Mon. 09/23 - Google Play Pass And WeWork Soap Opera

This is the crossover episode of when I went on the Big Technology podcast on Friday. We ask where the moat is in AI? And we celebrate Ed Sheeran if you can believe it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 Maj 202356min

This is the book I've been dying for someone to write! This is how digital media happened for 20 years! Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral. Yay to finally having Ben Smith on the pod! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Maj 202344min

Apple earnings recap. A new, free code generating AI tool. Which, actually, lots of people are starting to ask the question: will open source AI actually come out on top in the AI revolution? And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Mindbloom.com/techmeme and promocode techmeme OregonState.edu/believe-it Links: Apple CEO Tim Cook says AI is "huge," but care is needed (Axios) Hugging Face and ServiceNow release a free code-generating model (TechCrunch) Google Is Falling Behind in AI Arms Race, Senior Engineer Warns (Bloomberg) OpenAI’s Losses Doubled to $540 Million as It Developed ChatGPT (The Information) Weekend Longreads Suggestions AI Singers Are Unnervingly Good and Already Ubiquitous (Vulture) Is the Federal Government Trying to Kill Off Crypto? (Intelligencer/NYMag) Why Chatbots Are Not the Future (Amelia Wattenberger) ESPN’s Jimmy Pitaro Will Decide the Fate of Cable Television (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Maj 202318min

The regulators have not been sleeping on the AI revolution. Everybody wants to get in on the blue checkmark game. But this time, with actual utility. Airbnb now offers to rent out single rooms. Can ChatGPT out invest professional money managers? And the return of the flip phone. No, not a foldable phone. The flip phone from your youth. Sponsors: Bloomberg.com/careers The Traceroute Podcast Links: “We must regulate AI,” FTC Chair Khan says (ArsTechnica) UK competition watchdog launches review of AI market (Financial Times) Microsoft’s Bing chatbot gets smarter with restaurant bookings, image results, and more (The Verge) Gmail is adding a blue checkmark to better verify senders (9to5Google) Airbnb Revamps Site to Ease Tensions Between Guests, Hosts (Bloomberg) ChatGPT ‘portfolio’ outperforms leading UK funds (Financial Times) Gen Zers Are Snapping Up Flip Phones. They Might Be Onto Something. (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 Maj 202317min

Google releases a new feature to put another nail in the password coffin. Malware merchants are using generative AI. A deep dive into what Bluesky is like right now. The best explainer of quantum computing I’ve ever seen. And how a Pixies song is breaking Google assistant and making people miss their wakeup alarms in the morning. Sponsors: Nutrafol.com/men promocode ride OregonState.edu Links: You no longer need a password to sign in to your Google account (The Verge) Twitter restores free API access for emergency, weather and transportation alerts (Engadget) TSMC Plans for First German Chip Fab With Cost Up to €10 Billion (Bloomberg) Meta Is Trying to Push Attackers to the Brink (Wired) Bluesky showed everyone’s ass (The Verge) Quantum computing could break the internet. This is how (Financial Times) You can blame this Pixies song for Assistant canceling your alarm (AndroidPolice) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Maj 202317min

Looks like that Hollywood strike inspired by AI fears is a go. Apple and Google want to set a new standard to prevent modern digital stalking. Pornhub is boycotting Utah. Mastodon is trying to make it less confusing to give them a try. And what is one of the biggest reasons companies are wary of giving generative AI a try? Sponsors: Mimecast.com Bloomberg.com/careers Links: Hollywood Writers Strike Over Pay Disputes with Streaming Giants and AI Concerns (Gizmodo) Apple and Google team up to stop unwanted AirTag tracking (CNBC) Apple uses iOS and macOS Rapid Security Response feature for the first time (ArsTechnica) Pornhub Blocks All of Utah From Its Site (Motherboard) It’s getting easier to make an account on Mastodon (The Verge) WordPress drops Twitter social sharing due to API price hike (Mashable) BeReal's latest feature is a curated timeline of high-profile users (Engadget) Scared of Leaking Data to ChatGPT? Microsoft Tests a Private Alternative (The Information) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Maj 202317min

Gurman says the big Apple Watch OS overhaul is nigh. I can already tell you what the biggest tech IPO of 2023 is going to be. Are there signs tech earnings have turned or a corner, or, at least, have bottomed out? And why the AI revolution is behind the potential of a major labor strike in Hollywood. Sponsors: Ramp.com/techmeme This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/techmeme and get on your way to being your best self. Links: Apple to Upgrade Its Watch Operating System With New Focus on Widgets (Bloomberg) SoftBank's Arm registers for blockbuster U.S. IPO (Reuters) Microsoft makes its AI-powered Designer tool available in preview (TechCrunch) Big Tech Earnings Spark Hope That Worst Is Over (WSJ) ChatGPT Will See You Now: Doctors Using AI to Answer Patient Questions (WSJ) Will a Chatbot Write the Next ‘Succession’? (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Maj 202317min

Another bonus episode from the Internet History Podcast. As promised, Mike Slade is back to tell stories from the period 1998 through 2004, when he was Special Assistant to Steve Jobs. Background details on the iMac, the iPod and the iPhone and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30 Apr 20231h 1min