ACCESS
34 episodes
Inside Anthropic’s search for the next Claude Code
The 'AI Coachella' prof wants to take back the data centers
What happens when AI runs a store
Silicon Valley finally has its “Succession”
Canva’s CEO on what happens when AI does the design
OpenClaw for normies is here
Alex and Ellis talk about OpenAI’s acquisition of TBPN, the tension between media and corporate ownership, and why so many people in AI seem to be working themselves into the ground. Then they’re joined by Marvin von Hagen, CEO of Poke, an AI assistant that lives in your texts and connects to everything from your email to your calendar. It's basically OpenClaw for normies. They discuss why Marvin believed in AI agents early, why he thinks texting is the best interface for AI, how Poke handles automation and security, why he sued Meta, and why a billionaire ended up paying $136,000 a month for Poke. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The future of AI might be on your finger
Alex and Ellis talk about why Codex is becoming central to OpenAI's strategy and the competition with Claude. Then they’re joined by Mina Fahmi, CEO and co-founder of Sandbar, who is building a smart ring that acts like an AI interface for your entire life. They discuss Mina’s path from neural interface research at MIT and CTRL-Labs to consumer hardware, why he thinks the next big AI product has to feel personal and controllable, and what it means to design a wearable that remembers, responds, and stays out of your way. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The real reason CEOs want you using AI meeting notes
Alex and Ellis talk about navigating ethics in media and programming the pod, the rise of film photography, and Alex’s trip to OpenAI. Then they’re joined by Granola co-founder Sam Stephenson to talk about building one of the breakout AI meeting tools. They discuss why meetings are still where decisions actually get made, the London tech scene, opening an office in SF, and how Granola is evolving as a product. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When your bank account talks to Claude
Alex and Ellis break down why SXSW no longer feels like a true tech conference and how Nvidia’s GTC has become the new center of gravity for the industry. Then they’re joined by Mercury CEO Immad Akhund to talk about building one of the most important fintech companies for startups. They discuss how Mercury thinks about plugging into AI tools like Claude, Immad's side gig as a VC, the SF poker scene, and more. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meet Starboy, the alien toy that hates being called AI
Alex and Ellis talk about Alex’s visit to Anthropic’s headquarters as Claude downloads surge and the company faces growing scrutiny over its stance on government AI use. They discuss AI culture inside the labs, image generation experiments with Claude, and why some companies are betting that coding—not multimodal—is the fastest path to AGI. Then they’re joined by Daniel Kuntz, the creator of Starboy, a tiny AI-powered creature designed to hang off your bag like a charm. They talk about why he chose to build a toy instead of another productivity tool, the idea of “hardware as art,” and why he thinks Silicon Valley has forgotten how to make fun products. They also discuss designing Starboy with former Disney animators, why it doesn’t connect to your phone, the influence of fashion and collectibles, and his belief that AI companions and productivity gadgets are heading in the wrong direction. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What happens to Google when AI answers everything?
Alex and Ellis talk about using Claude to organize their digital lives, the rise of agent platforms like Dreamer, and a mysterious AI hardware sighting in San Francisco. Then they’re joined by Liz Reid, VP and Head of Search at Google, to talk about what it’s like running one of the most influential products on the internet during the AI boom. They discuss how AI overviews are changing search, the difference between Google Search and the Gemini app, whether agents could become the main users of the web, and how Google is responding to the rise of tools like ChatGPT. Liz also reflects on her two decades at Google, the early days of Google Maps, the challenge of fighting AI-generated slop online, and how she thinks about the future of the open web and search itself. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman on surviving the AI slop-pocalypse
Alex and Ellis break down the viral AI essay that tanked stocks and debate whether agents could end white-collar work as we know it. Then they’re joined by Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman to talk about fighting AI slop, why Reddit has resisted becoming traditional social media, and how the platform is navigating bots, moderation, and creators. They discuss prediction markets, Reddit’s anti-self-promotion culture, the challenge of onboarding new users, local communities, government censorship pressure, age verification laws in Australia, and Reddit’s AI data licensing deals with companies like Google and OpenAI. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Notion's CEO on if AI is really killing software companies
Ellis tells Alex about his storytelling speech for AI founders at Andreessen Horowitz, and they discuss how OpenAI beat Meta to hire the founder of OpenClaw. Then they’re joined by Notion co-founder and CEO Ivan Zhao to talk about the rise of AI agents. They discuss building custom agents inside Notion, his own AI workflow, why he's focused on hiring young people, and why he thinks every software company needs to become agent-friendly to survive. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI's Fidji Simo on why ads are coming to ChatGPT
Alex and Ellis recap the AI ads at the Super Bowl and talk about Jony Ive showing Alex the first-ever electric Ferrari Luce he designed. Then, they sit down with Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI, for a wide-ranging conversation about where ChatGPT is headed next. They talk about ads coming to ChatGPT, people having emotional attachment with AI, working with Sam Altman, the state of Sora, and the shift from a reactive chatbot to a proactive personal assistant. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Where AI video is headed next, with Synthesia's Victor Riparbelli
Alex and Ellis analyze AIs talking to each other on Moltbook, the implications of Elon Musk merging SpaceX and xAI, new moves in the OpenAI versus Anthropic coding race, and a favorite AI app getting a controversial redesign. Then they’re joined by Victor Riparbelli, CEO of Synthesia, to talk about how he turned deepfakes into a business that just raised $200 million. They discuss how AI video is changing how we interact with each other, trust on the internet, and whether raising the bar for corporate videos also raises new risks. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Where we'll go when the bots take over, with Sublime's Sari Azout
Alex and Ellis talk about the tech industry's new obsession with Clawdbot/Molbot, the scary aspect of AI agents, AI invading group chats, and the new viral essay from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Then they’re joined by Sublime founder Sari Azout to discuss what she learned from the crypto bubble, taste as a differentiator in the age of AI, founder life in Miami, the limits of “second brain” tools, and what it actually means to design for curiosity on the internet. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Home robots are coming faster than you think, with Sunday's Tony Zhao
Alex and Ellis talk about robotics hype, questionable demos, and what it really takes to build useful machines. First, we hear from Alex live in Davos at the World Economic Forum, where they discuss nightcaps with big wigs, what Thinking Machines was really thinking, and more. Then they’re joined by Tony Zhao, founder of Sunday Robotics, to talk about Memo, a household robot designed for everyday chores. They discuss why most robotics startups rely on simulations, how Sunday Robotics is collecting real-world training data with the Memory Glove, the challenge of making robots feel helpful rather than threatening, and what it would take for robots to actually belong in our homes. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Building an autonomous car utopia with Rivian's RJ Scaringe
Alex and Ellis discuss Meta's metaverse layoffs and why Claude Cowork might finally make them switch from ChatGPT. Then they're joined by Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe to talk about large driving models, why most people want boring car colors, the stress of EV range anxiety, building charging infrastructures, and why driving might become as nostalgic as riding a horse. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The AI glasses race is heating up
Alex and Ellis talk about the strange gadgets, taglines, and smells at CES in Las Vegas. Then they’re joined by Meta’s head of wearables, Alex Himel, to talk about the rise of smart glasses, what the company has learned from the recent release of the Meta Ray-Ban Displays, AI rings, meat slicers, and more. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
ACCESS Wrapped: Our favorite guest moments so far
Ellis and Alex recap their holidays and the nerdy gifts their wives gave them. They go through their ChatGPT year-in-review, discuss the significance of Nvidia's reverse acquisition of Groq for $20 billion on Christmas Eve, and reminisce about CES in Las Vegas. Then, they recap the first four months of ACCESS guests, including the most viral moments from conversations with Mark Zuckerberg, Eugenia Kuyda, Dylan Field, and more. Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Betting on reality with Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour
This week, Alex and Ellis talk about the rise of storytelling in tech and why X is now openly pleading for its haters to come back. Then they sit down with Tarek Mansour, co-founder and CEO of Kalshi, to discuss insider trading, his rivalry with Polymarket, regulatory chaos, sports betting, and why prediction markets are having a real moment. Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
French founders and AI priests with Maxime Germain
This week, Ellis and Alex go behind OpenAI's "Code Red," discuss why Netflix says it wants Warner Bros. because of YouTube, and analyze why algorithms are becoming more customizable. Then, they sit down with guest Maxime Germain, founder and CEO of Beside: an AI receptionist answering millions of calls for everyone from priests to winery owners. Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Is Roblox making the internet better or worse? We asked the CEO
Ellis, Alex, and Roblox CEO Dave Baszucki dive straight into the child-safety discussion, why Roblox is rolling out facial age checks, and whether the entire internet is headed toward age-gating. They unpack the Hard Fork controversy, how Roblox thinks about user safety, and how AI will shape moderation, online communities, and the future of communication. What we cover - Facial age checks to access chat and age-based communication controls. - Hard trade-offs in moderation at scale, from Snap lessons to Roblox today. - How Dave is thinking about AI and its impact on Roblox. Follow ACCESS Instagram: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How to win as an AI wrapper with Harvey's Winston Weinberg
Ellis and Alex chat about Apple succession rumors, group chats in ChatGPT, and ill-advised pre-show oysters. Then, they sit down with Harvey CEO Winston Weinberg to discuss how AI is changing the future of law, how to succeed as an AI wrapper, and the worst advice VCs give. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's Sources newsletter and on X @alexeheath. Follow Ellis at Meaning and on X @hamburger. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Robinhood’s Vlad Tenev on predicting the future
Ellis and Alex chat about their first live pod recording in San Francisco, grandma-centric design, and how Alex finds new sources. Then, they're joined by Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev to discuss the rise of prediction markets, juggling priorities as a public CEO, and much more. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's Sources newsletter and on X @alexeheath. Follow Ellis at Meaning and on X @hamburger. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Runway CEO Cristobal Valenzuela is simulating the world
Ellis and Alex chat about the Sources launch party, and living in late-stage extractionism. Then, they are then joined by Runway CEO Cristobal Valenzuela to discuss the hardest part about AI, why golf courses are a bigger problem than data centers, and how world models are changing our world forever. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's Sources newsletter and on X @alexeheath. Follow Ellis at Meaning and on X @hamburger. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eugenia Kuyda on software’s “YouTube moment”
Ellis and Alex chat about turning life into an RPG video game, and are then joined by Replika and Wabi CEO Eugenia Kuyda to discuss her new app — for building your own hyper-personal apps in 5 minutes flat. They also talk about the MS-DOS era for AI, what’s wrong with AI companions today, and her advice for new founders getting started today. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's Sources newsletter and on X @alexeheath. Follow Ellis at Meaning and on X @hamburger. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Android chief Sameer Samat on Google Pixel and the path to AI glasses
Ellis and Alex chat about their weekend escapades and OpenAI's new Atlas browser. They're then joined by Google’s head of Android, Sameer Samat, to unpack why headsets matter on the road to AR glasses and turning Gemini into a Jarvis-like assistant. They dig into the strategy for Google's Pixel’s phones, what Google learned from the Glasshole era, and Samir’s story of cold-emailing Sergey Brin at 3 AM. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's Sources newsletter and on X @alexeheath. Follow Ellis at Meaning and on X @hamburger. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Taking on Apple with Nothing CEO Carl Pei
Alex and Ellis recap the first month of the show and chat about the future of AI apps and ChatGPT allowing erotica later this year. They’re then joined by Nothing CEO Carl Pei to discuss building a new kind of smartphone company, competing with Apple, Gen Z, and more. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's Sources newsletter and on X @alexeheath. Follow Ellis at Meaning and on X @hamburger. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Building the Star Trek computer with Huxe's Raiza Martin
Ellis and Alex chat about OpenAI's big conference and the AI slop culture war. They're then joined by Huxe CEO Raiza Martin to talk about why she left Google as one of the inventors of NoteBookLM to build Huxe, a new kind of personalized AI audio app. They dig into why audio may be the killer use case for AI, the future of AI and podcasting, and what it feels like to have your branding copied by ChatGPT. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's Sources newsletter and on X @alexeheath. Follow Ellis at Meaning and on X @hamburger. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Avi Schiffmann thinks AI can be your best Friend
Friend CEO Avi Schiffmann joins Alex and Ellis to address the backlash to the AI startup’s massive NYC and LA billboard blitz. They get into why he calls Friend a “living electronic,” the “always listening” AI pendant, privacy, the value of controversy, and what’s next. They also talk about the loneliness debate, sycophantic AI, and how he sees Friend as an “art project.” If you’ve seen the ads — or the vandalism — this is his first in-depth response. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's Sources newsletter and on X @alexeheath. Follow Ellis at Meaning and on X @hamburger. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Figma CEO Dylan Field on the future of design and AI
CEO Dylan Field gives his first interview since Figma's big IPO, joining Ellis and Alex to talk all things design, AI, and what's next for Figma. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's Sources newsletter and on X @alexeheath. Follow Ellis at Meaning and on X @hamburger. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark Zuckerberg on the AI bubble and Meta's new display glasses
In the premiere episode of ACCESS, tech insiders Alex Heath and Ellis Hamburger talk all things Mark Zuckerberg, from the newest Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses to the beverage selections in the new Meta AI Lab. Alex then sits down with Zuck himself ahead of the 2025 Meta Connect conference. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's Sources newsletter and on X @alexeheath. Follow Ellis at Meaning and on X @hamburger. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S1 Ep 1Introducing ACCESS: The tech industry's inside conversation
trailerWelcome to ACCESS, the technology industry's inside conversation. Join tech reporting vet Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger as they dive into revealing convos with tech's most famous leaders and its emerging visionaries. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's Sources newsletter and on X @alexeheath. Follow Ellis at Meaning and on X @hamburger. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices