Tech Brew Ride Home

Latest Episodes:

Tue. 04/08 – It’s Already Starting… Apr 08, 2025

Show notes

Uh oh, it looks like the tech price hikes are already starting! People are accusing Meta of doing some weird things with those latest AI models. Shopify tells workers that they need to embrace AI for everything. Is AI killing web traffic? And how AI is being used to automatically create sequels for books.

Sponsors:

Links:

Framework “temporarily pausing” some laptop sales because of new tariffs (ArsTechnica)
Exclusive: Micron to impose tariff-related surcharge on some products from April 9, sources say (Reuters)
Apple Plans to Source More iPhones From India as Potential Tariff Fix (WSJ)
Apple Customers Dash to Stores to Buy iPhones Ahead of Tariffs (Bloomberg)
Meta got caught gaming AI benchmarks (The Verge)
Shopify CEO says staffers need to prove jobs can’t be done by AI before asking for more headcount (CNBC)
Google AI Search Shift Leaves Website Makers Feeling ‘Betrayed’ (Bloomberg)
THE A.I. ROMANCE FACTORY (Bloomberg Businessweek)

Mon. 04/07 – Will Tech Raise Prices Cause Of Tariffs? Apr 07, 2025

Show notes

TikTok lives! Again. Again. At least for another 75 days. Meta’s big new Llama models are out. AI coding assistant Cursor has become the big breakout hit of the AI moment. And then yes, we get into the tariff situation, including, me polling tech execs who make consumer facing gadgets: do you plan to raise prices? Here’s what they told me.

Sponsors:

Robinhood.com/gold
Qualialife.com/ride and code RIDE

Links:

Trump extends TikTok deadline for the second time (CNBC)
Meta releases two Llama 4 AI models (The Verge)
AI Coding Assistant Cursor Draws a Million Users Without Even Trying (Bloomberg)
Tariffs are tanking tech stocks, so why is Microsoft escaping the worst of the bloodbath? (Fortune)

(BNS) The Legality Of The AI Stuff Apr 05, 2025

Show notes

Is what happened with the Studio Ghibli ChatGPT image generation stuff even legal? I spoke with AI lawyer Rob Rosenberg, former general counsel at Showtime Networks and founder and principal of Telluride Legal Strategies about it, and what he told me was very interesting.

Fri. 04/04 – Has Intel Found A Way Out? Apr 04, 2025

Show notes

Thu. 04/03 – How Tariffs Might Impact Tech Apr 03, 2025

Show notes

Well we gotta talk about this tariff thing because the early indications are this could impact almost every nook and cranny of the tech industry. Could we get an announcement about TikTok within days? I think I figured out why CoreWeave’s stock popped back up. And how Nintendo plans to fight the scalpers.

Links:

Trump’s New Tariffs Test Apple’s Global Supply Chain (NYTimes)
Trump to Outline TikTok Deal Proposal, With ByteDance Retaining Stake (The Information)
Google in Advanced Talks to Rent Nvidia AI Servers From CoreWeave (The Information)
AI Video Startup Runway Valued at $3 Billion in Funding Round (Bloomberg)
Amazon targets April 9 launch of first Kuiper internet satellites (Reuters)
Nintendo’s Switch 2 preorder process has strict requirements to thwart scalpers (The Verge)

Wed. 04/02 – The Nintendo Switch 2 Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

All the details from the big Nintendo Switch 2 reveal this morning. Wikimedia says AI bots are increasing its costs by 50%. North Korean IT workers allegedy continue to go after remote IT jobs worldwide. Meta is reading its more ambitious, more expensive smartglasses for maybe later this year. And maybe the CoreWeave IPO wasn’t a bust?

Sponsors:

Udacity.com/ride and promocode RIDE

Links:

Amazon Said to Make a Bid to Buy TikTok in the U.S. (NYTimes)
Everything announced at Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct (Polygon)
AI crawlers cause Wikimedia Commons bandwidth demands to surge 50% (TechCrunch)
North Korean IT worker army expands operations in Europe (BleepingComputer)
How Meta’s Upcoming $1,000+ Smart Glasses With a Screen Will Work (Bloomberg)
Stablecoin issuer Circle files for IPO as public markets open to crypto (CNBC)
CoreWeave shares rip nearly 42% higher, rising above IPO price (CNBC)

Tue. 04/01 – OpenAI Closes The Biggest Private Tech Round Ever Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

Masa Son came through for OpenAI, to the tune of a $40 billion dollar round at a $300 billion-dollar post-money valuation. Sam Altman says OpenAI is going back to open weights. A new encryption model for Gmail. A new movie strategy for Amazon. And why the Switch 2 represents a new revenue strategy for Nintendo.

Sponsors:

FreshBooks.com

Links:

OpenAI closes $40 billion funding round, largest private tech deal on record (CNBC)
OpenAI Finalizes $40 Billion Funding at $300 Billion Value (Bloomberg)
OpenAI plans to release a new ‘open’ AI language model in the coming months (TechCrunch)
Gmail is making it easier for businesses to send encrypted emails to anyone (The Verge)
Amazon’s New Movie Strategy Starts With Theaters (NYTimes)
Nintendo Departs From Its Founding Philosophy With Switch 2 (Bloomberg)

Mon. 03/31 – xAI Acquires X Mar 31, 2025

Show notes

Over the weekend Elon said that xAI has acquired X. Elon does love to blend his companies together. Tensions between SpaceX and Apple. Apple is working on a major Health app overhaul. And in this era of crypto ascendency, is Ethereum being left behind?

Links: