Big Technology Podcast - podcast cover

Big Technology Podcast

Alex Kantrowitzwww.bigtechnology.com
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators. Alex Kantrowitz, a Silicon Valley journalist who's interviewed the world's top tech CEOs — from Mark Zuckerberg to Larry Ellison — is the host.
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Episodes

NVIDIA's Auto Play and the Future of Autonomous Driving — With Danny Shapiro

Danny Shapiro is the Vice President of Automotive at NVIDIA. He joins Big Technology to discuss the current state of autonomous driving technology, its future, and NVIDIA's role. Tune in to hear how NVIDIA is pushing the boundaries of AI and simulation to make self-driving cars safer and more reliable. We also cover the challenges of full autonomy, NVIDIA's broader play in the automotive ecosystem, and how generative AI is transforming the industry. Hit play for an insider's look at the cutting-...

Jul 31, 202437 minSeason 1Ep. 316

Kamala's Tech Agenda, Drunken AI Spending, Meta’s Open Source Necessity

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) Kamala in, Biden out 2) Kamala's tech agenda 3) The importance of Lina Khan 4) Do VCs regret backing Trump after the past week's developments 5) J.D. Vance couch meme 6) Twitter at the center of the story 7) AI CapEx goes wild 8) Google's resilience through the first AI wave 9) OpenAI launches a search engine, SearchGPT 10) Elon's AI supercomputer 11) DeepMind's math-solving AI 12) Meta's need for open...

Jul 26, 20241 hr 6 minSeason 1Ep. 315

The One-Person, Billion-Dollar Startup? — With Thomas Dohmke

Thomas Dohmke is the CEO of Github. He joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss the state of AI-assisted coding, and whether the rest of the economy can see benefits similar to software engineers using coding 'copilots.' We also discuss how AI assistance can help individual developers build whatever's on their mind, and whether we'll see $1 billion dollar startups built by just one person. Tune in the for the second half where we discuss the next set of AI models, how engineering jobs change when...

Jul 24, 202451 minSeason 1Ep. 314

The Silicon Valley Election, Goldman’s AI Worries, Using AI To Talk To Animals

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) VCs and Elon going to Trump 2) The policy issues swinging VCs to Trump 3) The case for an against big tech acquisitions 4) Electric vehicle policy as a flashpoint 5) Anti-woke common ground between VCs and Trump 6) Is it a good bet? 7) Goldman Sachs pours some cold water on the GenAI hype and spending 8) Anthropic starts a new venture fund 9) Warner Bros. Discovery potential spinoff plan 10) Using AI t...

Jul 19, 202450 minSeason 1Ep. 313

Did Klarna Really Automate 700 Jobs With AI? — With Sebastian Siemiatkowski

Sebastian Siemiatkowski is the CEO and co-founder of Klarna. Siemiatkowski joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss the company's aggressive efforts to implement AI across its operation, including in customer service where it says the technology is now doing the work of 700 people. We also discuss how Klarna is using generative AI in marketing, and whether it can do the work of strategists or simply discreet tasks. Stay tuned for the second half where we discuss how Klarna is using ChatGPT enterp...

Jul 17, 202458 minSeason 1Ep. 312

New ROI Questions For AI, Microsoft’s Empire Plans, Jassy’s Amazon Comeback

Tom Dotan from the Wall Street Journal joins us for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) What slow growing GenAI consumer usage says about the field 2) OpenAI's five levels of AI sophistication 3) Why enterprise rollouts of AI technology are moving slow 4) Is AI a startup game or scaled player only discipline 5) How small models fit in 6) Bing's failed run after Google 7) Sequoia's $600 billion question on AI 8) Can we use leftover GPUs to break out of the simulation 9) Mic...

Jul 12, 20241 hr 7 minSeason 1Ep. 311

Amazon's Longterm AI Vision — With Matt Wood

Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. --- Matt Wood is the VP of AI Products at Amazon Web Services (AWS). Wood joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss the current state and future potential of AI, according to Amazon. Tune in to hear insights on how customers are adopting AI, the importance of model choice and specialization, and the evolution of AI in the near-term. We also cover AWS' AI platform, Amazon's Alexa assistant, and the cultu...

Jul 10, 202453 minSeason 1Ep. 310

Hawk Tuah and the Zynternet, OpenAI Hacked, One Year Of Threads

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) Why the Hawk Tuah Meme broke through 2) Evolution of the internet from the 'nerd internet' to the 'Zynternet' or 'bro internet' 3) The 'For You' recommendation system had turned the internet into a mass appeal machine vs. niche 4) Zuck's fourth of july water sports moment is indicative of the change 5) Raw dogging flights 6) OpenAI hacked 6) NYTimes rips off Dwarkesh Patel's Podcast 7) Figma's Apple We...

Jul 05, 202450 minSeason 1Ep. 309

What the Ex-OpenAI Safety Employees Are Worried About — With William Saunders and Lawrence Lessig

William Saunders is an ex-OpenAI Superallignment team member. Lawrence Lessig is a professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School. The two come on to discuss what's troubling ex-OpenAI safety team members. We discuss whether the Saudners' former team saw something secret and damning inside OpenAI, or whether it was a general cultural issue. And then, we talk about the 'Right to Warn' a policy that would give AI insiders a right to share concerning developments with third parties without f...

Jul 03, 202447 minSeason 1Ep. 208

AI Adoption Challenges, Waymo’s Big Expansion, Amazon hits $2 Trillion

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) Companies that bought AI services are struggling to make them work 2) Is an AI 'trough of disillusionment' coming? 3) Consultants are cashing in on the AI boom 4) Is consultants' heavy involvement in AI work good? 5) Examining Perplexity's IP issues more closely 6) Suno gets sued 7) Waymo's massive, underappreciated expansion in San Francisco 8) Waymo vs. Tesla - who wins? 9) Amazon hits a $2 trillion ...

Jun 28, 202453 minSeason 1Ep. 207

Decoding The NVIDIA Trade — With Michael Batnick

Michael Batnick is managing partner at Ritholtz Wealth Management and co-host of The Compound and Friends Podcast. Batnick joins Big Technology Podcast for a conversation that asks all the questions about NVIDIA's historic run. We cover the valuation, volatility, competition, chances to keep going, and AI fatigue. We also ask whether NVIDIA could give up its gains just as fast as it built them, whether it will become an Apple-like fixture in portfolios, and how algorithmic trading might play a r...

Jun 26, 202441 minSeason 1Ep. 306

NVIDIA Takes The Crown, Return of Ilya, Vision Pro Stalls

Reed Albergotti is the tech editor at Semafor. He joins Big Technology Podcast to break down the week's news. We cover: 1) NVIDIA temporarily becoming the most valuable publicly traded company 2) Is NVIDIA a bubble? 3) What might disrupt NVIDIA? 4) Ilya Sustkever founds Safe Superintelligence Inc. 5) Who's funding Ilya? 6) Will SSI amount to anything? 6) OpenAI might become a public benefit company 7) The state of DeepMind's merger with Google Brain 8) Mustafa Suleyman's entry to Microsoft and h...

Jun 21, 202455 minSeason 1Ep. 205

AI, Elon, Abundance, and Longevity — With Peter Diamandis

Peter Diamandis is the founder and executive chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, a New York Times bestselling author, and host of the Moonshot Podcast. He joins Big Technology Podcast for a fun, wide-ranging conversation touching on his belief around AI, his friendship with Elon Musk, Abundance and happiness, and how we can live longer, including an incoming lifespan explosion. Tune in for a fun, thought provoking conversation that covers a lot of ground on today's crucial topics. --- Enjoying Bi...

Jun 19, 202453 minSeason 1Ep. 304

Gurman on Apple, OpenAI’s Deal Terms, Forbes vs. Perplexity

Mark Gurman is Chief Correspondent at Bloomberg. He stops by Big Technology Poddcast for a brief recap of the week's Apple news, including its no-money deal with OpenAI. Ranjan Roy from Margins is also back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover: 1) Alex's Visit to NVIDIA 2) The Gurman interview - which covers a) Apple + OpenAI b) The stock market reaction to WWDC c) Apple's Robotics future 3) Ranjan and Alex react to the Gurman interview 4) OpenAI's relative strength after ...

Jun 14, 20241 hr 4 minSeason 1Ep. 303

Apple Fails to Overreact to the AI Revolution — With M.G. Siegler

M.G. Siegler of Spyglass is back to recap Apple's big AI-themed WWDC event and look ahead to AI's broader potential moving forward. Tune for an in-depth analysis of Apple's new AI features, and what they say about the strengths and limitations of the current AI models. We cover whether the new features will lead to an iPhone upgrade cycle, the stock market's reaction, Elon Musk getting angry about the event, why OpenAI played a smaller role than many anticipated, Apple's potential robotics futur...

Jun 12, 202451 minSeason 1Ep. 302

Dispatch from WWDC: Apple AI News + Reaction

Alex Kantrowitz joins on site from WWDC, where Apple just made its big AI announcement. Tune in for a quick recap of the event's news and the implications. We cover Apple Intelligence, Genmoji, Writing Tools, & more. And what it meens: 1) Apple needing to go bold 2) Opening the device up to take advantage of the next 18 months of AI development 3) The OpenAI parternship 4) How Google reacts to this 5) How Microsoft reacts to this 6) The financial implications. Did you like this episode? Any ...

Jun 10, 202420 minSeason 1Ep. 301

Apple’s AI WWDC Approaches, Nvidia $3 Trillion, OpenAI Safety Concerns

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) Apple's WWDC AI preview 2) Apple's willingness to change its operating system with AI 3) Were Humane and Rabbit on the right track with bad execution? 4) Will the market react well to WWDC? 5) Apple is going to put cameras in AirPods? + Alex's experience with the Ray-Ban Metas 6) NVIDIA's $3 trillion market cap 7) NVIDIA surpasses Apple for a minute in valuation 8) Are we at the NVIDIA top? 9) Roaring ...

Jun 07, 202457 minSeason 1Ep. 300

Can The News Industry Survive The AI Era? — With Ben Smith, Nayeema Raza, and Joe Marchese

Ben Smith and Nayeema Raza host Mixed Signals, a new media podcast from Semafor. And Joe Marchese is the general & build partner at Human Ventures. The three join Big Technology Podcast for a VC + Journalist conversation on whether the news industry can survive its dealings with generative AI tech providers, like OpenAI, after several publications inked multi-million dollar content deals. Tune in for a conversation that explores whether the news industry is setting itself up for a repeat of ...

Jun 05, 202453 minSeason 1Ep. 299

How Walt Mossberg Built A Deep Relationship With Steve Jobs

Walt Mossberg is a legendary tech journalist and longtime columnist for the Wall Street Journal. This is a preview of our premium Big Tech War Stories Podcast where Mossberg joins to discuss how he formed connections with industry titans like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos, and what drove their thinking and strategies. In this preview we cover Jobs, discussing his optimism, focus, and unending curiosity that led to long hours of conversation with Mossberg via phone. We also discuss the r...

Jun 03, 202437 minSeason 1Ep. 298

OpenAI Teases GPT-5, Musk's Plan For xAI, Loneliness in Remote Work Era

Brian McCullough, host the Techmeme Ride Home podcast, joins us our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) OpenAI teasing GPT-5 2) Or wait, was it GPT-6? 3) Satya Nadella speaks with Sam Altman about OpenAI's Apple partnership 4) How long will OpenAI and Microsoft be best buds? 5) Does OpenAI benefit by diversifying partnerships? 6) Is Apple going to go all-in on AI at WWDC? 7) What the new Siri might look like? 8) OpenAI's ex-board members speak up about Altman firing episode 9)...

May 31, 202459 minSeason 1Ep. 297

How Shein and Temu Snuck Up On Amazon — With Louise Matsakis

Louise Matsakis is a technology reporter and writes You May Also Like on Beehiiv. Matsakis joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss her recent story for Big Technology about how Shein and Temu snuck up on Amazon and what these two Chinese ecommerce companies have done to carve out a growing slice of the online retail market. In this story, we talk about demographics, marketing, tariff loopholes, and more. Stay tuned for the second half where we discuss the state of the TikTok ban and how China is...

May 29, 202443 minSeason 1Ep. 296

Google’s Crazy AI Overviews, OpenAI’s Superalignment Drama, NVIDIA’s Unstoppable Run

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) Google's AI Overviews tell us to eat rocks 2) Is this a signal the web really is done? 3) Google's history of messy AI launches 4) OpenAI's super-alignment team in chaos 5) Is there immediate AI safety risk or did the team leave because there isn't? 6) OpenAI's NDA practices 7) Did OpenAI take Scarlett Johansson's voice? 8) Is there a line for the tech industry taking intellectual property? 9) NVIDIA's...

May 24, 202459 minSeason 1Ep. 295

What Cheaper, Faster, and Smarter AI Gets Us — With Aaron Levie

Aaron Levie is the CEO of Box. Levie joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss the implications of AI getting cheaper and faster after OpenAI cut GPT-4o's prices by half and made it twice as fast. We also cover AI's impact of AI on jobs, the evolving AI safety debate, and how companies like Box are harnessing these powerful technologies. It was our first public event and such a blast to meet so many of you! Hit play for a thought-provoking exploration of the AI cutting edge, and what comes next. -...

May 22, 202455 minSeason 1Ep. 294

OpenAI’s Big Week, Did Google Kill The Web, AWS CEO Resigns

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) OpenAI's GPT-4o announcement 2) Is voice + video the right user interface? 3) Do we need smartglasses for this technology? 4) Was ChatGPT-4o too flirty? (yes) 5) OpenAI's potential iOS partnership with Apple 6) Siri improvements are coming 7) What AI + iphone could look like ahead of WWDC 8) Will AI features increase iPhone purchases 9) Listener feedback on the iPad 10) Ilya's out 11) Future of allignm...

May 17, 202446 minSeason 1Ep. 293

AI Scaling, Alignment, and the Path to Superintelligence — With Dwarkesh Patel

Dwarkesh Patel is the host of the Dwarkesh Podcast, where he's interviewed Mark Zuckerberg, Ilya Sustkever, Dario Amodei, and more AI leaders. Patel joins Big Technology to discuss the current state and future trajectory of AI development, including the potential for artificial general intelligence (AGI) and superintelligence. Tune in to hear Patel's insights on key issues like AI scaling, alignment, safety, and governance, as well as his perspective on the competitive landscape of the AI indust...

May 15, 20241 hr 6 minSeason 1Ep. 292

Apple's Bad iPad Ad, AI Assistant Hype, Netflix's Big Live Ambitions

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) Apple's bad iPad ad 2) Is the backlash largely due to the creative, of people's feelings about Apple as a company 3) Asking Claude about the reaction to the ad 4) Apple's big moment at WWDC 5) Apple building server-side AI compute 6) Better Siri 7) OpenAI teases GPT-5 8) AI assistant buzz 9) AI as a dating concierge 10) AI news creating a zombie internet 11) Netflix's Tom Brady roast 12) Netflix's big ...

May 10, 202454 minSeason 2Ep. 291

Economics of OpenAI, Tesla’s Robotics Pivot, Hedonic Treadmill — With Slate Money

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are the hosts of the Slate Money podcast. They join Big Technology to discuss the economics and societal implications of artificial intelligence and robotics. Tune in to hear their nuanced take on the costs, challenges, and potential paths forward for companies like OpenAI and Tesla as they pursue ambitious goals AI and robotics. We also cover the realities of retirement in modern economies and the ongoing debate over raising retirement ages. Join u...

May 08, 202451 minSeason 1Ep. 290

Emails From Elon, AI Revenue Questions, Chatbot Boyfriends

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) Ranjan's visit to India and his use of Perplexity to gain cultural understanding and context 2) AI news' reliability 3) How social media drives the college protest 4) The need to elevate the reasonable voice 5) Elon Musk email Alex with details about X's AI news play 6) Could X's AI news plan work? 7) X warming to news? 8) AI monetization challenges 9) Risking the trough of disillusionment in AI 10) Ap...

May 03, 20241 hr 1 minSeason 1Ep. 289

Teaching AI To Read Our Emotions — With Alan Cowen

Alan Cowen is the CEO and founder Hume AI. Cowen joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss how his company is building emotional intelligence into AI systems. In this conversation, we examine why AI needs to learn how to read emotion, not just the literal text, and examine at how Hume does that with voice and facial expressions. In the first half, we discuss the theory of reading emotions and expressions and in the second half we discuss how it's applied. Tune in for a wide ranging conversation th...

May 01, 202457 minSeason 1Ep. 288

Are LLMs Hitting A Wall, Microsoft & Alphabet Save The Market, TikTok 'Ban'

Deirdre Bosa is the anchor of CNBC's TechCheck. She joins the show for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) Whether LLMs are running out of resources 2) The costly business of AI 3) Meta's stock drop after Zuck talks costs 4) Meta's roller coaster 5) Microsoft's AI results 6) The virtues of Claude 7) Google's impressive earnings report and dividend 8) Sundar's comeback 9) TikTok's 'ban' goes into action 10) Is TikTok already dead? ---- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Pleas...

Apr 26, 202444 minSeason 1Ep. 287
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