Tue. 01/28 – Day 2 Of The DeepSeek Era
More fallout from the DeepSeek realignment of everybody’s thinking about AI. Could this be a signal that the large model business model is over and value is going to be in the application layer? Pebble lives! Spotify says it pays out tons, but does it really? And the network of AI local news newsletters. Sponsors: Robinhood.com/gold Links: Viral AI company DeepSeek releases new image model family (TechCrunch) Smartwatch pioneer and Kickstarter darling Pebble is returning in a new form (TechCrunch) OpenAI launches ChatGPT Gov for U.S. government agencies (CNBC) Spotify Paid Out $10 Billion to the Music Industry in 2024 — $1 Billion More Than Last Year — and $60 Billion Total (Variety) Inside a network of AI-generated newsletters targeting “small town America” (NiemanLab) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 Jan 17min
Mon. 01/27 – Why DeepSeek Has Stunned Silicon Valley (And Wall Street)
It’s one of those days where there’s only one story. Maybe you saw that tech stocks got obliterated today. I’m here to tell you why. It’s solely because of DeepSeek and Chinese AI tech generally. How this tech is making people think twice about the AI boom, what DeepSeek did that is different and how this could affect all of Silicon Valley. Sponsors: TryJoyMode.com and use code RIDE Links: China’s DeepSeek Tops iPhone Downloads and Spurs AI Selloff (Bloomberg) The Short Case for Nvidia Stock (Jeffrey Emanuel) DeepSeek R1’s bold bet on reinforcement learning: How it outpaced OpenAI at 3% of the cost (VentureBeat) DeepSeek resets the board (Axios) 17 Thoughts About the Big DeepSeek Selloff (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
27 Jan 16min
Fri. 01/24 – Operator AI
OpenAI releases its agentic bot that can do things on your behalf on your computer. Has the Stargate controversy driven a rift between Musk and Trump? Will the US government create a strategic crypto stockpile? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: MackWeldon.com promocode: BRIAN Links: OpenAI’s new Operator AI agent can do things on the web for you (The Verge) We Tried OpenAI’s New Agent—Here’s What We Found (Every) Trump staff ‘furious’ after Musk trashes AI project (Politico) Stargate artificial intelligence project to exclusively serve OpenAI (FT) Trump signs executive order promoting crypto, paving way for digital asset stockpile (CNBC) Mark Zuckerberg's Post (Facebook) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: As Netflix stock surges, an ‘anti-ESPN’ sports strategy emerges (The Athletic) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
24 Jan 16min
Thu. 01/23 – “Humanity’s Last Exam”
Ok, that whole AI datacenter joint venture thing seems to have gotten messy. A ByteDance board member thinks TikTok might have a way out without selling. Netflix rakes in a bunch of Oscar nominations. And humanity’s final exam has been formulated to see when AI has actually graduated to true intelligence. Sponsors: Qualialife.com/ride and code ride Links: OpenAI, SoftBank Each Commit $19 Billion to Stargate Data Center Venture (The Information) OpenAI’s Stargate Deal Heralds Shift Away From Microsoft (WSJ) TikTok’s parent company is in active discussions about a deal, board member says (CNN) Co-founder of French Crypto Startup Freed After Kidnapping (Bloomberg) Subaru Security Flaws Exposed Its System for Tracking Millions of Cars (Wired) Oscar Nomination Scorecard: Netflix Leads Among Studios With 16, A24 Close Behind With 14 (Variety) When A.I. Passes This Test, Look Out (NyTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
23 Jan 16min
Wed. 01/22 – The Galaxy S25 Lineup
All the headlines from today’s Samsung event, including the S25 lineup. The Silk Road creator gets a pardon. A huge joint venture for a new AI datacenter effort. Will Elon take half of TikTok and the US the other half? And guess what? Netflix is raising prices again. Sponsors: Timeline.com/ride Links: The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra smooths out some sharp edges (The Verge) Trump Pardons Creator of Silk Road Drug Marketplace (NYTimes) OpenAI teams up with SoftBank and Oracle on $500B data center project (TechCrunch) 'Stargate' Squares Some AI Circles (Spyglass/MG Siegler) Trump Says He’s Open to Elon Musk or Larry Ellison Purchasing TikTok (Bloomberg) Meta Plans Oakley-Branded Glasses, Explores Watches and Earbuds (Bloomberg) Meta will soon let you link your WhatsApp account with Instagram and Facebook (TechCrunch) Netflix Adds 19 Million Subscribers in Latest Quarter (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 Jan 15min
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
