OpenAI's latest valuation and the value of the ChatGPT brand, the AGI clause in the OpenAI-Microsoft partnership, a follow-up on Waymo's data and the Bitter Lesson, a twist in the AI device form factor conversation, and a question about Orion and the importance of elite talent in big tech.
Understanding Tesla’s approach to an autonomous driving future, why some observers think Tesla is ahead of Waymo today, and questions about market structure and regulation concerns as the future of transportation takes shape. At the end: An additional note on politics as a zero sum game, and a few thoughts on the rest of the F1 season.
Explaining the SpaceX breakthrough over the weekend and why it mattered, an email about the next decade in tech, Tesla's 'We, Robot' event and the challenge of analyzing Elon Musk, a few more Waymo emails, and watches.
An injunction in the wake of the Epic v. Google case highlights the value of network effects in the app store market and the limits of antitrust law to restore competition, the DOJ proposes a break-up of Google that may run into similar problems in the search market, and Ben explains why Tesla's taking a different approach to autonomous driving than Waymo.
Ben's experience with Waymo and a question about AI automation implications, NotebookLM arrives and intrigues, follow-ups on the Orion conversation, and two notes on platforms and the future of media consumption.
A few follow-up questions on Meta's plans for the Orion glasses and the looming competition with Apple, surveying the past 12 months at OpenAI, a question about X and the decision to limit the distribution of a hacked JD Vance dossier, and a question about the future of media consumption in the wake of ESPN's decision to part ways with Zach Lowe.
An episode of reactions to Meta Connect 2024. Topics include: the lively atmosphere during Mark Zuckerberg’s keynote, Ben’s experience with the Orion AR glasses, the strengths and weaknesses of Apple and Meta in the race to create a platform for the future, Llama 3.2, Snap’s Spectacles, and more.
Answering listener questions on a tidal wave of sports gambling advertising, Sony’s strategy for the PlayStation Pro, robotics and the potentially destabilizing impact of AI, Apple’s latest ads, Microsoft’s LinkedIn purchase, and more.
Understanding the way LLMs have worked and why OpenAI's o1 model appears to be different, reactions to Microsoft's Copilot Pages and Marc Benioff's vision for agents, and why o1 and a generation of "reasoning models" could provide intriguing possibilities for AI investments across the enterprise space.
Questions about politics as America's most dominant pop culture franchise, recommendations for the EU, and more.
Questions about politics as America's most dominant pop culture franchise, recommendations for the EU, and more.
What Apple's iPhone event signals about priorities for the company, a digression on the App Store and its attendant risks, and thoughts on what Steve Jobs could and couldn't change about Apple in 2024.
Answering questions about Apple’s Woj, a cornucopia of iPhone options, founder mode, and more.
Tracing the history that led to the decline of Intel, why Ben is conflicted about the potential solutions to the company's woes, and a Third Circuit verdict on Section 230 that could upend three decades of precedent across the tech ecosystem.
The charges against Pavel Durov in France, the differences between encrypted messaging apps and Telegram, the philosophical questions underlying moderation scrutiny, and thoughts on Mark Zuckerberg's letter to the House Judiciary Committee this week.
Answering listener questions about Disney's massive investment in cruises, follow-ups on Canva and Sarbanes-Oxley, a new Chick-Fil-A streaming service, Perplexity’s advertising strategy, and lots more.
A conversation about Canva and lessons from its growth story, the future of graphic design and visual learning, and a word about tech IPOs in the modern era. At the end: The injunction blocking the launch of a new streaming service, follow-ups on surgeon groupchats, and an emailer makes Sharp Tech history.
Answering listener questions on the BNPL model for smartphones, whether Apple employees hate the App Store policies, Apple Intelligence and search, and lots more.
The history of PCs and smartphones as context for Google's integrated strategy for Android, and reactions to Apple's plans for the NFC chip and its approach to Patreon and payment processing. At the end: Final thoughts on Peacock and the Olympics, Amazon’s Whole Foods experiment, and a listener requests a tour of Ben’s cord bag.
The implications and inherent tensions of this week’s verdict in U.S. v. Google, Apple and a mountain of services revenue suddenly in jeopardy, and emails on aggregators, Elon Musk’s latest lawsuit, Crunchyroll and more.
What Nike's recent struggles can teach us about maintaining culture and competing in e-commerce, plus questions on Amazon and Temu, Meta's threat to AI incumbents, and the pricing strategy of AI cloud providers. At the end: The implication of recent Netflix news, NBC's pricing strategy for Peacock, Google's new Gemini commercial, and more.
Meta debuts a powerful new LLM, Mark Zuckerberg makes the case for an open approach to AI, and Ben explains the Crowdstrike mess and why this episode highlights fundamental tensions between security and competition. At the end: Updated thinking on Netflix and what it wants from the ad business, and marveling at Apple's spending spree in Hollywood.
Projecting antitrust policy in a second Trump administration and explaining the splintered interests among little tech and big tech, checking in with the state of X under Elon Musk, and two ChatGPT testimonials help explain the status quo. At the end: Both hosts choose new jobs and new favorite teams.
Ben and Andrew return with thoughts on Apple's calculus in the EU, why better App Store policies may not have mattered, perspectives from US and EU citizens, and follow-up to Ben's article on various EU regulatory ambitions. Then: The news that neither Apple nor Microsoft will take observer seats on the OpenAI board, Paramount's merger and an endorsement of irrational Hollywood, Apple unveils its F1 movie, bubble tea takes, and President Mr. Beast.
Perplexity and the choices facing publishers in the AI era, revisiting the decisions and structural forces that led to media struggles in the online economy, and an emailer from the EU who wonders about the costs of the expansive language in the digital markets act. At the end: Ice cream, and a few interview recs for the break.
Lessons from the FTC's lawsuit alleging that Adobe has violated consumer protection laws in its cloud services business, a question about the vibes at WWDC and other tentpole keynotes across big tech, and a few more notes on Apple, including Facebook's data calculus, the DRI model, and stress-testing the developer concerns with respect to the Vision Pro.
Answering listener questions in the wake of WWDC, including thoughts on AI for Outlook, whether Apple competitors will allow data access to Apple Intelligence, cloud questions, chip questions, and more.
Reviewing all things WWDC in 2024, including the introduction of Apple Intelligence, why Apple's vision for mainstream AI was compelling, the Apple partnership with OpenAI, questions about Private Cloud Compute, and lots more.
A look at Microsoft Recall and the implications of the security changes that were announced this weekend, follow-up questions on what Netflix may build in its advertising business, and a few countervailing notes on the possibility of a dark GPU sequel to the dark fiber story after the dot com bubble.
