Down Round

Latest Episodes:

Down Round Q&A Pt.1 Feb 19, 2026

Show notes

Some have argued that doing Q&A episodes is just a way of farming out the hard bits of doing a podcast to your audience. Not around these parts, buster.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OpenAI vs Anthropic Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

Gossip episode alert. The OpenAI/Anthropic rivalry is boiling over.

We sip on the most piping hot tea around OpenAI and Anthropic's ad spots at the Super Bowl and the growing animosity between the two giants.

If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The SpaceX + xAI Merger Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

Keen-eared listeners may remember when Elon bought his own company X (formerly Twitter) with his OpenAI spite company xAI.

Well, he's done it again, folks. This time SpaceX has bought xAI, meaning that SpaceX now owns xAI and X as part of the largest private company on Earth.

We discuss.

If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Airwallex + Payments Jan 28, 2026

Show notes

You asked, we answered. We're doing a much-requested episode on "Australian" fintech Airwallex, which has gotten a lot of untoward attention of late — anti-money laundering audits, accusations by American VCs of being a financial backdoor to China. But there's a bigger story here: the proliferation of payments companies doing a big land grab from traditional financial institutions, and quickly learning that regulation and bank policy exists for a reason.

We take a crash course of Airwallex, its current controversies, and where it fits into the bigger payments story.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is SaaS Dead? Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

As somewhat of a follow up to our Claude Code/Coworker episode last week, today we regroup to evaluate what it could mean for YOUR favourite SaaS products. That's right, folks, AI is coming to take away your precious QuickBooks and you're going to watch and clap as it rips and tears it to pieces. We also touched (if briefly) on the Siri x Gemini announcement.

If you like the pod, chuck us a 5 star on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grok Freaks Rejoice Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

New year, new studio, same red hot takes.

This episode covers the typhoon of AI-generated filth created by Grok, Elon Musk's AI venture, currently flooding X. We also touch on the general state of X as a platform.

Go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Xmas Spectacular 2025: Has He Got The Juice? (ft. Mark Di Stefano) Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

We're joined by friend of the pod and Rear Window columnist Mark Di Stefano for a loose chat covering a swathe of topics from capital-J Journalism, the tech oligopoly and AI in politics. This is our final dispatch from our Christmas recording.
Go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Xmas Spectacular 2025: Shart Tank, Pt 1 Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

We're joined by Rowan "Joyride" Dix and Becky "Becky Lucas" Lucas for another round of our annual community shark tank, where we listen to our listeners pitch their startup ideas and decide whether we're going to invest.
Go to https://www.downround.net/ to sign up for PREMIUM to hear the other 45 minutes of Shark Tank, get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.

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Xmas Spectacular 2025: The Year That Was Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

In the inaugural episode of this years holiday special, we rack up Ws as we dissect the predictions we made last silly season for 2025.

Go to https://www.downround.net/ to sign up for PREMIUM and get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. In this week's premium ep, we make our predictions for 2026, which will almost certainly come true (not financial advice).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feelin' Fine Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

A highly requested topic in the Down Round Discord is mental health and mindfulness apps — from meditation platforms like Calm to therapist marketplaces like BetterHelp. That's the topic of today, discussing the boom during the ZIRP era, the peak during COVID, and how it all relates to other engagement platforms like Duolingo.
Go to https://www.downround.net/ to sign up for PREMIUM and get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.

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