Tech Brew Ride Home
2,333 episodes — Page 13 of 47
Wed. 02/28 – The Apple Car Project Is Dead
The Apple car project is dead. Really, this time. We think. Google is working to fix Gemini. If you’re using Tumblr, your posts might soon be training OpenAI’s models. Klarna’s AI is doing the work of hundreds of humans. And another fever dream of the most recent boom years might be over. Links: Apple to Wind Down Electric Car Effort After Decadelong Odyssey (Bloomberg) Apple's Scrapped Car Project Means AI and Headset Bets Are More Urgent (Bloomberg) Google CEO calls AI tool’s controversial responses ‘completely unacceptable’ (Semafor) Tumblr and WordPress to Sell Users’ Data to Train AI Tools (404 Media) Klarna says its AI assistant does the work of 700 people after it laid off 700 people (FastCompany) Thrasio, once king of e-commerce aggregation, files for Ch.11 (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue. 02/27 – Gaming Continues To Be A Bloodbath
If you can believe it, MOAR layoffs in gaming. Big layoffs at Sony. We might see Meta’s first AR glasses later this year. The big hack affecting US pharmacies. Hopin enters the Deadpool. And yet another startup takes at swing at the delayed gratification gimmick for social media. Sponsors: Hims.com/ride Links: Sony is laying off 900 PlayStation employees (The Verge) Microsoft’s Mistral AI Investment to Be Examined by EU Watchdog (Bloomberg) Meta aims to reveal and demo Orion, its first true AR glasses, during its fall developer conference (Business Insider) US pharmacy outage triggered by 'Blackcat' ransomware at UnitedHealth unit, sources say (Reuters) Netflix confirms it’s cutting off Apple billing for legacy subscribers (The Verge) Hopin's UK business enters liquidation as it transfers HQ to the US (Sifted) The Supreme Court is about to decide the future of online speech (The Verge) Supreme Court Fears ‘Land Mines’ in Social Media Debate Over Free Speech (Bloomberg) Lapse, the app turning your phone into an old-school camera, snaps up $30M (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mon. 02/26 – Mobile World Congress Is All About AI This Year (Corrected)
Mobile World Congress kicks off this week, and I bet you can guess what the big theme this year is. All the hardware that is being announced to allow you to do AI on your existing devices. Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Ring, but Apple wants you to know it could do a ring too if it wanted to. And Lenovo’s see-through laptop is cool looking, but also, looking for a use case. Links: Samsung unveils the Galaxy Ring as a way to 'simplify everyday wellness' (Engadget) Apple Ponders Whether to Develop Smart Glasses, Fitness Ring (Bloomberg) Here’s why the $3,500 Apple Vision Pro headset is so expensive (CNBC) Au Large (Mistral.ai) Nvidia launches RTX 500 and 1000 Ada Generation laptop GPUs for AI on the go (VentureBeat) Lenovo’s laptop concept is fully transparent, but the point isn’t entirely clear (TechCrunch) Peering through Lenovo’s transparent laptop into a sci-fi future (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
(Bonus) Ed Zitron On The Social Landscape
Catching you up on the great Substack controversy and who is winning the race to be the new Twitter? Ed's new podcast is called Better Offline, which you can find wherever fine podcasts are found. And his newsletter is called: Where's Your Ed At? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri. 02/23 – Reddit To IPO And Nvidia To The Moon
We have all the details of the Reddit IPO. And Sam Altman of all people makes an appearance in the S1! What that big cell phone outage yesterday was all about. Can Mark Zuckerberg be held personally liable in some of these Meta lawsuits? And given this weeks’ news, in the longreads, a long interview with Nvidia’s CEO predicting the future of computing. Sponsors: Robinhood.com/boost Links: Reddit files to list IPO on NYSE under the ticker RDDT (CNBC) Reddit is going public and inviting power users to invest (The Verge) AT&T outage caused by software update, company says (ABCNews) Meta’s Zuckerberg Seeks Out of Lawsuits Blaming Him for Instagram Addiction (Bloomberg) Bluesky opens up federation, letting anyone run their own server (TechCrunch) OnlyFans is the most lucrative side hustle, tax service shows (Mashable) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Tech Job Interviews Are Out of Control (Wired) Nvidia Hardware Is Eating the World (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu. 02/22 – Nvidia’s Earnings Are Epic
The most important tech company in the world right now reported earnings yesterday, and they were historic. Stability AI is previewing Stable Diffusion 3.0. Google has to fix some if its AI image generation details. Amazon is getting aggressive about bringing sports to streaming. And has a startup we’ve never mentioned made a big AI breakthrough? Sponsors: Nutrafol.com/men and promocode RIDEHOME Links: Nvidia posts revenue up 265% on booming AI business (CNBC) Stable Diffusion 3.0 debuts new diffusion transformation architecture to reinvent text-to-image gen AI (VentureBeat) Google Pauses Gemini's Image Generation of People to Fix Historical Inaccuracies (PC Mag) Google pauses Gemini’s ability to generate AI images of people after diversity errors (The Verge) Tuned In: Amazon Said To Be Paying Record $120M To Stream NFL Playoff Game (Front Office Sports) Exclusive: Reddit in AI content licensing deal with Google (Reuters) The ‘Magic’ Breakthrough That Got Friedman and Gross to Bet $100 Million on a Coding Startup (The Information) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed. 02/21 – Apple Has Quantum Encrypted iMessage
Signal finally rolls out usernames, but Apple goes one better security-wise, by quantum encrypting iMessage. Weirdly, Apple also launched a standalone sports scores app. Gemma is an open-source flavor of Gemini from Google. And Reddit wants to reserve some IPO shares for its users. Links: Signal Finally Rolls Out Usernames, So You Can Keep Your Phone Number Private (Wired) Apple is hardening iMessage encryption now to protect it from a threat that doesn't exist yet (Apple Insider) Apple’s iMessage Is Getting Post-Quantum Encryption (Wired) Apple Sports: New Free App Provides Real-Time Scores and Stats, Designed to Drive Apple TV Tune-In (Variety) Apple launches Apple Sports app with scores and betting odds (The Verge) Apple says iPhone 15 batteries have a longer lifespan than initially thought (9to5Mac) Apple retroactively doubles the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro’s battery lifespan (Macworld) Google Gemma: because Google doesn’t want to give away Gemini yet (The Verge) Meet 'Groq,' the AI Chip That Leaves Elon Musk’s Grok in the Dust (Gizmodo) Reddit Plans to Sell Stock to Loyal Users in Unusual IPO Wager (WSJ) Ed Zitron YouTube Bonus Episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue. 02/20 – LockBit Ransomware Gang Taken Down
Perhaps the biggest law enforcement action against a ransomware gang ever. Once again, you could view other people’s cameras on your Wyze camera. How Anthropic is raising to do battle with OpenAI. Are the VCs flocking back to San Francisco? And comprehensive proof that defense tech is the new VC hotness. Links: FBI Seizes LockBit Hacking Websites in Ransomware Disruption (Bloomberg) Wyze outage led to the cameras of 13,000 customers being shown to other users (9to5Google) Reddit Signs AI Content Licensing Deal Ahead of IPO (Bloomberg) Inside the Funding Frenzy at Anthropic, One of A.I.’s Hottest Start-Ups (NYTimes) Tech Leaders Fled San Francisco During the Pandemic. Now, They’re Coming Back. (WSJ) UK, Allies Look to Arm Ukraine With AI-Enabled Swarm Drones (Bloomberg) How Silicon Valley learned to love America, drones and glory (Washington Post) Pursuing ‘American Dynamism,’ Andreessen Horowitz Ups Its Game in DC (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
(Bonus) BlueSky CEO Jay Graber
An interview with Bluesky CEO Jay Graber about the future of social media. Sponsors: FactorMeals.com/ride50 and code ride50 for 50% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri. 02/16 – Sora Brings Text To Video AI To Life
Huge watershed reveal of OpenAI’s Sora, its first text-to-video model, which can create up to a minute of 1080p video. We used to have a Today In Elon segment. We’re close to needing a Today In Sam Altman one. Increasing signs the Crypto winter is ending. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: OpenAI introduces Sora, its text-to-video AI model (The Verge) OpenAI’s Sora Turns AI Prompts Into Photorealistic Videos (Wired) OpenAI’s newest model Sora can generate videos — and they look decent (TechCrunch) OpenAI’s Sam Altman Seeks US Blessing to Raise Billions for AI Chips (Bloomberg) Sam Altman owns OpenAI's venture capital fund (Axios) Crypto exits remain low but investors remain unfazed (TechCrunch) Crypto venture funding climbs for first time in nearly 2 years after bitcoin’s stellar run (CNBC) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The fediverse, explained (The Verge) How an African streaming service dethroned Netflix (RestOfWorld) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu. 02/15 – We Already Have Gemini 1.5!
Google’s moving fast. They’ve already launched Gemini 1.5. An EU court rules breaking encryption violates human rights. Why social media is flooded with posts of users returning their Apple Vision Pros. And more proof that the AI moment is making Nvidia one of the most powerful tech companies in the world. Links: Gemini 1.5 is Google’s next-gen AI model — and it’s already almost ready (The Verge) Google’s new Gemini model can analyze an hour-long video — but few people can use it (TechCrunch) Backdoors that let cops decrypt messages violate human rights, EU court says (Ars Technica) People are returning Vision Pro in droves … or are they? (Cult of Mac) OpenAI Develops Web Search Product in Challenge to Google (The Information) ChatGPT is getting ‘memory’ to remember who you are and what you like (The Verge) What comes after Stable Diffusion? Stable Cascade could be Stability AI’s future text-to-image generative AI model (VentureBeat) Nvidia Overtakes Alphabet, One Day After Eclipsing Amazon (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed. 02/14 – Zuck Has His Own Social Media Post About The Vision Pro
Even Mark Zuckerberg is posting about the Apple Vision Pro. In short: he’s not impressed. Walmart might buy a smart TV maker for the ads. Y Combinator has a new list of the type of startups it wants to see. Maybe don’t give all your secrets to those AI “girlfriend” bots. And why you might have a hard time getting an Uber after your Valentine’s Day dinner tonight. Links: After trying the Vision Pro, Mark Zuckerberg says Quest 3 ‘is the better product, period’ (The Verge) Walmart in Talks to Buy TV Maker Vizio (WSJ) Walmart Eyeing Deal to Buy Vizio for More Than $2 Billion: Report (Variety) Y Combinator Seeks Startups in Robotics, Space and Defense (Bloomberg) OpenAI Researcher Andrej Karpathy Departs (The Information) Apple’s Longest-Serving Designer to Depart Company, Adding to Exodus (Bloomberg) Your AI Girlfriend Is a Data-Harvesting Horror Show (Gizmodo) Uber, Lyft drivers to strike on Valentine’s Day over pay (Washington Post) YouTube Of Bluesky CEO Interview Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue. 02/13 – Why Microsoft’s Xbox Strategy Shift Is A Big Deal
Threads gets “today’s topics.” iMessage and Bing dodge EU DMA regulation. Why Temu bought a bunch of SuperBowl ads. Nvidia’s Chat with RTX lets you run your own ChatGPT right on your Windows machine. And why Microsoft’s forthcoming Xbox strategy shift is potentially such a big deal. Sponsors: ArcticWolf.com/techmeme Shopify.com/ride Links: In battle with X, Threads gets trending topics where politics will be allowed (TechCrunch) Apple iMessage, Microsoft Bing Dodge EU’s Big Tech Crackdown (Bloomberg) Temu Spent Millions on Six Super Bowl Ads as It Tries to Win Back US Shoppers (Bloomberg) The unsettling scourge of obituary spam (The Verge) Chat With RTX brings custom local chatbots to Nvidia AI PCs (VentureBeat) NVIDIA's New AI Chatbot Relies On Local Files, Not the Cloud (HowToGeek) Nvidia’s Chat with RTX is a promising AI chatbot that runs locally on your PC (The Verge) Microsoft prepares to take Xbox everywhere (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mon. 02/12 – Luddite Riots?
Is actual neo-ludditeism going to become a thing, as some people have predicted? Google reveals the strength of its subscription businesses. A review of Google’s Gemini. Bluesky is open and doing some interesting things. And what about the strategic position Snap suddenly finds itself in? Sponsors: ArcticWolf.com/techmeme Links: A crowd destroyed a driverless Waymo car in San Francisco (The Verge) Google One hits 100 million subscribers (The Verge) Google’s Gemini assistant is a fantastic and frustrating glimpse of the AI future (The Verge) ASML's next chip challenge: rollout of its new $350 mln 'High NA EUV' machine (Reuters) Meta turns its back on politics again, angering some news creators (Washington Post) Bluesky Opens Up (TechDirt) It’s Snap versus the world (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri. 02/09 – Sam Altman Wants To Raise $5 Trillion Dollars. With a T.
Sam Altman wants to raise more money for his chip ambitions than the entire semiconductor industry. The Feds might put the breaks on Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision… again. Is Ring raising its subscription doorbell prices too much? And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Robinhood.com/boost Links: Sam Altman Seeks Trillions of Dollars to Reshape Business of Chips and AI (WSJ) Exclusive: Nvidia chases $30 billion custom chip market with new unit -sources (Reuters) Disney’s Epic Deal Values Fortnite Maker at $22.5 Billion, a Sharp Cut (The Information) Activision Had Planned Layoffs Before Merger, Microsoft Says (Bloomberg) Ring video doorbell customers angry at 43% price hike (BBC) Ring is raising the price of its cheapest subscription plan by 25 percent (The Verge) Arm shares surge 48% after SoftBank-controlled chip designer issues strong forecast (CNBC) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Can AI Unlock the Secrets of the Ancient World? (Bloomberg Businessweek) AI Just Discovered 'Unreadable' Ancient Scrolls (National Geographic) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu. 02/08 – Google Releases Gemini Ultra 1.0
Google has released Gemini Ultra 1.0, renamed Bard as Gemini and looks to be replacing Google Assistant with Gemini. Disney has invested in a big stake of Epic Games to get at Fortnite IP. Leaked images of the Pixel Fold 2. And what if OpenAI is facing the same strategic dilemma that Mark Zuckerberg was never able to overcome? Sponsors: Robinhood.com/boost Links: Google’s AI now goes by a new name: Gemini (The Verge) Google Assistant Just Got Supercharged With AI. It Might Be the Biggest Update in Google's History. (Gizmodo) Google Prepares for a Future Where Search Isn’t King (Wired) Google Joins Effort to Help Spot Content Made With A.I. (NYTimes) Disney to take $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games, work with Fortnite maker on new content (CNBC) China had "persistent" access to U.S. critical infrastructure (Axios) Exclusive: This could be the Google Pixel Fold 2 (Android Authority) OpenAI Shifts AI Battleground to Software That Operates Devices, Automates Tasks (The Information) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed. 02/07 – AI Watermarks And New Apple AI Models
OpenAI is adding watermarks to Dall-E 3 images. A new AI model from Apple. A new open source model that is king of the LLM hill. More rumors of a foldable iPhone. A new streaming service that will be like Hulu but for sports. And the specific words and phrases that will get your college application essay flagged as being AI-generated. Sponsors: TryFum.com/ride to save 10% off the Journey Pack today. Links: OpenAI is adding new watermarks to DALL-E 3 (The Verge) Apple Develops a Foldable Clamshell iPhone (The Information) ESPN, Fox and Warner Team Up to Create Sports Streaming Platform (WSJ) Apple releases ‘MGIE’, a revolutionary AI model for instruction-based image editing (VentureBeat) Meet ‘Smaug-72B’: The new king of open-source AI (VentureBeat) Did You Use ChatGPT On Your School Applications? These Words May Tip Off Admissions (Forbes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue. 02/06 – Don’t Forget Your Vision Pro Password!
Don’t forget your Vision Pro password, or else you’re going to have to return it to the Apple Store to use it again. Why are the gaming platforms willing to play nice all of the sudden? The AI that can spit out fake IDs in seconds. Does Google owe you yet more money? And more signs the tech recession is over. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Hims.com/ride Links: Forgot Your Apple Vision Pro’s Passcode? You May Have to Take It Back to Store (Bloomberg) YouTube says a Vision Pro app is ‘on the roadmap’ (The Verge) Microsoft to share details on bringing Xbox games to PlayStation next week (The Verge) Roblox rolls out real-time AI translation for all users — is this the start of true global multiplayer? (Tom's Guide) Inside the Underground Site Where ‘Neural Networks’ Churn Out Fake IDs (404Media) Google agrees to pay $350 million settlement in data privacy case (Washington Post) Digital ad market shows signs of sharp rebound as Meta, Amazon point to growth (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mon. 02/05 – The Most Shocking Deepfake Scam Of The AI Era
Let me tell you the story of the most shocking AI deepfake scam we’ve heard yet, because it’s a warning to all of us going forward. An Apple Vision Pro teardown explains why EyeSight looks so blurry. Another sign that Google is losing interest in the web. And an interesting peek behind the curtain revealing the economics and motivation of tech media. Sponsors: ShipStation.com/ride code: ride Links: Finance worker pays out $25 million after video call with deepfake ‘chief financial officer’ (CNN) Vision Pro Teardown—Why Those Fake Eyes Look So Weird (iFixIt) Google Search’s cache links are officially being retired (The Verge) TECHCRUNCH+ TERMINATION ("Securities") YouTube Video Of Vision Pro Demos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
(Bonus) a16z's Chris Dixon On His New Book And Web3
Our friend Chris Dixon is back to talk about his new book: Read Write Own! How Web3 and the blockchain can save the web as we know it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri. 02/02 – Facebook’s Golden Age Is Now
A run down of some interesting details from Tech’s big earnings day yesterday. Rufus is Amazon’s AI-powered shopping assistant. The Browser Company continues to be the catalyst for me thinking about how AI is going to change the web. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Nutrafol.com/men code: RIDEHOME Links: Amazon debuts ‘Rufus,’ an AI shopping assistant in its mobile app (TechCrunch) Cloudflare hacked using auth tokens stolen in Okta attack (BleepingComputer) The Browser Company Announces Act II for Arc: ‘The Browser That Browses For You’ (MacStories) The Arc browser is getting better bookmarks and search results, all thanks to AI (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: AI Can Speed Drug Discovery. But Is It Really Better Than a Human? (Bloomberg) The scariest sound on TikTok (The Verge) The 150 Greatest Science Fiction Movies of All Time (Rolling Stone) LATE BLOOMER (Vanity Fair) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu. 02/01 – A Tech Regulation Tipping Point?
Why I think yesterday’s Congressional hearings might actually be a tipping point for tech regulation. What would a Kids Online Safety Act actually mean? More proof of YouTube’s dominance. Celsius and FTX customers are about to get some money back. And Google’s new text to image AI processor. Sponsors: Kolide.com/ride Links: Microsoft, X throw their weight behind KOSA, the controversial kids online safety bill (TechCrunch) Americans’ Social Media Use (Pew Research Center) Celsius to Distribute $3B Crypto to Creditors as Firm Emerges From Bankruptcy (CoinDesk) Google launches an AI-powered image generator (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed. 01/31 – Tech Execs Back Before Congress
The tech execs have been called before Congress once again. Universal Music Group pulls its songs from TikTok. Is 23andMe in danger of going out of business? Figure is an AI robotics company that Microsoft and OpenAI might be about to invest in. And say hello to the Chief AI Officer job title. Sponsors: Kolide.com/ride Links: Social media chiefs on defensive at US online child protection hearing (FT) TikTok CEO Pledges $2 Billion to Protect 170 Million US Users (Bloomberg) Child Safety Hearing (NYTimes) Universal Music Group Warns It Will Pull Songs From TikTok After Deal Expiration (Variety) 23andMe’s Fall From $6 Billion to Nearly $0 (WSJ) Humanoid Robot Startup Figure AI in Funding Talks With Microsoft, OpenAI (Bloomberg) Figure AI in talks with Microsoft and OpenAI for funding (ReadWrite) Figure-01: AI learns how to make coffee like a human (ReadWrite) Microsoft and OpenAI are in talks to inject $500 million into humanoid robotics startup Figure AI, report says (Business Insider) Hottest Job in Corporate America? The Executive in Charge of A.I. (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue. 01/30 – The Vision Pro Reviews Are Here
Elon Musk says Neuralink implanted its device into a human for the first time. You can search for Taylor Swift X again, but was a Microsoft tool to blame for the deepfakes? Better AI coding from Meta. And I read all the Apple Vision Pro reviews so you don’t have to. Sponsors: Notion.com/ride Links: Elon Musk’s Neuralink implants brain tech in human patient for the first time (CNBC) Microsoft Closes Loophole That Created AI Porn of Taylor Swift (404 Media) Meta releases ‘Code Llama 70B’, an open-source behemoth to rival private AI development (VentureBeat) Apple Vision Pro review: magic, until it’s not (The Verge) Apple Vision Pro review: A revolution in progress (Tom's Guide) Apple Vision Pro Review: The Best Headset Yet Is Just a Glimpse of the Future (WSJ) Apple’s Vision Pro is nearly here. But what can you do with it? (Washington Post) Apple Vision Pro Review: A Mind-Blowing Look at an Unfinished Future (CNET) YouTube Video Of My Interview With Chris Dixon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mon. 01/29 – Is Arc Search The Future Of Search I Was Talking About?
Amazon calls off its iRobot acquisition. Is Arc Search the future of search we were talking to Baratunde about this weekend? Why you can’t search for Taylor Swift on X at the moment. How many ads will be in streaming? And who is quietly killing it in subscription gaming? The answer may surprise you. Links: Amazon Drops $1.4 Billion iRobot Deal; Vacuum Maker Cuts Jobs (Bloomberg) Arc Search combines browser, search engine, and AI into something new and different (The Verge) Arc’s new iPhone browser wants to be your search companion (TechCrunch) X Halts Taylor Swift Searches After Explicit AI Images Spread (WSJ) Chinese AR Glasses Maker Raises $60 Million to Compete With Apple (Bloomberg) Amazon Is Now Charging Prime Members Extra for Ad-Free Streaming. For Some, That’s a Deal Breaker. (WSJ) Games are helping the New York Times thrive amid media chaos (Axios) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
(Bonus) Baratunde Thurston On The Apple Vision Pro
The great Baratunde Thurston join Chris and Brian to talk about his hour-long in-person demo with the Apple Vision Pro. In the second half, we discuss the idea of whether or not Google Search (and maybe the web) is doomed in the era of AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri. 01/26 – CRACK! The App Store Opens Up. Or Does It?
Apple has announced major changes to the App Store. In the EU, alternative app marketplaces, but does the new Core Technology Fee mean it’s still a shell game? Also in Europe, alternative default browsers. And for everyone, game streaming apps are now permissible. Also, cheaper GPT from OpenAI. And is Cruise in trouble with the Feds? Links: iOS 17.4 Introduces Alternative App Marketplaces With No Commission in EU (MacRumors) Apple will prompt users to set default browsers and allow third-party web engines on iPhone in the EU (9to5Mac) Apple opens App Store to game streaming services (The Verge) Apple's EU Core Technology Fee Could Bankrupt Freemium App Developers (MacRumors) OpenAI drops prices and fixes ‘lazy’ GPT-4 that refused to work (TechCrunch) DOJ and SEC investigate GM-owned self-driving car company Cruise (WashingtonPost) Baratrunde Thurston Bonus Episode Video On YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu. 01/25 – Will Nintendo Try To Shut Down Palworld?
As Palworld surpasses 8 million in sales, The Pokemon Company says it will “investigate and take appropriate measures” with regards to those IP infringement allegations. Layoffs at Activision Blizzard and Xbox. Google’s Lumiere is a text to video AI generator. And how the rising prices of streaming services are fueling a resurgence in piracy. Links: Inquiries Regarding Other Companies’ Games (The Pokemon Company) Microsoft lays off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees (The Verge) Google’s latest AI video generator can render cute animals in implausible situations (ArsTechnica) Pixel facing new storage issue, likely tied to January Google Play system update (9to5Google) Microsoft Teams now supports 3D and VR meetings (The Verge) Microsoft Closes at Record, Ends Just Shy of $3 Trillion Value (Bloomberg) Streaming Pirates Are Hollywood’s New Villains (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed. 01/24 – Netflix’s Cheapest Ad-Free Plan Is Going Away
Netflix kicks off Tech Earnings Season, and suggests it’s taking it’s cheapest ad-free plan away. The one chart that shows why Netflix is winning the streaming wars. Spotify demos how it plans to break out of Apple’s App Store. Renders of the Pixel 9 have already leaked. Apple scales back its EV car plans. And an interesting raise to help you pay your rent. Sponsors: Notion.com/ride Links: Netflix is going to take away its cheapest ad-free plan (The Verge) The secret to Netflix's total dominance (Business Insider) Spotify plans to launch in-app purchases, if Apple gets out of the way (The Verge) [Exclusive] Pixel 9 Pro 5K Renders and 360 Degree Video Provide First Look At Google’s Flagship Ahead of Launch (MySmartPrice) EBay to eliminate about 1,000 jobs, or 9% of full-time workforce (CNBC) Apple Dials Back Car’s Self-Driving Features and Delays Launch to 2028 (Bloomberg) Apple boosts plans to bring generative AI to iPhones (FT) Bilt Nabs $3.1 Billion Valuation, Ken Chenault Joins as Chairman (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue. 01/23 – Netflix Buys Rights To Raw And WWE Shows
Netflix is getting into the live event business in a big way by buying the rights to WWE wrestling. We have the first political ad incident of the AI era. Who’s really doing all the buying on apps like Shein and Temu? OpenAI struggles to fend of an army of girlfriend bots. And let me introduce you to Palworld. Sponsors: Notion.com/ride TryFum.com/ride and code ride Links: Netflix Pays $5 Billion for ‘Raw’ in Bet on Live Events (Bloomberg) Fake Joe Biden robocall tells New Hampshire Democrats not to vote Tuesday (NBCNews) iOS 17.3 is out, adding Stolen Device Protection for your iPhone (The Verge) Temu’s Most Loyal Shoppers Are Actually Boomers and Gen Xers (Bloomberg) OPENAI STRUGGLING TO DESTROY ONSLAUGHT OF AI GIRLFRIENDS (The Byte) AI girlfriend bots are already flooding OpenAI’s GPT store (QZ) The Rise of Palworld: How ‘Pokémon With Guns’ Became an Overnight Hit (Wired) Palworld is a hit, and it’s easy to see why (The Verge) Video of me flirting with an AI "girlfriend" bot YouTube of Saturday's Bonus Episode with Baratunde Thurston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mon. 01/22 – How Many Vision Pros Did Apple Sell This Weekend?
Just what the title says. How many Vision Pros do we think Apple sold this weekend? And Mark Gurman has some ideas for why developers are so lukewarm on the product. Eleven Labs is an interesting raise. Sam Altman seems serious about making his own AI chips. And the breakthrough in VR from Disney Imagineers that would allow you to literally walk through the Metaverse. Sponsors: FactorMeals.com/ride50 and code ride50 for 50% off MindBloom.com/techmeme and code techmeme for $100 off Links: Vision Pro sales estimated at 160k to 180k over first three days (9to5Mac) Apple’s Testy Developer Relationships Threaten to Hamper Vision Pro (Bloomberg) Meta will let EU users unlink their Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger info ahead of DMA (The Verge) Voice cloning startup ElevenLabs lands $80M, achieves unicorn status (TechCrunch) Altman Seeks to Raise Billions for Network of AI Chip Factories (Bloomberg) Nightshade, the free tool that ‘poisons’ AI models, is now available for artists to use (VentureBeat) YouTube Video Of The Holotiles From Disney Imagineering Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri. 01/19 – Vision Pro Pre-Order Begin With New Questions
Preorders for the Vision Pro begin, but huge new questions about partner support have arisen. Zuckerberg says he wants to open source AGI. You’re going to have to pay for those Galaxy AI features. Perplexity will power the rabbit r1. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Nutrafol.com/men and promocode Ridehome Links: YouTube and Spotify Won’t Launch Apple Vision Pro Apps, Joining Netflix (Bloomberg) A Survey of Popular Apps Currently Compatible With Apple Vision Pro (MacStories) Mark Zuckerberg’s new goal is creating artificial general intelligence (The Verge) EU Commission Intends to Block Amazon’s iRobot Acquisition (WSJ) Samsung says Galaxy AI features will only be free ‘until the end of 2025’ (9to5Google) The rabbit r1 will use Perplexity AI’s tech to answer your queries (TechCrunch) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: How Twitch lost its way (Fast Company) Astronomers spotted something perplexing near the beginning of time (Vox) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu. 01/18 – Google: The Layoffs Will Continue Until Strategy Improves
Google signals more layoffs are in the mail, but what’s interesting is what that says about Google specifically. Reddit is probably going to IPO in a few months. How did tying itself to ChatGPT work out for Bing? Why is Netflix not on the Vision Pro? And the fun parlor game that suggests AI spam is a human centipede situation. Sponsors: Robinhood.com/ride Notion.com/ride Links: Google CEO tells employees to expect more job cuts this year (The Verge) YouTube is restructuring creator management teams (TubeFilter) Exclusive: Reddit seeks to launch IPO in March (Reuters) Microsoft’s Bing Market Share Barely Budged With ChatGPT Add-On (Bloomberg) Apple's Vision Pro Won't Launch With Netflix App (Bloomberg) Startup Investors Have Fled The Metaverse (CrunchBaseNews) I’m sorry, but I cannot fulfill this request as it goes against OpenAI use policy (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed. 01/17 – The Galaxy Unpacked Event. Galaxy AI Is Here.
All the headlines from the Galaxy Unpacked event earlier today. Apple revises its App Store rules but in a way that seems to a lot of people to be in “bad faith.” The big, and big-money talent war going on between Google and OpenAI. And Tesla and Uber are working together to make Uber completely emissions-free. Sponsors: ArcticWolf.com/techmeme Hims.com/ride Links: The Galaxy S24 Ultra is smarter, pricier, and just as big as ever (The Verge) Apple revises US App Store rules to let developers link to outside payment methods, but it will still charge a commission (9to5Mac) Apple allows devs to promote subscriptions on the web with a 27% cut (TechCrunch) Google updates Chrome Incognito disclaimer amid $5 billion lawsuit settlement (MSPowerUser) Google’s Defense Against OpenAI Talent Grab: Special Stock (The Information) Exclusive: Uber steps up efforts to get drivers into Teslas (Axios) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue. 01/16 – Apple Tops Global Smartphones Sales For The First Time Ever
The app that was supposed to be TikTok but for news is shutting down. Apple tops global smartphone sales for the first time ever. Microsoft debuts Copilot Pro. How the Apple Vision Pro demos are actually going to work. And about that weekend streaming NFL playoff game. Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Ramp.com/techmeme Links: Instagram co-founders’ news aggregation startup Artifact to shut down (TechCrunch) Apple Grabs the Top Spot in the Smartphone Market in 2023 (IDC) Bringing the full power of Copilot to more people and businesses (Microsoft) Apple readies Apple Watch Series 9 ban workaround by disabling blood oxygen functionality [U] (9to5Mac) Apple Vision Pro’s Lengthy Sales Pitch Will Include 25-Minute Demo (Bloomberg) The NFL and Taylor Swift surprisingly aren’t enough to crash Peacock (The Verge) ‘Peacock Game’: The NFL’s Digital Buttfumble (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
(Bonus) Brian's Favorites From CES 2024
Just what the title says. All my faves from CES this year. If you want to SEE what I'm talking about, here's the YouTube playlist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
(Bonus) John Gruber Talks Apple And AI
John Gruber joins Chris and I to talk about AI Hardware, Apple's AI strategy and Apple's Vision Pro launch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri. 01/12 – Perplexity, The AI Challenger To Google Search
How did bitcoin do on its first day of ETF trading? Where are all these tech layoffs coming from? The weird case of eBay executives allegedly harassing people. A look at the AI company taking direct aim at Google Search. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Links: US bitcoin ETFs see $4.6 billion in volume in first day of trading (Reuters) Discord is laying off 17 percent of employees (The Verge) U.S. Criminally Charges EBay in Cyberstalking Case (NYTimes) This One-Year-Old Startup Is Hoping to be the Next Google—Can It Succeed? (The Information) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: How AI Replaced the Metaverse as Zuckerberg’s Top Priority (Bloomberg Businessweek) Avi Schiffmann’s Tab AI necklace has raised $1.9 million to replace God (Fast Company) How much detail is too much? Midjourney v6 attempts to find out (ArsTechnica) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu. 01/11 – Bitcoin ETFs, For Real This Time
The Bitcoin ETFs are here. For real, this time. OpenAI’s GPT store is here. Surprising new layoffs at Google. Netflix continues to show signs that ads are working for them. The Rabbit R1 continues to be a shocking success. And say hello to an AI George Carlin. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Links: US SEC approves bitcoin ETFs in watershed for crypto market (Reuters) Gary Gensler's Begrudging Bitcoin ETF Concession: 'We Did Not Approve or Endorse Bitcoin' (CoinDesk) Google lays off hundreds working on its voice-activated assistant (Semafor) Google reorganizing Pixel hardware: Fitbit’s James Park leaving, layoffs hit AR team (9to5Google) Google Cuts Hundreds of Jobs in Engineering and Other Divisions (NYTimes) OpenAI Launches New Store For Users to Share Custom Chatbots (Bloomberg) Netflix’s Ad Tier Now Has More Than 23 Million Monthly Active Users, Advertising Chief Says (Variety) X removes support for NFT profile pictures (TechCrunch) AI-Generated ‘George Carlin’ Comedy Special Blasted by Comedian’s Daughter (RollingStone) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed. 01/10 – The X Post That Sent Crypto Reeling
The SEC’s X account was compromised by somebody jumping the gun on that Bitcoin ETF thing. Layoffs are back, even at companies that are about to ship their first, high profile products. The hardware AI device at CES that everybody was talking about yesterday. And what AI could do for medical drug discovery, like, right now. Sponsors: Shipstation.com, Promocode: Ride Miro.com/podcast Links: SEC Has Not Approved Bitcoin ETFs, but Its Hacked X Account Briefly Said Otherwise (CoinDesk) Amazon’s Twitch to Cut 500 Employees, About 35% of Staff (Bloomberg) Humane lays off 4 percent of employees before releasing its AI Pin (The Verge) Rabbit’s Little Walkie-Talkie Learns Tasks That Stump Siri and Alexa (Wired) SAG-AFTRA Signs Deal With Voiceover Studio for AI Use in Video Games (Variety) Quora raised $75M from a16z to grow Poe, its AI chat bot platform (Quora) DeepMind spin-off aims to halve drug discovery times following Big Pharma deals (Financial Times) CES Videos YouTube Channel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue. 01/09 – Do We Need ChatGPT In Our Cars?
OpenAI responds to the lawsuit from the NYTimes. Do you need ChatGPT in your car? VW thinks you do. Sony teases a “spatial” VR headset. Apple only wants you to call the Vision Pro “spatial computing.” And how you too can sign up to get a demo of the Vision Pro in a couple of weeks. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Links: OpenAI and journalism (OpenAI Blog) Amazon Debuts Video-Streaming Feature That Rivals Apple AirPlay (Bloomberg) Volkswagen says it’s putting ChatGPT in its cars for ‘enriching conversations’ (The Verge) Sony teased a ‘spatial’ VR headset with a smart control ring (The Verge) Instagram and Facebook Will Stop Treating Teens Like Adults (WSJ) Apple Vision Pro demos in retail stores will begin on February 2 (9to5Mac) Apple asks developers not to refer to their visionOS apps as ‘AR’ or ‘VR’ (9to5Mac) Luma raises $43M to build AI that crafts 3D models (TechCrunch) Hewlett Packard Enterprise Near Deal to Buy Juniper Networks (WSJ) CES Videos YouTube Channel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mon. 01/08 – Vision Pro Announce Steals CES Spotlight
We now know when the Vision Pro is coming. February 2nd. But you can pre-order on January 19. Xreal’s new Vision Pro competitor. New Wifi announcements from CES. That big Elon possibly using drugs story from the Journal this weekend. And for the first time ever, Netflix is cutting back on producing new shows. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Links: The Apple Vision Pro will launch in February (The Verge) Apple’s Biggest Challenges in 2024 Have Little to Do With the iPhone (Bloomberg) Wi-Fi’s next big upgrade is officially here (The Verge) Xreal’s new AR glasses are aimed at the Apple Vision Pro (The Verge) Elon Musk Has Used Illegal Drugs, Worrying Leaders at Tesla and SpaceX (WSJ) Netflix Cuts Over 100 Shows In Major Programming Shift (Bloomberg) The CES YouTube Playlist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri. 01/05 – Bringing Back The Hardware Keyboard For Smartphones?
Another big Tesla recall, this time in China, this time, all of them. Every car they ever sold. BNPL is… not dead? Not if holiday shopping data is to be believed. That Blackberry-style iPhone keyboard case that everybody is talking about. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Tesla Recalls 1.6 Million Cars in China Due to Autopilot Crash Risk (Bloomberg) Adobe: Online Holiday Sales Reached Record $222 Billion in 2023 (PMNTS) Amazon Captured 29% of Online Orders Before Christmas (Bloomberg) Netflix Considers Ways to Make Money From Videogames in Possible Pivot (WSJ) OpenAI Offers Publishers as Little as $1 Million a Year (The Information) Clicks is a BlackBerry-style iPhone keyboard case designed for creators (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: A New Kind of AI Copy Can Fully Replicate Famous People. The Law Is Powerless. (Politico) New Spin on a Revolving Door: Pentagon Officials Turned Venture Capitalists (NYTimes) Boy, 13, Is Believed to Be the First to ‘Beat’ Tetris (NYTimes) Full game of Tetris beaten for the first time by 13-year-old Willis Gibson AKA 'Blue Scuti' (YouTube) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu. 01/04 – A New Keyboard Button Just For AI
Your Windows keyboard is getting its first new key in 30 years. Elon might offer you a cellular plan someday. Is 23andMe blaming the victims of that big data breach? Roku is going high end. XPS laptops are getting bigger. And yes, 2023 was a bad year for all sides of the Venture Capital game. Sponsors: Kolide.com/ride Links: Microsoft’s new Copilot key is the first big change to Windows keyboards in 30 years (The Verge) SpaceX Launches First Cell Service Satellites With T-Mobile (Bloomberg) LastPass now requires 12-character master passwords for better security (BleepingComputer) 23andMe tells victims it’s their fault that their data was breached (TechCrunch) Roku Launches First High-End TVs in Search of Revenue Growth (Bloomberg) Dell’s XPS laptop lineup is about to look very different (The Verge) Silicon Valley Startups Had Their Worst Funding Year Since 2019 (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wed. 01/03 – Why Is Facebook Rolling Out Link History?
Facebook has a new feature, Link History, but why are they doing this and why now? I’m asking. A look at those jockeying to get ahead of a bitcoin ETF. The next Galaxy event is official. A look at the big AI player we seldom talk about. And a look at the AI influencers who are flooding social media. Links: Meet ‘Link History,’ Facebook’s New Way to Track the Websites You Visit (Gizmodo) Fidelity sets Bitcoin ETF fee at 0.39% ahead of expected SEC approvals (Fortune) Samsung Galaxy S24 Unpacked Event Set for Jan. 17 (PCMag) Can Midjourney’s CEO Stop a Storm of Fake Election Images? (Bloomberg) How AI-created fakes are taking business from online influencers (Financial Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue. 02/01 – The Premium Smartphone Market, And The Premium-Premium
Telegram has completely redesigned its app. Microsoft has brought Copilot to iOS. Camera makers are remaking their hardware for the age of AI. There’s the premium smartphone market, and then there’s the premium premium market segment, and those are the only parts of the smartphone market you want to be in. And will 2024 be the year the Internet gets weird again? Links: Telegram rolls out revamped voice and video calls, new delete animation on Android (9to5Google) Bitcoin climbs above $45,000 to 21-month peak as new year kicks off (Reuters) Global Premium Smartphone Market Continues to See Record Sales in 2023 (Counterpoint) Smartphone makers bet on foldables to revive lacklustre market (Financial Times) Nikon, Sony and Canon fight AI fakes with new camera tech (Nikkei Asia) Microsoft’s Copilot app is now available on iOS (The Verge) The Internet Is About to Get Weird Again (Rolling Stone) Link to the YouTube version of the smartphone segment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
(IHP) TheGlobe.com Saga Part III
Part three of our epic conversation with Stephan Paternot. Here's what happens when you've been through the wringer. When you've been to the top of the rollercoaster and also down to the bottom. Here's how you take stock of your life, how you reinvent yourself, re-find you entrepreneurial spirit... I feel like there are so many lessons in these three episodes. Lessons for entrepreneurs today. Lesson for... I dunno. People in the crypto space? My thanks to Stephan Paternot for an insanely great conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
(IHP) TheGlobe.com Saga Part II
Ok, part 2 of the Stephan Paternot mega-episode right now. This is where we get into the meat of it, the good stuff, the whole crazy roller coaster ride of being the hottest startup of the dotcom era. And I was going to make this the last episode, but as I was editing this, I realized that after we get done with this story, Stephan talks a lot about what happens after... what happens after you've been on a crazy ride like this. How you have to reinvent yourself, and your life, and your career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
(IHP) TheGlobe.com Saga Part I
The story of the quintessential dotcom company. Also, if you squint, you can see the birth of social media. I said in the book, I think TheGlobe.com was the quintessential dot-com company. We spoke to one of the cofounders previously, Todd Krizelman. Todd was great, but he was time constrained and he didn’t quite get as personal about the story as I would have hoped. Well, I finally got to talk to the other founder of TheGlobe, Stephan Paternot. And Stephan was… AMAZING. He shared the whole story, the whole wild ride, from a historical angle, from a business angle, from an entrepreneurial angle and also, from a very personal angle. THIS the dot-com era story I’ve been looking for for years. It’s also the story of probably the most important pioneer of social media before there was even a term for such a thing. And by the way… that TV Show that just came out on NAT GEO, Valley of the Boom? THIS IS THAT STORY. Stephan just re-released his book, A Very Public Offering: The Story of theglobe.com and the First Internet Revolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fri. 12/29 – The Media Industry’s Delicate Dance With AI
OpenAI has been talking to everybody in media, it turns out. But how would a partnership turn out for media? Google settles another big lawsuit. The first of the gadget announces for CES season have begun. Can Xiaomi do with cars what it did with cellphones? And the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Robinhood.com/ride Links: Inside the News Industry’s Uneasy Negotiations With OpenAI (NYTimes) Google agrees to settle Chrome incognito mode class action lawsuit (ArsTechnica) LG’s new ultra-lightweight Gram laptops include some OLED screens and AI Boost (The Verge) EXCLUSIVE: Microsoft readies 'next-gen' AI-focused Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 with Arm chips and design upgrades for 2024 (Windows Central) Xiaomi Unveils Its First EV, With Ambition to Be China’s Porsche or Tesla (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Most Secretive Longevity Lab Finally Opens Its Doors (Bloomberg Businessweek) Lab-grown diamonds go luxury — and rock the industry (Axios) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices