’s announced content moderation changes yesterday. I’ve got I think a fair, comprehensive rundown of all the angles. Interesting new rounds for Bluesky and Anthropic. And the coolest stuff I’ve seen from CES thus far, including: are rollable laptop screens finally ready for prime time? Sponsors: Acorns.com/ride Links: Meta’s fact-checking changes are just what Trump’s FCC head asked for (The Verge) Social-Media Companies Decide Content Moderation Is Trending Down (WSJ) AI Startup Anthropic Raising Funds Valuing It at $60 Billion (WSJ) Lenovo’s Latest Laptop Has a Rollable OLED Screen (Wired) BMW’s new iDrive turns the whole windshield into a heads-up display (The Verge) New Nike Therapeutic Shoes at CES 2025 Look Like Nothing You've Ever Seen Before (CNET) EcoFlow’s Solar hat is better for the planet than your style (Engadget) Anker made a solar beach umbrella, because of course (Engadget) This Slim Little Battery I Saw at CES 2025 Is Like a Tesla Powerwall for Your Fridge (CNET) I Watched a Printer-Size Gadget Boost a Phone's Battery Life in Seconds (CNET) This toaster-looking gadget boosts your phone’s battery in seconds (The Verge) If you’re constantly losing cables, this could be your ideal charger (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
8 Jan 16min

Tue. 01/07 – Nvidia Still Takes CES Seriously
Meta is completely revamping its fact-checking program, going instead with a version of Community Notes. A new Tesla recall, but for a different reason. Dell is taking rebranding to new, Google-like lows. All the headlines from a jam-packed Nvidia keynote. And what about an AI copilot but for gaming? Sponsors: LinkedIn.com/ride Links: US opens probe into 2.6 million Tesla vehicles over remote driving feature (Reuters) Getty Images and Shutterstock agree to merge (Axios) Getty Images and Shutterstock to Merge in $3.7 Billion Deal (The Wrap) Dell kills the XPS brand (The Verge) Nvidia announces next-gen RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs (The Verge) Nvidia’s Project Digits is a ‘personal AI supercomputer’ (TechCrunch) Razer Project Ava: would you pay an AI to help you get good at games? (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
7 Jan 17min