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 E...
Jan 03, 2024•16 min
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 ...
Jan 02, 2024•18 min
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 c...
Jan 01, 2024•37 min
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. L...
Dec 31, 2023•1 hr 4 min
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 sto...
Dec 30, 2023•49 min
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-l...
Dec 29, 2023•17 min
Researchers have found a gnarly zero-click, zero-day iMessage hack that has been exploited. Apple can sell watches again! What was the best performing tech stock of 2023? Will 2024 be the climax of the streaming wars? And will 2024 be the year Apple finally gets serious about gaming on the Mac? Links: 4-year campaign backdoored iPhones using possibly the most advanced exploit ever (ArsTechnica) Apple can temporarily sell smartwatches after US appeals court win (Reuters) The Late-Night Email to T...
Dec 28, 2023•17 min
The NYT has broken the seal and sued OpenAI and Microsoft. Ads are coming to Prime Video in mere days. More rumors about Jony Ive founding an AI hardware startup with Sam Altman. Anthropic seems to be provide OpenAI isn’t the only one that can make money in the AI space. And when chips go beyond the 1 kilowatt barrier, you need to liquid cool them. Sponsors: NakedWines.com/ride use code AND password ride Notion.com/ride Links: The Times Sues OpenAI and Microsoft Over A.I. Use of Copyrighted Work...
Dec 27, 2023•17 min
Apple’s whole AI strategy has been coming into focus these last couple of weeks. Two stories on this, including Apple’s first announced LLM. OpenAI is fundraising again. Hackers are targeting gaming studios again. And as President Biden didn’t deliver the pardon, what is this patent case against the Apple Watch? I’ll explain. Links: Apple quietly released an open source multimodal LLM in October (VentureBeat) Apple Explores A.I. Deals With News Publishers (NYTimes) OpenAI Is in Talks to Raise Ne...
Dec 26, 2023•18 min
This time we talk about the AOL/Time Warner Merger Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 25, 2023•1 hr 43 min
The first time I went on the Acquired Podcast, back in March of 2017 . We talked about Yahoo's acquisition of Overture. I know you probably haven't heard of either of those names, but in a roundabout way, this is the story of how Google makes so much money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dec 24, 2023•1 hr 32 min
Me on The Newsworthy Podcast talking the tech trends of 2023. Alliterative! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 23, 2023•15 min
The Hyperloop dream is dead. The attempt to bridge the iMessage divide is dead. China’s gaming industry isn’t dead, but it’s pretty wounded. The crazy story of that teenage hacker who leaked the GTA VI stuff. The weekend longreads suggestions, and at the very end, a unique look back at the evolution of the AI moment. Sponsors: Nutrafol.com/men code ridehome Links: The hyperloop is dead for real this time (The Verge) Beeper is giving up on its iMessage dream (The Verge) Apple’s Newest Headache: A...
Dec 22, 2023•23 min
The Galaxy S24 lineup had a big spec leak. So what do the new phones have and what is Galaxy AI? Get ready cause the Apple Vision Pro hype tsunami is about to wash over us. A big merger might happen soon to confirm the consolidation phase of the Streaming Wars is upon us. Waymo has data that says its robot drivers are safer. And Apple doesn’t do the little things anymore? How about making a version of Car Play just for two specific car brands? Links: Leaked Samsung S24 spec sheet offers complete...
Dec 21, 2023•19 min
Rite Aid was apparently doing some crazy stuff with facial recognition software. Sony says the PS5 is killing it. ByteDance is definitely killing it. Microsoft CoPilot can now compose songs. And maybe the real reason OpenAI is making deals with publishers. Links: Rite Aid Banned From AI Facial Recognition by FTC After Misuse (Bloomberg) PlayStation sales and blockbuster games propel console market back to growth (FT) ByteDance’s Sales Break $110 Billion to Pass Tencent This Year (ByteDance) SSH ...
Dec 20, 2023•17 min
Google has settled lawsuits from the states, has agreed to offer new billing tools, and may owe YOU some money as they’ve agreed to pay $700 million dollars in restitution. What happens to adobe and Figma now that they’ve got to go their own ways? Why do hackers love targeting game developers? And game preservationist have uncovered a gold mine. Sponsors: EarIn App (Enter code techmeme to give us credit) Links: Google to Pay $700 Million in Play Store Settlement (WSJ) 102 million people eligible...
Dec 19, 2023•17 min
Big news Monday. Adobe and Figma have called off their wedding. Apple might stop selling its top-of-the-line Apple Watches, in the US, this week. I’ll tell you why. The EU has formally opened an investigation into X. And why are all of the Hollywood studios suddenly willing to sell their content to Netflix again? Sponsors: Shipstation.com , code ride Links: Adobe, Figma shelve $20 bln deal after hitting regulatory roadblocks (Reuters) Apple to halt Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 sa...
Dec 18, 2023•17 min
You can learn more about AdHawk Microsystems . But especially learn more about the MindLink Air . And the link to the YouTube version of this interview is here if you want to watch the demo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dec 16, 2023•42 min
Did Google just kill geofence warrants? Intel wants you to know it’s in the AI game. Could we get a foldable iPad before we get a foldable iPhone? Soon, maybe your tv really will be spying on you to deliver ads. The AI stuffed toy that Grimes has partnered with. And, of course, The Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Planet Money Podcast Links: Is This the End of Geofence Warrants? (The EFF) Intel unveils new AI chip to compete with Nvidia and AMD (CNBC) Report: Apple has ‘...
Dec 15, 2023•19 min
The gates have been opened for Europeans on Threads, and it looks like Meta’s serious about tying Threads into to Fediverse. I argue that the release of a new charging case for the AirPods Pro is kinda a big deal. Wait until you hear this wild story about hackers versus a train. And maybe ChatGPT DIDN’T turn students into cheaters afterall. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Links: Meta starts testing Threads integration with ActivityPub (TechCrunch) Threads launches for nearly half a billion more users...
Dec 14, 2023•17 min
Apple has a new tool to help you if your iPhone gets stolen. There’s a huge Tesla recall related to Autopilot. More AI tools from Google. How is X doing, you know, financially speaking? And Netflix’s first ever What We Watched report. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Mindbloom.com/techmeme100 and code techmeme100 Links: Apple Makes Security Changes to Protect Users From iPhone Thefts (WSJ) Google Offers Enhanced Generative AI Features for Cloud Customers (Bloomberg) Tesla Recalls 2 Million Cars to Fix...
Dec 13, 2023•20 min
Epic Games has won its case against Google’s app store, but why was this case different than the one they lost to Apple? The sort of big changes to Apple TV. BeReal is still around and still… being real. But E3 is not. It’s officially over as a conference. Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Miro.com/podcast Links: Epic win: Jury decides Google has illegal monopoly in app store fight (The Verge) Google’s Epic Legal Defeat Threatens $200 Billion App Store Industry (Bloomberg) Exclusive: Apple offers to le...
Dec 12, 2023•16 min
I told you the open-source AI startups were coming, and a big one is making waves today. Apple’s iPad lineup is hella confusing, but Mark Gurman says Apple is working to streamline that in the coming year. And let me give you the background on that whole Effective Accelerationist movement you might have been hearing about online. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast CrashPlan.com/ridehome Links: Mistral, French A.I. Start-Up, Is Valued at $2 Billion in Funding Round (NYTimes) Nvidia Sees Vietnam as Potent...
Dec 11, 2023•17 min
People across the Internet are accusing Google of faking that Gemini AI video demo that everyone was wowed by. Apple seems to be diversifying out of China for manufacturing at pace now. Might the UK’s CMA have an issue with Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: ShopBeam.com/ride Links: Google’s Gemini Looks Remarkable, But It’s Still Behind OpenAI (Bloomberg) Early impressions of Google’s Gemini aren’t great (TechCrunch) Apple to move ...
Dec 08, 2023•17 min
Meta has kept a longstanding promise to encrypt Messenger by default. Apple is coming clean about the notifications spying thing. AMD’s answer to Nvidia. We know when the next major version of Windows is coming and, surprise, it’s got AI all over it. And Apple releases its first little AI hint. Sponsor: Dragonball Legends Links: Messenger is finally getting end-to-end encryption by default (The Verge) Federal government is using data from push notifications to track contacts (Washington Post) AM...
Dec 07, 2023•17 min
Say hello to Gemini, Google’s new AI model designed to go head to head with OpenAI. Governments have been spying on your phone’s notifications, but Apple couldn’t tell you about that until now. Why is Twitch shutting down service in what is one of the biggest markets in the world for esports? And another way to hide your green bubbles in iMessage. Sponsors: CrashPlan.com/ridehome The Traceroute Podcast Links: Meet Gemini, the AI That Google Says Is Way, Way Better Than ChatGPT (Gizmodo) Google’s...
Dec 07, 2023•18 min
The 23andMe hack just keeps getting worse. A new phone! The OnePlus 12. A new AI Alliance. New, upgraded spam filters. And all you need to know about the big Grand Theft Auto VI news. Sponsors: Notion.com/ride Nuts.com/ride Links: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9 million users (TechCrunch) A detailed look at the OnePlus 12 ahead of its global launch (The Verge) Instagram and Facebook Messenger chats are being disconnected this month (9to5Google) Meta, IBM Create Industrywide A...
Dec 05, 2023•17 min
I guess Spotify missed the memo about the tech turnaround cause they had monster layoffs today. Google has delayed its big OpenAI competitor. Why does AI have a tendency to do evil unless you really tell it not to? And the band Kiss is retiring from touring, but Kiss the band has the potential to tour forever, thanks to digital avatars. Sponsors: Collective.com/ride Kolide.com/ride Links: Spotify cuts 17% jobs amid rising capital costs (TechCrunch) Google Postpones Big AI Launch as OpenAI Zooms ...
Dec 04, 2023•17 min
Here is how it all went down with the Sam Altman saga, day by day, hour by hour. With @alexkonrad of Forbes. This is the story we talk about toward the end: A Secretive $10 Billion Firm Backed By WhatsApp Billionaire Jan Koum Is Quietly Building A Startup Portfolio (Forbes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dec 02, 2023•47 min
The action button is coming to all the iPhones with increased functionality. Reconstituting the cable bundle example #972. Microsoft wants to create a mobile gaming app store sometime soon. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Nutrafol.com/men code ridehome Links: iPhone 16 to Include Action Button Across Entire Lineup (MacRumors) Apple and Paramount Discuss Bundling Their Streaming Services (WSJ) Apple fixes two new iOS zero-days in emergency updates (Bl...
Dec 01, 2023•17 min
