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Wed. 06/05 – An Open Letter To OpenAI Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

As I said on that bonus episode with Alex Kantrowitz, the research side of OpenAI isn’t happy, and they’re starting to speak out. More details on AI at WWDC next week. More price hikes in digital media. Palmer Luckey can’t stop; won’t stop. And how CoreWeave became one of the biggest winners of the AI era.

Links:

OpenAI Insiders Warn of a ‘Reckless’ Race for Dominance (NYTimes)
Apple Made Once-Unlikely Deal With Sam Altman to Catch Up in AI (Bloomberg)
Twitch is raising US subscription prices for the first time (Engadget)
Quest v66 Update "Significantly" Reduces Quest 3 Passthrough Distortion & Warping (UploadVR)
How an upstart is using its Nvidia ties to challenge cloud computing giants (Financial Times)

Tue. 06/04 – Wait. Why More Layoffs? Jun 04, 2024

Show notes

More headlines from Computex. More layoffs at Microsoft, but why? Instagram is copying YouTube’s unskippable ads. Why Samsung is pre-emptively suing Oura. And Palmer Lucky is personally bankrolling a modern-day Gameboy.

Sponsors:

CrunchLabs.com/ride

Links:

Intel CEO Takes Aim at Nvidia in Fight for AI Chip Dominance (Bloomberg)
E*Trade Considers Kicking Meme-Stock Leader Keith Gill Off Platform (WSJ)
Microsoft is laying off hundreds in its Azure cloud business, sources say (BusinessInsider)
Microsoft cuts jobs in Azure, HoloLens, and other units in latest move to control costs (GeekWire)
Instagram confirms test of ‘unskippable’ ads (TechCrunch)
Samsung sues Oura preemptively to block smart ring patent claims (The Verge)
Palmer Luckey is now selling pixel-perfect ultrabright magnesium Game Boys for $199 (The Verge)

Mon. 06/03 – An AI To Game With Jun 03, 2024

Show notes

Computex brings a slew of announcements from AMD and Nvidia, including an AI bot to help you with your gaming. Another price hike from Spotify. Perplexity launches Pages. X is now officially NSFW. And a look at Sam Altman’s investment portfolio.

Sponsors:

WashingtonPost.com/ride
MackWeldon.com code: BRIAN

Links:

Nvidia’s G-Assist is an AI chatbot that guides you through games and optimizes your PC (The Verge)
Spotify is increasing US prices again (The Verge)
Perplexity will research and write reports (The Verge)
X tweaks rules to formally allow adult content (TechCrunch)
The Opaque Investment Empire Making OpenAI’s Sam Altman Rich (WSJ)

(BNS) Big Technology Crossover OpenAI Teases GPT-5, Musk Raises $6B for xAI Jun 01, 2024

Show notes

OpenAI Teases GPT-5, Musk Raises $6B for xAI, Loneliness in Remote Work Era.

Fri. 05/31 – Why Not Just Kill Siri? May 31, 2024

Show notes

OpenAI has a new “affordable” version of ChatGPT for universities and schools. They also are planning to get back into robotics in a big way. Behind the scenes, TikTok is forking its algorithm just in case. Why doesn’t Apple just euthanize the Siri brand? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Links:

OpenAI has a has a new version of ChatGPT just for universities (Engadget)
OpenAI Is Rebooting Its Robotics Team (Forbes)
OpenAI finds Russian and Chinese groups used its tech for propaganda campaigns (Washington Post)
Apple Plans AI-Based Siri Overhaul to Control Individual App Functions (Bloomberg)
Exclusive: TikTok preparing a US copy of the app’s core algorithm, sources say (Reuters)
Spotify offers Car Thing refunds as it faces lawsuit over bricking the streaming device (TechCrunch)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

Disney Is Banking On Sequels to Help Get Pixar Back on Track (Bloomberg Businessweek)
They Built a $100 Million Watch Empire. Then the Market Tanked. (WSJ)
The Creator Of ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Knows Exactly Where It All Went Wrong (Defector)

Thu. 05/30 – Biggest Botnet Ever? May 30, 2024

Show notes

Global authorities take down what they say is the biggest botnet of all time. More big AI deals for big media. More on the delicate dance between OpenAI and Microsoft. Why aren’t there more smartwatches for tweens? And the AR laptop that might give the Apple Vision Pro a run for its money.

Links:

US dismantles 911 S5 botnet used for cyberattacks, arrests admin (BleepingComputer)
Exclusive: The Atlantic, Vox Media ink licensing, product deals with OpenAI (Axios)
OpenAI CEO Cements Control as He Secures Apple Deal (The Information)
Internal divisions linger at OpenAI after November’s attempted coup (Financial Times)
Amazon to Expand US Drone Service After Getting Regulator’s Nod (Bloomberg)
Apple Signals That It’s Working on TV+ App for Android Phones (Bloomberg)
Google announces Fitbit Ace LTE for kids with Wear OS, Pixel Watch 2 specs (9to5Google)
The Spacetop G1 Arrives This Fall. We Try the AR Laptop With No Screen (Wired)

Wed. 05/29 – Did The Secret Sauce Of Google Search Just Leak? May 29, 2024

Show notes

A big leak at Google might be the tech equivalent of the secret formula for Coca-Cola being revealed for the first time. The ex-OpenAI board members are starting to explain why they tried to fire Sam Altman. Did the Biden administration pass on TikTok’s concessions to avoid a ban? And remember delivery apps? How they doin’ these days?

Sponsors:

Lumen.me code: RIDE

Links:

An Anonymous Source Shared Thousands of Leaked Google Search API Documents with Me; Everyone in SEO Should See Them (SparkToro.com)
Ex-OpenAI Director Says Board Learned of ChatGPT Launch on Twitter (Bloomberg)
Anthropic hires former OpenAI safety lead to head up new team (TechCrunch)
YouTube’s free games catalog ‘Playables’ rolls out to all users (TechCrunch)
How the U.S. ignored a chance to make TikTok safer (Washington Post)
Food delivery apps rack up $20bn in losses in fierce battle for diners (Financial Times)

Tue. 05/28 – GPT5 Still A Year Out? May 28, 2024

Show notes

We have a rough timeline of when we can expect GPT5 and it looks like it won’t be this summer. xAI has a big raise. Another in-depth look at Apple’s AI strategy. The surprising old school companies getting boosted by the AI boom. And more data on how popular ad-supported streaming is becoming.

Sponsors:

Links:

OpenAI Says It Has Begun Training a New Flagship A.I. Model (NYTimes)
Elon Musk’s xAI raises $6 billion to fund its race against ChatGPT and all the rest (The Verge)
Apple Bets That Its Giant User Base Will Help It Win in AI (Bloomberg)
Google adds AI-powered features to Chromebook (TechCrunch)
The future of financial analysis: How GPT-4 is disrupting the industry, according to new research (VentureBeat)
AI Is Driving ‘the Next Industrial Revolution.’ Wall Street Is Cashing In. (WSJ)
What Happened to Our Ad-Free TV? (NYTimes)

Fri. 05/24 – Now ETH Gets An ETF May 24, 2024

Show notes

Out of nowhere, the SEC has approved spot ETFs for ether. Spotify is killing its Car Thing. Google’s AI Overview is giving crazy answers all over the place. But Meta already wants to charge more for their AI bots. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Sponsors:

Miro.com

Links:

US SEC approves exchange applications to list spot ether ETFs (Reuters)
Spotify is going to break every Car Thing gadget it ever sold (The Verge)
Google's AI search feature suggested using glue to keep cheese sticking to a pizza (Business Insider)
Save $200+ on your upgrade to The Information Pro (The Information)
The Daylight DC1 is a $729 attempt to build a calmer computer (The Verge)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

VCs and the military are fueling self-driving startups that don’t need roads (TechCrunch)
Two students find security bug that could let millions do laundry for free (The Verge)

Thu. 05/23 – Nvidia: Still Killing It May 23, 2024

Show notes

Nvidia’s earnings are still historic, but what could upset their apple cart? A few things, actually. I think we know the truth or at least the timeline of JohanssonGate. Big new media deal for OpenAI. Likes are going private on X. And would you clone your voice to answer the phone on your behalf?

Sponsors:

Vanta.com/ride

Links:

The story about my wife's theater project (NYTimes)

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